This is the big one folks. As if the chapter title didn't already say that. This one might get a little trippy. Just a warning

Chapter Eight

Mandy's Final Words of Sorrow

-Eight forty five-

A single beam of light shone through the darkness. A beacon for Mandy to follow. The light seemed to be the only thing that mattered to her and all she wanted to do was follow it. But she couldn't, something was stopping her…a voice.

'Mandy …' the voice softly toned. 'Mandy…' Mandy slowly opened her eyes to see Billy kneeling down in front of her, shaking her shoulders. She was confused, where was she, what was happening.

"You're failing," a voice inside her head said softly. Mandy had trouble focusing her vision on Billy, it just kept on blurring.

'Stay awake Mandy!' Billy said, sounding clearer then before. Mandy felt weird, her body was reacting so slowly, her arm hurt more then before and she had one of those headaches that you get when you stay up too late. The strange thing was, she didn't feel tired at all.

"But you are tired" the voice spoke again. "You can barley keep your eye's open."

Mandy felt her head droop down again, but she quickly shot back up as the sing of a hand hit her cheek.

'Mandy!' Billy almost yelled. Mandy listened as the groan of the building sounded once more. It had been growing gradually louder each time and now dust and small bits of metal were falling down with it.

'Billy,' Mandy whispered, 'be quiet or your mum will come up here and tell us to keep it down,' she said as she sat on Billy's bedroom floor in front of the monopoly board. She had always been better then Billy at monopoly, and she had another advantage. She was better at staying awake, and it was one in the morning.

'Now Billy, it's your –' Mandy's world suddenly dissolved in front of her as Billy's voice brought her back to reality

'Mandy, we're not at my house, where at school, in the gym … now please stay awake,' Billy pleaded. Mandy watched as the memory disappeared and the grim reality set back in. She had no idea what was happening, until the voice in her head told her.

"Your brain is shutting down," it said, "you haven't got long now."

Mandy knew the voice was right. She was falling asleep, and there was nothing she could do about it. She vaguely felt Billy shaking her once more and he said something that she couldn't make out. Her hands were numb and her brain hurt, but there was nothing she could do. All she could do was … make things right.

'Billy,' she said. 'Billy … I'm … sorry.'

Billy looked at her with confusion in his eyes.

'Sorry?' he asked gently. 'What do you have to be sorry about.' He had never heard Mandy say that word to him before, not this seriously at least. She opened her eyes as wide as she could and stared at him.

'For everything Billy … for the … for the way I've treated you,' she struggled to say. She felt him slowly pull her up until she was only sitting upright with Billy's hands.

'I'm sorry for hitting you all those times … and calling you names … and an idiot … I know you're not one when … it comes down to it.'

The cold was getting the better of her as she slowly drifted back of to sleep once more, but Billy was there to stop her. She felt him shake her and shout her name once more.

'Mandy, wake up!' Mandy opened her eyes and looked back at his as he continued. 'You do those things because that's you Mandy, you don't need to apologise for anything.'

Mandy took a few staggered breaths and continued on where she left of as if Billy had never spoken

'Billy … I, only did those thing's … so, you would … hang around, because I … I …' Mandy felt her eyes start to close once more, and again Billy was there to stop her, shaking her once more.

'C'mon Mandy, stay awake … we just need to keep you moving,' Billy said. He paused and Mandy watched him look across the room, the he started to pick her up.

'There is still ten minutes left of the dance Mandy, there's still enough time for one last dance.'

Mandy flopped into his arms and he held her up with what strength he had left.

She felt her feet walking with his, but she had no say in where her feet went, they just walked on their own. Her vision started to blur once more as Billy almost carried her across into the dance floor. She tried to speak but she could not, all her body could do was move with Billy's like a rag doll with a drop of life in it. The rumbling of the building seemed like a mere ringing in her ear's now. Billy said something, but Mandy couldn't hear him, she could only see his lips moving. Her body drooped down in Billy's arms until Mandy's head was down to his chest. Everything started to get darker … and darker. She felt her head tilt back and her body give way until she was nothing but a limp person being held up by Billy. Her eyes started to once more close … but this time Billy was not there to save her … she couldn't hear anything. She felt warm water drop onto her cheeks … and then.

Nothing…