Beware the darkness

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Another day, Steve woke up in his lonely house. A bright, gentle sun was shining through the window, illuminating a small room. The guy sat up, stretched, and then began to carry out his usual routine. He made his bed, went outside, breathed in the cool morning air, then took buckets and headed to the nearest spring. The journey was not long, but during this time, Steve managed to remember what he dreamed about, and also make a plan for the day. When he was returning back, his thoughts left him, giving way to conscious reality. The guy looked around and realized that there was not a soul around, which is why there was a deathly silence. Even the birds did not sing. But this did not bother him much. Steve returned home and made himself breakfast in the form of fried potatoes with vegetables. Thoughts about today began to spin in his head again. Perhaps he should try to expand his garden and it would not hurt to improve the house. Otherwise, there was only one room with a partition, and that's it. Well, this is not serious at all. It’s even funny. Steve sighed and nodded to himself. However, planning does not mean doing. The guy had this peculiarity that he planned a lot of things, but implemented only a few. Why? Well... that’s the kind of person he was. Anyway, after breakfast, he went to the garden. His thoughts at that moment were monotonous, aimed exclusively at weeding vegetables. Only after lunch did Steve take a break to go get water twice. The first few times to water the garden, the last one for himself. Then, after lunch, he went to the mine, where he spent the rest of the day. Lying in bed in the evening, Steve’s thoughts were focused on the farm. Perhaps he should try growing sugar cane, after all, he also wants to eat sweets. The guy turned on his side and closed his eyes, slowly beginning to fall asleep. He didn’t notice, but the only thing he heard today was the babbling of a stream. And that’s all. No animals, no birds, no fish, not even mobs. It was empty and lonely. Steve actually noticed it, but he tried not to focus on it, because it was taking a toll on his mental health, making him feel powerless and abandoned by everyone. These feelings made him despair, which he also tried to ignore. However, this loneliness was only half the trouble. The real danger was the darkness of the night. Although it would be better to say darkness. The impenetrable darkness that comes from everywhere with the coming of night. And you can’t just hide from it. It swallows up everyone and everything that falls into it, and slowly corrupts the minds of its innocent victims. The impenetrable darkness appeared when all the sounds of the world disappeared. Or did living beings disappear precisely after its appearance? In truth, Steve does not know. He just woke up one day and suddenly realized that it had become too quiet, calm and empty, that he was perhaps the only living being left in the whole world.

Day after day, Steve worked tirelessly, obtaining resources and food. He went for water, chopped wood, mined stone and occasionally resources, tended the garden, but never went too far from home and always kept at least half a stack of torches and a watch in his inventory. Having these two things already helped him feel safe. After all, you never know how much you will be carried away by this or that activity and how long you will stay outside. The slightest delay can cost you your mental state, and to increase it again you will need to spend a lot of time and effort, and not all methods work. When Steve feels bad, he either starts to plow the garden harder, or build something new, thereby occupying his mind with something, or goes for firewood, because nature has a beneficial effect on him. And then one day he went to cut down trees in the neighboring spruce forest. After all, spruce boards go well with oak. Although it would be good to take some other types of wood, for variety. Dark oak, for example. But you have to go far for them, you have to travel. And Steve, alas, could not afford this. Although a long time ago, when the darkness of the night was not so thick, he even walked at night through forests and fields, plains and mountains, observing everything and everyone, discovering new lands. Unfortunately, this remained in the past, but deep down Steve did not lose hope of returning to those same old times. While he was reminiscing, he reached the forest, and later entered it. He was brought out of his reverie by a feeling that had appeared, but had long been forgotten. A feeling as if someone was looking at you. Usually, earlier, when fighting monsters, Steve already felt with his back where they were looking at him from and whether they were looking at him at all. And with the sudden disappearance of the mobs, this feeling suddenly disappeared too. On the one hand, it was good that the mobs had disappeared, because now everything was safe (relatively). But on the other hand, it became somehow lonely and quiet. Frighteningly quiet. Frighteningly empty. Both outside and inside. When Steve suddenly felt a long-forgotten feeling, he instantly tensed up and began to look around, continuing to quietly and slowly move forward. "I can't be imagining things. I'm not that crazy yet..." Steve thought, turning his head left and right. However, he didn't see anyone. Only trees, berries and grass. The first was what he needed. The guy decided that he was just imagining things and began to simply chop down the spruce trees one by one, collecting seedlings for the future, so that he wouldn't have to walk so far anymore. However, he didn't lose his vigilance throughout the entire process, expecting to see someone every second. When Steve came out of the forest, the feeling of outside attention suddenly disappeared, which made him sigh with relief: "So they're not watching me anymore. Well, that's good. Somehow, the sudden attention is starting to scare me. I hope it stays in the forest." Of course, he was scared by this sudden attention after such a long time of silence, but it also attracted him. After all, if Steve's instincts were not deceiving him, the presence of outside surveillance meant the presence of someone alive nearby. And he would have really liked to talk to at least someone during such a long period of silence and loneliness. That is why the guy went to that same forest again the next day. However, he did not feel the cherished feeling either after five minutes, or after ten, or after an hour. This disappointed Steve: "Was it really just... a hallucination?" He sighed heavily and headed home. However, literally that same day, when he went to get water, he again felt that someone was looking at him. Steve straightened up sharply and began to look around. No one. "Halting again? Probably... - he lowered his head and realized that his bucket was floating away, - Hey, where?! Stop!" The guy chased after him and, fortunately, managed to quickly fish him out of the stream. Fortunately, the current was not too strong.

It did not take long to guess who this outside observer was. The following evening, this is what happened. Steve was sitting in front of the fire and frying potatoes. This time the emptiness inside him didn't let him think normally, but he persistently tried to fill it with something, anything. With great effort he thought about where he could get more of the various ore, because the reserves were already running out. Completely by chance Steve raised his indifferent gaze to the forest, located literally opposite his house. There, in the distance, he saw the silhouette of a man with one distinguishing detail: his eyes were not shining with a bright white light. Steve immediately jumped up, squinting, looking more closely at the stranger, and then took a few steps forward, not believing his eyes. So much time had passed since he saw at least someone alive for the last time! Steve was literally overwhelmed with emotions. He wanted to run up to this person, monster, mob, and just hug him. He wanted to touch him to make sure he was real. He wanted to talk to him and find out absolutely everything about him! However, Steve's joy did not last long, because the mysterious figure disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. And with it, all of the guy's positive attitude disappeared: "Gone... I think it really is just an illusion..." He sat down in front of the fire again and began to mindlessly stare into the fire, watching the restless tongues of flame, feeling the emptiness approaching again. However, the rest of the day he was still tormented by this very memory. Even at night, when Steve went to bed, he was still thinking about this creature. Who is it? Why is he here? Is there really anyone left alive in the world? If this is true, then he must see this unknown person again. But... will it work out? Steve did not know, but this was not their last meeting. Each subsequent day, this someone appeared in the guy's line of sight, which frightened him, and each subsequent day became closer and closer to him. Steve finally managed to get a good look at this stranger: "He looks so much like me... I would even say it was me if it weren't for those eyes. Brrr, has it gotten any cooler?" he rubbed his shoulder, "I think I'll get out of here... It looks like it's going to rain soon."