Withering World 1 [MCSM Fanfiction]

WEAKENING: Chapter 3

Jesse

No one can rescue me from getting back to work. Just as I've done, time and time again, I've imprisoned myself in the office with no open windows and a closed door.

Petra's found her place in Beacontown's newly refurbished training room and Lukas must be cooped up in his cabin, writing. Radar's gone off to do me an errand, but checking the clock, he should be back by now.

He's done me a colossal favor, sprucing up the crooked bookshelves, restoring the topsy-turvy picture frames, and neatening the scattered documents I might not even need. Radar's kept me on top, accomplishing everything plus cleaning out my office, something I wanted to do for a while. From now on, I want to stay ahead of my work and maybe make more time for my friends.

With one click of the computer mouse, the printer behind me whirrs, a green light flashing in readiness. Shortly after, three pieces of paper are spat out one after the other with newly inked contents.

Before I can transfer them to a new pile, my ears pick up a mortified feminine scream coming from outside. I'm a few floors up, which concerns me a bit as most rooms in this building are soundproofed.

I go to check the window, fear blinding me as I accidentally knock the mini recycling bin, exposing all the crumpled paper spilling out.

My warrior friend beats me to it, wildly forcing my door open so that the ceiling tiles rattle. "Jesse?"

"Petra? Everything okay?" I ask, swiveling around.

Her head violently shakes. I can tell she bites the insides of her cheeks.

"It's Radar."

----

"How long has he been like this?"

Petra dismisses the crowd whilst answering my question. "Only a few minutes ago. I didn't see him faint, but I heard a witness scream."

"Me too," I say, scanning the pale intern, his form limp on the ground. At first, I believe it's the sweltering heat that slung him to the floor, but after crouching down to check for consciousness, my eyes instantly fly to his left hand.

The redhead is losing her patience, waving her hand to repel the people away like pests as they just keep returning. "Guys. Really, there's nothing to see here. Please, leave. Lukas!" She spots him in the crowd and he comes over. "Thank goodness, Lukas. Help, I'm suffocating in this mob right now."

"Got no more people skills, I can imagine." He stands next to Petra to help barricade them from us.

"Stop teasing and help."

On her command, he holds his hand up to silence everyone before speaking. "Guys, carry on with what you have to do. We'll take care of this minor incident. Please don't disrespect Jesse and her intern by standing there watching. It's not helping."

His words are like magic, the people dissipating almost instantly.

Just as they find relief, I feel the need to rain down devastation on them again. "I think we have more of a problem than just the fainting." My trembling fingers clasp around his left wrist, holding it up to show Lukas and Petra the issue.

"Oh my gosh," Petra says, immediately knowing what's wrong. I didn't, at first, but the familiarity of the purple web-like structure on the skin is all coming back to me.

"Is it bad?" asks Lukas.

I flinch, reminiscing on the pain felt by the victim of this specific burden during the reign of the Witherstorm. Attentively watching Radar, I can only listen to my friends' conversation.

"Get him to the hospital."

"The hospital? It's that serious?"

"He'll live. But it's worse than it looks."

"Why? How do you know?"

Lukas's innocence earns a sharp flick of Petra's finger to the side of his head. "Ow! What!"

"It's Wither Sickness."

And this is the part where we all panic, I think to myself, all too experienced with how every adventure commences.

----

A groan tumbles out of Radar's clammy lips. He's awake - in pain, but awake. "Jess-?"

"It's okay," I reply soothingly "it's just us."

Lukas tucks his chair closer to Radar's mattress. "Can you tell us what happened, buddy?"

He sits up alarmingly, taking notice of his surroundings and then wincing in pain from his left hand. The sickness shows when he looks at it himself. It's a good thing Radar's obedient, otherwise, we'd be here questioning him all day. "I finished the errand, Jesse. I was ready to go back to the office but my hand was suddenly in pain and when I looked at it- well, it spooked me out. But now- what is this thing on my hand? And how did I get here?"

"Long story," Lukas says, "but you have Wither Sickness."

"What? There's another Witherstorm?"

Petra has her hand out direly. "Chill. There isn't."

"Are you sure it's Wither?" His mouth quivers as he seeks confirmation.

On the way to the hospital, I had my doubts. Denial, however, cannot last when faced with reality. "You've been diagnosed."

At my statement, he blinks, clenching his jaw, puzzled. He may be wrapped up in confusion now, though there's only one possible way of this happening (it may not even be reliable for all I know).

"Look, I need to know how you deactivated the beacon," I say, immersed in coming up with a potential explanation.

Radar shifts uncomfortably in the hospital mattress, staring blankly at his infected hand. "I took a pickaxe from my house to remove some iron from the beacon platform. Most of the pyramid was already withered, so I took down the corners."

"Were the blocks you took withered too?"

"Partly."

"And did you touch them?"

"By accident, yes. I'm sorry, Jesse. The weird substance didn't clear up."

Fortunately, I now know how this came to happen. "It's okay. At least the beacon is deactivated. We'll figure out how to clean it up. For now, just focus on recovering before it gets worse."

If my theory is correct, no one, no one at all, can touch the beacon with their bare hands anymore.

A nurse pops her head through the door frame, informing us of three new cases of Wither Sickness since Radar's diagnosis.

We all freeze, wide-eyed.

****