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A ping of danger rang in his head.
Dark.
“I can’t do anything about that,” he muttered as the sun set.
But it’ll be dark!
“And I’ve only got half a base to go back to, so what’s the point?”
SAFETY!
He ran across the area, looking for something to kill, something to distract the antsiness. If for just a moment he could forget that the world was dimming, then he could get on with his day. Part glare or not, Bdubs was in a murder game and he’d die if he didn’t gather food, resources, and a few kills for his belt.
It gets dark. Sun goes down. Dark.
He shoved away the thoughts. Silly thoughts. Distractions. He needed to kill. He needed to get on with his day, pull his weight. He couldn’t go home anyway. No hope for him to find warmth in any place.
“Well, well, well. Look who we have here,” Joel said as if he was all that. “A stupid red name.”
“You’re one to talk. Mr. One Life Since Second Week!” Bdubs barked back. While Joel was his only hope of a friend right now, Bdubs would much rather be alone than with this red-name.
“It’s going to get dark soon. Aren’t ‘chu going to head back to your base for a little nap?”
He’s right. It’s darker.
“I’m not bothered by no nighttime!”
Joel smirked. “Sure you’re not.”
“I’m not!” And he’d prove it to this stupid red-name. He’d see. He’d never mess with Bdubs again.
So for the next half hour, the two ran around, causing small bits of chaos across the server, killing any passive mobs in their path, and taunting anyone yellow and above. The sun set lower and lower, shadows casting from the trees.
It was…
No, Bdubs wasn’t scared of the dark. Not bothered by it at all!
“Bdubs?”
He hardly jumped at all. The sound was a surprise, in his defense. Joel hadn’t said a word for the past five or more minutes!
“You’re awfully quiet there. Sure you’re not tired?”
“I’m not—”
Dark. Mobs spawn everywhere.
“You think you’re so cool. Teasing me like that. You’re the one that’s tired. You’re the one that’s scared .”
Joel shrugged off his words. “You’re projecting.”
“AM NOT!”
The two got quiet long enough for the pang of sound in the back of his head.
Dark. Danger.
Sleep. Safe.
Base. Snow fort. Home.
“It’s fine. I’m fine.”
“Like to create chaos?” Joel offered.
“Uh… n-no. Not really, no.”
Run. Safety. Before mobs spawn.
Dark. It’s dark.
Abort. Abort.
“I’ll… do it in the morning. I might die if- if I did it in the dark.”
“Psh. We’ll be careful. It’s fine.” Joel grinned again, a glimmer in his eye as he studied Bdubs. “Are you
scared
of the
dark
?”
Dark.
Terror.
“WHAT? No. Never. Not me. Darkness is normal .”
Joel didn’t buy it.
The darkness didn’t either, as it got worse.
Torches. Something. Light. Create light.
He shuffled around his inventory, hoping, praying that he had some light source on him. He could just… use it when Joel got out of the way. Joel didn’t have to know. He didn’t have to see Bdubs act all silly about the darkness.
Dark. Dark.
“You’re… not?” Teasing. That’s all Joel did was tease.
“No! No I’m not. Are you crazy?”
“I’m red. I’m always crazy. But if I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re crazy too.”
Just a few seconds ago the sun was setting. Now.
Dark.
Dark.
Dark.
Make light.
Make light.
Safety in light.
Mobs can’t spawn in light.
MAKE LIGHT.
He took deep breaths.
“Bdubs?” There was a look of concern and disgust. “Are you
really
scared? Like, actually actually scared.”
He looked over at Joel, who now lacked his smugness. “No. No I’m not. I never would be. I’m not a child . No Joel, why would an idiot like me have reason to be scared of the dark? ”
Joel stared at him, lacking amusement.
IT’S DARK.
Joel doesn’t matter. This doesn’t matter. It’s dark.
Make it light. Now. Now.
The words played on repeat.
It’s dark. It’s dark. It’s dark.
Bdubs ran. Ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Ran until he made it to the snow fort. Joel didn’t chase, though the darkness did, as did its monsters.
Dark. Dark. Dark.
He fought gasping breaths as he broke through the snow.
Dark dark dark.
He burst into the door of the base, uncaring who’s side of the house he was on. He just curled up in a ball, hiding from the world, hiding from the darkness hanging outside his window.
It didn’t matter how bright it was here.
It was dark. It was dark.
This was dumb. Bdubs was dumb. And everything was dark.
“Bdubs?”
It’s dark it’s dark it’s dark. It’s so silly but it’s so dark.
He was pulled up from the floor, pried out of his ball to be hugged onto tightly.
Dark. Dark.
Need light. Light. More light.
More safety.
Going to die.
And he was rocked in place and hushed quietly.
Danger. Outside. Dark. Not safe. Need light. More.
“You want some light outside too?”
Yes. More light. More. Safe. It’s dark.
He was left back alone with nothing but a blanket protecting him. All his battle gear was taken off, armor and everything.
Not safe. Not strong. Need light.
“Got some glowberries for you. They’re pretty bright.” A bowl of the bright orange-yellow berries was placed in his lap. “And they taste good too.”
Light?
“Yep. And if you bonemeal their vines, then you can have hanging glowberries. Like little lamps.”
He was pulled into a lap, now sitting more contentedly. The words of darkness not half as overwhelming.
Safe?
“I’m not Scar, am I?”
He gave a laugh along with the other. No, Bdubs was grateful he wasn’t with Scar, of all people.
“Here.”
He was passed a bottle of water, which he took to finishing quickly. Panic had settled out a lot, leaving Bdubs aware of very little aside from being thirsty, tired, and hungry.
“You can eat the rest of the glowberries. I’ve got some more if you want them for light.”
Bdubs nodded. “Thank you,” he whispered out, words coming out by force instead of instinct.
“You’re welcome.”
He took note that the person who’d saved him from his panic was Etho (which to be fair, shouldn’t be as surprising as it was, given this was his house too).
“You want to get some sleep now?”
Bdubs nodded hastily, forgetting that it was Joel’s taunts to his love of sleep that got him in this predicament in the first place.
Sleep sounded to be about the only way he could survive the night.