A constant banging beat against the wall of my room and also my brain. The creaking of a bed continuously pierced my eardrums.

“Argh, will you keep it down?” My open palm slammed on the wall as I shouted to the two on the other side. Unsurprisingly, the noise continued unhindered as if I had said nothing at all. Tch, just because you put a sock on your door handle doesn’t give you the right to make such a ruckus! The only way to get any peace and quiet was to bury my head in my pillow and squeeze my ears.

College life really wasn’t at all how my family had portrayed it would be. I had been coerced into living in the dorms. “Joseph, just think about how much fun you’ll have! All the new friends you’ll make, the girls you’ll meet. I’m sure it will be a blast. You’re eighteen and this will be the most memorable year of your life!” Or so I was told.

The reality couldn’t have been more different.

Having a roommate had turned out to be terrible. My roomie, the Slob, as I liked to call him, had zero respect: for me or himself. Not only did he not pickup after himself, he had no boundaries. He ate my food and invited his friends over without so much as a heads up. They always created one hell of a ruckus that kept me from studying. I was quite miserable.

I blindly reached for my nightstand and ran my hand along it. I grasped and grasped until I felt the cool plastic case and knew I’d found my phone. It was eleven-thirty. I had an hour and thirty minutes before class. I should probably have gotten up and showered and at least started getting ready, but I had no motivation to even get out of bed.

A question popped into my head that had been visiting me daily. What was the point of it all? College was a means to an end, but even that end wasn’t exciting. Life was dull. Couldn’t I have some excitement for just one day of my life?

The banging on my wall reached a crescendo and I couldn’t help but groan in disgust. My neighbor’s most private and intimate moment was broadcast through my wall quite clearly. The reality of it all reinforced just how miserable I really was.

As the banging and creaking stopped I let the pillow fall from my ears and stared up at the ceiling. I could hear the rustling as the two fumbled to get dressed.

“Don’t catch feelings,” the girl said.

“Not a problem.”

How romantic. I looked over and the bed across the room was empty. I guessed the Slob had enjoyed another late-night. The one solace was that he avoided bringing girls over.

I squirreled out of bed and barely managed to catch myself before falling. I didn’t even feel like moving but I knew if I stayed in bed any longer that would be the end result of my entire day. The showers were relatively empty and I snuck to the far end unnoticed. The warm water let me know I was alive, and I took my sweet time.

The towel I grabbed was already damp and I couldn’t help but sigh. Why couldn’t people be considerate? I reached out until I managed to grab a clean towel and wipe myself down. I wrapped myself up and headed back to my room.

After getting fully dressed, I took a bit of time to do my hair so I didn’t look as bedraggled as I felt inside. If there was anything I’d learned it was to always be presentable. Opportunity was always knocking: a phrase my father coined and which I liked to say to myself multiple times a week.

There were ten minutes to kill before I needed to leave. I opened my laptop and signed into my email. The due date for my term paper had been announced. I grabbed my red marker and flipped the page of my calendar before circling the date. The lid of my laptop closed with a snap and I slipped it into my backpack.

“Get to safety if you wish to survive.”

Huh? A voice came over the intercom, or maybe it wasn’t the intercom. I couldn’t tell as it sounded as if it had been spoken directly into my ear. I opened the blinds behind my desk and peered out onto the breezeway. Everyone seemed to have stopped moving and I could see several people looking around in confusion.

Was someone playing a crude joke?

“Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven…”

This time I confirmed the noise wasn’t coming from the intercom but was being transmitted to me directly. There was a commotion in the dorm-room.

“Did you hear that?”

“Six. Five. Four.”

“What the hell is going on?”

“Three. Two. One.”

By now I was thoroughly freaked out and people had started to run from the breezeway. The situation outside was becoming quite hectic.

“And so it begins.”

I continued to look outside as people started running for cover. Could this be a terrorist attack? A blinding light began to shine down all over the school grounds. The light seemed to avoid buildings and simply touched down on concrete or grass.

Once the light faded, beings began materializing as if being warped or spawned in. At first the view was incredibly blurry. It took a few moments before the figures became clearer: almost as if they were originally translucent. My hand clenched the blinds tightly as I realized what they were.

Kobolds, goblins, ghouls and other creatures simply spawned out of thin air. They remained stationary as the people outside stared at them in utter shock. Once the creatures were fully material, they began charging at the humans around them.

The kobolds and goblins wielded small weapons such as hammers and axes; a few had daggers and swords. The kobolds looked like walking dogs. The fur of their body was light blue, except for their chest: their chest was white fur from neck to crotch. Their mouths let out little yips and barks as they rushed around.

The goblins were smaller than the kobolds. Their skin was green and sleek, almost as if the sun would reflect perfectly off their bald heads. They hobbled around and gruesome throaty noises came from their mouth.

The zombies and ghouls moved around slowly but relentlessly. The zombie’s arms remained outstretched as they dragged their heels along the grass and concrete. Their bodies were patchy with flesh and white bone could be seen coming through their tattered clothing.

While the zombies looked remnants of a human, ghouls were another matter. Their arms and legs were irregularly elongated. Their mouth was filled with razor sharp teeth that grew out with almost no pattern. Despite that, their bodies didn’t look fragile like the zombie did.

The air was thick with the sound of yelling and screaming. It was entirely possible to outrun these small and slow creatures. The only problem was the sheer amount of them. They had spawned in numerous places all around campus. Nowhere outside a building was safe and those who weren’t fast enough to get inside were swarmed.

I watched with bated breath as those unlucky enough to trip or blindly run into a pack of monsters were tackled to the ground. The kobolds and goblins hacked and smashed any piece of flesh available to them. Even from a distance of a hundred feet it was possible to hear the sound of crunching bones and broken screams.

The goblins with daggers repeatedly stabbed their targets without stop. Even when the lifeless corpse ceased to move and make a noise they kept plunging their daggers as if in ecstasy. This impression was strengthened by their constant hobbling and cackling which made it appear as if they were dancing for joy.

I found my throat dry and my back drenched with sweat. My hand holding the curtain constantly trembled. My curiosity fought my urge to close the blinds and hide under my bed. This is a dream…has to be a dream.

I kept watching. An unlucky woman tripped and fell. Her head turned back to see her pursuers rush up as she crawled along the ground screaming. Her scream was soon choked with a wet sound. The nearby monsters simply swallowed her up. A pool of blood slowly seeped out from their enclosure.

Huh? As soon as the monsters separated, there was simply no body to be found. Only a red pool of blood signified that a human was once there. By now, there were very few people left out in the open.

Something moved in my peripheral vision and I turned my head. A lone student ran past the sidewalk and through the grass. He was sprinting with incredible speed towards the cafeteria. I couldn’t help but find myself cheering for him. Keep going! Almost there! My cheers were cut short as goblins intercepted him before latching onto his legs.

The student fought hard to keep them off as he continued to move. He dragged one or two goblins along the grass before kicking them off. His speed slowed considerably and red blood drenched his legs. In the end, he collapsed and several goblins dog-piled him.

His blood curdling screams made my hair stand on edge. I could clearly see the hammers and axes being lifted and dropped over and over again. An eternity passed before the only thing that could be heard was wet thuds.

I resisted the urge to vomit and forced myself to pay careful attention. The goblins and kobolds obscured most of my vision, but his legs that were previously shaking and moving were still in view. As the crowd dispersed around him, his body simply disintegrated.

Disintegrated? Was that the right word? Maybe de-spawned would be a better term for what I saw? All I know is that his body ceased to exist.

A loud bang woke me from my stupor. Shit! I turned and rushed to my door to lock it. My back pressed against the door as I slid down to the floor.

I rested my head in my hands and couldn’t help but look down. This was too much to take in at once. Yet the commotion in the dorm kept my head in the present and stopped me from losing focus. Most people on campus right now would be in class, so the dorm was at its emptiest. The Slob passed through my head before I pushed the thought of unlocking the door out of my head. Absolutely not!

The dorm became eerily quiet. I stood and made my way back over to the window before opening the curtain a few inches. Sure enough, the monsters outside were still there. They simply walked around as if patrolling and showed no signs of leaving.

There was a scream on my floor. A girl down the hall began yelling, “HELP! PLEASE LET ME IN.” She went from door to door banging. Her voice grew louder and louder as she approached. Please, don’t get this far, someone let her in! I tiptoed back to my door and listened to her footsteps moving down the hall.

She was only a few doors down as she continued to rattle every door. Fuck! Fuck Fuck! My door started to shake as she pounded into it. My hand grasped the doorknob and caused the metal to jingle. My heart was in my throat as the pounding stopped.

“PLEASE, I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE!”

My hand squeezed the metal so hard I felt as if it would break. Arghhhhh! FUCK! I unlocked the door and before I could even open it she barged through. Her charge knocked me on my ass she sprinted by me and jumped onto Slob’s bed. I couldn’t help but look back at her before her scream shook me and got an impression of long brown hair and bright pajamas.

“CLOSE THE DOOR, IT’S COMING!”

It’s coming? There was no need to voice the question, as a ghoulish arm reached around the corner of the doorframe. I felt an electric shock surge through my body as the lethargy of the morning left me.

The ghoul’s upper body and arm was already halfway through the doorway when I managed to smash the door against it. Its arm flailed through the air and disgusting mucus dripped from its mouth. A terrible stench wafted through the room.

I put all my weight against the door and kept it locked in place while my eyes scanned the room. “Help me!” I yelled at her. She remained huddled on the bed and tightly gripped a pillow to her chest.

Despite being undead, the ghoul had considerable strength and I found it hard to keep the door pushed up against it. The thought of sitting on my ass quickly passed. If I were to get on the floor now there would be zero chance of standing back up again.

“Under Slob’s bed! Look!” I yelled at her. “Under the bed you’re on right now!” I corrected myself. She rolled off the bed and then kneeled on the floor before digging under the bed. Her arm emerged with a metal bat. “Quick! Quick! Bring it here!” I was frantic.

She looked at the ghoul and hesitated for a second before crawling over and passing me the bat. “Help hold the door, please!” She looked on for a little longer and then crawled by my side. “I just need a few seconds.” I pleaded. I spread my legs and allowed her to crawl between them. She put her back against the door and then pushed hard against the wall nearby to brace her as she kept the ghoul out. Her physique was sturdy and up to the task.

“Ready? Three, two, one.” I counted down and then left the door. Her body flinched for a moment as she had to bear the pressure the ghoul was exerting solely on her own. My hands grasped the metal handle of the bat that was already slippery with sweat.

I raised the bat above my head and with all the force I could muster, swung down hard. The bat collided squarely with the head of the ghoul before sinking an inch into it. I nearly vomited as the skull caved in slightly and brain juices escaped from within. The smell was many times stronger than previous.

Despite my first swing, the ghoul continued to flail. I raised the bat again, and again, and again. After the third swing all that could be heard was a mushy wetness and none of the previous hardness. The top of the skull was nowhere to be seen.

The ghoul’s arm fell to its side and the pressure it had been exerting on the door disappeared. A moment passed before the body simply disintegrated into nothingness. For the first time I felt I owed Slob an apology. A brown book floated where its body once was. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would have found it hard to believe.

With the ghoul gone any resistance to closing the door disappeared. The girl received quite a scare as the pressure on her back abated and her body tumbled. The door slammed shut and she frantically crawled across the ground before jumping on the bed and facing the door.

“It’s dead.” I said. She looked at me curiously. I ignored her gaze and looked at the book floating a foot in front of me. “Can you see this?” She nodded her head.

I reached out and grasped the book in my hand. Despite it floating there as if an imaginary object, I could feel it’s weight beneath my fingers. The cover was coarse and well-worn. The moment I flipped the cover a message was transmitted directly to me.

Book of Fireball LV. 1

What in the fuck is this? Fireball? Almost immediately after reading the details of the book another message popped into my head.

Do you wish to learn Fireball LV. 1?

I pondered for a moment. Yes!

Congratulations! You have learned Fireball LV. 1. Repeated usage of the skill will grant further mastery.

The book that was floating in my hand simply disappeared from between my fingers.

“Where did the book go?” she asked.

I had to consider for a moment if I should tell her what just happened. “It was a skill book.” As of right now we were in this together.

“A skill book? Huh?” She was as confused as I was.

“I’m not sure yet what that means.” The information floated in my head as I read over the skill description.

Summon a ball of fire to incinerate enemies in your path.

Cast time: 1 Seconds

MP Cost: 4

Distance: 6 Meters

MP cost? Is this referring to mana? Like in video games?

“What are you doing?” She complained. “You’re standing there staring into space, it’s weird.”

I came back to reality. For the first time I stopped and took a good look at her. She was the definition of nervousness. Her hands fidgeted around the clenched pillow while her green eyes shifted between me and the door. She was terrified, and rightfully so.

She was wearing a pair of pajamas made for children. I recognized the cartoon character plastered across the t-shirt. The whole outfit somehow still sagged on her lean frame. She gave me a nerdy vibe.

“I’m Joseph.” I was the first to introduce myself.

“Veronica.”

“This... sort of feels like the beginning of an RPG.” I didn’t know how to break it to her so I blurted it out.

She looked confused but didn’t retort, “What should we do?”

I took my phone from my pocket and checked for a signal. There was nothing. “I think we sit tight for now.” I walked over and sat on my bed. She remained on Slob’s. I pushed as many useless thoughts to the back of my head as I could. Classes, my term paper, none of them were important any longer.

A picture of my mom floated through my head. I wondered how everyone was doing. My stomach started to gurgle. I tried my best to ignore it until a rolling desire to eat spread through my insides. “Gah, I’m fucking starving.” I spoke out of habit and forgot Veronica was sitting just a few feet from me.

I turned and scurried to the mini-fridge at the end of my bed. The inside was scoured clean. There was absolutely nothing of substance to eat. All that was left was a half-gallon of milk and an open soda can. The thought of apologizing to Slob faded immediately.

The hunger brought me back to our current situation, “Do you have food in your room?” I looked to Veronica.

“I live off campus.”

I looked at her curiously, “Then what are you doing in the dorms?” She was even wearing pajama pants.

“I was visiting a friend. She rooms on the third floor. I slept over and she left for class early in the morning.”

I stood and walked to the door before opening it just a crack. There had been no noise since our battle. I poked my head out and looked both ways.

“What are you doing? Close the door!” Veronica was spooked.

I looked back at her and put my finger over my mouth. She was being a bit too loud. She covered her mouth in embarrassment and nodded her head. I couldn’t blame her for being over-excited but we needed to avoid unwanted attention.

“We can’t stay cooped up in here forever. I’m starving and I need to use the bathroom.” My gurgling stomach was addressing more than just hunger. We needed to do something.

She opted to stay in the room and I wanted to relieve myself. The hallway was empty all the way down to the staircase. I wanted to make sure there was still running water. My feet glided across the carpet and stopped before the water fountain.

I pushed the handle down and that faithful but shitty stream of water poured out. The stream was so small that you almost needed to wrap your mouth around it to get any water. I hated this stupid thing, but I couldn’t be any more thankful than right now. I drank my fill and then rushed into the bathroom.

Veronica was still curled in a ball on the bed when I returned. Her hands hadn’t stopped fidgeting. It looked like she was peeling the skin from her fingertips.

“There’s running water at least.”

She looked at me and forced out half a smile.

I shrugged it off and sat on my bed. The skill description for Fireball floated in my mind as I had a strong urge to use it. I pushed that thought to the back of my mind. I couldn’t afford to burn down my only shelter as of right now. There would come a time when I could practice thoroughly.

Hours passed and besides the occasional slamming of doors, nothing eventful happened. It seemed that plenty of people had locked up and were sitting tight. I noticed Veronica fiddling with her phone every couple minutes. “Have you heard anything back?” I looked down at my own phone that still had no signal.

“No…” She said dejectedly. “I haven’t had signal all day.” She buried her head in the pillow in frustration while grunting. “I was finally supposed to see my dad today.” Her mood clearly dropped a level.

“You don’t get to see him much?” I asked. I was in the same boat. I barely saw my parents after starting school. Between classes and their work it was hard enough even to get a phone call in.

“Maybe once a year…”

“So little?”

“My parents got divorced when I was young and my mom got custody. I didn’t know back then but it wasn’t an amicable divorce. My mom always told me he split but I found out that wasn’t the case. She fought him tooth and nail to keep him from seeing us: me and my brother.”

I didn’t know how to respond and I couldn’t relate. I nodded my head and just kept listening to her. “He lives in another state so he can’t visit as often. He was making plans to move back and said he had a surprise for us today…” She eventually buried her face back in the pillow.

“Sorry…” I fumbled out while checking my phone.

Calls went straight to an automated system and every text was marked with ‘unread’ at the bottom. It didn’t seem like there was any way to get in touch with my family. This thought didn’t stop me from checking every few minutes. I hoped that ‘unread’ would turn to ‘read’. It never did.

As night came around, the goblins outside became even more rowdy and loud. Their cackling mixed with the sound of crickets. My hunger stopped me from falling asleep. I laid there in silence fantasizing about enchiladas for whatever reason. I had a strong craving out of nowhere. I eventually dozed off.

***

It wasn’t long after waking to the early dawn light that my hunger returned. There was also an itching on the back of my neck, an urgency to act. I needed to try using Fireball. I hopped up from my bed and walked to the door.

“I’m going out.” I said to Veronica whose red eyes made it look like she had been awake the whole time.

She looked at me confused, “Outside? With those things?”

“Yes.” The screams and sounds of fighting had long ago ceased. I felt it was now or never. I couldn’t shake the bad feeling I had. There was something prickling the back of my neck. Things were only going to get worse from here on out.

“Will you come with me?” I asked.

Veronica looked incredibly conflicted with the situation she was being forced to make. “I’ll stay here…” she mumbled out. I was conflicted as well. I didn’t know if I should try and convince her further.

“Alright.” Our relationship would turn sour if I forced her to go. There was no benefit for either of us in that situation. I decided to give her a bit more time before asking again.

The door clicked behind me and I made my way down the hallway towards the staircase. Looking down the dark stairwell, I started to bang on the staircase doorway just to make some noise. If there were any hostiles down there, then based on what I’d seen from their behavior, the noise would bring them towards me. I much preferred that than going down and being ambushed.