Hallowed

The cave was cold. Jimmy and Ulrich had tried their best to bolt a curtain of fur blankets over the mouth, but it still didn’t keep the shrill from pouring in every so often. If not for Jimmy’s enchanted fire in the center of the cave, we would’ve frozen to death days ago.

It had only been a week since the moderately warm night of Halloween, but winter had already crept in on us and was freezing Norway over. I didn’t really care about it though. I haven’t left the cave much in that week. My reason…was Chris.

Chris went to sleep Halloween night and hadn’t woken up since. I and everyone else knew the cause of his coma was his selfless gift of life to Gale. I underestimated how much energy I took from him. Now he was sleeping until he got it back. Or if he got it back.

Ulrich was a lot like me in this matter. Since the first day we realized Chris was out, Ulrich barely strayed from the cave. Ulrich and Chris were closer than brothers. It was only fitting Ulrich be there when he wakes.

“Ulrich, you should sleep,” I said into the silence. Another side effect of Ulrich’s worry was insomnia. He hadn’t slept in days. And he didn’t seem to feel the cold either. The last few hours, he’d been sitting leaned against the cold stone shirtless.

Ulrich sighed, “I will when he stops.”

Crawling over next to Ulrich’s side, I wrapped my arm around his and rested my head on his shoulder. “You’re not going to help him by killing yourself. Can you even remember when you last slept?”

“I think it was Tuesday,” he mumbled.

“Okay,” I smirked, “Now when was Tuesday.” We didn’t exactly establish what day was which yet.

Ulrich didn’t answer, but did yawn. That told me that he wasn’t going to force himself to stay awake any longer. I think it was the exciting talk that was helping.

Ulrich yawned again and fell back onto his bedroll, arms stretched out. His eyes were closed and his breathing slowed. I thought him asleep, so I took advantage of the chance I’d had for a pillow in over a month. As quietly and as gently as I could, I crept down and laid my head on Ulrich’s arm, laying my arm over his bare chest.

“Cass really won’t like this,” Ulrich mumbled, though he didn’t move any.

“I want a pillow, and you’re comfortable,” I admitted. It was mostly true. I did want a pillow, and he was comfortable, but I kind of left out the fact that I thought he was really hot.

“I’m going to sleep now. If you’re still here when I wake up, it’s not my fault,” Ulrich mumbled and as far as I could tell, fell asleep.

Again, I took advantage of him. This time by moving my head form his arm to his chest. I really hope Cass didn’t try to kill me after this.

Ulrich and Cass been together a lot, but no one actually asked if they were like together together. I was really curious. I guess this was a good way as any to find out. Well probably less good if it goes the way I think it might.

I didn’t get to find out either way, which was both bad and good. Good because I didn’t get to deal with Cass trying to kill me, and bad because I didn’t get to enjoy Ulrich’s warmth any longer and because of the news that came with the disturbance.

“Abby!” I heard Jimmy screaming from outside the cave. Pushing the fur curtain aside, he dashed inside the cave and tilted his head at the sight of me and Ulrich on the floor. “Uh… am I interrupting?” he asked.

Ulrich raised a hand waved him off, “I’m asleep.”

I sat up and looked at the confused Jimmy, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Gale,” he replied quickly, obviously remembering how much of a rush he was in. “Something is wrong.”

******

I ran faster than I ever have before. Ulrich stayed behind in the cave to look after Chris, but I had somewhere else to be. Gale was crashing. The healing I gave her wasn’t holding. Her cancer was back, and if Jimmy explained it right, I didn’t have any time to waste.

“Eldon!” I yelled when I reached the village. Eldon was waiting for me at the edge of Heim, and as soon as he saw me, he pointed a bony finger to Gale’s hut. I didn’t stop running.

I practically tore my way inside the hut and crashed onto my knees next to Gale. “No,” I whispered, “It can’t be this soon. Not yet.”

Gale smiled at me weakly. Her usually blue eyes were faded grey like ice. Her hair was sleek white. Her skin was almost entirely white. She looked like death. “It’s okay, dear. You did your best. At least I had one more week,” Gale wheezed out.

“I can get more energy from the woods. More life. I can heal you again,” I pleaded.

Gale touched my hand, “No, dear. The cost is too great. I must venture to Niflheim now.”

“No,” I repeated. “No. No. No!” I wasn’t letting this happen. I stood up and turned to everyone. “Get out! Now!”

Jimmy looked at me and was about to protest, but eventually started shoving people out the door. As soon as he did, I turned back to Gale and drew upon my power. I took the life from the very air. I took it from everything I could find in my vicinity, even me.

The grass died at me feet. Gale’s flowers in the hut withered to dust. My body felt weak. I didn’t stop. I drained everything. I drained it all, and I put it all into Gale. Everything I had, I put into her. I healed her. I tried to fight off death.

“Abby!” someone screamed from outside the hut. I was really getting tired of people yelling my name. I didn’t stop, and after a second, Helen charged into the hut, unafraid of me draining every bit of life I could find. “Stop. You can’t save her,” Helen pleaded.

“I can try,” I groaned, my body was getting weaker.

“It won’t work.”

“How do you know?”

Helen touched my shoulder, but immediately backed up when I accidently sucked some life from her. “I don’t know how, but I can sense it somehow. I can feel the death floating around Gale. It is her time,” Helen explained.

The last of the energy I could find was being put into Gale, and I could still feel that the cancer hadn’t left. It didn’t even diminish any. Gale wasn’t any healthier. Still hesitant, I dropped my hands and stopped my attempt at healing.

“I… it didn’t work,” I stammered. “I failed.”

“I’m sorry,” Helen said, hugging me. “It is her time.”

I turned from Helen and knelt next to Gale. As I took her hand, I broke down in tears. “I’m sorry, Gale,” I spoke solemnly.

Gale smiled at me and clenched my hand. “You did all you could. It is okay. Tell Chris…”

“Gale?” my eyes shot open. Gale was paler than before. Her eyes shined white. “Gale!” Gale didn’t move. “No.”

******

Tears filled my eyes. I was back in the cave. I had been there curled up in a ball crying for hours. I lost Gale. She died because I couldn’t save her. I could keep death off her. What good was all this power if I can’t even save the life of someone I care about?

What good was I? I was the Goddess of Death. That's what Ulrich called me. Why would've I even try to give life? Why?

The silence of the cave was the worst of it all. Everyone else was in Heim trying to console Erik and clean out the hut after I left it in shambles. It was just me and the comatose Chris now, and he wasn’t much help in cheering me up. He only reminded me of another mistake I’d made.

“Wow. What a dream.” Chris moaned. He was stirring back to the living.

I scrambled over to him as fast as I could and placed a hand on his chest, “Chris, you’re awake.”

“Hey, Abby. I had the weirdest dream,” he spoke, “We were transported to Norway and there were Vikings. Jimmy did some magic tricks. Ulrich summoned lightning. And there was a pink elephant in a tutu.”

I smiled for the first time today, “That actually happened, stupid. Except for the elephant. I don’t know where you got that from.”

“I was afraid of that,” Chris replied. I handed him a water skin, and when he finished drinking, he remembered what happened before he fell asleep. “Gale, is she?”

I knew what he was asking. I didn’t know how to answer, but I didn’t have to. My eyes told the tale.

Turning red from grief, Chris rolled over and turned away from me. I didn’t question him. I didn’t try to explain. I just sat against the wall close to him and waited for the others to return.