Madness {Minecraft: Story Mode Fanfiction} {REWRITE IS OUT!!}

Chapter 4

It felt like I had been walking for hours. I could faintly see Ivor's lab in the distance. "There it is... I just wish it was a little closer," I said to myself.

As I was trying to find a way out, I saw a waterfall pouring down from above. I smiled a bit and said, "I remember meeting Reuben near a waterfall like this... That was a really long time ago." I began to remember everything that happened before that one fateful day at EnderCon. "Those were truly better days," I muttered while staring at my infected arm. "Truly better days indeed."

After even more walking, I decided to stop for a while and rest. While I was resting, I saw Olivia and Reuben walk below where I was. I would have hollered out to them, but I was too exhausted. "Look on the bright side, Jesse --" I said to myself. "At least there aren't any Hostile Mobs up here..." As soon as I said that, I heard a faint hissing noise and the sound of quiet, fast footsteps behind me. I just had to open my mouth, didn't I...

I turned around and saw a spider behind me. I pulled out my Golden Sword to defend myself, but before I could attack the spider pounced on me and knocked me down. I pushed it off and stabbed it, only for my sword to break after I had killed it. "I guess that if I run into anything else, I'll have to use my bow..." I said sullenly.

More time passed, and I still hadn't found an exit. I was beginning to wonder if this maze actually had an exit. Not long afterward, I heard a familiar cackling noise. I knew exactly what it was...

I saw a witch on the other end of the wall I was standing on. I managed to dodge her potions and took her out with the last of my arrows. "Just great," I said to myself. "All my weapons are useless..."

I was coming up to the edge of the maze. I saw a clearing nearby, which had a strange structure in it. I ran over to inspect it, but I was struck with another dizzy spell. I could hardly stay balanced, and by the time I recovered I had completely lost my footing and fell. I could vaguely see something below me. "WATCH OUT--"

I sluggishly sat up from where I had landed. I thought I had landed on a monster... But it was just Olivia. "Ow... Watch where you land, Jesse!" Olivia replied, sounding quite irritated. "Sorry."

"Any sign of the others?" I asked. Olivia replied, "Not yet. We don't have time for this maze."

"How're you holding up?" Olivia asked. I responded, "I'm fine, okay? No need to worry. I'm perfectly fine--" I broke out into a harsh coughing fit. The hand I had used to cover my mouth was coated with blood. I was obviously getting even worse. There was no hiding it.

Well, it was obvious enough for Olivia to notice. "It's getting worse, Jesse. You shouldn't lie like that." I replied, "I'm fine. I just don't want to cause panic."
"I know, Jesse. But still, try to stay strong. If you died..." Olivia shuddered at the thought.

"Back to the matter at hand," I said. "Which is getting to the lab." I glanced over at the weird structure. Olivia was checking it out. "Looks like some kind of flying machine. We could use it to get across, but... It's broken. And the ways it's built is really confusing." I tried to cheer her up a bit. "But you can figure it out, right?"

Olivia's sighed. "Maybe it's just me... Ellegaard herself said that I don't have what it takes to be a great engineer." I replied, "Don't be like that, Olivia. She didn't know you -- and I know that you have what it takes." Olivia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but... Ellegaard is the greatest engineer ever. She's in the Order of The Stone." I replied, "Sure, but the Order are still people -- just like us."

"Right... Just like us. I mean, how are we the ones saving the world when even they don't have what it takes? Soren and Ivor are always at each other's throats, and the greatest warrior in history can't even remember his own name. None of them give Ellegaard any respect, and Magnus lost his life trying to fight this."

Olivia sullenly said, "If the Order can't do this -- how are we supposed to? How are we supposed to do anything?" I replied, "All I know is that the world is depending on us."
"If they're depending on us of all people, then maybe the world is in trouble. The Order defeated an Ender Dragon -- can you name even one thing we've done right? Besides managing to stay alive this long..."

"For starters," I replied, "We're the ones who brought them back together again. You and I found Ellegaard together, we both played a role with Soren..." That seemed to make Olivia feel a little better. "I suppose that's true..."
"Thanks for that, Jesse. I feel a lot better."

"Let me take another look at that machine..." Olivia said, while walking closer to the machine in order to inspect it further. "I think I see what Ivor was trying to accomplish here... Can you take this piston, craft it into a sticky piston, and place it on the other side of the machine with a redstone block?" I nodded and did just that.

"The blocks are down," I said. "Now what?" Olivia smiled. "We actually fixed it! We just need flint and steel to get it started!"

I grinned. "I'm proud of you, Olivia." She replied, "Thanks, Jesse. And... Thank you for everything you said just before. It really helped."

Our celebration was interrupted when I heard some voices from inside the maze. "This way, This way!" That's Petra's voice, I thought. And as I suspected, Petra came bolting out of the maze accompanied by Lukas and Soren. They were being chased by zombies. "Everybody, get on!" I shouted while gesturing to the machine. Olivia and Soren were already on. They were helping Petra get on the machine.

I didn't have the energy to run over to the machine, and I knew that just sluggishly walking over was going to get me killed. Lukas must have known that, because he grabbed my wrist and hoisted me onto the machine. "That was close..." I said. "Everyone okay?" Soren replied, "For the moment."

Petra tapped my shoulder. "What about you? Are you doing alright?" She said quietly. I stared down at the palm of my hand, which had traces of dry blood on it. "...I'm fine. Not great, not awful, but fine." Petra didn't reply. She just kept looking ahead.

To be honest, I was anything but fine. I was having problems breathing, and I was growing weaker by the minute. And coughing up blood... Enough said.

I knew that if I gave in to the sickness now, the Witherstorm would destroy everything. Lives would be lost, and the world would be ripped apart at the seams. I quietly closed my eyes and didn't say a word. I was hoping that I would live.

Just let me hang on a little longer... Please.

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wOW THIS CHAPTER WAS LONG OVERDUE
I'm terribly sorry for the long hiatus D':
I'll try to get back into writing this!