Hallowed

“A world needs a hero. A hero needs a villain. A villain needs a cause. A cause needs a catalyst. She is that catalyst.”

I was muttering to myself, my voice the only noise audible in the otherwise barren library. It was just the way I liked it. Quiet, peaceful, and deserted. It gave me the room I needed to think. I’m a writer. I have to think. I have to think a lot. And it doesn’t help that I have to read things like the ‘Poetic Edda’ for reference material.

I didn’t understand it, but who did? Except for maybe… you know, the Norse.

“Ulrich!” I heard someone screaming from the library’s entrance, only to be quickly quieted by the librarian. “Sorry, lady. I’m looking for… Oh there he is. Ulrich!”

It was my roommate and self-proclaimed best friend, Chris. How do I describe him? Let’s see. He’s the college’s frat-boy star quarterback, exponential amounts of popular, dating the hypnotically hot head cheerleader, and is way too cheery about it all.

As he got closer, I could see his straightened blonde hair shining in the light around brown eyes. “Dude, where have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Chris spoke once he reached my table. He started looking through the mass of my books, but nothing seemed to catch his fancy.

“I’ve been here, Chris. What do you want?” I replied, my throat a little parched. I realized just then how long I’d been here. I’m not sure if I’ve eaten today.

“You. Get up. We’re gonna be late.”

“To?” I questioned.

Chris closed my book and smiled at me. I was forced to look. “Party. You’re going. Don’t argue. You don’t have a choice. Helen set you up with someone. She’s cute,” Chris was prattling.
I smirked, “You’re not gonna let up until I go, are you?”

“Nope.”

“Fine.”

*******

A few hours later, I was cleaned up. My unkempt brown hair somewhat combed, though I don’t think it did much, and matched up with my black button up and desert cargo jeans. I already knew that I was going to the frat house, which Chris got me into, so the only conversation topic I had was this girl.

“What’s her name?” I asked.

“Who?” Chris replied.

I raised an eyebrow. “Elmo’s little sister. Who do you think?”

Chris laughed at me. “Her name is Cassie. She’s hot. She’s smart. Don’t screw it up.”
“I’ll try my best,” I admitted.

I didn’t have the best track record with women. It’s not like I didn’t date. It’s more like I dated too much. I had a habit of letting time get away from me, and every girl I’ve ever been with eventually got stood up. Why they kept going out with me? I’m not sure of.

“Good. Because she’s Helen’s new roommate, and I really don’t want your bad relationship crap making it weird.”

“Thanks for the support, bro,” I said sarcastically.

The party in one word: annoying. They’re not really my thing. A couple hundred people getting wasted on a variety of alcoholic beverages. Half of them hooking up on the stairs. A few of the dumber ones jumping off the roof into the bushes. I think they may have been falling.

“Dude, I’m going to find the girls. We’ll find you in a bit,” Chris told me and ran off.

I sighed, “Yeah. Cause I sit around a library studying because I just love this things.”

I really, really hate parties. I twisted my way through the mass of drunkards and sluts, though I stopped for the two girls making out in the hot tub. Even with that, I wanted out of this ridiculous party. I have stories to read and write, and the scent of liquor in the air doesn’t help my thought process.

However, my smile returned when I saw a friend. Helen’s sister, Abby, was leaned over the bar drinking what I took to be soda. Abby’s long brown hair was tied into a ponytail and hung low to the middle of her back. She was wearing what any self-respecting college girl would wear: a blue tank top and short jean shorts. If she wasn’t Helen’s little sister, I would’ve hit on her a long time ago.

“Hey, Abby,” I greeted.

Abby turned her green eyes to me and smiled. “Ulrich. You look good. Here to meet Cass?”

“You know her?”

“I met her when she moved into Helen’s room. She is really cool, Ulrich,” Abby poked my chest, “Don’t screw it up.”

“I’ve heard that twice tonight,” I admitted.

Abby smirked, “Well you have a history. How many girls here have you slept with?”

I shook my head, “I don’t have the time to count.”

I talked with Abby for a while longer before Chris and the others found us. They had found Jimmy, another frat brother, somewhere in the process. Helen reached me first, her blonde hair glowing like gold in the bar’s light.

“Ulrich,” Helen pointed at me.

“Helen,” I replied.

Helen tried to suppress a laugh, “This is my roommate. I like her. If you mess it up, I’ll hurt you.”

“I believe you,” I admitted.

That’s when I saw Cassie. It was something to behold. Black hair fell around dark blue eyes. As close to perfect of a form as they come. I was dumbfounded. A writer at a loss for words. That in itself should tell how amazing she was.

But good things don’t last. And this was a fail. I couldn’t even tell what was happening. The building was shaking. The air resonated like over a flame. The floor was melting. And if I didn’t know any better, I would say that no one was even noticing. The party was somehow still going on. Nobody but me, Chris, Helen, Abby, Jimmy, and Cassie noticed anything, though we were enough to pull off a massive freak out.

Out of sheer instinct, I grabbed Abby and Jimmy and pulled them together, trying to get them to support each other as the ground shook. Helen was already in Chris’ arms. That only left Cass. She was some ways away, staring at the cracking ceiling. Chunks of wood were falling and crashing into the floor, though not one piece managed to find a partygoer.

I ran as fast as I could manage. The air rippled and pushed against me, slowing my pace. I didn’t slow any. I saw a large piece of the ceiling break off and fall towards Cass. As a last resort, I leapt and wrapped my arms around Cassie.

The last thing I remember was a 4x4 crashing into my back.