The Schism

Chapter One

The corridor was long and dark, lit only by redstone torches placed every five feet or so. It was a narrow corridor, only about the span of a doorway. The exit should have been easy to find, but instead I stumbled and staggered, my hands out in front of me as I groped the cobblestone walls, feeling my way forward like a blind man. The world twisted and spun around me; vision slipped in and out of focus. The torches seemed to slowly fade out of reality itself, leaving behind crushing, stifling blackness, as though void fog had slipped into the room.

That's when I heard the footsteps.

Soft. Shuffling. I doubt I would have heard them at all if it wasn't for the complete and utter silence. But hear them I did; my chest tightened at the sound of them. My heartbeat quickened as they crept closer.

Steve…

The voice was soft and scratchy. The sort of voice you'd expect from a snake. It didn't seem to say my name so much as taste it, lingering on every letter with a subtle relish. I stumbled backwards, away from the voice.

Steve…? The voice seemed questioning. Mocking. Don't run away, Steve… I only want to play…

I bumped into a torch, knocking it from its cradle. Almost as though it was giving one final plea for its life, it loosed a shower of dull red sparks—just enough to light the corridor, if only for a moment.

And what I saw horrified me.

I turned to flee, but strong hands shot out and grabbed me. The creature pulled me back; I could feel its hot breath on my neck as it chuckled quietly.

Where are your gods now, Steve? It hissed, its voice slow and dripping with morbid satisfaction. Do you even know? Do you still believe they haven't abandoned you? Such a foolish mortal… But at least that means you'll be more fun…

I couldn't even move. I was frozen. I could see the door now; sunlight streamed from its windows, visible even with my impaired vision. But it was useless now. The thing had me. Escape was a dream.

Steve… Its voice started to sound different. Older. More human.

Steve…

You need to wake up…

Awaken.

Awaken!

WAKE!

I leapt straight out of my bed.

Red and white bed sheets laid sprawled across the floor.

Moonlight streamed through the windows.

It had been a dream.

Hmmm... creepiness I never knew I could write. Or perhaps it's not actually creepy at all, and it's just me. That has happened.

Anywho, hello, fanfictioneers! (is "fanfictioneers" a thing? it should be a thing.) This is... not my first fanfic, but it is the first one I've ever presented to strangers, so that's something. As I'm sure is obvious for those who are familiar with it, this story is partly inspired by the Herobrine Nightmare Mod (and yes, Herobrine is in this story. That's all I can say without feeling like I'm making things obvious). If you're a fan of Herobrine and are not familiar with that mod, I really suggest you go and check it out. There are some good demonstrations of it on Youtube. With lots of screaming :3

I'm sorry to say there will almost certainly be a long while before I start updating chapters regularly. This story is proving quite difficult, but hopefully time and patience will pay off. Just please don't pepper me with "MAEK MOAR" messages, even if it's been a few weeks since the last update. I am making more, I promise :)

PLEASE send me constructive criticism. If you see a problem with my writing, tell me! I'd be happy to correct it-well, as long as you're not a prick about it :)

That's all for now. Hope you all enjoyed!