Chapter 18

After work, Steve went home to get ready for dinner. He wasn't sure how formal he should dress, but he ended up going with pretty casual. It was just Clara and Jackson, after all.

Steve left a little earlier than six, even though he wasn't very far from their place. He arrived about a minute or two before six and he knocked on the door. It opened almost instantly, and Steve was surprised to see Herobrine looking up at him.

"MISTER STEVE!" Herobrine exclaimed. He hugged around Steve's legs, since he wasn't tall enough to hug any higher. "You came!"

"Uh, hi." Steve quickly hugged him back.

Clara walked over and smiled when she saw the scene. Steve glanced over at her. "I assume he missed me?"

Clara laughed. "You have no idea. Every day he would ask if 'Mister Steve' would come over. He was the one who wanted to invite you over tonight."

Steve couldn't help but smile at how cute that was. "You're looking better," Steve said to Herobrine.

"Yup!" Herobrine said cheerfully. "Come on, Mister Steve!" he grabbed Steve's hand and escorted him inside.

Warm smells and joyful laughter filled the house. Dinner that night was marinated mutton and rice, which was incredibly delicious. One of Steve's favorite things in life was Clara's cooking.

As the night went on, things began to quiet down. Herobrine fell asleep on the couch while Steve, Clara, and Jackson chatted quietly in the living room. Steve wasn't too concerned about waking Herobrine up, since he knew how hard that kid slept.

"And then while I was trying to figure out why his face was swelling, he only told me then that he had an allergy to netherwart." Jackson said with an exasperated sigh.

"Oh my gods," Steve said. "Was he okay?"

"He was fine," Jackson said with a dismissive wave. "I gave him milk to clear the potions out of his system."

"You'd think he'd mention that sooner," Clara pointed out. "Most potions that doctors like you use are netherwart based."

"I know. But, whatever. I was able to discharge him later that day once the swelling went down." Jackson said with a shrug.

Herobrine, who was laying next to Steve, whimpered quietly and shifted in his sleep. Steve didn't pay much attention to him, however.

"I could never be a doctor," Steve admitted. "Someone would come in with any sort of gory injury and I'd be passed out on the floor," he said with a laugh. Clara and Jackson laughed too.

"Yeah, it's not an easy job, but it's better than being a miner. I have claustrophobia," Jackson said.

"That is definitely something you don't want to have in my line of work," Steve said.

"Well, I'm glad you aren't a miner," Clara said to Jackson. "You've stitched me up so many times." She gestured to a long scar across her forearm, which Steve vaguely remembered it was given to her by a sword-wielding zombie. She also had a thinner, smaller one by her hairline, which was caused by a cave-in. Being a sentinel was sometimes even more dangerous than being a miner since they were the front line against the mobs and other dangers of the caves.

Herobrine suddenly whimpered again and leaned against Steve's arm. Steve was a little surprised, but he let Herobrine stay there. He looked like he was having a nightmare.

There was a lull in the conversation while Jackson started cleaning up the plates from dinner. Steve and Clara sat in silence for the longest time until she finally said, "Steve, I want to talk to you about something important. About… Herobrine."

Steve quickly glanced at Herobrine to make sure he was still asleep. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked.

"Look, I know why you contacted the Netherwalkers, and I want to preface this by telling you that I don't blame you. But giving him to them to be tortured and killed is flat-out wrong. Over the past couple of days, I've seen that he's nothing more than a sweet, innocent little kid that doesn't deserve what's coming for him."

Steve felt a twinge of guilt. "Well, there's nothing that can be done about it now."

"Actually, I think there is. Either Jackson or I can take him out of town tomorrow and get him as far away from here as possible. The Netherwalkers will never know where he is… unless you tell them."

"I'd never do that. They'd kill you if they found you with him," Steve protested.

"I know, I know. I don't think you would. I just… I'd rather be on the run with him than sit here and not do anything while they brutally kill him." Clara looked down at her lap.

There was a moment of silence.

"What does Jackson think?" Steve asked.

"He agrees with me, and would be just as willing to take Herobrine out of here."

Herobrine whimpered and shifted again. He grabbed Steve's arm, but Steve wasn't paying attention to him.

"I don't want you two to put your lives in danger for him. If anyone is taking him anywhere, I want it to be me. I found him in the first place, after all."

"I know, but if the Netherwalkers get here and you're gone, they're gonna think that you escaped with him and they're going to chase you across the Overworld. They won't know if Jackson or I disappear. You can just tell them that he ran off, and they'll go running in the wrong direction, away from him." Steve glanced at Herobrine, who was still fast asleep. "Please, Steve. I don't want him to die."

"I know, but I don't want you or Jackson to put yourselves in danger for him. I found him in the caves; he's my responsibility. If anyone is taking him out of here, it's gonna be me," Steve insisted.

"Are you sure?" Clara asked.

Before Steve could say anything, suddenly Herobrine began whimpering and crying in his sleep. He gripped Steve's arm with vise-like strength and wouldn't let go.

"Woah, what's he doing?" Clara asked.

Steve didn't answer, mostly from literal shock. Electricity was flashing around Herobrine's body and, consequently, Steve's. Steve tried to pull away from the suddenly electrical child, but Herobrine's grip on him was too strong. "C-Clara!" He managed to gasp.

The commotion brought Jackson back into the room, who gawked at the scene. Clara reached to grab Steve's arm, but Jackson shouted, "Don't touch them!"

"Well, what do we do!?" Clara demanded, panic raising in her voice.

"We need to wake him up!"

Jackson grabbed a large metal pot and a metal spoon and smashed them together, creating a bang loud enough to be heard in the Nether.

Herobrine's white eyes shot open, and at the same time, Steve froze as hundreds of volts of electricity coursed through his body.