The Reluctant Apprentice: Friends Forever

Devil's Avocate

POV: 1st - Alex
                                   I still felt like someone was watching me or that some thing was horribly wrong, when I started to hear a sound off in the distance. I didn't recognize what the sound was, but for some reason my heart began to pound faster. Without me realizing it, I was running towards that direction like my life depended on it.
                                   As I got closer, I began to recognize what the sound was... William was screaming bloody murder. A part of me was shocked that nobody seemed to be paying attention to this, almost like the only people that could hear this were the assailants and myself. As I began to run faster and faster towards the scene, it suddenly felt like a magical invisible barrier popped and the sound finally reached everyone's ears as everyone sharply turned towards the screaming.
                                   Just as William was about to be laid on top of a now on fire grill, I smashed my fist into the person holding him and scooped him out of the way. The adrenaline in my body was pumping and my eyes were red, "Who the fuck do you think you are and how the fuck did you get my... Ryan?" I took a deep breath in disbelief, realizing that my best friend and my roommate were the ones doing this.
                                   Ryan stared at me in disbelief, he always told me that getting punches from me was like that one episode of SpongeBob or fight a human marshmallow. He clearly seemed surprised that I managed to hit him that hard. He also seemed pissed off, "What the fuck is your problem?"
                                   "OK, first of all, what the fuck is your problem?! Second, I didn't know it was you. I was in panic mode." I stared at him trying to catch my breath, my lungs brittle and mouth filling with the taste of iron. The bruises in my chest were ached.
                                   "I'm helping you, look what he's done to you," Roomie seemingly tries to hide behind Ryan as he talks. I was kind of overweight and clearly not built for this sort of sprinting, I slowly, but carefully, took long deep breaths in order to have enough strength to continue the conversation.
                                    The words I landed on were, "He  hasn't done anything I wasn't ready to sacrifice, this is merely a small bump in my research. Neither he or I knew this was gonna happen and honestly I think whatever curse I have is-"
                                     Ryan completely cut me off, "Your little "research" got you sent to the hospital, I think it's time we get rid of him. I'm aware of how once in a lifetime, this is for you, but this is not worth your health." He paused briefly as he seemed more angry, "What do you mean curse?" William was trying to pay attention, but he clearly seemed shaken up. I held him like a baby and he crawled into my neck.
                                       I stared at the crowd now circling around us as I cleared my throat, "Oh I never told you about that did I...? Listen I think today's a good time is ever to tell you, but can we move somewhere a little more private." I stood there nervously, people were filming and they probably had been filming from the second they heard screaming and I'd rather not discuss this sort of thing in front of a camera.
                                      They noticed this as well and we quietly started walking away, the crowd lingering behind us until eventually we got back to the dorms. There I finally told the two of them the truth. Ryan and Roomie were not happy with me, I never wanted to tell them about the curse thing mostly because I wasn't sure if it was true, but now I was starting to think that that was exactly what was happening here. I also gave them a small theory that perhaps if something bad happens to him it might have the voodoo doll effect on me. I mean if a memory could do that much damage to me, what could the actual burning have done. I can't prove anything yet and I'd rather not find out the hard way.
                                     Everything pretty much wrapped up pretty quietly. Most people on campus were convinced that this was sort of a stunt or prank. Very few people connect this to the haunted plushy rumor from nearly a month ago and the ones that did were too nervous to approach me directly, simply following me around before getting bored. Ryan and Roomie got in trouble for tampering with campus equipment, but nobody got kicked out. Mostly because nobody press charges on each other and it wasn't said that we weren't allowed to use the equipment. But I could tell that Ryan was not happy with me for the next few days and you know what that's fine. The one thing that I found the most interesting is that William was rather quiet for the next few days.