the man downstairs

Billy was writing in the room next-door to his. You could hear the keyboard clicking from outside, like chattering teeth.
   It was late. Billy always wrote late at night; it was calm and cool and no one bothered him. Almost as if he was the only person on earth, or at least he liked to think so.

   The door creeked open. "Billy?"
The voice shattered Billy's concentration like glass. He closed his eyes in memory of the peace and quiet he once had.
"What is it kate?"   His eyes still closed and head hung down like he'd died at that precise moment, but could
      somehow still be annoyed.
"what're you doing in here? its 4 o'clock in the morning."
"I'm praying to the devil."
"thats not funny Billy. Why don't you come to bed?"
" I will," he said.
 "But first I have to finish this. Me and the man downstairs have an agreement and I have to keep my end of the bargain or I'm a dead man."
"Jesus, Billy!  what the fuck are you even talking about!? The devil? Come on, I work in the morning."
"Then you should get some rest. You look tired."
That one really pissed her off. She told Billy to fuck off and slammed the door, which somehow snapped his concentration back in order. Billy thought to himself out loud, "at least she slammed the door."

three hours later, Billy was passed out over his computer, breathing beer stink all over it and slobbering too.
Someone started pounding on the door.
After a while, Billy got up and staggered to the door like a zombie to a fresh pot of brain stew, cleared his throat and, in his raspy morning voice, asked who was there.
No answer.
"Who the fuck is it?!" he yelled.
"who else would it be?" said the voice from the other side.
"Jeff, from the ground floor. Do we still have a deal?"
Billy zombie-staggered back to the computer room, passing kate who was woken up from the knocking, grabbed some papers out of the printer, back to the door and slid them underneath.
"You have the money?" Billy asked.
Two 20 dollar bills slid through to Billy's side. He had a smile on his face. "Its been a pleasure,"  he said. and walked up to his room to sleep.
"who was that Billy?" kate asked.
He closed his eyes one last time against his pillow, yawned, and said in a whisper,
"The man downstairs."