JAKE
“Billy? Come on, man, quit playing around. I didn’t even hit you that hard ... Billy?”
“He’s gone, Jake. I’m sorry. It was a total accident, and we all saw that, but the boss wants to talk to you.”
“ ... Oh God. Wait, no, that isn’t possible. He was just talking to me—”
Light. Noise. The smell of blood. Billy’s blank eyes staring upward, the astonished look frozen on his face.
I sit up with a breathless little yell of shock and open my eyes to my own dim bedroom. I thrash the bedding aside and set my feet on the hardwood floor before I get control of myself, the adrenaline jolt leaving me shaking. “ ... s**t,” I pant, staring around to get my bearings.
Billy’s been dead for two years. It’s just the same damn nightmare again. Get it together. I rub my face, then turn my head to s
