[For once in her life, Billie didn't have to hide in the dark or blend in with a crowd. It was still an uncomfortable feeling, but she was handling being able to walk out in the open, face exposed to a warm sun instead of hiding behind a gas mask to keep herself from catching a plague.
But the voice that rings in her ears puts an immediate regret in her. She stops. At first she doesn't turn around. For a moment, she thinks she's hearing things. Ghosts. Then she turns.
And--she's quiet again. Staring. He's definitely not a ghost. But some stupid part of her is still having a hard time believing he isn't.]
Daud? What are you--
[Suddenly, she realizes how the older man is carrying himself. She catches his stiffness, the favoring of his arm. He was hiding it, but Billie knew how injured men acted.]
AGAIN NO RUSH. I thought of some tweaks I wanted to make (AND I KEEP CATCHING TYPOS)
But the voice that rings in her ears puts an immediate regret in her. She stops. At first she doesn't turn around. For a moment, she thinks she's hearing things. Ghosts. Then she turns.
And--she's quiet again. Staring. He's definitely not a ghost. But some stupid part of her is still having a hard time believing he isn't.]
Daud? What are you--
[Suddenly, she realizes how the older man is carrying himself. She catches his stiffness, the favoring of his arm. He was hiding it, but Billie knew how injured men acted.]
You're hurt.