Take Back the Fight

"... They appear in dark places." Steve explained, methodically tapping the iron bars with his hammer. "... That's why I try to leave as many sources of light as I can. The sun burns them, so it's easy to avoid them during the day... Of course, THEY are probably still roaming out there right now... In the woods... Where its dark... That's why I didn't even bother going to the North part of the Island."

"Is there no way to fight them?" I asked, frustrated. "You have a sword!"

"That stick?... I made it to get the leather." Steve briefly stopped hammering to pat his leather armor. "Killing cows, that's all it's good for... Though I wish that I left a few calves for breeding." Steve said the last regretfully looking up.

"Then how do you even live here?" I insisted. "With this kind of neighbors?"

"Usually, I just run away." Steve shrugged. "And put up a lot of torches, of course. To keep them from spawning nearby."

"Why even stay here, then? Why not go somewhere safer?"

"Listen, Davis. I HAD gone to the mainland." Steve frowned, meeting my eyes. "And its... It's an apocalypse there. Empty villages. Abandoned mines. Fortresses full of creepers. The Island is safer." He turned back to his crafting table and began hammering again.

"Creepers? What are those?" I asked curiously.

"You'll find out soon." Steve smirked slightly, his expression both dark and amused. Seeing that I didn't intend to give up pestering him, he sighed.

"The main thing is to avoid anything green on four legs... Done!" Steve picked up a brand new metal cuirass from the crafting table. "There was only enough iron for a chest plate. But I will make you a helmet and boots after the ore melts. Try it on."

He helped me to put on the armor and critically examined it. "Like a glove." The master builder concluded, pleased. Once again, I marveled at his skill. Even the most difficult of things he could make easily and quickly.

Steve returned to tinkering at his crafting table and soon handed me a sword made from... stone? Well, it was pretty much just like the wooden sword he had, just a bit heavier. And with a sharp edge that could cut. I took a few swings, testing out the balance.

"Are you not going to make anything for yourself?" I asked, seeing that my friend began to clean up.

"I am fine with my old set. Besides, look what I got." Steve pulled out a wooden bow. "Dropped from a bone archer that got caught in the sun." He explained, with proud pleasure examining his prize.

...

It didn't take us long to reach the dark forest. Once again, I stepped beneath the canopy of the century-old trees. Barely any sun rays reached us through the thick green foliage. We walked on ahead, occasionally passing beneath the giant mushrooms that towered among the stately oaks.

"Listen, do weapons even work against them?" I asked Steve to boost my slightly waivering confidence.

"No idea." Steve shrugged. "I didn't actually fight them, yet." He admitted. I skipped a step, unwillingly gaping at him.

"And you are telling me this NOW?" I asked with disbelief at my friend's carefree attitude.

"I did tell you. This morning. Relax! We can easily just run away if things get tough." Steve encouraged. It worked.

"Ha! That's VERY heroic." I smirked.

"Weapons should work, though." Steve insisted, becoming more serious. "Listen. The sun kills the undead. That's a fact. That means that they can die. And that means that they can be killed in other ways, too... Watch out!"

The last words Steve yelled already pushing me out of the way. Falling, I glimpsed something green in the foliage. Then came an explosion. Just before it did, I could have sworn that I heard a faint hiss.

My iron chest plate took the majority of the damage, so there were no wounds, only bruises. Struggling upright, my eyes held on a small pit in the ground where I stood just a moment ago.

"And there are the creepers." My savior commented with a bitter grin, also getting up to his feet. Unlike me, he seemed to have suffered a bit more damage.

"... Yesterday, I get shot at with arrows. Today, I almost exploded." I complained. "I'm worried what's going to happen tomorrow..."

"Shhh... There is another one. Can you see it?" Steve hushed me, his quiet voice tense. Following his gaze, I beheld a strange creature of greenish color not that far away from us. Its large head topped a thin little body without neck or arms. Like a tadpole, it stood on four tiny legs, barely visible amid the grass. The creature looked around itself, but didn't seem to notice us, and noiselessly skittered away deeper into the forest. Steve stood up straighter, releasing a breath he held.

"Always keep a lookout." Steve warned and started shaking off dirt. "Creepers are sneaky. They won't make any noises at all, until they get right next to you. And then they hiss and explode... Besides, they do not burn up in the sun like zombies, so there is always a risk to run into them even during the day. Nasty things."

Steve's words halted at the sound of approaching grunts, very familiar to my ears after last night. A zombie was near. Steve hastily pulled out his bow and hefted an arrow. I lifted my stone club... sword... thing. Together, we waited as the sound of slow footsteps ambled closer. Finally we saw it - a living undead creature stumbling toward us beneath the shadows of the trees that protected it from the sun. A light breath of the wind brought with it the sickening smell of its decaying body.

"Get him!" Steve shot his bow. The arrow pierced the air and struck the corpse. It stopped, briefly taken off balance, then continued toward us with purpose and faster than before. I tightened the grip around the handle of my sword and launched myself forward. The undead thing growled, trying to grab me, but I easily avoided it, feeling its clammy hands slide past the metal armor.

With an angry growl of my own, I crashed my sword into its chest. Bones crunched beneath the force of the blow, bursting open the dead flesh and spraying out its fetid contents.

"Ah!" I yelled, delivering strike after strike in a slightly maddened onslaught. It was not just training, but a battle to the death. Maybe for the first time in my life. Suddenly, my enemy fell. Small puffs of vapor rose around its body, which simply vanished, as if folding it away into the shadows - "the shadows thinner than a hair" Steve's words echoed in my imagination.

Heavily breathing, I stood there, my gore-stained sword lowered to the ground. This victory did not come easily. But, at least now we knew that our enemies could be defeated.

Tiny, flickering lights drifted amid the grass. When I bent for a closer look, the particles suddenly shot up and briefly clung to my fingers, before vanishing. A strange, pleasant, tingling sensation spread out along my palms and an unexplainable enthusiasm began filling my heart. It was as if I grew stronger, more powerful. I gained... experience?

"There is a bit of light even in the creatures of darkness." A thought occurred to me. Just as quickly as that thought came, it winked away. With growing grin of pride I glanced at my new friend and met sincere approval. Steve was grinning back.

Without exchanging a word, we turned and resumed our hunt against the undead. No more cowardly hiding. This was our Island and we were going make our home safe.