Safe | HermitCraft AU

I lost sleep writing this

When Doc next woke, his heart sunk into his stomach. 

There was no way...

Impossible...

His heart was pounding, and Doc squeezed his eyes shut. Why was he here?! Why were they  here?!

What had happened while he was asleep?!

He'd expected it to be them. He'd hoped it was them, after he'd found Cub and Ren talking behind his back. But they were sitting nearby him, in the same place. 

Looking around further, Doc's heart sunk as he confirmed that they were indeed, back in Season 6. Area 77 stood in front of him, daunting and bringing forth so many bad memories that Doc had desperately tried to repress, or sort through with Joe's help. 

Off to the side, upon looking over, Ren and Cub looked like they were cuddling. Ren was heaving, and Cub was... was Cub talking to Ren?

At the very least, Cub was mumbling to Ren, and Doc wasn't sure what about. 

Which absolutely terrified him, but at this point, everything was scary to Doc, and he didn't know what to do. 

Closing his eyes, Doc took in a few deep breaths. he jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, however, looking up to see Ren. He looked Ren in the eyes, the werewolf holding his sunglasses in one hand, Cub behind him. Cub looked extremely uncomfortable, but Doc still felt nervous. He still didn't know what Ren and Cub had been doing in the forest, and he didn't know what Ren had done to get Cub to break his vow of silence. 

And quite frankly? Doc didn't want to know. 

"Come on, Doc. We need to get supplies and we need to figure out how to get back." Ren said, helping Doc to his feet. Ren seemed to take charge (oddly enough. Wasn't Ren jumpy and nervous since they'd all started recovering from the Rowan issue? ) 

Doc didn't want to question it though. He wanted to believe the best in his friend, as he hoped Ren would do for him, so Doc wasn't about to say anything. Perhapse, if Doc was lucky, Ren was just taking charge and being assertive to try and recover and cope with being back in Season 6. 

That's what he wanted to believe, at least. 

Following close behind Cub and Ren, who were once again, rappidly discussing something as they entered the grounds of Area 77, Doc was left alone with his thoughts, to which he wasn't sure on what to do. He knew that Ren and Cub were up to something - and what that something was, Doc wasn't sure. It felt malicious. 

It felt... 

Purposeful.

And Doc wasn't sure on how he should react. 

Throw his mixed feelings about his two fellow hermits into the mix of being stuck in Season 6 again, which made Doc feel all sorts of wrong, and panicked, and he just wanted to curl up and cry at this point. 

If he did, though, that would raise too many questions, and if he showed weakness, Doc was certain that Cub and Ren - in their twisted, suspicious, possibly corrupted or evil state - would eat him alive for it. 

So Doc just followed along. 

Ren seemed to have plans though. He opened the ender chest that was stationed there, and gathered spair gear, including an elytra. Cub did the same thing, and when they were both just staring at him, Doc realised they wanted him to get his gear out too. Unfortunately for Doc, he hadn't left his gear in there, but there was (stale) food, rockets and elytra, which Doc equipted. 

"We'll go to the shopping district." Ren said, deciding, before stepping into the Nether portal. Without a word, Cub and Doc followed. He hadn't thought of going to the shopping district, if he were entirely honest, but thinking about it, it was probably a smart idea. There, they had access to more (stale) food, and rockets, and any materials there. Plus, (although Doc doubted it), Wels might be here - he'd been abandoned here after vanishing, after all. 

Once through the portal and into the nether, Doc took off, spotting Ren and Cob somewhat close to him, yet far. They were flying down the tunnel, and Doc used a few rockets to propell himself forwards, happy to lose himself in the wind that flying created, The air was thinner when he went quickly, and made it easier to breathe, although the cooler air on his face was a nice feeling too. 

Doc had never been much of a fan of flying, although he could say, it had grown on him.

Perhapse needing to run (fly) for his life had something to do with it, and gave Doc a newfound appreciation for flying. 

---

When Doc finally emerged into the shopping district, he hadn't expected to hear Ren shrieking, and fighting something. Nor did he expect to be roughly pinned to the ground, his elytra tearing as he was shoved down and attacked. Hands pressed roughly into his back, and one movingto the back of his head, so his face was shoved into the floor, Doc accidentally breathing in dirt. 

he could hear Ren struggling, and Cub was arguing, and familiar, yet unfamiliar voices were talking, but Doc was too focused on not breathing in dirt to try and make out the voices. 

Then the person above him gasped and said something, Doc spluttering and trying to cough up dirt, and he was released. The hands that had been holding him set him free, and Doc rolled over and sat up, hunched over as he spluttered and coughed up the dirt he'd swallow, gasping for air. Someone came up behind him and wrapped their arms around Doc's middle.

Doc vaguely recognised the person performing the heimlich manoeuvre on him, pushing at his stomach as Doc coughed up the dirt, only letting Doc go when he'd pulled away, spluttering for air. 

When he'd stabilised his breathing, and whiped his good eye to clear it of the tears that choking had made spring up, Doc finally had a chance to look around, and look at who had captured, and then saved him.

Keralis. 

It was Keralis 

Keralis was staring at Doc with his wide eyes, a cheerful grin on his face. Looking around, he could see Bdubs and Ren standing near eachother, Bdubs trying to sooth a scratch that Doc could only assume had been given to him by Ren, and Wels stood awkwardly near Cub. 

"Sweetcheeks! How'd you get here?" Keralis gasped, asking Doc. Doc took a step backwards, quite confused, and when he tried to speak, he found his throat too raw frok swallowing dirt and choking to make any sort of words. 

He let out a quiet whining sound, making Bdubs snicker (earning him a hit from Ren), and Cub spoke up, much to Doc's surprise. (He still couldn't get over that Cub was speaking now, and he wondered why.) 

"We're not sure." Cub said. 

"And worse - we're not sure how to get back."