Endless

Chapter Three: Out of Sight

Alex was gone by the time Steve woke up.

It made sense. It was quite the trek from Steve's home to the town Alex lived in. She would need an early start if she were to make it back at a reasonable time, considering it was thousands of blocks away. He was a bit disappointed that she hadn't woken him up to say goodbye, but he was also appreciative of the fact she had let him sleep.

He sat up and stretched, raising his arms over his head while he yawned. He threw his blanket off his body and stood up slowly, rubbing the sleep from his purple eyes. Immediately, a rumble in his stomach caught his attention, and the familiar pangs of hunger made themselves known. It was time for breakfast.

He entered his kitchen, where a loaf of bread he had made a day or two ago sat on the table. Not feeling like cooking anything, he decided he'd just eat that. Ignoring the fact it was slightly stale, he swiped it up and took a bite.

While he chewed, he turned his gaze to the window. The fog outside was extremely thick, and he couldn't see outside the clouded glass. Steve didn't think he had ever seen it that heavy in his years of living in the area. The fog yesterday morning didn't compare in the slightest.

Seeds of unease planted themselves in his gut. He couldn't explain it, but something about it felt wrong. It wasn't because he couldn't see through it...rather, it felt as if something was hiding within it. Whatever it was, it had a strong influence if it was able to make Steve worry this much without even leaving his house.

Briefly, he considered postponing the mining trip for coal he had planned for that day, but he knew that would be ridiculous. It was just fog. There wasn't anything unordinary about it, and there certainly wasn't anything outside.

So why was his mind screaming that he should be worried?

Steve took a deep breath in between bites. He needed to calm down. He was getting worked up over nothing, which would affect his productivity. He didn't have time to sit around and worry. Shoving his qualms aside, he finished up his bread and left the kitchen. It was time to start the day.

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After ridding his boot of spider remains and getting changed into a new set of his usual attire of jeans and a cerulean shirt, Steve descended into his basement to get his tools and supplies together. He scanned the wall where he had hooked his tools, until his eyes settled on his iron pickaxe. The pickaxe was older, having seen its fair share of uses. However, it had the durability for at least a few more mining trips, so Steve took it down. He was only mining coal this time around, so bringing the iron pickaxe would be preferable to bringing one of his nicer ones.

He picked up the holster for his pickaxe, which was lying on a chest nearby. He attached it to his belt, and stuck the iron tool in it so that it was secure. That was one thing off his checklist. The next essential item would be a sword, since the cave underneath his house was always flooded with monsters.

He leaned down and opened up the chest the holster had been sitting on. He dug around for a bit, until he found his scabbard among the miscellaneous items. He pulled it out, and attached it to his belt on the other side. Before he closed the chest, he grabbed his bag for ores and slung it over his shoulder. The only thing left to grab was a sword, and he'd be good to go.

Swiping his iron sword off the wall and sheathing it, Steve walked over to the ladder and climbed back up to his bedroom. He moved slowly, as he still wasn't enthused about leaving his house. He trudged through his cottage to his front door, anxiety pooling in his gut again. His hand paused on the handle, not yet turning it. He could see the fog outside hadn't died down at all through the small windows in the door.