He's Not Dead He Only Looks That Way

The rest of the day passes uneventfully, everything remaining quiet and calm as Frank and I try to keep everything as normal as possible for Ruby and the next few days pass the same, new glass being installed in the shower and Frank returns to work. Four days after the bathroom incident Frank is at work and Ruby and I are in the living room on the couch, a kids movie playing but I'm not paying any attention to it, my eyes focused on the sketch pad in my lap as I mindlessly sketch the images stuck in my mind, the same eyes and teeth repeated over and over again on the page when I'm snapped out of it by Ruby wriggling her way off the couch. "Where you going baby?" I ask and she turns and says "I'm gonna play." "Okay baby what do you want to play?" I ask, sitting my sketch pad aside and she shakes her head and says "I wanna play with Billy," the name leaving her mouth for the first time in four days. "How about you play with me?" I ask, fear gripping my body and she shakes her head and says "Billy just wants to play with me."

I sit in stunned silence for a few seconds before I remember how to speak and I say "Baby I don't think you should play with Billy anymore" and Ruby's face turns into a frightening glare as she says "Billy said shut up," running from the room and I stare after her, powerless to even form a coherent thought. I sit on the couch as tears stream down my cheeks for a few long minutes before I decide that I can't just sit back and let something happen to Ruby so I force myself to stand and go into her room, finding her sitting in the corner with a Barbie in her hand and I hear her say "No I love Fwankie and Geegee" before she realises I'm there and she snaps her head around to look at me as she goes silent. "Ruby, baby do you want to come and have some lunch?" I ask, my voice shaking and the words barely make it out of my mouth and she nods, dropping her Barbie on the floor and pushing herself up, running across and into my waiting arms and I swing her up onto my hip, taking her into the kitchen.

Lunch passes without incident, Ruby standing on a chair at the bench beside me and she helps me put together some sandwiches before we sit at the table and eat, the mood in the room feeling okay and I relax and let my guard down a little. After we finish eating I clear the table before grabbing some paper and crayons from the drawer in the corner and I set it up infront of Ruby, her face lighting up as I sit beside her and we both grab a crayon, focusing on drawing for a few minutes and I smile to myself at Ruby's face as she concentrates on her masterpiece. "So baby can you tell me about Billy?" I ask, mentally kicking my own ass for bringing it up but I feel like I have to ask. "What's he like?" I press when she doesn't respond straight away. "He's very funny Geegee, like you and Fwankie." "Oh yeah?" I ask, swallowing hard and focusing on not freaking out. "Yeah he likes to play games a lot" she tells me and I force a fake smile to my face as I nod along. "How old is Billy?" I ask, and Ruby screws her face up for a second before shrugging her shoulders and saying "I don't know." "What does Billy look like? Is he small like you?" I ask and Ruby shakes her head and says "No he's big and tall." "Like me and Frankie?" I ask and Ruby nods her head. "What else?" I press and Ruby drops her crayon and says "He's big and dark and he has big monster teeth and fingers." I feel my heart skip a beat and the feeling of being watched suddenly becomes overbearing and I pick up a crayon with one shaky hand and sketch the eyes and mouth I've been sketching all day before turning the paper to show Ruby and when she sees it her eyes light up and she claps and says "Billy," warm breath suddenly washing over the back of my neck and I can feel whatever it is standing right behind me, my body tensing up and Ruby smiles and says "It's okay Geegee, Billy just wants to play" and I let out a scream as hands clamp down on my shoulders, pinning me into the chair as more breaths wash over the back of my neck.

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