Yaebi awoke to the sound of explosions blasting his ears. The one noise no one wanted to ever hear. The next thing he heard was screaming.

"Yaebi!" The voice yelled.

As he opened his eyes, a nearby explosion sent a gust of dirt and debris his way. The incoming debris blinded him and the explosion knocked him over. As he got out of bed he stumbled over to his chest to grab his weapons. It was as if cannons were going off everywhere. He was able to navigate his way through the destruction with his vision obscured by the debris. With what he could make out, several fires lit his room and there were plenty of holes in the floor, walls, and the ceiling. What the nether was going on here? The sounds of explosions continued to test his hearing. Suddenly, he heard barking. Yaebi looked back and forth to find the source. It was quiet, but he certainly heard barking. He finally noticed Boga barking at him from a hole in the wall. Without hesitation Yaebi grabbed his tools and followed his companion outside. What awaited him was chaos. Everywhere he looked armed attackers were present, destroying the world around them. Among them was Shelby, fighting for her life. He quickly wiped the mud off his eyes to see more of the destruction. What had appeared to be random sources of light were towering flames. He couldn't tell what to do now. He had never seen anything like this. Once he exited his burning home he was soon flanked by two skeletons. With them were at least ten to fifteen zombies who encircled him. The skeletons looked at him with their empty eyes and quickly drew their bows. As they opened fire Yaebi was somehow able to deflect both their arrows. He didn't know how, but he did it. The power put into those shots was their undoing. The group of zombies, obviously disappointed to see him still standing, lunged at him putting him on the defensive. They were a furious bunch, clawing at him and attempting to pummel the boy. He knew these types of fighting styles. He was a zombie himself. If he remembered correctly those who were skilled enough eventually learned these moves. They were eventually able to get him on his back while they reached for his face. But he wouldn't let it end like this. Never. He kicked the top one off and attacked the other surrounding zombies. He grunted as he pushed them aside. After clear the space around him, he went on the offensive. Pretty soon he was severing limb from torso. The fleshbags numbers started to dwindle. But they refused to surrender. Once he only had the attention of five fleshbags, giving him some time, he scanned the landscape for awhile he witnessed the most glorious sight. Not only was Shelby fighting but so were Boga and Neptar. He had to join and fight alongside his friend. Besides, the odds weren't looking so good. With a single swing of his blade he slashed three of his attackers in half. He dashed across the battlefield dodging arrows and debris. One arrow struck him in the calf. He cried out in pain as it peirced his skin. A split second later and another struck him in almost the same spot. But no matter. He had to assist Shelby. From the looks of it she was struggling with a few of the skeletons shooting her. He was now twenty five feet away from his friend. He walked up to the nearest skeleton and cut it in half. The sound of his victim's war cry caught the attention of his friends attackers and even Shelby herself. He ran up to her and pretty soon he was fighting alongside her.

" 'bout time," she muttered.

"Sorry."

Everywhere they were flanked by both bonebags and fleshbags. Even a few creepers came to join the fun. The two just kept fighting the good fight. Together the two of them were unstoppable.

"We need to get to the docks," Shelby instructed.

The docks were a makeshift row of oak wood planks lined with wooden fences. They mostly served as a place to store boats. He never thought thought they would use it- until now. All he had to do was wait for an opening. After taking down five more fleshbags was the opportunity available.

"Now," he yelled.

The four (the pets included) dashed for the docks at incredible speeds. Within seconds they would be riding a boat. That was the goal right? As they neared the boats, a large jungle wood ship could be seen coming out from behind the island. That was the source of most of the fires and explosions. Aboard it he could see multiple troops of hostile mobs. Time was running short. The sound of more explosions going off got closer to them. He didn't have to look back to know that they were being fired upon. The two just kept running for it. He knew what they were doing. They were going to run away; find a new home. It was the only way. It was then he realized that he couldn't get attached to any home. Just a couple more feet...

Bam!

One of the cannons hit the deck and sent wood flying everywhere. The shock waves propelled the four of them off of the dock and into the water. The salty water seeped into his wounds. Not far from his position could he hear Shelby's muffled screams. He had to get to the boats. He rose up and gasped for air. The smell of salt water and smoke burned his nostrils. Where was Shelby though? He frantically looked around for his friend who was nowhere in sight. That's when he noticed Boga paddling around a wooden boat. The dog looked like it was panicking, but alright. Yaebi was very rusty when it came to swimming, but did what he could to stay afloat. He could hear bonebags shouting at him from a distance but they were already yards away. Pretty soon he was able to reach Boga. Using a remainder of his strength, he lifted dog onto the boat and climbed aboard himself. He could hear multiple enemies shouting at him from a distance.

"Stop right there!"

"I'll kill you!"

It was all excessive rambling for all he cared. He was too exhausted to find what they were saying. Pretty soon he would be far away from them. Once all of the shouting was out of range Yaebi could finally rest. But he became wide awake once he started checking his wounds. What he saw was frightening. His left side had a deep cut and was causing him to lose blood quickly. This was horrifying. He tried to cover it up but it just kept spilling out. Frantically trying to tie a bandage around his side, he felt something bump into his boat. He looked behind himself and saw another thing he never wanted to see: it Shelby knocked unconscious in her boat.

"Shelby!"

She didn't respond. Yaebi was panicking. Before he could do anything to save them he started to fade. No not now! He had to do something. Yet despite his efforts, his vision slowly went black. I have...to...save..us. The last thing he saw was a large dark object pass over them.

Yaebi awoke in a daze. He sat up immediately, scanning his environment. He was surrounded by strange men with tall heads and large noses. Taking a closer look he could tell they were wearing cloaks. What the heck was going on. It felt as if the power his mind was using was causing him to overheat. His brow was drenched in sweat. He was also breathing much faster than normal. He was confused. He took a look around. Despite the lack of pictures it appeared as if he was home. Every detail was in place and everything looked exactly as they left it.

"What are you guys doing in our house?"

"He's hallucinating," one of them whispered to his neighbor.

"What?"

"We need to tranquilize him. He might start going insane," replied the one holding a syringe.

"Wait, What?!"

Jab. Dammit. Once again he woke up without recalling falling asleep. Only this time it was a saltwater bath that got him up. He swore that stuff got in his mouth. As he coughed up sea water he was able to stand up. Where was he? How did he get here? These surroundings were unfamiliar to the boy, who was now getting a little bit uncomfortable. He wiped his face of the salty water and realized he was on a ship. Everywhere he looked those same strange men ran about tending to chores. There were even quite a few humans here and there. So he was alive. It was a relief to know he was still standing. But where was Shelby? As he started to walk he stumbled. The same place he was hit was now in extreme pain. He had to get to the nearest figure of authority. Well that's what his gut told him. He tried to keep weight off his leg by dragging it. Who's in charge here, he thought. Just suddenly, he saw a peculiar man with his back turned to Yaebi at the bow of the ship. The man's clothing appeared to consist of some type of cloak. He was dressed liked some type of assassin. That's the guy. After a while he was finally able to reach the man. He didn't see him coming across the deck even with the irritating sound of him dragging his foot present. He tapped the guy's shoulder.

"Uh excuse me but um.."

The man looked over his shoulder and into Yaebi's eyes. The older man gave him a warm smile before facing the boy.

"Well you must be the guy we picked up," the man concluded.

Yaebi shrugged in confusement.

"I guess."

The man just continued to smile.

"Are you a..uh..captain," Yaebi asked.

The older man laughed.

"Ha! Nah I just use this to get around."

"Well then are you in charge?"

"Why of course!"

Yaebi could barely stand any more. He could tell that he was still recovering. There were two thoughts present in his mind: 1. How long was this pain gonna last and 2. Where's Shelby.

"Excuse me but did you pick up a girl?"

"Be specific," the man corrected.

"Well her name is Shelby Catherine Aran and she's got auburn hair -"

The man laughed.

"Boy I was just joking," he exclaimed.

"Who are you," the zombie asked.

"The name's Demented," he answered, "and it's a pleasure to have you aboard."

Demented showed him around the ship. From the bow to the dining people scrambled around the place. All the while, the captain took him on a never ending tour. Once Yaebi thought it was almost over he was told they weren't even halfway done. This ship had everything. It was almost exciting for Yaebi to see all of these features. Yet again, Yaebi was amazed by what you could build in this world. After exiting the dining hall, he immediately saw Shelby. She looked a lot more exhausted than he did. She was also drenched in salt water: the same treatment the crew gave him. He wondered what the point of the knocking him out was when the only way to bring him back was to drown him. By the looks of it, Shelby was happy to see him. She moved closer to him but every part of her body seemed to ache. Nevertheless, she tightly hugged him.

"It's a good thing we came along when we did," announced Demented.

Yaebi was still confused as usual. This time about one thing.

"By the way who are you guys?"

Everyone turned towards the two. The whole crew glared for a while but then looked on with astonishment. They were all stunned for some reason. He could even hear the captain gasp. Was it something he said? No it couldn't have been. They were looking him up and down. The next thing he knew he was being dragged away to a dark cellar. For some reason he didn't protest. The door was slammed behind him, leaving him alone in a dark room. The only source of light was a dim lit lectern. Yaebi was shoved into a wooden chair and pushed into a table. Someone on the other side of the table adjusted the brightness of the lectern. The light was now too overwhelming to see the mans face. A taller figure stood behind the man sitting at the table. Yaebi knew what this was. It was an interview. Why would he need to be interviewed? He just met them. What could they possibly want with him?

"Alright, start explaining," ordered the man at the desk.

"What?"

"You know what we're talking about. Now spill the beans: where is Zambi?"

They knew who he was! The must've been mistaken. They may have known what he looked liked but it seemed as if they thought him an advocate of Zambi's. Well he wouldn't let them think this. He was in a dangerous situation.

"How should I know. He has been hunting my friend and I for a few months now which has lead us to being homeless! I have no idea!" He exclaimed.

The man looked at him sternly. He probably stated it differently.

"Sorry," he explained, " we've just been through a lot."

"I understand."

There was an awkward silence between the two. A few seconds afterwards the figure behind behind the interviewer whispered something into his ear. Yaebi couldn't make out what it was.

"Ah yes. How many humobs do you know?"

"Isn't that kind of a strange question?"

"That doesn't matter. We have reason to believe that Zambi grew up with other humobs. Now tell us how many do you know."

Yaebi had to answer truthfully.

"As many as he knows."

The interviewer took the news well and gave him a concerned look. It was a split second before Yaebi realized he was looking at his wounds.

"Looks like you fought hard today," the man noted.

"Yeah I guess."

The man got to a more personal distance with Yaebi.

"You know you don't seem like a guy who gets into fights."

He was right. Deep down he was still timid. Whatever got into him should've helped him talk to Shelby at least. After the last couple of questions Yaebi was free to go. The other man during the interview activated a lever on the right wall. The room was soon fully lit by redstone lamps. The other man turned out to be the captain, Demented.

"You are free to go."

Yaebi walked outside to find out that it was the late afternoon. It turned out that the sore feeling he had quickly faded. People were all over the place. Though Shelby was nowhere to be seen. It's alright, he thought, she'll turn up eventually. He. was positive. Seeing as how everyone was running some sort of task around the ship. Trying not to get in any trouble, Yaebi picked up the nearest mop and searched for the grimiest spot on the ship. After spending the rest of the afternoon doing this, the crew was highly impressed with his work. He then decided to go look for Shelby. It wouldn't take long. I mean how far could she go right? As he searched the upper deck, he was cornered by Demented.

"Hello there!"

"Oh hi," Yaebi responded lowering his gaze out of shyness.

The captain looked puzzled.

"Aren't you going to join us," he asked.

"For what?"

The captain gave a hearty laugh.

"Why for the feast!"

Yaebi was once again taken somewhere else against his will. Only this time he was lead to the dining hall. What awaited him inside was a shock. The entire crew, villagers and humans, were feasting at the big table. Everyone was laughing and were having a wonderful time with one another. Among them he spotted Shelby. As usual, she had Neptar perched on her shoulder. Whatever she was eating looked pretty good. Once she noticed him she smiled and gestured him over. She saved a seat for me? Awesome! As Yaebi seated himself, the captain got everyones attention.

"Now you all know of this war we're fighting isn't going so well," he announced, "but destiny has provided us with two new friends. Every man counts!"

Wait! Since when did he agree to fight in any war? Shelby apparently didn't seem to mind.

"I'd like to make a toast," the captain continued, "to unity!"

"Unity!"

Everyone pounded glass together. They really did look happy. Yaebi almost forgot about what Demented said. The food was amazing. Everything went together just perfectly. The meal was fantastic. Sadly, Yaebi left the party shortly afterwards. After taking his remains to the hopper he exited the room. The sounds of joyous men faded as the doors closed. He spent most of the time leaning on a fence taking in the smell of seabreeze. It was pretty lonely out here. Pretty soon Shelby joined him. Her presence was welcoming to him.

"Hey what are you doing out here," she asked.

"I dunno."

There was a momentary silence once again between the two. He hated when this happened.

"You know Demented told me that we're sleeping in the lower deck," she noted.

She paused causing Yaebi to look to her. She smiled.

"I was hoping you could join."

Yaebi was overcome with happiness. He wasn't sleeping with her but she was now comfortable around him.

"That sounds nice."

Thank you guys for all the support. I feel my writing is suffering but I'm still getting some very positive feedback. I take those reviews to heart.