The sun hid behind a disorganized array of grey clouds, clouds that blotted out the entire sky in dull colors. Oh how Tyler missed the sun-dappled streets that brought warmth and light to his boring life. He longed for the days the weather didn't represent his mood. And he definitely longed for the days Minecraft wasn't taking over. Spring wasn't supposed to be this weird, was it?
A slow but steady drizzled formed when Tyler decided to report to the authorities about what happened the night before. Memories of him and Desmond fleeing from their encounter with the skeleton was still fresh in his mind, so fresh in fact he felt like he was still being watched.
Tyler arrived at the same forest pathway where he was faced with the skeletal mob. He took his phone and called the authorities.
"911, what is your emergency?"
"Ah, yes, hello? It's not an emergency per se, but... I need you to investigate something."
"Something like what, sir?"
"How do I say this... Last night, I encountered a monster."
He could have sworn he heard the operator chuckle. "A monster?"
"Yes, a monster. It was... a skeleton of sorts... with a bow and arrow..."
"Sir, during the encounter, were you under any sort of drugs or intoxication?"
"What? No, of course not!" Tyler sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. Of course the authorities would never believe him. "You know what? Never mind. You're right. I was probably just imagining things." Without listening to another word, he hung up.
It was a quiet evening when Tyler received a phone call from Desmond. He sighed and lay down on the bed, still dressed in the clothes he had worn that day.
"Desmond?"
"Dude, come over. You're gonna wanna see what's in my room right now."
"If this is a prank, then I'm not in the mood-"
"Do I sound like I'm joking right now?"
The bassist was silenced. Too many times had Desmond called him only to pull a prank he had devised. This time, however, when the boy cried wolf, the wolf came.
"... Alright. But are you sure this is-"
"Dude, come on!" Tyler heard the breaking of an object on the other line. Was Desmond that frustrated? "Just... just come over. Please. Only you know what this... this thing is."
The drummer's usually peppy tone had turned serious all of a sudden. That was enough to convince Tyler to go.
"Just don't touch anything. I'll be there in a bit."
"Hurry."
"Tyler?"
"Yes, Desmond?"
"You've been staring at that thing for five minutes already."
"Oh."
The two males stood in the middle of the room, observing the large object that gave off a particularly earthy scent. Bits of soil and dirt were scattered on the floor, staining the grey carpet an unpleasant brown. The scent of dew and grass was heavy, enough to make it seem as if though they were out in the forest.
"That," Tyler pointed out, "is a grass block."
"A what?" asked Desmond.
"A grass block," Tyler repeated. "Like the one in Minecraft. See its unnaturally cubic shape? It is near impossible for dry soil to hold such a form." He clasped his hands together, as if concluding a presentation. "Thus, a grass block."
Desmond was at a loss for words. No way in hell was that a grass block. It was just too... otherworldly. It must have been a prank. How could something from a game be transported into the real world?
But Tyler already knew.
"How do we get rid of it?" asked the drummer, scratching his head. "We can't just... toss it in the trash. It's like two and a half feet tall. It ain't gonna fit."
Tyler crossed his arms, deep in thought. How, indeed. "Perhaps we could just... take it apart, chunk by chunk. It's likely that it still follows the game's mechanics. Destroying it would make a smaller, more manageable version of itself."
"How are you so sure that'll happen?" Desmond inquired.
"... I'm not," confessed the other male. "But it's worth a shot."
Just as they were about to start digging their nails into the soil, they heard a sound. A sound not from this earth, a sound that did not belong to any animal in existence.
Kruuu...
"What was that?" Desmond took a long look around the room. "I heard something."
"I heard something too," replied Tyler.
From the corner of his eye, the bassist spotted specks of purple floating in the still air. They drifted about like fresh snowflakes before dissipating into the air.
Purple specks? Tyler thought to himself. But that would mean...
Out of nowhere came a skinny black figure, at least 8 or 9 feet tall, towering over both the students. Its emaciated limbs twitched and shook, as if anxious or scared. The creature craned its neck forward, hissing and sniffing the air. Suddenly it locked its glowing violet, violent eyes with Desmond's navy blue ones.
"Don't stare at it!" whispered Tyler, covering his friend's eyes with his hands. "That's an Enderman!"
"Let go, dude! I can't see shit!" Desmond tried to pry Tyler's hands off, but the latter was determined to keep them where they were.
"I'm trying to save you from it, you idiot!"
The Enderman turned to Tyler this time, whose voice was loud enough to catch its attention. The bassist did his best to not meet the creature's gaze, but it was difficult to look away from your impending doom. To his dismay, the Enderman unhinged its unnaturally large jaw, hissing and shaking violently.
I can't have another brush with death again! thought Tyler. If I'm going to die... I should at least save Desmond!
"Desmond..." he said, still avoiding the mob's stare, "hide under your bed. I'll try to keep this thing busy."
"You're kidding, right? I'm not gonna run and hide!" Desmond raised his fists, ready for a brawl with the mob. "Come on, let me have at it! I'll beat it with my bare hands!"
"This is no joke!"
"I'm not joking!" cried the blond. "And what makes you think you can handle the Enderman?"
Tyler sighed. Arguing with his best friend was exhausting. "Because I know more than you do, alright? Just hide under the bed."
"I'm not leaving you," stated Desmond.
"I'm not risking losing you!" the other replied. "You saved me once; now's the time I can return that favor."
Desmond huffed. "Fine. I'll hide." He gently removed Tyler's hands, and immediately shut his eyes upon catching a glimpse of the disgustingly thin black body. Quietly, he got on all fours, taking care not to touch the Enderman. It was a painfully slow crawl, mostly because he couldn't see where he was going, but when fingers felt the familiar fabric of the bedsheet, he hurried his pace and snuggled underneath.
"Are you perfectly hidden?" Tyler asked, speaking in a slow and steady tone. He didn't want to provoke the creature that was already provoked.
"Yeah," replied the drummer, his voice just as quiet. "How are you gonna get rid of it?"
Tyler didn't reply. Not because he didn't know what to say, but because he knew what he had to do.
"Desmond... turn away. This won't be pretty."
"What? Why-"
Then it happened. After several agonizing minutes, Tyler finally gazed back at the Enderman.
An ear-piercing sound resonated within the room. Instinctively, Tyler and Desmond covered their ears and shut their eyes tightly. The noise was too unbearably loud.
The Enderman lashed out at Tyler, fangs bared and claws ready to rip flesh. Over and over it mutilated poor Tyler's body, blood dripping with every slash. The pain must have been immense, especially for somebody as wimpy as the bassist... assuming he was still alive.
"Tyler! No!" Desmond couldn't bear to watch his friend get brutally lacerated while he sat there doing nothing. He had to do something. He had to.
Climbing out of the bed, driven by an animalistic rage, Desmond roared and swung a punch at the Enderman's face. The horrific sound of jaw bones breaking rang in his ears, giving him a split second of mild satisfaction. Once more he thrusted his fist, deep into the mob's neck, making it stagger backwards.
Tyler fell to the floor with a loud thud, but that was the least of Desmond's worries. He was so angry, so outraged, that the mob dared hurt his friend. Now it was the Enderman's turn to be pummeled, thanks to the drummer's neverending flurry of punches.
"Fuck you! Go to hell, you sorry piece of black shit! Fuck! You!"
With one final strike to the chest, the mob howled in pain and dropped to the floor, black blood foaming at its mouth. Within seconds, its body disintegrated into the air and into a swirling puff of smoke, leaving behind a gorgeous gem in its wake - an Ender pearl. But not even the pearl's luminous shine could distract Desmond from rushing to his wounded friend.
"Tyler! Oh God, Tyler, can you hear me?" He shakily lifted the bassist's body. "Fuck fuck fuck... tell me you're not dead... please tell me you're not dead..."
No response.
"Come on, man, don't tell me I beat that Enderman to death for nothing! Please..."
Still no response. Not even a flutter of the eyelashes, not even a twitch of a finger.
Biting his lip to stifle a sob, Desmond gently shook his friend's body. "Tyler... come on... don't leave me like this..."
That was enough to stir Tyler awake from his stupor. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes, making eye contact with the crestfallen blond. "Desmond..."
Surprised and overjoyed, Desmond grinned and hugged Tyler, of whom gasped in pain from his wounds being squeezed. "Oh, sorry about that..." But he still couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "You're alive! God, I was so worried!"
"Were you... about to cry?" asked Tyler, his voice still low and quiet. "I can see tears... in your eyes..."
"I was not," denied Desmond. "But man, you look like shit! We need to get you to a hospital to get those wounds stitched up!"
"Alright... alright..." Tyler breathed slowly and painfully. It's difficult to see anything when you have blood on your eyes. "But I told you... to stay under the bed..." He coughed. 'Why... did you disobey me?"
"I couldn't stand to see you getting hurt," confessed the drummer. "I didn't want to just watch from the sidelines. I had to do something."
"But you could have been killed..."
"You were almost killed! And I thought I lost you..."
Tyler formed a small smile. "I never thought you'd get this cheesy over something..."
Desmond laughed. "Dude, if you had seen yourself, you'd say the same shit, too."
"Thank you, though," said the bassist. "Thanks for... disobeying me, I suppose."
"Oh, no problem. And I got to beat the Enderman to death with my bare hands, like I said!"
That made Tyler laugh. "So you did, huh?"
"Yeah! But hey, there's still something bugging me..."
"Mmm?"
"How the hell are we gonna explain all this to the doctor?"
A/N: Whooo, an update! Boy, I haven't updated this baby in months. I am so sorry about that! School has just been a real pain in the ass for me, and I just couldn't find the time nor energy to type up a new chapter. But here you go! Have an action-y, cheesy, DesTy-filled chapter to make up for that.
Again, I am sorry about the really slow update. I hope y'all can forgive me ;w;
Reviews of all sorts are always appreciated!