by Dr. Block
The other zombies cowered in fear, but not me, not Otis and not Zeb.
“Where is your friend?” asked Otis, taunting the griefer. “Still under a few tons of rock?”
“Actually, I’m over here,” said another evil voice.
We all turned around and saw the other griefer step out from behind a pile of rubble. He waved his diamond sword at us menacingly.
“What are you going to do to us?” asked one of the zombies.
“You? You only have to be a slave again,” said the griefer blocking the chamber’s exit. “But we are going to kill those jockeys.”
I was looking around, trying to figure out how we could escape. The only exit was back where we came from, and if we went down there, the griefers would easily catch us in the narrow passage. The only other exit was blocked by the griefers. We would have to fight.
Apparently Zeb had figured this out already because he shuffled over to me and whispered, “Zeke, I’ll go for the griefer at the door. When he attacks me, do your best to defeat him.”
“No, Zeb, he will kill you.”
Zeb sighed. “I know, but I have lived a long undead life, and I want to try and help you to do the same.”
A tear welled up in my eye and ran down my face. “No, Zeb, you can’t.”
“It’s okay,” said Zeb, patting me on the head.
Otis walked over. “Quit your sniveling, you baby. I’ve got a plan.”
“What?” I asked.
“You’ll know it when you see it,” said Otis confidently.
“Hey,” said one of the griefers, “what are you freaks talking about?”
And that was when Otis yelled, “Now, Bob!”
A second later, the ground on which the two griefers were standing erupted with a massive explosion. The force of the explosion knocked everyone to the ground.
The first explosion was followed by a series of explosions that progressively blew a larger hole all the way to the outside world.
When the explosions stopped, we could see the night sky where before there had been only the inside of a mountain.
Where the griefers had been standing, there was a massive hole. It was so deep, we could see lava seeping in through the bottom.
“No way they survived that,” said Zeb.
“They are dead for sure,” I agreed. Then I turned to Otis. “How did you do that?”
“Didn’t I tell you I had TNT traps everywhere?” said Otis proudly.
“Yeah, you did, but I never suspected this,” I said.
“You’re welcome,” said Otis.
Chapter 9
We picked our way through the rubble and out to the grassland. Since it was night time, the adult zombies did not catch fire.
“Now what?” I said.
“We need to find a new place to spend the day,” said Zeb.
“You could stay in the remains of this cave?” I suggested.
Zeb shook his head. “No, I’m sure more griefers will come back. It is not safe here.”
“The old man’s right,” said Otis. “We need to find another place.”
“We?” I said.
“Yeah,” said Otis. “I like you. You are brave and smart. People who aren’t brave and smart don’t survive for long in this world.”
“You are right about that,” I said.
“I hate to interrupt this love festival,” said Zeb, “but we only have a couple hours of night left. We need to find shelter from the sun.”
“Okay then,” I said as I got on Harold’s back. “Let’s go find a new home.”
End of Book 2
Book 3: Rescue Mission
Chapter 1
I looked down at my chicken, Harold, and patted his head. “I think I see something up there to the left.”
Harold nodded. “I see it too, Zeke.”
I looked behind me and saw Zeb walking alongside Otis, who was riding his chicken, Bob. They looked exhausted. We had all just escaped from two evil griefers, but had to destroy the cave we were hiding in with TNT in order to get away.
“Guys,” I said. “I think I see a cave up ahead.”
“I hope so,” said Zeb. “The sun will be up soon. I’d really like to avoid bursting into flames and dying.”
“I hope so, too, old man,” said Otis. “No one wants to smell that.”
“Don’t be rude, Otis,” said Bob.
“Whatever,” said Otis.
Harold changed his direction, heading for what we thought was a cave. As we got closer, we saw that it was indeed an entrance to something.
I dismounted from Harold’s back and lit a torch. “I’ll check it out,” I said.
I walked into the narrow crack in the mountain, hoping it would soon widen into a cave. I listened carefully for any sounds of mob movement or mining. I did not hear anything.
As I pressed farther into the passage, it began to widen. I was soon inside a chamber large enough to serve as a sleeping quarters for a few nights, if not a permanent home. I made a quick search of the chamber. There did not appear to be any other passages leading away from the chamber. There was no evidence anything or anyone else had used this small cave recently.
I rushed back to the entrance and stepped outside. “Guys, there is a small chamber inside. Just big enough to sleep in.”
“Praise be to Notch,” said Zeb. “Look!” Zeb pointed toward the horizon where the top edge of the square of the sun was just beginning to rise.
“You sure got lucky, old man,” said Otis. “Just in the nick of time, eh?”
“I suppose so,” said Zeb. “But, when you are undead, death is always close at hand. I’ve learned to live with it.”
“Come on,” said Harold. “Let’s go inside.”
“You guys go ahead,” said Otis. “I am going to look around a bit.”
Bob sighed. “I’m tired, Otis.”
“It’s cool, Bob,” said Otis. “I don’t need your help. I just want to see if there is anything interesting or useful nearby.”
“Okay, thanks,” said Bob. “See you when you get back.”
As Otis walked off to explore by himself, the rest of us went inside the cave and found a spot to sleep.
Zeb leaned against a rock and immediately fell asleep. Harold and Bob scratched the ground a bit and sat down.
“You guys want some grain before you go to sleep?” I asked.
“Yes,” they said.
I reached into my sack and gave each of them a handful of grain. They pecked at the grains rapidly, devouring them.
I looked inside my sack. Almost no grain left. “We’ll need to find some more grain in the next few days,” I said.
The chickens nodded their agreement before tucking their beaks under a wing and falling asleep.
Looking at my sleeping friends made me tired too. I yawned as I scanned the cave for someplace to rest. I soon found a comfortable rock and fell asleep.
Chapter 2
I don’t know how long we had all been asleep when Otis returned. But, I know the moment he came back because he was screaming, “Help!”
I woke up and grabbed my iron sword. I looked at the entrance of the cave and saw Otis running as fast as his little undead legs would carry him. Sunlight was entering the cave, so I could tell it was still day time.
Otis ran toward us and collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily.
“What is it?” I said, looking back and forth from Otis to the entrance of the cave, expecting to see something horrible.
“Some … some … players were ... chasing me,” Otis sputtered between breaths.
“Why?” asked his chicken, Bob.
“They … they wanted my … my diamond sword,” said Otis. “So I ran.”
“You idiot,” I said. “You led them to our cave?”
Otis shook his head. “I think I lost them back in the forest.”
“You should have made certain you lost them before coming here,” said Zeb. “We are no match against players right now.”
“This is stupid,” I said as I walked cautiously toward the cave’s entrance. I scanned the area outside of the cave and saw nothing. I listened for a minute and could not hear anything either.
I walked back to where everyone else was sitting and said, “I don’t think there are any players out there. But, we should still be cautious until dark. Then, we should probably try to find a new cave. Those players might try to track Otis and could find this place.”
“I’ll take first watch,” said Zeb.
“Otis, give Zeb your diamond sword,” I said.
“No, it’s mine. It’s my precious,” said Otis, clutching his sword to his chest.
“Don’t be stupid, Otis,” said Bob. “Zeb will need it in case a player shows up.”
“Fine,” said Otis, pouting like a little bald baby as he tossed his sword on the ground in front of Zeb.
Zeb picked up the sword and swished it back and forth a few times. “Nice balance,” said Zeb. “Whoever made this knew what he was doing.”
“It was probably that Steve guy who hid that chest in the other cave,” I said.
“Probably,” said Zeb. “Let’s hope we never have to face him in battle.”
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Bob and Harold each took turns pecking the ground outside of the cave, searching for dangers while at the same time having a snack.
I wanted to go outside and enjoy the sunlight too, but I was worried the players might suddenly arrive. So, I stayed inside the cave in the shadows.
Finally, it was nighttime, and we were able to leave the cave without worry of being seen by any players who might be lurking.
Chapter 3
We took all of our supplies with us. We would only return to this cave as a last resort.
We had been scouting for about an hour, when my stomach began to rumble. “Guys,” I said. “We need to find some food. We don’t have anything left.”
“I agree,” said Zeb. “Maybe we can find a cow or a pig wandering around and kill it?”
“No pigs,” said Otis. “I’m not a cannibal.”
“What about a chick–. Uh … nevermind,” said Zeb. Harold and Bob stared at Zeb, hate burning in their black chicken eyes.
Luckily for us, we were in a forest biome, and cows seemed to be wandering constantly through the forests of the Overworld. It wasn’t long before we saw one.
“I’ll go kill it with my sword,” said Otis.
“No,” I said. “Let me use that bow and arrows I grabbed from the chest in the griefer cave.”
“Suit yourself,” said Otis.
I tucked my sword away and pulled out the bow. I notched an arrow, pulled back the string, aimed for the cow’s heart, and let go. The arrow flew true and hit the cow. It mooed in pain and started running in circles, kicking its hooves and flashing red.
“One more should do it,” said Zeb.
I notched another arrow and aimed for the cow’s heart again. I let the arrow fly and it was another direct hit. The cow mooed, flashed red, and then disappeared in a puff of smoke, dropping three pieces of raw meat and two pieces of leather.
“Perfect,” said Otis. “A piece of meat for each of us.”
We rushed over to the cow and each grabbed a piece of meat. The best part about being a zombie or zombie pigman is that you can eat raw meat and like it. We gobbled the meat down quickly, as Bob and Harold watched, slightly disgusted.
“That was good,” said Zeb. “Nothing better than fresh raw cow meat.”
“For sure,” said Otis, rubbing his stomach with satisfaction.
“Otis,” I said as I picked raw meat from between my teeth, “you should save those two pieces of leather and make some armor the next time we pass a crafting table.”
“Good idea,” said Otis, picking up the leather. “I think I am going to need it.”
“You still need six more pieces to make a tunic though, right?” I said.
“I think so,” said Otis. “But, we can just keep killing cows each time we get hungry, and we should have enough leather to make armor in no time.”
We walked for a little while longer and came to what appeared to be a cave entrance, but it turned out to be just a small crack in the mountain. We had to move on.
We had been exploring for a long time, and were about to give up and return to our prior cave when Zeb spotted something. “Over there,” he said, pointing. Zeb pointed to a small gash in the mountain.
The opening was so small, Zeb would have to get on his hands and knees to go inside. I was surprised he noticed it at all.
When we got to the opening, Harold volunteered to check it out. Harold was gone about five minutes when he popped out of the hole.
“Wow,” he said. “It is a big cave. There are a few holes that let in moonlight.”
“Any evidence players have been mining in there?” I asked.
“Nothing I could see,” said Harold. “But, I think it is a huge cave, so who knows what is going on in the depths.”
“The sun will be up soon,” said Zeb. “ I think we should risk it.”
We all agreed and went into the cave.
After we got situated, Otis said, “First thing tomorrow morning, I think we should get some more food.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” I said. “I’ll come with you.”
Chapter 4
About an hour later, the sun had come up and it was time to search for some food. Zeb stayed at the cave to sleep and avoid burning to death under the sun. Otis and I, astride our trusty chickens, left in search of cows.
It did not take long before we found a few cows grazing in a meadow. We worked out a pretty good system for harvesting our meat. I shot each cow with an arrow, and then Otis and Bob rushed to the cow and finished it off with his diamond sword.
Within a short time, we each had ten pieces of raw beef in our inventory as well as a lot of leather hides.
“Otis,” I said. “I think there is enough leather for you to make a full set of armor now.”
“Awesome,” said Otis. “We just need to find a crafting table.”
“Too bad a player did not leave one in the middle of the forest,” I said.
“Villagers usually have crafting tables,” said Harold.
“That’s pretty risky,” I said.
Otis laughed. “Those stupid villagers don’t know anything. I could get in there and get out without being seen.”
“I don’t know,” said Bob.
“And, even if one of those derp villagers saw me,” continued Otis, “I’d just flash my diamond sword at him and he’d back off.”
“Yeah, well, let’s see if we can’t find a couple more cows and then get back to the cave,” I said.
We continued searching the forest and had just crested the top of a hill when we saw some smoke rising in the distance.
“What do you think that is?” I asked.
“A witch’s hut?” suggested Bob.
“No way,” said Otis. “That’s smoke from a blacksmith shop, I bet.”
“A village?” asked Harold.
“I think so,” said Otis. “Let’s go make some armor.”
“I don’t think that is a good idea,” I said.
“What are you? Chicken? Err … I mean … scared?” said Otis.
“I am just cautious,” I replied. “Harold and I were trapped in a village once by an iron golem. I would have died if it weren’t for Harold’s quick thinking.”
“Well, then, you guys wait outside the village,” said Otis. “Bob and I will sneak in, craft some armor, and then come back. Right, Bob?”
Bob did not seem impressed by the plan. “Do we have to?”
“Don’t be a wimpy chicken,” said Otis. “Let’s do this.”
We headed toward the village, with Otis and Bob leading the way. When we got to the edge of the village, we saw a handful of villagers milling around, making trades and saying “hurr” a lot. There did not appear to be any iron golems in this villag
e.
“You and Harold wait here,” said Otis. “We’ll sneak into the blacksmith shop and use his crafting table to make some leather armor. It shouldn’t take long.”
“Be careful,” I said.
Harold and I crouched behind a boulder as Otis and Bob snuck into the village. I kept listening for villagers to scream or sound an alarm, but that never happened. Maybe Otis’s plan was working?
After a few minutes, we heard footsteps and then heard, “Check it out!” It was Otis.
Harold and I stood up and came out from behind the boulder and saw Otis completely covered in leather armor sitting on top of Bob.
“You look awesome,” I said.
“Yeah,” said Otis, slashing his diamond sword. “No one should mess with me now.”
“Dude, slow your roll. It’s only leather armor,” I said.
Suddenly, Harold clucked and said, “Hide!” We all ducked behind the boulder as quickly as we could.
“What is it?” I asked.
“There’s a player heading into the village,” said Harold.
“Really?” said Otis, peeking his head around the boulder.
“Careful,” I said.
Otis pulled his head back, his face red with anger. “It’s the player that chased me yesterday. Ohhhh, I hate that guy.”
“It’s not the first time you’ve been chased,” I said.
“Yeah, but he said mean things to me,” said Otis. “He called me a rotten pork smelling undead freak.” Otis was shaking with rage.
“Forget about it,” I said, trying to calm him down.
“Otis forgets nothing,” he said. “Bob, let’s do this.”
“Wait. What?” said Bob.
But before anyone could answer Bob’s question, Otis kicked his heels into Bob’s sides, yelled “Yee-haw,” and the two of them were running straight for the player.
