Beth lay in bed for what seemed like hours, wondering what was wrong and hoping Billy and his friends were all right. Whatever had made him leave in such a hurry must be important. He’d looked worried. That made her worry about him.
She stared up at the ceiling, watching the glowing numbers projected above her. The longer she stared, the more desperate she was to get some sleep. She still had to work tomorrow and the longer she stayed awake, the harder it would be to get through a full shift.
Painfully aware of the ticking of the clock, of every passing second, she finally fell asleep as the first tendrils of pink crept across the sky.
By the end of the day, Beth was dead on her feet. She made it to her car and sat with the door open for a couple minutes while it cooled. She wanted noth
