Hey PMC! It feels so strange making a post here after being away for so long! But, I thought you'd enjoy reading a little something I wrote. I hope you like it!
WARNING: The following content is graphic and may be disturbing for young readers, proceed with your own caution (you have been warned)
Note - Shears are the sharp scissor-like tools that you use to take wool off of sheep in minecraft (and in real life)



Run, run, run! My eyes burned as we ran through the dense smoke rising from the sea of flames all around us. Anna scrambled after me in her clumsy black school slippers. I clutched my shears in my fists, blood dripping from between my fingers as I scrambled over the rubble of the local butchers in search of a safe place to hide.


Ear-splitting screams and shouts were muffled by the sounds of advancing explosions as the ender dragon flew by to spew another jet of liquid fire. I grabbed Anna and dove behind the only corner of the butchers that was still standing and prayed that the flames, and the dead didn’t find us. Once the dragon had flown by I began to move again, breathing through my sleeve and crouching low to avoid choking on the thick smoke. The heat of the flames pressed in around me and left me feeling light headed and sticky with sweat.


I stopped abruptly unsure of what I’d heard. I checked behind me and put my hand up in front of Anna. For a moment there were only the sounds of the distant dragon, crackling fire, and screams but then it came again. A quiet groaning sound emanated from the swirling smoke in front of me. I raised my shears as a soiled figure stepped out of the smoke. My stomach clenched and a gasp escaped my lips as I saw one up close for the first time. He would have been taller than me by about a head when he had been alive, but the corpse walked with a twisted hunch and its knees bent unnaturally inwards as it stumbled along. Its hair was matted with congealed blood that had oozed out of a festering gash bitten deep into the skull. Its right eye stared directly at me whilst the left remained swollen shut.


Anna screamed and pressed herself up against what remained of the concrete wall behind her. “Steve,” she whimpered, but I ignored her. Slowly, it began to stumble towards me. I took a deep breath and immediately regretted the decision as smoke smothered my lungs. I roiled backwards, choking, and tried to find some fresh air. Then it was on top of me. The corpse took hold of my right hand and lunged at the exposed skin of my forearm. I twisted my arm upwards and out of its inflexible grip and drove the shears deep into the sides of its head. The shears slid through skin and bone and into the brain, yet the corpse didn’t flinch. My jaw dropped and I slackened my grip. Oh god, but it’s dead, it’s already dead. I twisted the shears and heard bone grind and snap. Yet the corpse clawed at my shirt unfazed. It tried to turn its head but I levered the shears to keep it where it was. Driving up my legs with all my strength I kicked the corpse off of me.


Anna shrieked again as it landed at her feet. Holding her arms defensively in front of her chest she gingerly shirked around it and ran to my side. She grabbed my right arm and tried to pull me upright. “Steve, please,” she cried.


I nodded at her and pulled myself to my feet. My shears were coated with clotted blood and bits of brain and my arms shook as I watched the corpse struggle on the ground. The back of its shirt was burning where it had landed on a smouldering plank. I put an arm around Anna’s shoulder and backed away as the flames grew and swallowed the corpse whole. I thought perhaps the fire would stop it, but my hopes died when the burning corpse began to shuffle towards us.


Suddenly I found my senses and turned myself and Anna around and ran. What good was fighting something already dead when you can outrun it? The smoke closed in around us once again and the corpse vanished from sight. We weaved through scorched gardens, over decimated brick walls and through deserted parks. My legs ached from running but we couldn’t stop, not without giving the dead a chance to catch up. After running along the riverside and dashing past the remarkably untouched church, I fell to my knees beside a creek running into the river. This was the edge of town.


Anna clung tightly to the back of my shirt and stared into the smoke and fire consuming the town. I gently persuaded her to lay down, and once she had she sighed and drooped her limbs. I let my aching legs rest in the cool water and drank deeply to quench my thirst. Eventually I slid all the way into the water and let the tickling sensation wash away the sweat and blood. But I never let go of the shears. We were not out of trouble’s way yet. From my spot in the creek I could see the church and the flickering glowstone lamp. All framed by the red glow of fire and the ominous swirling smoke. On the other side of the creek lay the swirling mists of the Oscurita forest.


I stood up in the water and stared into the forest. It was still and quiet in there, apart from the silvery mist roiling lazily at waist height. I turned to look back at the town one last time before I planned on picking Anna up in my arms and plunging into the foliage, but something felt wrong. My skin crawled as I crouched low in the water. I silently cursed as darkness swam around us when the damaged glowstone lamp sputtered out. As my eyes adjusted to the gloom I saw it. Only thin trails at first, but then in long swirling streaks as blood flowed towards me on the current. Hurriedly I backed out of the water. The moment both of my feet hit hard ground the body floated into sight, small and fragile. She drifted by facedown, her hair splayed around her like a black veil.


The bloody water rushed out of the creek and swirled into the river. The body bobbed over an eddy in the water and floated into the middle of the murky river. I looked over at Anna who was staring up at the red sky. She mustn’t have seen it, I told myself as she felt my eyes on her and looked my way.


“What is it big brother?” she asked nervously. I shook my head and did my best to make an O shape with my left hand and then throw it forward into a flat palm, despite the shears. Her eyes relaxed as she recognised the sign for ‘nothing.’


I put both my shears into my left hand and offered her my right hand. She grabbed it and I pulled her up. I looked back at the creek and saw that the worst of the blood had flown past. In this light I wouldn’t have known it was there if I had not just seen the girl’s body float by. I decided Anna didn’t need to know what she’d missed. I looked out at the slow-flowing river and felt my heart skip a beat. The girl’s body was gone. The river just swept her away faster than you thought, that’s all.


Feeling the need to move on I waded through the creek and onto the side backing the forest. Anna followed, disregarding her usual contempt at getting her clothes wet in a few brisk strides. “Why’re we going this way Steve?” she asked. I glanced over my shoulder, about to reply, but my body tensed at what I saw. Anna felt it and turned as well. On the other side of the creek was the shadow of a little girl climbing out of the river. It was pulling itself smoothly out of the reeds and onto the riverbank when Anna gasped. She dashed back towards the creek and was splashing through to the other side when I started after her. I opened my mouth to shout a warning but all that came out was a soft sigh.


I reached the other side of the creek just as Anna ran up to the girl, asking if she was alright. Then everything seemed to happen painfully slowly. Anna reached out to touch the little girl’s shoulder and crouched in the soft mud.


Anna had always had a soft spot for the villager kids that were younger or smaller than her. She’d get into all sorts of trouble in the school playground when she tried to protect the little ones from the bullies. But this was different, and my body screamed at Anna to get away as I barrelled towards the crouching figures. I felt like I was running through tar and what was happening before me was happening much too fast.


The little girl’s corpse raised its head as Anna put her hand under its chin. It looked perfectly normal until its face came into view. Anna doubled back as the girl’s mangled face stared sullenly at her. The face had deep bite marks and the neck was covered in purple bruises and scratches. Anna only had time to scream before it was on top of her, viciously clawing at her eyes and biting her neck. Anna’s blood welled up beneath the corpse’s mouth and dribbled to the grass.


Anna’s scream died and suddenly I was there.


A white rage flooded me and I ripped the dead girl off of my little sister and into the air. The corpse was light and I was pumping with adrenaline as I let it soar through the air. It landed a few metres away with a soft crunch. However I had learned my lesson from the previous scuffle and I pounced on the corpse before it got up. Lifting my hands high above my head I battered the corpse with hard punches. There was something sickeningly wrong about hitting the little girl and I had to clench my gut to avoid throwing up. I felt tears stream down my face as I beat the corpse into an unrecognizable pulp. Left fist, right fist, over and over. The crunch of bones beneath my fists echoed over and over inside my head and the metallic smell of blood made me gag. Eventually my fit of rage subsided and I collapsed to the ground heaving as tears spilled down my face. I glanced at the bloody mess I’d made and cringed when it managed to twitch its flattened face to look at me.


When the corpse didn’t move again I found the strength to roll over and look at Anna. She was curled up and coughing up blood into the grass. Rapidly I pulled myself together and crawled over to her. A barbed lump rose in my throat as I noticed the amount of blood in the grass. It was all over my hands and knees. I chocked back a sob as her sullen face looked up at me and bared its bloodied teeth.

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