Author's note:
Hello everyone. Don't really know what to say, other then to enjoy reading this new chapter. Long one, again, and also a bit more dark. And if you have a weak stomach and/or lively fantasy, I wouldn't recommend reading a few sections of the chapter. Why?
Prepare yourself for your first taste of BLOOD!
Chapter 10: His Brother?!
Birds sang in the trees, a soft breeze passing through the air. I took a deep breath in and sighed, allowing a bit of the calmness of the area to seep in.
And then I was shook awake by the bang of a drum!
"Sky!" I yelled, angry at the now smirking girl behind me. The others were trying hard to hold back their laughter, Erin the first to fail, soon followed by the others and eventually me.
It was a usual day of practice in the weekend. Nobody minded spending time at the amphitheater, which we started to dub 'The Hideout'. We had finished with some practice and I had taken advantage of the silence to relax, but after Sky's trick there wasn't much relaxing left.
I turned to the computer and started typing away, looking for a good song. At that moment, a loud howl cascaded through the woods, causing us all to look up.
"A wolf? But those only live in the high mountains. What would a wolf do here, in Tirnaus?" Tyler said, confused by the howl.
"That was a call for help." I said coldly, recognizing the sound well. I turned to where it seemed to have come from and started running, leaving everyone with a worried look. Andrea yelled after me, but I was already to far of to understand what she had yelled.
I ran, not stopping, swiftly avoiding trees and bushes on my way. I jumped over a fallen log with ease, not stopping a single moment. I heard the flapping of wings behind me, aware that Erin had surely caught up with me by now. She reached my pace and her face was all out confusion and worry.
"What's going on?" The Dragongirl asked, but I didn't pay attention to that, more focusing on my path ahead. I heard the howl again, now noticing it was more to the left. I took a turn, Erin having to stop herself to turn as well. I suddenly saw particles of purple pass me, and noticed that Andrea had somehow teleported herself along with Erin. That made three of us.
"Archer?!" Andrea yelled, but I passed her swiftly, now noticing a clearing in the distance. I didn't stop, my legs not showing a bit of fatigue.
I heard the howl for a last time, this one sounding more wounded and scared then the last. I stopped in the clearing and saw something in front of me that would have baffled me if I hadn't been going around with an Endergirl and a Dragongirl!
Two men, suited in black suits with a green ring on the chest, their heads covered by masks, were kicking a girl with white wolf-ears and a tail. She had her hand on her chest, drops of blood falling down from it. She was hurt, and bad!
"Hey!" I yelled, catching the attention of the men. Only now did I see they were armed, and I regretted making them notice me. Erin had reached behind them from the sky, and Andrea was hiding behind a tree next to me, her face seeming scared but confident at the same time.
"Get him!" The first man yelled, grabbing for his rifle. I quickly ran forwards and hit him in the stomach, making the air escape from him. Erin swiftly flew towards the second man and hit him in the back, causing the guy to drop his gun. I ran my fist upwards, slamming into the chin of my opponent. I ignored the sound of a bone breaking and pressed forwards, pushing him on the ground. Erin grabbed her opponent by the suit and flew a few meters up before dropping him. He hit the ground hard, the sound of a few bones cracking. I landed my foot on the person on the ground in front of me, hitting him in the chest. He coughed, a bit of blood coming from his mouth, his mask having dropped, revealing his face. He had gray eyes, something strange and unique. His hair was a light-brown, and really messy.
Andrea was trying to help the girl, but she was focused more on her wound then on the Endergirl.
Erin grabbed the guns and threw them in the air before charring them with her fire, flames engulfing the firearms. The man she had dropped tried to stand up but I knocked him solid on the head, a K.O. most surely. The man I had floored grabbed me by my leg and dropped me on the ground, my head hitting the soil hard. I was dazed for a moment, but quickly recovered to give him a thump in the stomach with the heel of my other foot. The man groaned of pain, his hand reaching for his stomach. I got up and grabbed the man my his suit, dragging him up with surprising ease.
"What are you doing here? Who are you? What is going ON?!" I yelled at the man, but he responded by spitting some blood from his mouth on my face. That was the drop for me, and I planted my fist in his face, the man knocked unconscious. And that was the end of that battle.
"Wow." Erin muttered, trying to grab around what had just happened. She landed on the ground, her wings vanishing with a few purple sparkles. Andrea was trying to help the girl, which I assumed could be called a wolf-hybrid, get up and stand.
"Please... Help... Protect h-him... Camp, n-not to far... Please, h-help him!" The girl muttered, a bit of blood coming from her mouth. Her eyes showed clear fatigue, her breathing heavy and irregular.
"Where?" I asked, trying to understand what she meant. She could just get her hand up to point towards a part of the forest I knew very well. I knew where to head next, remembering what was located in that part: An old tower.
"Andrea, get her to the others. No hospital, they'll ask to much." I said, sounding more serious then intended. Andrea nodded, Erin grabbing hold of one of the girls arms. They started helping the wounded wolf-hybrid to our spot, and I turned to start running towards the direction she had pointed out, jumping over the two knocked out men.
I reached the old watchtower, remembering the section about it in history-class. It was once part of a war between the east and west of Europe, a clash between two great-powers that once ruled the lands there. It was now old and useless, rotting away in the forest. I heard the light crackling of a fire, reaching a small set up camp in an open section on the bottom of the tower. I found two tents, one blue and one yellow, arranged in a quick but still very skilled matter. I heard breathing coming from the blue one, where a bucket with water was positioned. I peered inside, my breath catching in my throat.
"Oh, god!"
Perspective: Sky
"Help us!" Andrea yelled, holding onto a girl. Erin was at the other side of the girl, keeping her in check. No one of us decided to question why she looked so different or who she was, instead Tyler rushed to a box underneath the covering, pulling out the first-aid kit.
"What happened?" He quickly asked, as Andrea and Erin helped her to lay down on the edge of the stage. She was clutching on to her chest, a large red spot on her white shirt. Rayleigh grabbed a bucket he had found and went to our bags, grabbing the water-bottle's and emptying them out one by one into the metal bucket.
"We don't know. Archer found her been attacked by two men. They were armed." Andrea explained, trying her best to not cry about the situation, holding herself strong at the moment. Erin didn't speak, and only now did I notice that the back of her shirt had two shredded parts, were normally her wings were.
"Oh, god." Tyler muttered before trying to pull the girls hand from her obvious injury. She seemed to struggle a bit, but let in. It revealed an even redder spot, a bit of blood suddenly gushing out from her wound. Tyler quickly examined it and came to a definite answer. "Shot wound."
I gasped, trying to bring everything together in my mind. Only a moment ago were we happily practicing, and now Tyler was trying to safe the life of a strange-looking girl who Archer had found after dashing away in some direction?!
"Knife." Tyler demanded, and Rayleigh complied by handing the small surgery-knife inside the metal kit-box. Tyler tried his best to do this without hurting the girl, but the shriek from the cold knife entering the wound was inevitable. Tyler had his thong out, signifying that he was very focused, the small metal knife going deeper into her skin. Suddenly, his eyes seemed to widen, and he was now busy getting something out of the wound. Only moments later his fingers got hold of a small metal piece coming out of the wound, covered in blood. "The bullet." Tyler said plain, dropping the metal piece on the ground, the object leaving a small 'think' in the air. The girl her breathing was still irregular, but she seemed relieved that the blockade was gone.
Tyler quickly grabbed for some more things from the first-aid box, blocking the bleeding and putting a bandage around the wound, wrapping it up carefully. The girl seemed to be losing consciousness, but Tyler was still focused on tending the injury.
"Is she going to be alright?" Andrea was the first to ask, keeping a good eye on the girl to make sure she got some water in her mouth from her own bottle, that Rayleigh had passed on. Erin grabbed a small towel from the first-aid kit and put it in the bucket, soaking it in the cold water before putting it on the forehead of the girl, what seemed to help her recover a bit.
"She lost a lot of blood, but the wound was treated quick enough for her to be able to recover. Let's bring her to Archer's house so she can rest." The girl her eyes opened at the mention of Archer, and she tried to force herself up.
"Stay down, you need rest!" Andrea urged the girl, putting her hand on the girl's forehead and pushing her down.
"Archer... His... Brother..." The girl uttered, causing us all to flinch back.
"What? His... Brother?" Erin was the first to ask, but the girl had lost conscious after stressing herself to much with those three words. Tyler decided that that was for later and he asked us to help him get the girl to Archer's house.
'This day is getting more interesting by the minute!'
Perspective: Tyler
We placed the girl on the bed that Erin normally slept in. She was still unconscious, but at least her breathing was starting to regain rhythm. I had done my best with my knowledge of first-aid to get her wound treated, but the fact that the hospital had to be avoided was clear. She wasn't human!
She had white wolf-ears and tail and her hair was a matching white. You could tell that she wasn't normal, but we couldn't tell if she was like Erin and Andrea, that means, from Minecraft.
We left her to rest and entered the living room. We all took a deep breath, and Andrea was the first to act, falling on the sofa with tears in her eyes. Erin sat down next to her friend and started comforting the Endergirl. Sky sat down on the chair next to the dining-table and Rayleigh sighed, dropping in a sitting-position on the floor. I sighed and started leaning against the wall, taking a deep breath.
"What the fuck is going on here?" Sky asked, her hand on her forehead.
"I have no idea." I said, trying to understand what was going on. It wasn't working, seeing how little we knew. We didn't even know the girl's name!
"I do." A voice said. We all looked to the door and found Archer standing in the doorway, an older guy behind him. The man was holding a wet towel against his forehead, a small cut on his forehead and one in his lip. I found the resemblance uncanny. They almost looked identical! He had the saim eye-color and haircolor, and his structure seemed to resemble an older Archer.
"And who may you be?" I asked, trying to be calm and composed. Sky stood up from the chair, a frown on her face. Andrea had stopped crying and looked up from the sofa, Erin next to her with a scowl directed at Archer, who rubbed his neck of unease.
"This... Is my brother." Archer said, walking past Sky. The man, Archer's brother apparently, followed him. Archer looked to me with a concerned face and I gestured to the room where the girl was resting. Archer gestured his brother to enter the room, the guy nodding a bit before going inside, closing the door behind him. I wanted to put the lock on it, but Archer was quick to stop me.
"I'll explain." He said, his voice never seeming more serious then now. He showed no emotion, and even Andrea was surprised at his change of attitude.
"Go on." I said, deciding to sit down on the chair next to Sky.
"It's a long story. It all begins at the beginning, really. I am the younger brother, born 3 years after him. We lived our entire life together, supporting each other, having each others backs. After my Dad died, he became the oldest man in the house. He tried to help take care of the family until two years ago, when he left to 'see the world'. That's when Mom had to go to another country to keep her job up and be able to afford things. I never saw him after that, until today. His name is Darren. He's 20, if that wasn't clear, and he was always the protective one of the family, keeping me out of trouble and assuring things went well in the house." Archer explained, a few tears starting to show. He was pulling back very old and painful memories, that was sure. And he wasn't having it easy with that.
Andrea stood up and was the first to reach Archer, grabbing him in a big hug. He hesitated for a moment but returned the embrace kindly, a few tears flowing down.
"Where do you think did he live?" Sky asked, her frown replaced with a worried look. I couldn't help but worry for Archer too.
"I don't know, we never learned where he went or what he did. He just left after giving his regards and drove of with the international bus-line. We never were told where or for what. He always said 'to see the world' but I never believed that." Archer said, wiping away a few tears. He let go of Andrea and smiled at her before going into the room where his brother, Darren, was.
"Be careful." I said after him. He nodded and closed the door, leaving us with our own thoughts.
Perspective: Archer
"Be careful." Tyler said to me before I would close the door. I nodded and closed the door shut, leaving me with my long-not-seen brother and the mystery Wolfgirl.
"Hey." Darren said, a sad look on his face. His head rested on the side of the wall, light shining through the window on the girl's face.
"Hey." I returned, still amazed to see my brother after all this time.
"You told them?" He asked, but he already knew the answer. I nodded and he turned back to look at the girl.
"You know her?" I asked, catching my brother staring at her.
"Yeah. Her name is Hailey. She's a... " Darren began, but stopped and looked to me. He seemed uncertain what to say, but I knew what he was planning to say.
"A Wolf-hybrid." I finished. Darren looked at me with a surprised look, but I was quick to explain. "Erin and Andrea are also hybrids. She's from Minecraft, isn't she?" Darren now seemed even more surprised, his mouth hanging open a bit.
"How do you...?" He started, but couldn't finish, Hailey, as the girl is called, started coughing, her hand reaching to her wound. I quickly grabbed a glass with water that was put on the side-table and placed the rim at the girl's mouth. She started drinking from response, coughing a bit in between the gulps. When the glass was empty, she allowed a small smile to be on her face as she looked up to see Darren, who had a very worried face. "Everything alright?" I asked, trying to sound comforting.
"Yeah, a bit d-dizzy, but better already. You're Archer, aren't you? I can see the resemblance." Hailey spoke, a few coughs catching up with her.
"Rest, sweety." Darren said, sounding concerned. I now understood the situation and allowed him to be with his, I presumed, girlfriend.
"You know me. I never re-" Hailey started, but was interrupted by a loud cough, making Darren even more concerned.
"Listen to him. Resting is a good idea, no, the best idea right now. We'll talk later." I said, agreeing with my brother. Darren looked at me with a thankful expression. I ignored this though and focused on Hailey, who had a weak smile.
"You really are brothers." She said before resting her head on the pillows and allowing herself some rest. I looked at Darren and thought what to do, and after some thinking grabbed my brother's hand and pulled him out the room.
"Okay, start explaining. From the beginning, please." I said, having brought my brother into the living room, so Hailey could rest. The others murmured agreement, Andrea sitting next to me, her face more stern then I was used to. I couldn't argue, though. I knew I had acted more serious and stubborn then usual.
"It all began two years ago. Everything went fine until I won that programming-contest." Darren began, his tone going more serious.
"The one that was held at the town-square?" I asked, remembering the event well. Darren nodded before continuing.
"Well, it caught some 'unwanted' attention. The program I had written apparently would be the solution for some weird organization's problems. I was asked to work for them. I denied though, and that's when it all went south."
"They asked me to work for them multiple times, but I always refused, not wanting to leave Rightford for some stupid job. They started offering more money, but I still refused. Soon, they started threatening my life, but I still refused! I had a few close calls with some of their men, but posed to much of a hinder to them. And then they started threatening you and Mom. That's when I was forced to comply."
I could see my brother was having it difficult. The memories were painful, I could tell, and I was also shocked to learn how much my older brother had gone through that we hadn't noticed.
"They apparently work on doing research to the 'dimensional connections between Minecraft and Earth'. First I thought that it was some sort of strange secret government-shit, but then it turned out to be an organization called, ironically enough, The Organization. They're top-secret, not even the feds know they exist! They force anyone they want to work for them, and those that refuse die!"
Andrea shrieked, and Tyler and Sky their faces grew worried. I could tell, this was more then we had asked for!
"I forcefully worked with them, helping with the research. That's when I met Hailey. She was forced to help them in fieldwork, doing research to the effects of things they pull from Minecraft into the 'real world'. She has increased smell and hearing, and is much faster then normal humans. Like you guessed, she's a wolf-hybrid from Minecraft. Her world specifically is a lot more grim and dark, separate from Server's and stuff. She was 'saved' from that place, only to end up in the hell we escaped. We escaped when an alarm went of, what caused enough chaos for us to freely get away without being noticed. Well, guess they noticed us missing and found us!" Darren chuckled a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. I saw that he was a bit uncomfortable with this. "I bet that after what you did with those two guards they'll reconsider what to do, but we're not in the clear yet. Not until that whole thing is down for the count!" Darren finished on a somewhat loud note, causing Andrea to shriek and teleport, not just her, but also me, into my room!
"Andrea." I sighed, looking at the girl, who had a sheepish smile on her face. She muttered a quiet "sorry." before letting go of my arm, what had caused the joined teleport. Tyler opened the door, finding us without real surprise. Darren was behind Tyler, a puzzled look on his face.
"Did you just...? Isn't that only possible for a-" Erin quickly shut Darren up with her hand, growling a "don't you dare say it." at my brother, who looked at her with a look of confusion and fear. Andrea gave him a puzzled look, and I acted like I hadn't heard what he said. In fact, I knew what he wanted to say, but I didn't want Andrea to know that yet.
"Let's get those cuts taken care of, shall we?" Tyler said, also very aware of the situation. He and Erin practically dragged my brother with them. Andrea looked at me, but I still kept my unawareness up and shrugged it of, deeming it as "That's my brother for you."
Minutes later Darren had his cuts (and apparently some bruises he was hiding) taken care of. Tyler said it was best he didn't stress himself to much or he could cause in internal bleeding to start. Darren was surprised at my friend's medical knowledge, but we all knew how well that sometimes came in handy.
"Archer, I didn't forget to ask. Where did you learn to stump that guy in his stomach and then land a hit on his chin?" Erin asked, busy helping me and Sky get some dinner ready.
"Wait, you used the 'belly-uppercut'?" Darren said before taking a sip from his glass of water. I nodded, a weak smile on my face. This was something I had hoped to avoid.
"You taught Archer how to fight?" Tyler said with a bit of surprise. Nobody really expected me to be a fighter.
"Sure did! He was quite a skilled fighter if you ask me. He once got me on the ground during training." Darren said without seeming impressed. Tyler his mouth seemed ready to drop on the ground, and even Andrea had stopped watching the TV and had turned to listen to my brother, who started telling all sorts of stories about my 'hobby'.
"You know how to kill someone?!" Sky beamed in, surprised at the fact after Darren had told them about some of my training lessons.
"Yeah. Punch in the stomach, grab their knife or weapon, quick twirl around and slam it into their chest. 3/5 chance you'll hit them in the heart." I said, not seeming grossed out with what I had just told them. In fact, I was hoping deep inside that I'd never have to do something like that.
"Dang." Erin was surprised. Nobody really thought I'd know how to kill someone.
"But what about the... Blood." Andrea said, not really liking the thought that much.
"I faced my first drop of blood when I was 5." I said, the old memory returning, a bit hazy but still. I remembered it pretty well, even though it was so long ago.
"What happened?" Tyler asked, now curious at my long forgotten past.
"I had fallen from the shed Dad was working on. I had landed with my arm in a bunch of nails. It hurt like hell, but my parents were more concerned with the fact that Archer had been watching what had happened. He didn't sleep for three whole nights! After that, he wasn't fazed by blood anymore. In fact..." Darren began explaining, but I knew what he wanted to say. And it wasn't something I was proud of. I decided that it was best to finish what he was telling them, as everyone's curiosity was touched now.
"When I see blood, I sometimes use a finger to take some and... I lick it of. I actually like the taste of blood." I said, very embarrassed with it. I never adored it, but it was a part of me and I never found a way to let it go.
Everyone stared at me, Tyler with a sign of being very engrossed, Sky with utter surprise, Erin seemed a bit confused and Andrea had put a few steps back before landing in a chair, completely baffled.
"You like the taste of... Blood?" Tyler was the first to speak, a gulp leaving him before reaching the word 'blood'.
"Yep. I can even determine the difference between my blood, my brother's blood and someone else their blood. Blood tastes different, and every person has a unique taste of blood. I actually know that Sky's blood tastes a bit more coppery." I said, my mind starting to reach an awkward section that I normally hid for everyone. Sky suddenly seemed more engrossed then Tyler, trying her best to keep her mouth shut so she couldn't puke.
"How do you know...?" Tyler began, but I quickly stopped him there.
"I know Sky longer then you, Tyler. I once found her with a bleeding wound and secretly took a taste. I don't lick the wound! I just use my finger to grab a few drops." I explained, trying hard to not engross my friends more. Darren wasn't fazed, but was paying close attention, having had the 'talk' before.
"Why would you like the taste of blood?" Erin said, trying to wrap her head around it.
"I like the taste, but not the fact that I like the taste. I try to get used to it, but it just doesn't go away. It can have it's uses, really! I can separate blood from one another. I can taste who's blood it is."
"Still, why?" Erin asked again, not sure if that was the answer she wanted.
"To be fair... I have no fucking clue." I said, not catching (or caring) myself for cursing.
"You curse, little brother?" Darren teased, having caught me.
"I do after what happened with those two here." I said, teasing Andrea and Erin. They let out a unison "hey!" before noticing the big smirk on my face. Soon, everyone was in a laughing fit, Tyler almost crying of laughter. I was glad to see that they were taking this so well.
"So, you met Hailey at the facility you work. How?" Erin asked, now sitting at the dining table with an empty plate in front of her. Andrea was still busy eating her second portion, and I was still taking in some of the flavor. Tyler had finished first, incredibly enough, and was now working on a little gadget he had brought with him. Sky was sill eating a bit, and Rayleigh (who somehow had heard the whole conversation from the bathroom) was busy finishing the last bits of egg.
"Well, we kinda met when she was being bullied by people who don't really like hybrids. I fought the bullies away, and Hailey owed me something after that. We have a restaurant and all other things at the facility, and so she invited me on a date. We chatted, got to know each other, and in the end we had our first kiss a few days afterwards. And since then she's been my girlfriend and true love." Darren said before taking a bite from his sandwich. He told me he hadn't eaten anything, but wasn't used to eat to much to soon.
"You feel happy to be free along with her?" I asked, happy for my brother to have found someone. My brother nodded before turning outside, his eyes falling on our Dad's old shed.
"I still feel like we aren't fully free. Not until that whole organization is down for the count." My brother said, the smile he had fading away a bit.
"At least you and Archer are back together! I wish I had a brother like you!" Sky said, giving Rayleigh a teasing look. Her younger brother looked up, but shrugged it of, turning to his empty plate.
"You missed him?" Andrea asked, having changed her attention from her food to the conversation.
"Yeah, I missed him a lot!" Darren said, the smile he had returning. I smiled to see me brother happy after all those years.
"He sure did. He would sometimes lay awake, thinking about you." A female voice caught in, and we all turned to face Hailey, standing in the door-opening with a hand on her wound. Her tail was hanging down, and her ears were pretty flat against her head.
"Hailey!" Darren stood up from his seat and ran to his girlfriend, catching her before she fell down, losing herself for a moment.
"I told you to rest." I said, joining my brother to help her stand.
"I don't rest until those Organization bastards are all dead." The wolf-hybrid responded, a small growl escaping her when she mentioned The Organization.
"If you don't rest, you won't make it until that day!" Tyler said, helping the two of us carry Hailey to sit down on the cough. She sat down with a grunt, her hand reaching for her wound, that still seemed to bleed a bit.
"And I still want to have my girlfriend there to celebrate with." Darren said, sitting down next to Hailey. She looked at him with an embarrassed look, turning herself a bit to face him better.
"I'm sorry, Darren." She said, trying her best to keep the pain away. I grabbed some painkillers from a closet in the kitchen and dropped them in a glass, the pills dissolving in the water. I grabbed the glass and quickly went to hand it to Hailey, who took it with a weak smile before taking it in in one go.
"Try to rest as much as possible. I know you don't like it, but you have to if you want to survive today." Tyler said, taking a quick look at the bandage around Hailey's waist. The wolf-hybrid growled a bit, but Tyler dismissed the warning and made sure that the wound would heal. Giving a satisfied nod he turned to join the others at the dining table.
"Rest." Darren said, shushing a bit. He allowed Hailey to lay herself against him and he started to stroke her head, the wolf-hybrid allowing a little moan escape her. Her eyes seemed to close and soon her fatigue had taken the upper-hand again and she was asleep. I motioned to the others that it was better to talk outside and allow the two some privacy. They nodded and soon we were all outside in the backyard.
"Those two really fit together, don't they?" Erin said, standing next to me. I nodded, happy for my brother but also feeling a bit of jealousy. He had found a girlfriend, but I still had to ask Andrea if she wanted to be mine. "What are you planning for Andrea?"
"I'm not sure. I think she deserves the best date I can arrange and then I would like to bring her somewhere very dear to me." I said, the plan I have so far in my mind. I was a bit happy that Andrea was talking with Tyler and Sky at that moment so she didn't hear me.
"Where then?" Erin asked, a little tease in her voice. I gave her a smirk before shaking my head. I wasn't going to spoil it, not to anyone!
"I think it's over here!" We suddenly heard voices coming from the woods. We all tensed up, surprised at the situation. Someone had found us, and far to soon!
"Quick, hide!" I yelled/whispered. Everyone complied and we quickly hid ourselves where we could. Andrea simply teleported away, Erin and me hid ourselves behind a nearby tree, luckily thick enough to conceal the both of us. Tyler, Sky and Rayleigh had made it behind a corner of the house, keeping themselves well hidden.
"Where then?" A second voice asked, closing in on the backyard. At this moment I cursed the dis-presence of a fence around the yard.
"They lived here. This is where he used to live. They've gotta be here somewhere." A third, female voice tuned in. I heard the bushes rustling and from the forest three figures appeared. Two men and a woman, the second man I recognized as the man I had knocked out earlier, his mask still of. The other man and woman were wearing similar masks, but you could tell from her figure that she was female, along with her high-pitched voice. All three wore similar styled outfits: Black suits with a green ring on their chest. I noticed that they were all three armed, but the girl also had a small sword on her side. 'Great, that makes us defenceless.'
"You think they're hiding inside the house?" The unmasked man asked, pointing at my house.
"If so, then let's just burn it and leave." The second man said, causing me to growl a bit. If they dare put my house on fire, then I'll...!
"No! They have to good fire-protection in this place. We need to get rid of them swiftly and quick." The woman ordered. I sighed of relief that the house would stay save, but I wasn't going to let them kill my brother, Hailey or anyone else for that matter!
"What do we do?" Erin whispered to me. I looked at her and then around us. No weapons, no defenses. What could we do? I looked at my Dad's shed and then I remembered something. 'We aren't so unarmed as I thought.'
"Catch their attention. With your flying skills, you can easily avoid bullets, right?" I said to Erin. The Dragongirl nodded before revealing her leather wings on her back. She stood up and flew into the sky, her wings flapping catching the three their attention.
"What's that?!" The unmasked man yelled, surprised at Erin's appearance.
"A Hybrid! Take it down!" The woman yelled, grabbing her gun. The other two followed and they aimed before shooting into the sky, Erin avoiding all three the shots with elegance and ease. I looked around and found myself a path to the shed. I ran, still crouched, behind the bushes and trees, avoiding detection by the three, who were shooting at Erin but failing miserably. I noticed that Rayleigh was looking at the girl with happiness and fear. I could only understand the latter, because Erin just avoided a bullet, but not without her clothes being ripped a bit. I finally reached the shed and slowly unplugged the door. I looked inside and found what I was looking for
My Dad's axe!
I grabbed the axe and held it close to me. I slowly approached the three, trying hard to stay unnoticed. Erin kept their attention, yelling down a few words, I could only guess to anger the trio. I stood up from my crouch and readied the axe in my hand, holding it high yet strong. I hesitate for a moment, my mind flashing with memories. I couldn't stop myself from thinking, until I heard a yell and noticed that Erin had been hit in her wing, a small hole in the leather skin. That was it, and the blade cascaded down. My mind seemed to go in slow-motion as my eyes followed the sharp blade piercing the air, landing where I had planned it to land.
Perspective: Rayleigh
At first I heard the pained yell from Erin, who had a small hole in her left-wing. Fear and worry flooded my mind, but only moments later another female cry filled the air. I looked at Sky, then at Erin, but neither had sustained any form on injury. Then I looked at the trio that had shot Erin and noticed one on the ground, a clear axe in her back. The two men looked behind them and were both hit by two fists in the face, falling down. The masked man tried to get up, but instead his chest got penetrated by the now be-blooded blade of the axe. He yelled in agony before falling down, not going to get up from that. The unmasked man tried to get away, but the axe landed right next to his head, cutting his ear clean of. We all stared in horror at the sight before us: The woman and masked man dead, the unmasked man yelling in agony as he reached to the spot where is left-ear was a moment ago, blood flowing down the side of his face and on his hands.
I was the first to see who had attacked the trio, and almost fell down to see Archer, panting, holding on to the axe with both hands! He had some blood on his hands, face and shirt from the man who's chest he had pierced. He had some blood near his lips and with his thong he licked it away, reminding me of his rather strange and weird habit with blood.
"A-Archer?" Sky was the first to call out to him, but he didn't seem to react, his face filling with the expression of horror, fear, happiness and confusion. Sky called again, and Tyler joined her, but nothing seemed to work. Erin landed on the ground, her eyes showing less surprise and more like she was proud. Was she proud that Archer had just killed two people?
"Archer?" I suddenly heard Andrea, and looked to the house to find her, trembling in the door-opening. Her eyes were filled with horror, what seemed odd considering that Minecraft was all about survival, but then I remembered that mobs dissolve into dust, and that they do not fall down with blood and all, like real people do.
Suddenly, Archer looked up and his gaze fell on Andrea, who now started shaking of fear. For a moment, his gaze was cold and grim, but then I saw fear and horror crawl into his expression, and soon he dropped the axe on the ground, falling down on his knees, his eyes fixated on his hands. He was realizing what he had done. His eyes went between the two corpses and the man, who seemed to have passed out, before going to Erin, Andrea and the rest of us.
"Archer? Everything alright?" I asked, standing up from my hiding spot and going to the 17 year old. He looked at me before turning to the corpses before him, his eyes showing pure horror now. His pupils had narrowed down to spots, his eyes wide open, almost not blinking.
"I-I... I k-killed them. I killed t-them. I killed them. I killed them... "Archer started repeating the same sentence, fear grabbing hold of him. His hands went to his sides, grabbing tight hold of himself. He started rocking back and forwards on his knees, repeating the same words over and over.
"I killed them."
Perspective: Andrea
I sat on the couch, taking a sip from my glass of lemonade. Everyone was silent. The wolfgirl called Hailey was peacefully sleeping in Erin's bed, having been brought there by Archer's brother Darren, who was right now outside with Erin, helping 'dispose' of the corpses.
I looked at Archer's room, the door closed and locked. Even-though I knew I could just teleport right inside, I kept myself from doing so, scared to make Archer just feel worse. I had to agree, killing doesn't always feel so good as you would think, especially if it was your first. I still remembered the first kill I had. It was a hybrid-Creeper that had threatened Erin when we were looking for food in the Overworld. I still remembered how her body fell down before it turned to dust. Something that isn't the case in the real world. Here, you have blood and the corpses don't dissolve into dust. And that only makes things worse!
I put my empty glass down on the coffee-table and stood up, heading to the window to look outside. Erin was using her fire to burn as much of the corpses as possible whilst Darren dealt with the bones. He had dug two pits in the forest, far enough away to keep us from suspicion. The third man was tied to a tree, Tyler having the decency to have bandaged his wound. Sky had tried to convince him to let the guy bleed to death, but we agreed that the man owed us some answers.
I suddenly heard a door open and looked back to see Archer rushing towards the bathroom. A moment later I heard him making bad noises, most possibly throwing up what he had left in his stomach.
"He's having it bad." Rayleigh commented, leaning against a wall. I nodded, afraid for Archer. I had tried to show him I loved him by linking him to me with my teleportation from a week ago. He hadn't figured things out, it seemed, and he hadn't done anything special either.
"You know, I never thought I said this but he's really strong." Sky said, still looking outside. Tyler was grabbing a few cans from the fridge before handing one to Sky.
"Beer? Why would Archer have beer?" She asked, eyeing the can of beer with a bit of surprise.
"I don't know. Does it matter?" Tyler said, opening the can before taking a drink. He placed the can on the dining table and turned to look outside, where Erin now was helping Darren bring the remains of the corpses away. I noticed that there were spots of blood on the ground and on their hands, causing me to remember how Archer looked after killing those two. The axe he had used was almost completely covered by blood, the blade red instead of iron-gray.
"I guess." Sky said, taking a sip from her own beer. We all looked back to see Archer walking into the living room, an emotionless expression on his face.
"Archer?" I said, the first to reach him. His eyes seemed devoid of life, the pupils reduced to spots. I was afraid that this had marked him for live. Soon, I saw his eyes watering, until he broke down into a cry. I grabbed him into a hug and he cried, unlike he had ever cried. I felt the tears soaking the left-shoulder of my shirt, but ignored it and focused on Archer.
After some time the crying started to turn into whimpering and soon he was sitting down on the cough, sniffing away the last few tears. I handed him a tissue and he happily took it, snorting away the last tears.
"And?" I asked, sitting down next to him. For a moment he didn't answer, more focused on the ground, but soon he started leaning, until his head was resting against my not-wet shoulder. His eyes were closed, and for a moment I thought he had fallen asleep, but he wasn't.
"I never killed anyone. I always said to myself that it was only for defense, never to kill. I thought I would never take a single life in my whole god dam life! And now... I took two lives, maybe even innocent. What if they only followed orders? What if they still had a chance to change, what if they have kids?!" Archer seemed ready to cry, but his red-shot eyes were dried out so he turned to look to the trees outside, waving in the wind.
"You're not sure, no one is. This all went so quick, and if you hadn't done anything I'm sure they would have gotten Erin! Think about the lives you've saved, not the lives you took." I said, resting my own head against Archer's. We sat like that, until a door closed and we were met with a rather dirty Darren and Erin. You could smell the corps mixed with dirt and grass.
"I'm taking a shower." Erin said plain, already heading to the bathroom. Darren nodded and decided to wait somewhere else. He left to the attic, and soon Tyler, Sky and Rayleigh said it was better if they left to check on their homes. I agreed and we waved goodbyes, Archer giving at least a weak smile to his friends before they were gone.
"I still remember my first kill. I was terrified to be anywhere near anyone afterwards. Afraid I would go haywire and kill everyone! In the end, I got over it and now it is less painful. I don't really like how bloody things here can be, but I'm glad that you're taking it a bit better, now." I said after a long silence. I looked to Archer, but he looked away, scared to face me.
"You don't know what it means for me. I already thought I was strange because of my knowledge of fighting and my 'blood-issues'. When I killed those two, I didn't feel a single bit of remorse. Nothing! No guilt, no pain! I'm a monster!"
"That doesn't make you a monster!" I countered, now getting more serious. I couldn't take it to hear Archer pound himself so much! "At least they don't call you a monster! I'm called a monster all the time! I am made of monster-DNA! I'm scared that I could lose myself at any time! You have family and friends to support you! Sometimes, even Erin would turn her back to me! I was always the outcast, the f-freak! I have no parents, no brother or sister, no one! Not even a boyfriend! You didn't even say anything about that teleportation-act! I can only do that for one person! ONE! I choose you, but you haven't even said a thing! You haven't done anything! Nothing! NOPE! I wanted you to do something, say something, anything! I wanted you as my boyfriend!"
I stopped myself when I realized what I had said, but I was to late. I had said it, and loud! I teleported myself away and fell down on Archer's bed, crying. I had yelled, at Archer! I yelled at him, I gave everything away!
"A-Andrea?" Archer's voice sounded from behind the door. I stood up and wanted to open it, but at the same time lock the door and cry. I was torn between two sides. I banged my head against the door, tears falling down. 'Stupid, moron, idiot!'
"Andrea. I'm sorry. I wanted to say something, but I couldn't find the right time. I really did! I was hoping to bring you on a date and then go somewhere special. I-I... I wanted to tell you how much I love you." he said, and I froze in the middle of another bang against the door. 'Did he just say he... L-loves me?'
"Archer?" I choked on my tears, trying hard to not fall down.
"I wanted to make it special! Erin told me about that teleporting. I wanted to do something just as important! I really wanted to. I had it all planned! I would ask you out on the school-ground. We would go to the best restaurant in town and then... Then I would bring you to the place where my Mom and Dad first met. The spot where they fell in love. There, I would tell you how much I love you. How you took my heart with you! Really, I was just waiting for the right moment. I'm sorry."
And that was it. Silence fell like a guillotine. I didn't know what to say. I so wanted to say sorry, I wanted to tell him that I love him too!
I heard the door opening and stepped back. On the other side was Archer, a weak, sheepish smile on his face.
"Andrea?"
I could feel tears well up. I wanted this so much! I couldn't help it anymore.
I stepped forwards, my hands reaching for Archers. We stood like that, hands together, in the opening of the door. I could see in his eyes how much he cared for me, how everything he had told me was the truth. I tried to hold the tears back, but couldn't. I leaned in, Archer doing the same and then...
Our lips connected. I could feel the warmth, the spark, like people called it. I felt my heart soaring, a massive weight fall from my shoulders. I could taste it, him. We didn't stop until we had to grasp for breath. We looked into each others eyes and I could see the spark in his eyes. We smiled, our heads touching.
"I love you." Archer said, and I felt he meant every last letter.
"I love you too." I answered, allowing everything to slip away. We kept standing like that, foreheads against each other, a smile on our faces. I could hear our breathing in sync.
And I couldn't be happier then this.
Perspective: Sky
I looked at the two spots where the remains of those two from yesterday evening were buried. We had all taken a break today and now it was night and we had decided that all of us (minus Andrea and Archer who seemed to busy with other things, and Hailey was still recovering from her injury.) would ask a few things to a specific man.
"What do you want of me?"
I turned around and was face to face with the man without an ear.
"We want answers." I said coldly. I still remembered what he had done to Hailey. Archer had told us.
"You're not getting anything from me." He responded before spitting on the ground. I tensed, my fist ready, but I kept myself in. I turned to Erin, who had been leaning against a tree. She looked up and I nodded. She nodded in return and marched up to the man. At first he seemed confused, but then Erin opened her mouth and she allowed some of her dragon-fire to touch his skin. The man winced at the pain, until I ordered Erin to stop, deeming that as enough of a taste.
"What are you going to do?" He asked, a few tears appearing from the pain of the small burn-mark.
"For every time you refuse to answer my question, she'll burn your arm. She won't stop until I say so. And know that if she burns you to ash, I don't care!" I said, lifting my voice a bit higher. He seemed to understand, because the determination he had shown a moment ago was all gone, replaced by fear.
"Alright."
"Good. First question: For who do you work?" I asked, inching just a bit closer to seem more intimidating.
"The Organization."
At the mention of that group Darren started walking away from his position on the sideline. I gave him a glare, not wanting the semi-tempered guy to interfere... Yet.
"OK. What do you know about Hybrids?" I asked, turning back to the man.
"They are created in a top-secret facility somewhere unknown. Failures are sent into Minecraft worlds through a one-way portal. Successful ones are sent to places across the world to assist projects. If they escape from those facilities or from Minecraft they are ordered to be eliminated." The man said, his head hanging down. He was tied against a tree, and there was no way he would or could escape from them.
"Alright. Third Question: What is the goal of The Organization?"
"To take control of this world and Minecraft."
That was something that didn't surprise any of us. The latter was a bit more surprising, but still made sense.
"Fourth: Where is the nearest facility?" I asked. Darren and Hailey had left their facility in the middle of the night and so the path back was unclear. And the two wanted revenge!
"You really think I'm gonna tel you so you can barge in and destroy the place?" The man said. At that I motioned to Erin, who started burning the man's arm. He wailed in pain before shouting a clear "stop!" to us. Erin stopped her fire and he caught his breath before answering.
"Alright! It's 13 kilometers away from here, to the north-west. It's hidden in a dense forest and light-benders keep it from being spotted by hikers or wanderers."
I nodded before thinking. 'What to ask next? AH!'
"Last question: From what world is Hailey?"
The man looked up, a bit surprised to hear the name. He thought a bit before complying.
"She's from the world code-named 34B09CD-1H. We call it 'Hunter-world'."
We looked up, a bit surprised with the answer and unclear how to take this.
"You know what they were working on in your facility?" I asked to Darren, who was now closer. He thought a bit, but shook his head. I was about to ask the man, but he was ahead of me.
"Facility B54-R was working on the creation of mechanical hybrids and combining tech with Redstone." He said, surprising us a bit. "Can I go now?"
I allowed a small smirk on my face. Darren cracked his knuckles and I gestured for the rest to follow me. "Have fun." I said to Darren, who nodded before giving the man a very scary smirk.
"Oh, god!" Was the last thing I heard him say before I heard a clear 'thunk' of something hitting bone. I smiled, but on the inside I knew this was far from over.
We were lucky that Archer and Andrea weren't here. They would have surely said that there should be another way! I looked at the nightsky. The moon was shining bright, a few stars showing but clouds were covering the others. I thought about why Archer and Andrea seemed to act so giddy around each other after we had left them today, a contrast to yesterday when they were very tense around each other, but they didn't tell us anything.
"You think we'll be able to do anything about this?" Tyler asked, looking back at the spot where we had left the man with Darren.
"I'm afraid we'll have to if we want Darren, Hailey or anyone else to be safe. You heard what he said, that organization wants the world, and not just ours!" I responded. I had to be honest, I was scared!
"You think it's smart to go to school tomorrow? What if they send more of those people after us?" Rayleigh said before jumping on a rock. Erin was casually walking next to him, ignoring the rocks and focusing more on Rayleigh. I didn't know why bit I felt like those two fitted together perfectly.
"I don't think they'll dare to. Their a SECRET organization, so an attack in the open and blue is to risky." I said, a picture of a whole army of men and women in the same suits in my mind. 'They have to have at least a whole army ready for something that big.'
"If they dare to hurt Andrea, I'll cut their heads off!" Erin snarled. We were a bit surprised with the sudden increase in anger in the Dragongirl, but we could only agree with her. If they dared to put one finger on anyone of us, they'll be getting hell!
We arrived at the spot where our paths split. I waved to the others and I and Rayleigh were quick to go to our home, scared that Mom would catch us out of bed.
"I just hope we'll be ready." I murmured under my breath. Rayleigh was to focused on getting us through the dark path to hear me.
Perspective: Archer
I opened my eyes, feeling a small fever in my head. I brushed it of, not in the mood to call myself off sick. Not today.
I had dared myself to ask Andrea if she still wanted to date, even after the confession (and kiss) we had the day before yesterday. She had agreed, with a blush as usual, even after we had kissed not so long before. I still wanted to keep myself to the plan, but I was relieved to know that I didn't have to confess after the date. Instead, I had a different plan, and that meant I had to go to the jewelry-store today.
I got up from bed, noticing that Andrea was still sleeping. I smiled warmly at the cute sight before getting dressed. I didn't care to go to the bathroom to change, and instead went straight to the kitchen afterwards, ready to make some breakfast. I looked at the door leading to the spare-room, before hearing a slight moan come from the couch. Darren had slept in the sofa, whilst Erin and Hailey had shared the spare-room tonight. I noticed strange bruises on his knuckles, but shrugged that of and started making breakfast.
A door opened and Erin was the first to come out, holding on to a half-sleepy but already well-recovering Wolfgirl. Hybrids healed faster, something very useful.
"Good morning y'all." I said in a cheery manner. Erin gave me a puzzled look and Hailey rolled her eyes, not feeling so well yet. Darren got up from the couch, yawning. He scratched his back and was about to go somewhere but instead he stumbled over his blanket and ended up face-first on the ground!
"Ouch!"
We all laughed at my brother's failed wake-up. He groaned a bit as he rubbed his painful nose, giving us a few glares before laughing a bit himself. The door of my room opened, a sleepy Endergirl walking in.
"Mornin' everyone." Andrea muttered, rubbing her eyes. If one thing was sure, then that was that besides me everyone here were bad sleepers today. I could only guess that Andrea had a nice dream and didn't want to wake up, but for the rest it seemed like they had a long night. I actually remembered noise on the house around midnight, but had shrugged it of because I was to sleepy to investigate.
"So, what are you going to do?" I asked, taking a small bite from my sandwich. Darren and Hailey looked at each other, the latter almost choking on her lemonade. Rayleigh rose an eyebrow at that, but Tyler and Sky brushed it of. The others had joined us, Rayleigh and Sky with the excuse that breakfast here was nicer, and Tyler wanted a good bite, not being a good cook himself. We were all gathered at the dining table, everyone enjoying their breakfast.
"I'm not sure. I think I'm going to see how we'll get ready to deal with The Organization." My brother explained before taking a large bite from his burger. Hailey nodded before giving her own answer.
"I'm going to rest a bit and then help Darren." Hailey said, surprising us all a bit. Yesterday she had complained about resting all day, but now she said she would rest a bit?
"We have school." Erin said with a small groan. I chuckled at the Dragongirl's distaste of school. 'Just like Rayleigh.'
"So, what are plans after school?" Darren suddenly asked, causing me and Andrea to share a quick glance. 'Should we?'
"I don't know. Besides making homework I always watch TV" Sky commented, pricking a fork into a few peas on her plate.
"I work on inventions." Tyler said after taking a bit from his sandwich.
"I practice fighting-arts." Rayleigh said plainly. Darren raised an eyebrow at that, seeming interested with Rayleigh's interest in fighting.
"I don't really have much planned afterwards." Erin said, turning herself to face Rayleigh, who seemed to have a small smile. What were those two planning?
"Well..." I began.
"Well..." Andrea repeated me, causing everyone to turn to us.
I sighed. No point in hiding, really. "We're going on a date."
Everyone seemed surprised, besides Erin and Sky, who seemed to have caught on to things quickly. Tyler nodded after a moment, but Rayleigh, Darren and Hailey were still stunned.
"Where?" My brother asked, a bit to interested to my liking.
"to 'Chez Freddy'." I said, causing Darren's eyes to lit up. 'He still remembered.'
"Grandpa still working there? How's he doing?" He asked, confirming my thought. I nodded, but my smile was quick to fade. I couldn't lie to him about things.
"He might only have a few weeks left to live, though." I shared the grim news. Andrea nodded, her smile also gone. Darren's mood fell, his eyes going down. Hailey caught up on the mood and grabbed hold of his shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. That made Darren smile weakly, but I knew he needed time to take this.
"Enough bad news! I want some fun!" Erin suddenly beamed in, catching us all off guard. I glared at her but couldn't argue. Things did seem very grim the past few days, and some calm and ease was welcome.
"I think it's better to get ready. 15 minutes until the bus is here, guys." Tyler informed us. We all nodded and finished breakfast, although on a sad note. Darren and Hailey agreed to stay indoors, not wanting to stumble across anymore members of The Organization. We all left for the bus, that arrived a few minutes later.
'Well, hope this day will turn out better then last Monday.'