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“Billy?” Max curled her fingers around the door and shuffled her feet. Billy’s form twisted, batting at the blanket before shooting upright with a wild look in his eyes that had Max taking a step back. “Billy?”
“What-” He wiped his forehead with the back of his arm like it would help with the cold sweat gathered there, and took a shaky breath. “What the fuck do you want, Max?” It had only been three weeks since… since the Mall. He’d been released from the hospital after just eight days and he was still worse for wear. Even Neil hadn’t done much more than grumble since he’d been home - at least not at them. Another week and he’d be asking why the fuck Billy hadn’t washed the cars or done the dishes or why he wasn’t working again because rent was about to start being due…
But not then.
“I couldn’t sleep either.” She kept her voice low. Waking the rest of the house was a surefire way to break the peace they’d managed. Her mom had whispered about a divorce when they were doing laundry the day before but that wasn’t something she could think about then. Even if it was a sort of light at the end of the tunnel. Billy was staring at her in the dark like he could really see her. But he wasn’t mad, he was tired and in more pain than his usual facade could hide. She chewed her lip and said, “I had a nightmare.”
One shaky sigh later he shoved himself back to sit against the wall, leaving a wide area clear.
“Well, you gonna fucking stand there all night or sit down? Fucking hell.” She darted forward to sit at the foot of the bed and snatched a blanket to wrap around her shoulders.
They sat in silence for a while before Billy broke it with an unexpected whisper.
“What do you dream about?”
“The Mall.” She set her chin on her knees. “And before that, in the tunnels.” She’d told him about it once, in the hospital, and he’d been so angry that he nearly ripped out his I.V. trying to shake her for it. She didn’t say; about you even though it’s the truth. Instead she asked, “What about you?”
“It should be the mall.” He snorted and winced, reaching for his chest and the bandages there. “It’s always the basement. It’s the pool and the basement and watching… or it’s him .”
She really didn’t have to ask who that was. They had never… She and Billy never really talked like this. There had been a time where they might have been able to back in Cali, when he would take her skating or to the beach. That had been a while ago. Lifetime really.
Time passed in silence once more until a pillow was tossed at her and she took the silent command to lay down.
Maybe shit would get better. Maybe they’d both get out.