Herobrine's Heir

Chapter 11 - Wither Husks

In the weeks that followed my first meeting with Jake, things really changed, for me anyway. I didn’t cry much at all, which was remarkable. I smiled at anyone who happened to glance at me, and they seemed quite unnerved. I wasn’t getting shoved around as much in the halls. I guess everyone else sensed the change in me too. Brian was still pulling his dirty tricks, but it didn’t bother me too much anymore. I wasn’t just stuck in the constant hopelessness that no one loved me, because someone did love me.
Every evening, I went to the tunnel and told Jake how my day went, and he would tell me all about how bored he was. I got new books from the library every day, but since I could only check out three at a time, they didn’t last long. At first, I had been a bit unnerved by his white eyes, since I could never tell exactly what he was looking at, but I got used to them. Once I checked to make sure the coast was clear, we exited the tunnel and went to a small valley hidden in the desert. Then came my favorite part: sword fighting. I had mastered the basics of balance, fitness, and defense. I could parry, block, faint, and dodge like a pro, or so Jake said.
We were close to finishing up with the basic offense, then it was on to more advanced moves. I loved the excitement of the fight, the clash of swords, the quick thinking, and even the excessive sweat produced from the desert heat. We had just finished a round and were now drinking from our water bottles while resting in the sparse shade of a cactus. Our wooden swords lay in the middle of the area we had marked off as the training ring. It was almost night, so we would need to head our separate ways in a few minutes, but I had to tell him something first.
“Something awesome is happening tomorrow, but I’m gonna make you guess before I tell you,” I said with a sly grin.
“Hmmm… your birthday?” he guessed.
“Nope.”
“Summer break?”
“Nope.”
“The day you bring me a really big cake?”
“No!” I exclaimed with a laugh.
“Ok, I give up. What is tomorrow?” He said with a mock disappointed look.
“The leader of the Diamond Code is going to visit the orphanage! I’ve always wanted to be a member, but obviously, I can’t. Meeting Nick Hidrec himself would be a dream come true.”
“The leader of the Diamond Code is titled ‘Steve’s Heir’, right?” 
“Yeah.” I had lent him several books on the Diamond Code. It was one of my favorite subjects.
“So that means my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-I don’t know how many greats-grandnephew is visiting? Maybe I should come and give him a hug.” We looked at each other, then burst out laughing at the thought of Herobrine randomly showing up and hugging someone. As much as I admired him, I wouldn’t be shocked if something like that would make Nick pee his pants. “Well, we better get going,” Jake stated, eyeing the lowness of the sun. I looked over my shoulder to see for myself.
“Hey Jake, do you see that thing over there?” I said and pointed at a blur just to the left of the setting sun.
He squinted, then a nervous look crossed his face. “Yeah, and it looks like it’s approaching, fast. Get out your sword.” He pulled out his iron sword, and I pulled out my diamond one. The blob was getting bigger by the second, there was no way we could outrun it. What the Nether was it? Finally, it was clear enough to make out that it was an army, but why couldn’t we hear the normal marching of soldiers? Even on the sand, they should make some noise. As they came closer and closer, I saw that each individual didn’t have one head, but three. I gasped and felt the blood drain out of my face. It was an army all right, an army of withers. But they weren’t normal withers. Instead of black skulls, their heads were brownish, and instead of a black skeleton, their bodies looked like brownish zombies in a tattered tan cloth without arms or legs. They were levitating up off the ground, which was why we couldn’t hear them.
“Are they… Husks? Wither Husks?” I asked.
“I have no idea, but they sure don’t look friendly.” Indeed, once they spotted us, they began to slow down and close us in a circle. It reminded me of Brian’s gang, but much, much worse. These guys would leave us with more than just a few bruises. As if on some sort of signal, two of the Wither Husks charged forward in unison. I slashed my sword and managed to land a hit, but it didn’t do much except anger the monster. Jake, on the other hand, made relatively quick work of his, then jumped in to help me. He slew the second Wither Husk with a few quick stabs, and it poofed into smoke. Strangely, neither one dropped anything. The other Wither Husks just watched from the sidelines, totally expressionless. After a moment, three more Wither Husks came towards us. This time they were prepared for Jake and stopped a few blocks off. Then all three of them launched what looked like flying zombie heads at us.