They're all dead. I'm the only one left. The ducks have won. It's over.
My name is Non. And this is what happened on the day my world ended.
Non wearily slammed the last chest closed, then started making her way to the CookieCrew faction base and her private room there. Running the Salty Spittoon was costing not just her money but also her sanity. It seemed like she had to clear the chest shops every few seconds. Still, if this was what she had to endure to keep making a profit, Non would gladly pay the price.
Closing the iron door behind her, she flicked off the redstone lamps, laid down on the bed, and took a few deep breaths. The peace and quiet didn't last long though.
"Non? NON I NEED HELP OVER HERE!"
It was Iluvmonkeyz, calling from the grinder area. Non sighed and hauled herself out of the extremely comfortable bed. The magma cubes had probably escaped from their little secure room again. She picked up an unenchanted diamond sword and opened the door.
The mob spawning area was deafeningly loud. The first thing Non saw and heard were cows and pigs running back and forth in their enclosure screaming in panic as skeletons and zombies poured out of the shattered grinder. A few chickens managed to escape their pen and went flapping wildly down towards the hub. Two of the skeletons decided to stop attacking the cowering Iluv and target Non instead. She blocked arrow after arrow as she made her way over to Iluv, and managed to push the blocks back into place just as a creeper exploded inches away from them.
The blast threw Non and Iluv out of the grinder area and out into the hallway, which was still swarming with monsters. As they tried to prevent the mobs from reaching the base hub, there was a soft *paf* and Turtle appeared in a burst of white sparks, looking first confused, then terrified.
"Turtle, stay back!" Iluv shouted. She sprinted down the hall, shoved the smaller girl into a storage room, and locked the door seconds before a volley of arrows sank into the wall.
"Warn the others! Don't let them come in here unless they're armed and armored. We can't afford any casualties; our faction power is already almost too low to hold our claims. Non, you send the message, I'm going to clean this up."
Non nodded and secured herself inside the room with Turtle while she sent out a message to the other members of CookieCrew. In the background, she could hear Iluv plowing her way through the escaped mobs. Turtle was still whimpering quietly next to her.
Iluv knocked on the door a few seconds later. "I think they're all dead but I'm not sure. Let's get a few more people in here and do some extra thorough cleaning. Who do we have right now?"
Non looked at the list of members. "Uh... Shadow, Amaphora, Turtle's already here... Wyatt, Devon. That's all."
Iluv frowned. "Get Shadow, Ama, and Devon. I don't trust Wyatt."
"Why?" Non asked.
Iluv just shrugged. "Don't know. Just some weird feeling."
Non wanted to ask further but she knew that Iluv would tell her if she had any certainties. She trusted her leader's instinct.
A few tense minutes later, Shadow and Amaphora appeared in the hub. Both wore enchanted diamond armor, and Shadow carried a sword while Amaphora held a bow. "What happened in here?" Shadow asked warily, noting the spilled xp orbs, creeper explosion damage, and arrows still protruding from the walls.
"Broken grinder," said Iluv. "I just needed some extra pairs of eyes in here to make sure there's no more mobs hanging around."
Amaphora nodded as she glanced around the room. Then, before Non could shout a warning, she nocked an arrow on her bowstring, aimed at Iluv, and fired. Non watched in horror as the arrow sailed over Iluv's shoulder and struck down the creeper who had quietly sidled up behind her.
Iluv looked shocked but quickly regained her composure. "See, I knew there were still a few. Let's split up in pairs and go room by room. Ama and Shadow can take the member quarters on the right, Non, come with me to the ones on the left. Turtle, you should stay where you are. Let's move before anyone else shows up and wonders why it looks like a damn war zone in here."
They moved slowly down the hall. No more monsters appeared, but Iluv insisted they remain vigilant. "Where's Devon?" she asked Non as they cleared and secured another room.
Non sighed. "Managing the Salty Spittoon. Someone needs to deal with it while I'm here."
"Okay, I was just worried for a second. And where's Wyatt?"
"Not sure, probably just hanging around his omicron plot with Cat and Allie. I wouldn't worry."
"All clear!" Shadow yelled from the end of the hall. As Non opened her mouth to answer, the entire base suddenly shook with an explosion, throwing her off-balance. She and Shadow looked at each other questioningly, but Shadow just shrugged and wandered away into the grinder room.
"Did someone miss a creeper?" Iluv asked.
Amaphora shook her head. "That was no normal creeper."
Another muffled blast echoed through the hallway. Dust fell from the cracks in the ceiling and sifted down onto the carpet.
"What the hell is going on?" said Iluv sharply.
Non stared up at the ceiling, thinking hard. It was a familiar sound but she couldn't seem to place it. "I don't know..."
A third explosion shook the walls. "Whatever it is, it's getting closer so think fast please."
Combustion fuse. The sounds they heard were combustion fuses detonating. The word burst into her mind just as Devon appeared in the hub and raced down the hall towards them.
"Get to the armory, now! We're under attack!"