-PART 1-

Night was falling.

Now would usually be the time I retreated back to my home; the first signs that the sun was creeping just a little too low on the horizon. Night was dangerous, the darkness brought monsters, terrible, man-eating creatures.

When I had first woken up in this land, I didn't remember anything. I didn't remember my name, I didn't remember where I'd come from; I had knowledge, I still knew how to read and to write, and I had a hatchet which I knew was used to chop wood, but my life before waking up in that swamp was nothing but a blank slate.

When night fell for the first time, I had been preyed upon by the monsters like a rabbit in a foxhole. Many times I thought I'd died, only to wake up in the same spot I had when I first started out here, as if from a dream. I learned to dig dens for myself in the ground, use pickaxes to break the rock and create a cavern where I would at least be safe for a little while. Before I could create proper weapons, I had attacked the lesser, timid creatures with my bare hands, sometimes using my hatchet to break their fragile skulls if I knew they were too strong for me to wrestle into submission, or if I wasn't up for a chase. I knew they were food, I knew I had to kill and to hide to survive.

Eventually I happened upon a village at the edge of a forest, and it was there that I learned that life didn't have to be so hard. I remembered my ability to speak; I remembered how nice it was to have someone to talk with, even if they didn't fully understand me. These people didn't look like me, they weren't humans, but that didn't matter. They were an extremely docile race; they'd sooner be killed than hurt a living thing.

In some of the bookshelves I found in their houses, I found books written in English, among the many that were written in whatever strange language these people primarily spoke. I learned many things about this world, about the creatures that inhabited it and the things I could do to give myself an advantage over them. I began to study the structures of the houses these people built, and learned how to craft basic things such as torches to light up my rooms and keep the monsters at bay, and chests to keep the excess objects I collected safe.

I went out on my own into the forest again, and built a log cabin near a river. I managed to complete the entire structure in only a few days. It had one floor, complete with an attic where I would sleep, safe, far from the ground where the monsters lurked.

Eventually I knew I had to find more resources, and according to the books I brought with me, the only place to look was down. I built a basement, and from there, started to tunnel down at an angle. It was dumb luck, really, that I would only have to go so far before I happened upon a layer of rock that just didn't look right. Curious, I began mining away the rock above this new layer, and soon found that it expanded far beyond what I wanted to reach. I decided to break inside.

What I found could only be described as an underground castle, combined with some sort of prison if the amount of iron bars was any indication. The things I would find down there would change the course of my life forever.

They would be the things that would lead me to where I was now, sitting up on the branch of a tree as I watched the sun drift ever lower below the horizon, the light fading to give way to dusk. I wore only my torn black hoodie, jeans, and a shirt to match. I knew spiders could see perfectly fine in the dark, but creepers and zombies could not. I'd played many a game with them before tonight, dressed in all black like this, holding absolutely still only to have the monster just pass me by as if I didn't exist. I could climb the trunk of a tree just about as rapidly as a spider could, and this ability had saved me from many a creeper attack.

Naturally, the only things I had to worry about were those huge arachnids. Although they were quick, they were easy to kill. They didn't concern me much, though their bites did hurt like a thousand bee stings delivered all at once. I'd been nearly incapacitated by them a few times, nearly killed twice, more if you count the times a zombie or skeleton decided to join in.

I was never very careful. Along with my memories, it seemed my ability to truly fear rather than just know had been taken as well. I never thought of it as a problem; if I'd gone through this world with nothing but fear, I would have never gotten as far as I was now. I would have never learned the things I had.

The noises in the forest began to steadily increase. I heard footsteps, the rattling of bones as a skeleton crept by somewhere below, the moans of a zombie from somewhere not too far from my position. I gazed up at the stars above me for a moment, just a final second to ponder what I was getting myself into. I strove to find the fear, the instinct to survive, not just the bare will to do so. I found only emptiness.

It was time to move.

I got up and began climbing and jumping through the trees, moving with as much stealth as I could manage, and always keeping an eye out for any multiples of glowing red eyes. I saw zombies, creepers, and skeletons, all of which failed to notice me, and with every passing minute I grew more and more discouraged. This was the fifth night in a row I'd been out here, searching. I'd begun sleeping in the day and living off of my stores of meat and bread considering I couldn't very well hunt at night.

In the months before this, I'd been practicing my fighting skills, learning to use a bow to better defend myself, I'd even went head to head against a zombie more than once using nothing but my bare hands and strength alone. I'd done everything I could to become stronger, even if speed would in the end be my greatest asset, considering I only stood about five feet three inches tall and most of the monsters absolutely towered over me.

I did all of this for one elusive creature, a beast which my life had, under no uncertain terms, begun to revolve around. Ever since I'd read about them, I knew they would be my greatest clue second to actually reaching The End itself. They would be part of the answer, the reason why I was here, why I'd been taken to this place. I had no hope of escape, no delusions of ever leaving this hell, I just wanted a reason.

In every book they were called only one thing: Endermen.

I had encountered them in the past before I knew what they were. Dark, tall creatures, that would be there one second and gone the next. I only saw them in the daylight, and it was only twice. Each time the creature would be gone upon a double take, and I would be left wondering if I'd really seen anything at all.

I continued my usual route through the forest, but as I went on and grew more and more disheartened, I had the thought to try looking elsewhere. I veered off my beaten path, and even dared to start traveling upon the ground instead. I reached the outer edges of the forest, farther than I'd ever gone before, and still I saw nothing except the typical monsters.

Suddenly I heard a noise behind me, and I flinched just in time to have an arrow whizz past my ear and embed itself deep into the bark of a tree in front of me. I didn't give myself time to look at my attacker, as I immediately jumped onto the tree beside me and began to climb for safety. I climbed up onto a thick branch, and gazed down at the skeleton, which only stared back at me with those dark, hollow eye sockets. That's when I heard a loud, grating squeak somewhere behind me. I only had time to feel the deep, sinking dread, just before a spider easily the size of a large dog landed upon my back.

Twisting, I grabbed the beast by the legs to tear it off me, and I lost my balance on the branch right about the same time I felt those fangs dig themselves deep into my arm. My scream of agony was lost when I hit the ground and the breath was forced from my lungs. Grabbing for my sword, I impaled the spider through the abdomen before it could bite me for a second time. I shoved the twitching carcass off of me, freeing myself.

Gasping for breath and in an immense amount of pain, I got up and pressed my back against the tree, facing the skeleton. I noticed that there were now two zombies that had been alerted by the commotion and were slowly approaching. I could see the dull, glazed look in their eyes, and just how severely their flesh had begun to rot. Even as they hobbled closer, I saw a rather large strip of skin get torn from one of their legs by a downed branch, revealing a layer of decaying tissue beneath.

Realizing I had stalled for much too long now, I focused on the skeleton before me and dove to the side to dodge the arrow it had just let fly in my direction. Seconds later, I launched my own attack, and took out the monster's leg, fatally crippling it. After that, I was able to flee. Mid-run, though, a shooting pain exploded in my right leg and I fell to the ground with a little cry of shock.

I looked to see an arrow, gone right through my calf muscle so that the head was clearly showing at the end of a long, bloody stock. Looking back up at the crippled skeleton, I realized it had paid me back for what I'd done to it. With adrenaline racing through my veins, I hardly comprehended the magnitude of my injury and just forced myself up to continue my escape; the zombies were closing in.

I was only able to limp so far, before one of the zombies grabbed me by the sweatshirt and yanked me backward. I screamed with sudden terror and lashed out at the creature with my sword, half decapitating the monster before it finally relented and the second one leaped for me. I dealt with that one easily enough, and continued running, or rather, rapidly limping away. When I finally found a spot I felt safe enough in, I got down and snapped the head off the arrow in my leg, before grabbing the feathered end to begin pulling it out. I bit my lip hard enough for it to bleed, as the rough wood surface grated against the sensitive tissue inside and caused searing rivers of agony to tear through me. I tossed the broken arrow aside, and then fell heavily against the tree. I felt nearly too weak to go on, but I knew I had to.

Rather than continuing to run and risk getting attacked, I instead turned to the tree beside me. I used the last of my strength to climb up onto the highest branch, where I laid down, weapon in hand, to wait until daylight broke.

That night's disastrous failure did not discourage me. After I had recovered from my injuries, I was out again, roaming the forest in search of Endermen. I even built a couple watch towers on the tallest points in the forests to the north of my home, where I would be safe and at a high enough point to observe large sections of the forests and hills at a time.

Every night I did not see one, my obsession only grew stronger.

One day I was on my way back home through the thick of the forest, when suddenly the sky grew unsettlingly dark. Rain began to fall like a monsoon had just decided to roll in, and immediately I dove for the nearest shelter; a pine tree.

I curled in a ball against the trunk, and watched with growing apprehension as the storm seemed to only grow in ferocity before my very eyes. Lightning flashed, and the boom of thunder that followed made me jump. I curled up tighter, and shivered from the cold. Sudden movement caught my eye, and I noticed, incredulously, that there was a zombie roaming around in the woods a good distance away from me.

That's when I learned that monsters not only came out at night; they came out during thunderstorms, too. I slowly uncurled and looked around cautiously, making sure I could brandish my sword if necessary. So far, there weren't any other signs of danger.

Lightning flashed, and thunder boomed. I flinched at the sound. It reminded me all too much of a creeper exploding, something I would never forget. I wished I could climb this tree, get off the ground to feel safer; the creatures would only grow in abundance, one spotting me was an eventuality at best.

For seemingly hours, the storm drew on, and throughout it all never once did I relax. I could feel my heart thudding in my chest, but the rain pounding the ground all around me allowed me to hear nothing else. The rain had begun to drip through the needles and thin branches that had only barely protected me from the downpour before now; I had to find somewhere else.

I stared at the barely burning torch that marked one of my not-yet-explored caves a few yards ahead of me; it was risky to seek shelter inside that cavern, I'd only lit up part of it and a good portion was left dark and was likely crawling with monsters. I figured that in there, at least I'd be able to hear something coming.

Taking a minute to look both ways beforehand, I suddenly dove for the cave, breaking into a sprint. The rain thundered all around me, and at once I was drenched by the torrential downpour. I was a little more than halfway there when a flash of lightning lit up my surroundings, and the thunder that followed shook me to the core. My heart leaped in my chest just as I did when I finally met the ledge to the entrance. I slipped and clutched at the ledge for dear life when I realized the jump was a bit higher than I'd remembered. My hands found no purchase on the slippery leaf litter and foliage there, and I immediately fell to the hard ground below, landing flat on my back.

The rain fell on my face and made me feel as though I was drowning when I tried to catch the breath that had just been knocked from me. The back of my head ached from the blow against the solid stone, and I felt incredibly dizzy as I forced myself up to crawl into the cavern and away from the cruel clutches of the raging storm outside. Leaning my back against the wall near the entrance, I took some time to regain my bearings.

My clothing was drenched, and I quickly moved to remove my sweatshirt, setting it carefully beside me. My shirt had long since been reduced to nothing but a torn tank-top, and right now it clung to my lean body like a second skin. I didn't bother with my jeans, either, they were loose and torn enough that the dampness didn't bother me as much. With a sigh, I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes, just for a second.

That's when the strangest sound caught my attention. It was hard to describe; a sudden 'zip', only it was deep, and loud. It echoed through the cavern, and caused me to go from nearly-asleep to fully alert in two seconds flat. It was unlike anything I'd heard before.

I sat up straight and peered into the semi-darkness of the cave, feeling a sudden wave of fear, a rare sensation of true, chilling terror that felt like ice sliding down my spine. Somewhere beyond where the light of my previously placed torches reached, I saw something move inside the shadows, and slowly my eyes picked out the silhouette of a dark, tall creature, with long, spindly limbs.

It was then that I knew 'fear' wasn't an emotion I simply couldn't feel. It was a learned response, something taught while young to keep an animal from running into danger and being promptly slaughtered by it. Fear was real, and it was necessary. I felt it now, and it was a jarringly powerful thing.

The monster moved, and I saw the purple sparks ignite around it; visible in the pitch black like stars but they offered none of their light to the environment that surrounded them. Realization dawned on me just as the creature turned, and I nearly caught sight of its eyes.

I quickly looked away, feeling my heart hammering in my chest, my breathing shallow, panicked. No, I couldn't react like this, I couldn't be this afraid when I'd finally encountered the very thing I'd been desperately searching for. I quickly dove for my sweatshirt, and began clumsily rummaging inside it, feeling for the object I'd brought with me for this occasion.

Over and over again I had to remind myself that the monster wouldn't attack me, but that did nothing to still the trembling in my hands as I finally found what I was looking for. It was a mask, one I'd made to look like the face of a jack-o-lantern. I'd read that Endermen, for some reason, wouldn't attack you even if you looked at them if you wore a pumpkin on your head. Since I didn't have the energy to lug around an entire pumpkin all day, I made a mask instead. It was only on a bare hypothesis that it would even work.

With shaking hands, I strapped the mask onto my head. Too afraid to move with any hesitation, I quickly faced the monster and instantly my eyes were drawn to its own. They were more brilliant than I could have ever imagined; huge and glowing in the darkness, purple just like the sparks that ignited and fell like petals of a flower all around it every time it moved.

It saw me, and it was only by sheer terror that I stared back at the monster for as long as I did. Eventually, though, it broke our little staring contest and turned to head off further into the cave. I was able to breathe again. My theory had worked, I was still alive and the creature hardly even acknowledged my presence.

If fear did not influence my actions I might have followed the creature, tried to get a better look at it, but even after all these weeks of searching my curiosity could not overpower instinct. I had no way of knowing if the beast would tolerate my presence so near, mask or no. I backed up against the cave wall again, and sat there, shivering as I awaited the storm to end, and dreaded the appearance of the more numerous and less kind monsters that dwelled here.

Eventually the sun came out again, and despite the light drizzle that continued to fall, I left the cave and headed back in the direction of home. At this point I figured I was safe from Endermen and I took off my mask, and hid it back inside my jacket.

The nights to follow would be much less desperate, much more calculated than my blind fumbling of before. I had seen an Enderman for the first time, really seen one. Before I had only speculated on how I would react, and I never thought I'd feel that bone chilling terror that the beast had provoked in me. I had to find a way to quell that fear; I had to get closer, somehow.

Someday I would have to slay them to retrieve the pearl that resided inside each and every one of them. Twelve Ender Pearls were needed to activate the portal to The End. Right now, the prospect of fighting even one seemed incredibly farfetched to me. How could a monster like that even be killed? They were huge, powerful, they could move with a speed that couldn't even be seen with the naked eye. They were terrible, and they were magnificent. So rare it would probably take me over a year to kill twelve of them, let alone find that many.

The first thing I did was build a watchtower in the desert that bordered the forests. After that, I headed back home to pack more supplies and rest for a couple days before beginning what was going to be my longest stakeout yet. This time I was absolutely determined to both find and get close to an Enderman. Close enough to touch was my goal, but I doubted I'd have the nerve.

Sleep came easy after I got home. I was so exhausted, the moment I reached my bed I just lay down and passed out before I could even get under the covers. It didn't last long, however. An undetermined amount of time passed in comfortable darkness, before I woke up for reasons I couldn't name.

Immediately, I knew something was wrong.

The torch I kept lit at all times above the window near my bed had gone out. The attic was pitch black aside from the pale blue moonlight streaming in from the two windows that were parallel to each other. A sudden, deep feeling of dread filled me, and I realized I couldn't move. I was frozen with fear, or something else, and that's when I noticed the eyes.

Two pale dots pierced through the absolute darkness at the corner of the attic furthest from my bed. I hadn't noticed them before. Had they always been there? I'd never felt terror like this, as my gaze remained locked on those beady eyes, unable to look away. I could hear my own frantic breathing, my heart pounding in my ears and yet it all seemed so far away.

The thought to try to find my sword crossed my mind, but I remembered I'd left it on the first floor. I couldn't move, and even if I could there was no way I was getting up and running to the ladder, because the beginning of the ladder was right in front of whatever that was, standing in the corner, watching me. Judging by where those eyes were located, I realized the creature's head probably nearly brushed the ceiling, and I hadn't made this attic short by any standards.

I'd taken my gaze away from the intruder's for a second, to glance at my only escape route, but when I looked back whatever it was had suddenly gotten closer. The dark silhouette loomed over my bed, uncomfortably humanesque in appearance except its limbs were much, much too long. Those eyes bored into mine, I suddenly couldn't breathe; it was as if the fear itself was enough to cut off my air supply like an invisible snare around my windpipe.

I wanted to scream, I wanted to run, to flee, but not even closing my eyes could block out the sight and I remained paralyzed. The creature's hand slowly reached out for me, I saw its long, spidery fingers as they approached my face. Finally I was able to scream, and suddenly, I was mobile.

I launched myself off the bed and found myself on the floor of the attic, screaming as I frantically scrambled for the wall to slam my back against it and face that monster. It didn't take me long to realize the attic was lit. The monster was nowhere to be seen.

Panting harshly, I brought my hand to my mouth. I started to question the reality of what had just happened. A nightmare, that's all it was.

I wouldn't be caught sleeping for the rest of the night. Never in my life, have I ever felt as alone as I did in the long, painstaking hours that followed.


A/N: I'd like to mention I hate the first person POV and this is the first time I've ever touched on it in years... I'm also new to horror that isn't just flat out gore... I'd like to hear some opinions, and maybe some encouragement to continue, it would mean a lot to me.