Church at Midnight.

Midnight's a bad time to crash anywhere that's not a dorm or a dorm room; worse when you're locked out a need a place to sleep 'cause the whole of campus is closed. Even the dining hall is locked up. Everything. 'Cept the church. And your mom won't be here until seven am anyway so you have to find somewhere.

It's warmer in there. No snow. But the organ starts playing at three twenty am, and even doubled up on jackets and hoodies the spectral chill runs through you.

You can't sleep.

By six am, you want out of there. The ghosts claim their rest and even ice can't keep you inside any longer.

You grab your bags to leave, but the unlocked doors are locked.

Footsteps, upstairs by the organ. The whole place creaks, and you grab more firmly ahold of your bags, as though they can protect you. It's too damn cold outside.

Maybe you're dreaming. Go back to sleep - sleep in a dream to wake up. Curled up on the pew - too skinny to fit your whole body, even stretched out on the side; church can't take obese patrons. Shove your face into shirts from your trip and close your eyes.

Refuse to move.

Ignore the chills and hope that it's just your - excellent - imagination.

Creaking stills and the organ stops.

You keep your eyes closed as chill washes over you again. But only the right half of your body - bone cold chill right through that quadra-layer jacket-jacket-double sweater.

"Hail Marie, full o' damned grace."

You're hearing voices. Hearing voices. Hearing -

A hand on your shoulder is something you don't hear, something you feel, jerking you out of present into past leaves you spinning. Bleeding internally.

A breath reeking of bad beer and salami runs through your fingers to your nose and you choke as sweaty hands pull yours away from your face.

He leers.

Puts a hand on your hip, slide it down your leg, stop and slides it back. "Wanna make room on that bench?"

Slurred words.

His hip presses against your gut, then your crotch and he pushes. Your body convulses, curls away, accidentally curls around because you can't sit up under eyes so pale they're almost white and a hand wrapped gently around your neck.