Don't Break Me (Billy Hargrove)

Chapter Twenty One

Betty Hopper

? , 1985

It's dark. It's been dark for what feels like forever. Everywhere I look it's pitch black. Sometimes I try to stumble around in the dark, I can sometimes feel a puddle of water under my bare feet. It's cold, but at least it's a different feeling from the dark. I don't know how long I've been here, wherever here is. Someone trapped me here but I can't remember who. I could've sworn it was another version of myself but that's not possible. Then again, I suppose anything is possible when you've been trapped in complete darkness. I thought maybe I saw Jane once, but it could have been a memory of before I was trapped here. I miss Jane and Billy, hell I even miss Dad. I used to scream and call for them, hoping and praying they might hear, but I finally gave up. Now I spend time walking aimlessly through the dark, occasionally enjoying the feeling of cool water under my feet. I drag my feet through the water, expecting the feeling to stop at any moment. But the feeling doesn't stop. Before I know it I'm to my ankles in water. This has never happened. Excited by the change I pick up my pace and walk blindly into the water. The cool feeling quickly climbs my legs and hits my stomach, chest, shoulders, neck. I take a deep breath before I allow myself to be submerged. I close my eyes tightly and hold my breath. I can feel something, maybe it's a current in the water. My lungs start to burn, I try to swim upward but the water seems to never end. I do my best to hold my breath but I can feel myself slipping away. After I can't hold it any longer I surrender to the water and let it fill my lungs. For the first time in what feels like years I see a blinding light. I open my eyes and see a face in front of mine, a face I thought I'd never see again.

"Billy?" I ask as my eyes try to adjust to the light. In a second the light vanishes. I suddenly feel myself on the ground and I sit up.

"BILLY!" I scream. I look around, only to find myself in darkness again. I feel tears fall from my eyes. My tears are warm, nothing like the pools of water. They burn. I quickly stand up and begin to run, hoping to find the water again. I don't find the water. There is no cool feeling under my feet. I collapse in the darkness as the burning tears stream down my face. I weakly call for Billy but it's no use. My tears feel like they are burning the flesh off my cheeks. This is hell, I have been trapped in hell.
After a moment my tears subside. I lay in the dark, just like I was before. I take deep breaths to calm myself. I try my hardest to recall the memories of Billy or of Jane or Dad. I focus on the times Hop would let me tag along on patrol, the late nights gossiping with Jane and spying on Mike. I think about being home with Billy, how we created our own perfectly imperfect world. We were just kids, we are just kids. We had to grow up, but we grew together.

Drip

The sting of ice cold water hits my forehead. I quickly sit up, unsure what just happened.

Drip

It happened again, this time hitting the back of my hand. The drips become more consistent. Each only burning my skin like dry ice. The water is freezing, much colder than the pools. Before too long the drips turn it's a sprinkle, then a light rain, eventually they turn into a downpour. I begin to cheer as I feel like ice cold water pooling under my feet. In an instant the water reaches my ankles, then stomach, chest, shoulders. I don't bother to take a breath when the water reaches my throat. I smile to myself as I feel the ice cold water slip into my lungs. I let out a scream as the light finally returns. I open my eyes only to be blinded. My eyes are unable to focus on anything but I can tell I'm out of the prison I was in.

"Betty!" I hear a voice call. I look around as my vision slowly returns. I see several dark blurs surrounding me, I assume they are people.

"Take it slow. You're ok now," another voice says. I can feel myself slipping back into the dark out of weakness. I fight it as hard as I can, only straining myself more.

"It's ok Betty. You don't have to fight it. You won't go back to where you were. You're safe now," a soft voice speaks. I know the voice, it's Jane's. I can't make out where she is, but her voice comforts me.

"The darkness is sleep, not a prison. You need to rest," she says and I decide to listen. I slowly close my eyes again and the light fades, but doesn't fully go away. I still feel the comfort of the light and of Jane as I slip away knowing I'm safe.

Y'all that was way over due I'm so sorry. Life is wack. Adulting sucks, but hey I updated right? Hope it was worth the wait. If it was then I'll try to update quicker than this time.