Virus (A Minecraft Story)

Chapter 21

Ana's POV

I was walking through an abandoned village, the empty wooden shells a painful reminder of my past. Fire flickered and crackled around me, illuminating the ash-coated paths and dead bodies lying around. To me, it looked like the place had been plunged into eternal darkness, the sun blotted out by the sun. But it was the silence that was the worst part; no crying, no screams of pain or grief, no one calling out to their loved ones. Just eerie silence, confirming that everyone was dead.

I knew this was in my head, a vision like others I had when sleeping or meditating, but it was of the past. My very own painful past. Part of me knew I was really unconscious, my body in who knows where. But it all seemed so real - the ash settling on my bare skin, the smell of burning wood, and the blood that stained the blackened walls and pathways. Then there were footsteps, and I turned around to see a smaller version of myself wandering the path, looking around. Even then, at the age of twelve, I knew that they were dead, that they wouldn't get back up, pretending it was all a game. My eyes were red from crying, my hands shaking. My footsteps made a crunching sound that seemed magnified tenfold by the silence. Younger me stopped to watch a home burn, its birch wood walls disintegrating, the roof cracking and falling in. I'd been there for three days, walking around the village, hoping to find survivors. Their closed eyes and terrible wounds were forver burned into my mind. I'd staggered along, exhausted, clutching my staff to my chest like a teddy bear. Young me reached the end of the village, and collapsed, too tired to cry, too tired to do anything. Hope had abandoned me. All I'd wanted to do was curl up into a ball and waste away. But I knew what was coming. I stared intently into the hazy distance, waiting. Sure enough, I could hear faint footsteps, getting louder and louder. My younger self looked up, alert. "Who's there?" She called, staff at the ready. An outline of a figure appeared, approaching the destroyed village. I waited, poised to strike. Then the ash cleared, and a girl my age was standing there, looking straight at me. Her hair was brown, tumbling down her back. She wore a black jumpsuit, about four weapons strapped to her waist. As she tilted her head curiously, her orange eyes caught the light. "Who are you?" I asked, voice hoarse. The girl studied me, then smiled and stuck out her hand. "The name's Tash." I was wary of this stranger. "What do you want?" Tash didn't take her hand away. "I'm a wanderer, y'know? I've been roaming about almost my whole life. Then I hear the villages have been attacked, so I go to investigate." I tightened my grip on my staff. "I don't believe you." Tash shrugged. "That's fine by me. But it looks like your village is kinda destroyed, and you're going to need a place to stay. Or at least someone to watch your back. And I'm pretty sure you could keep me at bay with that staff of yours." I glared at her for a few more seconds, then reluctantly shook her hand. "My name's Ana, or Darkflower." She smiled. "Pleased to meet you, Ana. Do you need a sword?" I shook my head. "All I need is my staff." Tash raised her eyebrow. "Alright then. Shall we get moving, or do you want to say goodbye?" I tensed my shoulders. "Are you mocking me?" Tash blinked. "I'm sorry?" "Just because you're a wanderer doesn't mean you can toss that out there. This is my village, and I want to honour it properly. I'm not just going to waltz off and leave it. Leave my family." Tash's face became sad and serious. "You think I don't know that? I used to live in a village, when I was a little girl. Then, I can't remember how, but I got separated from it. I wandered for years, not knowing where it was. I'm only a wanderer because I've been trying to find my village. Then I hear that the villages are being burned down, the inhabitants slaughtered for apparently no reason. Someone I met gave me a map of the villages. So I'm going from place to place, looking for my village, and for survivors in the others." I looked at her warily. "And?" She closed her eyes. "I found it. Like this place. All bodies and burnt houses. I don't know if there were any who ran and survived." I blinked. "I see. My apologies. But surely you must know how devastating this is?" Tash looked down. "Not really. I don't know my family or my village." I nodded. "Well, I could use your help finding my people, Tash." She smiled. "It's a good thing I'm not squeamish." She stepped up next to me, and we walked back into the village, the ash swallowing our figures. I watched them go. That memory was an old one, one I thought I had forgotten and buried. It was a sad memory, but also a memory of new beginnings - I met Tash, then Lyta, then Loca, then Amber, and we became a family. I waited for the vision to disappear, to wake up in my body again. But nothing happened, except for the ash to get thicker and darker. I looked around, only to realise I was surrounded by grey, my previous surroundings gone. I didn't panic, just waited. This was a new experience, but I wasn't going to let it scare me. Slowly, the ash dispersed with an eerie sigh, and I was in a different surrounding. Hmm. Two visions at once? Seemed a little odd. Then I looked to my left, and saw Tash herself, who was looking back at me, unsurprised. She really had changed. "Nice of you to join us." She said, grinning. The others looked around. To Tash's left was Dax, who was still holding her hand, with Amber next to him. Roran was to my right, with Lyta and Loca in a line. "What are we doing?" I asked, and Lyta looked at me. "Seeing the future. Now, stay still and don't touch anything." And, as we turned as one, the scene unfolded.