Withered

Chapter 8

End portals suck, so much more than a Nether portal.

Instead of what felt like walking through some weird liquid door, my entire being warps as there's a sense of falling and floating at the same time. Nothing beneath me, senses stretching, limbs flailing, but no gravity pull. Just this mass of confusion and dizziness making my gut clench.

Gravity suddenly yanks at me, information bombarding me as I skid and collide helplessly on rough stone. A cough shuddering my whole body as I try to lift my head, the world tilting and spinning insane. I hate portals.

"Jesse?" Olivia blurs in my vision as she climbs to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." I cough out my answer, heaving myself upright. Legs wobbling beneath me as I try to stay upright. It's hard, especially with my seething and cramping arm throwing everything off, but I manage.

The air warps as Lukas, Petra, and Reuben pop through too. My skull about to implode and explode all at the same time, my eyes continuing their slow degrade. But it's mostly fine. Sure, fine details are out, but I can still make out the big picture. I'm fine, everything's good.

"Oh great," We all gaze at the black landscape as Lukas speaks, well, I all I can see is black. Maybe tints of purple throw in my view. "It just keeps getting better."

Reuben oinks softly, rubbing up against my legs. Whining as he feels my legs tremor beneath me, the muscles dying for a break. But no matter, we're almost to Soren. He's gonna fix this, he has to.

Almost there.

"Wait," I hear Olivia's panic, trying to blink her back into focus. "Where's Axel? Why hasn't he-"

The air spits him out, Lukas grunting. I hear the amulet clink and roll on the ground, unable to tell where exactly it is until it rolls against my foot. And after falling flat on my face trying to grab it, I heave myself upright again and pocket it.

My lungs, despite the fact I still need air, only wheeze inside me. Whether they've given up, or are too weak to take deep breaths anymore, I don't know. But it's just another turn for the worst I'll have to deal with.

"Get off." Lukas suddenly gasps, ringing a faint alarm bell in my throbbing head as voice continues to quiver. "Oh jeez... oh man... This is- I..."

"Lukas?" I ignore how gruff my voice has become. "Are you okay?"

"What? No, I'm not crying, just- Just look!"

I turn, my vision struggling when only the endstone isn't black, but I hear the strange grunt of an enderman. My heart clenching that while they aren't mad yet, we have no escape if they attack. And there's no way we can fight them, that's impossible. My right arm is almost becoming just as useless as my left, just not as agonizingly painful.

"Hide, now." My legs wobble as I dash off towards a pillar that seems like it can cover us. Endermen buzzing all around us, only barely helping me convince my weary and trembling legs to run.

Crouching behind the pillar, my legs heave in relief as Lukas's quivering whisper floats into my head. "So, so what do we call that? A, uh, 'herd' of enderman? A-a flock of enderman? A swarm?"

I clear my throat, hoping I can say something to calm him down. "I dunno about you, but I'm going with a 'haunting' of enderman."

"Uh yeah..." Olivia gulps behind me, and I'm not sure how exactly terrifying this fuzz of black is to them. "We might want to hold off on the grammar lessons until later. Which way are we headed Jesse?"

My eyesight, although jittery and fuzzy around the edges, doesn't fail to make out the others staring at me when I face them. Petra's and Magnus's words whispering in my head. I don't want to lead, but I can't just let them wallow in their fear.