The Great Zombie Invasion

by Mark Cheverton

  “Smithy!” he shouted.

  The blacksmith stopped in his tracks and turned. Gameknight moved to his side and spoke in a low voice.

  “You need to know that I’m going to disappear soon,” Gameknight whispered. “My father’s invention was set for two days, then it will bring me back home, to your future. Probably when the sun rises again, I’ll be gone.”

  Smithy listened intently, then nodded his head.

  “I’m sorry we didn’t get to know each other better,” the blacksmith said. “I think we have a lot in common and would have been good friends, given the opportunity.”

  “Yes,” the User-that-is-not-a-user replied. “It has a been an honor meeting the famous Smithy. I will never forget it.”

  “I’m nothing special, just another villager,” he replied meekly.

  “You are too modest, but I understand,” Gameknight replied. “Whether I’m here or not, you should send lots of runners out to the other villages, and then have the other villages send out some as well. We can stop the next attack, if it happens before sunrise, but this will not be the end of it. I know Herobrine, and he will be back with even more monsters. He will not be satisfied until every villager is destroyed.”

  “But his rage only seems to be focused on our village,” Smithy replied.

  “Maybe that’s true now, but soon his anger will shift to all villagers,” Gameknight explained. “You see, he wants to escape from the Minecraft servers, but he can’t—and that makes him really angry. And the only way he knows to deal with this anger is to make others suffer. Mark my words: when Herobrine has built up his forces again, he will hit this village with everything he has. We cannot wait for the NPCs from the other villages to get here and help us. An attack is coming and we must have the defenses ready. It’s critical you get the other NPCs working, and fast, or I fear we will not survive the next encounter.”

  “Not very encouraging words,” Smithy said.

  “I know, but it is the truth, and we must be prepared.”

  “If you are leaving in the morning, why are you so invested in helping us?” Smithy asked. “You won’t even be here when the final attack comes.”

  “Well … you see … it’s that,” Gameknight stammered. He just realized the truth of it and was having trouble finding the right words.

  “What is it?” Smithy asked in a comforting voice.

  “It’s kinda selfish of me, and because of that I feel bad,” Gameknight said. “My friends in my time—Crafter, Digger, Hunter, Stitcher, and Herder—they mean everything to me. They’re my family and I would do anything to protect them.”

  “So?”

  “So, if their ancestors in this time are killed, then my friends will never be born,” Gameknight explained. “For their sake, I have to do anything necessary to make sure they’re alright.”

  “But you don’t even know the identity of these ancestors, do you?” Smithy asked.

  The User-that-is-not-a-user shook his head. When he thought about his friends not being born, ripples of fear flowed down his spine.

  “If they were in my shoes, they would do anything they had to so that I would be safe,” Gameknight said. “So I must do the same. I must protect their ancestors in this time to keep them safe in the future.”

  “I understand, Gameknight999,” the blacksmith said. “You have my pledge that while you are gone, I will take up this responsibility. Together, we will protect your friends and mine at the same time. We can do this.”

  “I hope so, Smithy,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said, “for many more villagers than just those on this server are counting on us. And it will be a disaster for all Minecraft servers if we fail, as Herobrine would be free to destroy them all.”

  A worried look came across the blacksmith’s face, then he nodded, understanding. Turning, he headed back to the cobblestone walls that were slowly growing out of the grassy soil.

  He watched the big NPC walk away and felt a tinge of sadness. “Yes, we could have been friends,” Gameknight whispered to himself. “Good-bye, Smithy.”

  He then went back to building the watchtower, trying to get as much completed as he could before the Digitizer pulled him back to the physical world.

  CHAPTER 10

  NEW WALLS

  It was the smell that first came to them—a decaying putrid sort of aroma that assaulted the nose and forced the villagers to breathe through their mouths. The odor was almost too terrible to endure.

  “Zombies are near!” one of the villagers on the hastily constructed cobblestone wall shouted.

  They’d been waiting through the rest of the afternoon for this attack since Gameknight, Fencer, Weaver, and Smithy had returned from their little spy mission. They all knew another attack was imminent, and now it had finally arrived.

  The villagers had worked furiously, digging up stone under the still growing watchtower and hauling it to the new cobblestone wall that ringed the community. Gameknight stood atop the new watchtower and scanned the terrain. The sparkling veil of the night sky had finally been drawn across the heavens overhead as the sun’s presence disappeared from the Overworld.

  And then he saw it: movement along the edge of the forest. The monsters were foolishly approaching from the east, and the constant breeze that flowed across Minecraft had carried their scent to the village defenders, announcing their presence long before the terrible monsters could be seen. But now they had visuals.

  “Monsters at the edge of the forest,” Gameknight said to the warriors below. “Everyone to your stations and get ready.”

  “You aren’t in command here, First-User. Smithy is,” one of the villagers replied.

  Fencer’s name for him had spread, and it was meant not only to identify but also to demean and isolate. They mocked him with that name and made sure Gameknight always knew he was different from them—not a villager of Minecraft but something else.

  “You don’t need to hear it from me,” Smithy shouted. “Anyone can give a warning. Now do as Gameknight suggested and get ready for the attack.”

  Smithy looked up at Gameknight and held his blacksmith hammer high over his head. He gave him a smile, then turned and began to shout out orders, positioning his pieces on this side of the game board.

  Gameknight peered out into the darkening landscape, watching the monsters that shuffled about just behind the edge of the forest. If the foolish creatures had stayed still, they might have gone undetected, but their movements easily gave them away.

  “Weaver, watch the other edges of the forest,” Gameknight said. “We don’t want the monsters sneaking up behind us again.”

  “No problem, Gameknight,” the young boy said, his bright blue eyes almost glowing in the darkness. “I don’t see anything, but I’ll have the other kids in the village go stand on the walls and watch.”

  Before Gameknight could reply, the brown-haired boy disappeared down the ladder. Seconds later, he saw young NPCs running throughout the dark village. The youths were difficult to make out, as all torches had been extinguished when the sun neared the horizon. It was another of Gameknight’s suggestions—they didn’t want the villagers to be easy targets to see.

  “You kids stay out of the way,” a voice rang out from the village floor. Gameknight glanced down and saw it was one of the village elders, chastising the young NPCs. “This is adult work, so you kids stay out of the way. You’re too small to do anything other than just be an annoyance.”

  The kids looked at the old villager and bowed their heads as if obeying, then continued to run for the walls. They bounded up the steps and positioned themselves around the village, watching the unprotected sections.

  At least we’ll know about a sneak attack this time, Gameknight thought.

  Suddenly, a voice rang out from the grassy plain that sat before the village.

  “You thought you could reject us and keep us out of your pathetic community!” the voice shouted.

  Gameknight squinted his eyes, trying to make out
the shape in the darkness. Suddenly, two bright spots of light flared into life, lighting up the grassy plain. Herobrine stood in his black smock, an iron sword in his hand, his eyes glowing with hateful intensity.

  “Well, you made a mistake. Now we are going to destroy all of you and take your village for ourselves.” His eyes grew bright white as he raised his sword high over his head. “ATTACK!”

  The monsters in the forest charged forward, running across the grassy blocks, their voices filling the air with hateful growls and moaning shouts.

  “Archers, remember the plan,” Smithy said. “Aim for the skeletons first.”

  The stocky blacksmith glanced up at the cobblestone tower and gave the User-that-is-not-a-user a smile. Gameknight returned it with a nod. It had been Gameknight’s suggestion to take out the skeletons first, and Smithy had seen the wisdom in this plan.

  The User-that-is-not-a-user slid down the ladder to the ground floor of the watchtower. With his bow out, he moved to the hastily constructed wall that stood only four blocks high. Archers ran toward the stands at the corners of the village wall. A single ladder stretched upward from the fortified wall to the high wooden platforms, allowing warriors to quickly climb up and take their positions. Soon, the emplacements were bristling with pointed shafts, all of them aimed out toward the monsters that were approaching.

  Standing on the wall that stretched over the wooden gates, Gameknight fitted an arrow to his bow, then drew it back and aimed at a skeleton most villagers would have never tried to shoot; it was so far away that it would have been very difficult to hit. But due to the many lessons from Hunter and Stitcher, his friends from the present—Smithy’s future—the User-that-is-not-a-user knew he could aim at such a small target and give the creature a little gift. Slowing his breath, he concentrated, making small corrections until he could feel he had it right. Then he released the arrow.

  As the pointed shaft flew through the air, he drew another arrow, and then another one, firing them in rapid succession. The first arrow struck the skeleton; the monster screamed out in surprise and pain with a loud rattling sound, drowning out the moans of the zombies. The second arrow fell short, but the third arrow struck the bony creature again. Before it could fully recover, Gameknight fired another arrow, ending the monster’s life and leaving behind a bone and some balls of XP.

  The villagers cheered when they saw Gameknight’s marksmanship and some fired their own arrows.

  “Hold your fire! Wait until they are closer!” Smithy shouted. He cast an annoyed glance at Gameknight999.

  “Sorry,” the User-that-is-not-user said. “I knew I could hit it.”

  “But you set a bad example for the other warriors,” Smithy added.

  “Sorry,” Gameknight said again, casting his eyes to the ground.

  He heard a laugh, then glanced to the left. Fencer was mocking his reprimand, and a group of warriors was giggling with the NPC. He scowled at the group, then notched another arrow and waited impatiently.

  The clattering of bones and angry growls became louder as the monsters crossed the landscape and grew closer. The terrible smell of the zombies was becoming stronger and stronger, causing many of the villagers to reach up and pinch their bulbous noses shut.

  “Those monsters really stink,” one of the villagers said.

  “I wish I had a tiny nose like the First-User,” another NPC said. This brought a hail of laughter that eased the tension in the defenders. Gameknight was glad his hurtful name at least had some positive value.

  “Ready …” Smithy said.

  The monsters were almost at the first marker.

  “NOW!” the blacksmith yelled.

  Instantly, torches were lit all around the village and were placed on the new fortified wall, showing the barricade to the approaching horde. The monsters seemed shocked by the presence of the insurmountable barrier before them, and stopped their advance.

  “Keep moving forward,” a deep voice growled from the darkness. “Attack the villagers or Vo-Lok will become angry.”

  The massive zombie king advanced, hitting the monsters that had stopped with the flat of his sword. He clearly didn’t care if they were a zombie, creeper, or skeleton. All were subject to his rage if they did not obey his orders.

  The stalled attack continued, this time with fear of the zombie king driving the monsters forward.

  The archers opened fire, aiming for the bony creatures. Once they loosed a volley of arrows, the NPCs ducked behind cobblestone blocks spaced across the top of the wall, giving them some shelter from the skeleton’s shots. But even with this precaution, cries of pain still sounded on the wall.

  “Keep firing!” Smithy yelled. “Take out their skeletons.”

  The monsters drew closer.

  Gameknight drew back an arrow, then sighted down the shaft, aiming at a skeleton farther back in the mob. He fired three quick shots, erasing the monster from Minecraft. He shifted to another target and fired. An arrow struck his shoulder, and a burst of pain shot through his body. Fortunately, his leather tunic had taken most of the damage, allowing him to continue fighting.

  He glanced at Smithy, who now had a bow in his hand and was firing down at the monsters. Rather than the usual tan color, his leather armor had been dyed a dark brown with white stripes, something he’d done after Gameknight had colored his bright red. He hadn’t noticed it before the battle started, but Tanner had been proven right: Smithy seemed more dangerous because of the meticulously decorated armor. Maybe this would cause an adversary to hesitate just a little, giving the NPC an edge.

  Firing as fast as he could, Gameknight took down skeleton after skeleton while the monstrous horde approached. Waves of arrows zipped back and forth across the battlefield. Some of the projectiles found monsters, while others found villagers. Lives were lost on both sides, but the skeletons, standing out in the open, took more damage. Soon, most of the surviving pale monsters had moved back, out of range of the villagers.

  That left the zombies and creepers. For some reason, which Gameknight couldn’t figure out, the spiders only milled about on the periphery of the battle—they wouldn’t engage. It was as if they were undecided and leaderless.

  Suddenly, one of the NPCs yelled, “Creepers approaching the gates!”

  A large group of green, spotted monsters scurried toward the wooden doors that barred the monsters from the village. Archers fired down upon them, but there were too many to destroy. Some of them made it to the wall, but then they just stood there as if unsure what to do or were just unwilling to do anything.

  “Detonate!” screamed the zombie king; the creepers milled about for a moment, but then retreated into the darkness.

  “Stupid creepers,” the massive zombie growled. “Zombies, attack the gates … break them in!”

  The decaying green monsters charged toward the wooden doors set in the cobblestone wall. All of the archers turned their bows upon the mob, but again, there were too many of them to be stopped by arrows. If they broke down the doors, then the monstrous horde would get into the village, and likely the NPCs would be defeated.

  “Hey … First-User,” Fencer shouted. “Shoot your bow!”

  The NPC was firing down at the approaching flood of angry claws. Between shots, he scowled at Gameknight999.

  “No … this isn’t right,” Gameknight said. “This won’t work.” But nobody listened to him.

  Ignoring the other NPCs, the User-that-is-not-a-user leapt off the wall and landed right behind the gates. The wooden doors were beginning to crack under the zombie assault. Reaching into his inventory, he pulled out some blocks of cobblestone. Calmly, he placed them right behind the doors, completely sealing the entrance. As he finished, one of the doors shattered. The zombies growled in shock when they found themselves facing a wall of stone. Gameknight could hear their claws scratching against the stone in vain and laughed.

  “What are you laughing at?” Fencer said from the barricade. “They will break through the doors and
get in.”

  Gameknight laughed again and pointed at the entrance. Fencer saw the doorway blocked with cobblestone and realized the zombie threat had been eliminated.

  “The doors are blocks and the zombies can’t get in!” Fencer exclaimed.

  Many of the NPCs patted Fencer on the back, while others continued to fire on the zombies.

  “Retreat, fools!” Vo-Lok bellowed before turning and fleeing back into the darkness. The zombie horde followed close behind.

  The NPCs cheered as they moved down from the walls and stood around their leader, Smithy. Many of them patted the blacksmith on the back, while others congratulated Fencer. Gameknight moved back and let the villagers have their celebration.

  “I saw you block off the doors,” a young voice said.

  Gameknight turned and found Weaver standing at his side.

  “You probably saved the entire village by doing that.”

  “It’s not important,” Gameknight replied. “Right now, all that matters is that the monsters have retreated and we are safe.”

  “You see, First-User, I told you we could hold them off,” Fencer shouted from the crowd. “We didn’t need any of your tricks. We just stood up to the monsters and told them to go away … and they did.”

  The villagers laughed.

  “Next time it won’t be so easy,” Gameknight said as he scanned the crowd for Smithy. “Herobrine has seen our walls and will know the only way to breach them is to use spiders or creepers … or both. We must be ready.”

  “Soon our brothers and sisters from the other villages will be here to aid us in our time of need,” Smithy said as the crowd slowly quieted. “With greater numbers, we will hold off the monsters indefinitely.”

  The NPCs cheered, but Gameknight felt worried. He looked down at Weaver and found the boy looking up at him, a concerned look in his bright blue eyes.

  “What is it?” the young NPC asked.

  “We cannot just stay here and wait for Herobrine to return again and again,” Gameknight said softly. “It is important that we take the fight to him and catch him unprepared. But I fear these villagers won’t listen to anything I have to say.”