Disclaimer: I do not own Minecraft of any of the associated material written about in this story. I only own my OCs.

Chapter 1

Pain comes in many varying levels. It can be from something as small as a paper cut to something as painful as smacking your hand on the side of a table as you walk by. To me though, nothing compares with the pain of getting out of bed in the morning. I mean picture this: you're flying high above the clouds in the night sky over a brightly lit city, buildings winking up at you as you pass by. You feel the wind rush pass your face, providing a nice consistent cool breeze and you're feeling just about as good you can. Then, boom, without warning you're snatched away from that awesome fabricated reality and forced back into the real one. Ugh, mornings are the worst. Why did it have to be morning already? It was Monday and I was really dreading going to school today. We had a test today and I really wasn't looking forward to it. I rolled over, hoping for at least another five minutes.

My eyes snapped open. This wasn't my bed! Agh! Geez, since when did the sun get so bright? I lifted my hand to shield my already fried pupils and waited for the piercing white blanket to fade from my vision. Once it did, I swear my eyes almost popped out of my sockets. Awestruck, I stared out at the incredibly flat, low-cut grass, the perfectly cubed bark of the surrounding trees, and the shifting pale clouds in the sky that shared this same impossible symmetry. This definitely wasn't my bed…or my room. I seemed to be in some sort of clearing, with small trees surrounding me and a pond off to my left.

I could have dealt with being mysteriously thrown into a forest, sure. That didn't bother me. At least that would have been logical. That was at least something that does happen on Earth. But the environment around me, the forest, the ground, the sky, they were…BLOCKS! I still couldn't believe what I was seeing. In fact, I didn't. It took me raising my hand and literally slapping myself one good time to snap me out of my trance. The sting from the slap was way too life-like to make me think I was in a dream. This was real.

So, ok. I'm in minecraft. Weird and a little…terrifying, but ok. I got up and looked over myself while I calmed down. I was wearing black cargo plants accompanied with my favorite plain light blue t-shirt. I had on my regular black sneakers and I even spotted my favorite black fedora on the grass next to me. I picked it up, dusting it off briefly before putting it on. How did I end up with these clothes? There were mine, but I certainly didn't remember putting any of this on before bed, but I guess I couldn't complain. Showing up in my boxers would have been a bit embarrassing.

I ran a hand through my short, brown hair. It was warm from the sun's rays, making me wonder just how long I'd been laying there. I started to walk when I felt a few things bump against my leg from my inside my pocket. I checked them and was surprised to find quite a few of my belongings. My portable MP3 player, equipped with a full battery and headphones, my silver cross necklace, and my watch. Again, I wondered how these items got into my pockets, considering I'd taken them all off before bed and placed my MP3 player back on the charger. But, taking into account the clothes I was wearing that I wasn't supposed to have, I had no choice but to shrug it off. For now anyway.

I checked my watch. It was just after half past three. That wasn't exactly encouraging. As a player, I knew of the many dangers that lurked through the night. I took my best guess and concluded that I probably had a couple hours until night. I'd have to either make myself a shelter before then or find a village. The latter would probably take longer than just building myself a temporary shelter.

I walked up to the nearest tree. It was exactly textured like it would have been if I'd been playing with my avatar. I placed my hand against the light oak wood. The bark felt solid against my palm. It felt real, just like any other tree on earth would have. It even had all the irregularities and nicks you'd find on any tree back on Earth. I gave it a light tap with my fist. No crack appeared. Duh. Of course it wouldn't be that easy.

With a breathe, I drew my hand back to my waist, focusing on the spot I was going to hit and threw a hard punch right into the middle block of the tree! I sucked my teeth and shouted out as fresh pain rippled across my knuckles! I pulled my now throbbing hand away and stared at the tree with resentment. That had hurt. A lot! To make it worse, a tiny crack appeared for a second, but then disappeared. It was like the game was taunting me.

"Ha ha." I said to myself bitterly, rubbing my hand over the red spots that dotted my knuckles. "Guess that leaves trying to find a village."

I knew villages were scarce when you spawned in the game. You were lucky if you could find one within a few hundred blocks. They were mainly present in the plains and desert biomes, but I was in neither. The odds weren't exactly in my favor, but I didn't really have another choice. All I could do was pick a direction and pray for the best. So, that's what I did.

I picked what I thought was west and started moving at a slow-paced jog. I kept jogging and looking around at my surroundings as I passed by tree after tree. Every so often I could spot a cow or a sheep roaming around. They would often turn their weird, blocky heads at me and look at me with their large, rectangular eyes before going back to roaming or eating some tall grass. I guess they didn't perceive me as a threat. And no way to hunt, I couldn't blame them. No sign of a change in biome though.

I took short breaks every half hour or so. Eventually, I'd gotten hungry, so I started looking in the trees during that time to see if I could find some apples. I was successful in spotting some, but not very good at getting them down. It took me a five precious minutes just to get one! They were interesting though, to say the least. The entire thing was like a three-dimensional lego replica without the connecting pieces or holes. It was very bumpy and looked as solid as the wood on the trees.

I took a bite and was surprised at how rich it tasted. It had to have been the best apple I'd ever tasted! However, a weird thing about eating it was that every time I took a bite, it would come out as a perfect square before I chomped down on it. I almost choked on the first bite! Nonetheless, I learned to take smaller ones and continued on through the forest.

I'd been jogging, climbing, and walking for a while now and the sun was about halfway through its trip to the ground. I looked at my watch to see the time was now half past six. It turned out that I had a little more time than I'd guessed, but I still hadn't found a village or any other good means of shelter.

Slowly but surely, the sun completed its descent and night washed over the forest. I began hearing strange noises of the mobs spawning out in the forest. Let me tell you something, there's nothing worse than being lost in a dark forest hearing the clanking of bones, moans of zombies, and slurps of spiders all without any means to defend yourself. It was very frightening! But as much as I wanted to run for my life, I forced myself to walk, opening up my sense of hearing and sight. Running and making noise would only attract the mobs to me. It would have to be saved as a last resort.

I was doing ok for about the first ten minutes into the night. But, my luck didn't hold out any longer than that. All of a sudden, I heard a loud screech and I looked up just in time to dive out of the way of a spider that would've crushed me flat!

Now, I've never really had a fear of spiders, but let me tell you. This spider made me afraid of spiders! It was huge! About half the size of your average car! And that wasn't the end of it. It had eight glowing red eyes, saliva that dripped from two very large, sharp, fangs and six hairy, blocky, legs. It let out another ear-popping screech that snapped me back to reality. I turned tail and ran!

The ground trembled slightly as the six legged beast kept in pursuit. I whizzed by tree after tree and tried to keep my path as narrow as I could, trying to get as many trees between me and the spider to slow down my attacker. It worked somewhat, but I was never going to lose it this way.

Suddenly, an arrow whizzed right in front of my face and struck a tree I'd just passed! Shocked, but still moving, I turned my head to see a skeleton loading another arrow into his boy with his thin, blocky, fingers. His eye sockets glowed red inside a cracked skull, as he tracked my path. It was like something out of a bad horror movie. I ran faster.

The trees were getting denser, thank god! My arachnid foe was starting to fall behind! I kept going, my breathing coming in and out rapidly. I heard an angry screech from behind me. It knew it was falling behind. I cracked a small smirk as I burst through a heavy section of trees, hoping to finally lose the darn monster.

My heart immediately sank. The forest abruptly ended, almost cruelly. I had burst into a small extreme hills biome, it seemed. The land continued on until it became a steep downward drop. I stopped at the edge and looked down. It was a decent drop to the flat ground of what looked like a meadows biome below. And I nearly cried when I looked onward. A small village lit by torches laid just a little ways out in the meadow. I was exhausted and my feet were aching, but seeing that village gave me renewed strength. I was nearly safe! I just had to figure out an easy way down…

There was a loud rustle of leaves as something burst through the trees behind and caused me to freeze. I turned back in terror to see the same terrible spider from before, slowly inching its way over to me! I looked straight into its dark, hungry, eyes. It knew it had me. Even if I could get down, the spider was faster than me. I'd never make it in a straight race to the village before it would catch me. I was doomed!

Then, I heard it. A tiny hissing noise coming up from my side. I turned to see a horrendous sight. A wrinkled, green creeper with no arms, four stubby legs, and a merciless frown was hissing and running at me at full force, hissing angrily.

While fear and dread battle each other for a prime spot in my emotions, a crazy last ditch idea popped in my head. If it worked, then there was at least a chance I'd survive. If it didn't, I was definitely not going to survive. But considering my circumstances, it looked like I was dead if I didn't do something!

The creeper started inflating as it got closer and before I could change my mind, I charged right back at it. It looked surprised as I closed the distance and I took advantage of that. Quickly, I wrapped my arms around the nearly inflated creeper, digging my fingers into its damp skin. I grunted in effort, using every ounce of strength I had to lift the green blob and spin it around. The spider froze for just a second, realizing my intention all too late. With a final, adrenaline-filled yell, I released my hold on the creeper. The spider let out one last screech that was cut short by the creeper's detonation.

The explosion was much bigger than anticipated. So was the shockwave! I watched in awe as the spider and the creeper were enveloped in a mixture of red and orange before I was thrown off my feet and down the cliff.

Instinctively, I put all my weight on my back to flip me over onto my feet to brace for impact. Just in time too. My feet hit the ground at a substantial speed. I bent my knees to help absorb the shock and rolled over my shoulder as best I could. The impact was hard on my legs stung quite a bit, but I didn't hear or feel any bones snap. That was a miracle in and of itself. I laid there for a couple minutes or so, clutching my knees and waiting for the throbbing to go down.

I was alive! Hah! I don't think I'd ever felt so happy to be alive since my unlucky car accident when I was five. I looked on toward the glow of the village that would offer me sanctuary from the gruesome mobs of the night. I got to my feet, painfully, and began to walk just a little farther. Once I reached the village, I could rest.

When I finally made it, the gravel street and the standard villager huts were the most welcoming of sights. The light from the makeshift street lights made from wool and torches helped keep the mobs from spawning around the village, making this the safest spot in the foreseeable area. I sighed in relief, glad to finally be safe.

Woop! I thought too soon.

Out of nowhere, an enderman teleported directly in front of me. It was tall, jet black, and its rectangular purple eyes were looking down…right at mine! It let out a terrifying screech that put the spider's to shame. Then, it disappeared just as quickly as it had come. But I knew better.

I groaned and readied my aching body into a rigid riding horse stance. I was shaking from head to toe, scared and anxious for the enderman to reappear. I heard another loud Woop from behind me. Instantly, I pulled my arm back into a devastating elbow strike. Or at least, it was supposed to be devastating.

My elbow throbbed in pain once it made contact with the enderman's stomach. It was like elbowing a wall! However, the enderman let out a pained shriek too, so at least I was able to hurt him as well. I gritted my teeth and turned to give him another strike with my fist. It flew by, swiping nothing but air, as the enderman teleported to the side.

Before I could reposition myself to block, I felt a long black fist strike the side of my face. I cried out loudly. I was literally lifted off of the ground and thrown down into the dirt! My cheek burned as I clutched it with my left hand.

The enderman teleported in front of me, reaching for me. I quickly sent a kick to what I thought was its kneecap. I cried out again and its leg buckled, allowing me to send another kick straight to its ugly black face. It was a pretty hard kick and the enderman stumbled back in pain, hands clutching where its nose would have been.

I rose to my feet quickly and sent another punch to its midsection, then spun around for an elbow jab to its side. I never let up, constantly attacking it with jabs, crosses, and kicks. My knuckles were bleeding and my feet ached with each kick, but I didn't care. This was about survival. A fight to the death!

I stopped for a second, readying myself to finish it off. I twisted my body, putting all of my weight on my left foot and turned, picking up speed as I brought up my right foot for a straight shot to its chin. It should have ended the fight right then and there. But, luck wasn't on my side this time.

The enderman teleported away just as I was about to connect and I barely had time to re-steady myself before it appeared in front of me again. I didn't have the time, however, to block its knee that collided right into my stomach. I gasped in pain and surprise as all the air left my lungs. I crumpled to the ground in agony. That hit felt like I was smacked with an aluminum baseball bat rather than a fist!

I tried to get up, but the enderman was already on me. It grabbed the sleeve of my shirt and with astonishing power, lifted me off the ground! It spun around and threw me against a neighboring villager house. I crashed into the wall with a heavy thud, sending thousands of newly damaged nerves splintering out from my spine all across my back. I didn't even have the strength to shout out.

I actually stayed there for a fraction of a second, before gravity decided to work again. I fell face-first onto the hard floor. I felt defeated. My body ached horridly, more than I'd ever experienced before. Every movement caused pain. Breathing stung as I tried once again to get up.

I wasn't given that kind of mercy. A second later, I felt cold, black, blocky, fingers wrap themselves tightly around my throat. The enderman lifted me up until our eyes met. I couldn't breathe! I gasped and flailed wildly, desperate to fill my lungs with air. I scratched and clawed at his arms to no avail. All the while he just stared at me. A cold, murderous, blood chilling stare.

He opened his mouth wide and screeched at me in anger.

And that's when I saw it. A single, dark orb. His enderpearl! Dark spots began to cloud my vision and if I didn't do something soon, I really was going to die. I dropped one hand from his arm and thrust it into its mouth. I grabbed at the pearl inside as it gagged and sunk its black teeth into my skin. I went to cry out, but had no air to do so.

With a last feet of strength, I pulled as hard as I could and dislodged the pearl.

I was dropped instantly, gasping and gagging from my throat being squeezed. I looked up at the enderman. He was grasping at his neck as black sludge, which I could only assume to be his blood, oozed from inside his mouth. He made loud gurgling noises as he tried to scream. I had to stop myself from being sick. He was…drowning

Eventually, he couldn't breathe anymore. I saw his form collapse to the ground, lifeless and unmoving. I didn't move either. I just laid there on the ground, body in pieces or so it felt, grasping the one thing that had saved my life. The small orb was a perfect sphere, almost uncommon in minecraft. It was tinted in a dark green and purple. It actually almost looked pretty.

After some time, I was somehow able to get back on my feet. I slipped the pearl into my pocket and half walked, half stumbled into the nearest villager's house. The fact that no villagers had come out to see what all the commotion was about told me that it had to have been abandoned. It didn't help that I couldn't hear any of the distinctive "hmmrfphs" a villager made.

I was too tired to wonder why the village had been abandoned and frankly, I didn't care. All I wanted to do was rest. For fuck's sake, all I wanted was a safe place to sleep! I collapsed onto the bed inside an unknown villager's home. I don't think I even lasted a whole minute after my head hit the pillow.

Hey guys...bit of bad news. When I transferred the files over from my old computer...there was a bit of a problem. I lost a LOT of chapters and after thinking on it, I remembered I also saved some files on another device that's now been...long broken. Sorry guys, I forgot all about that and didn't realize it until now after trying to repost this. The only chapters I have consistently are 1-10. I know that sucks and I really do apologize for not being able to post the whole thing in it's entirety, but I'm not really sure what else I can do. Sorry...