Bonds of Death; A Camp Minecraft AU

Chapter Twenty; Zud

Zud coughed. He wiped his mouth and looked in the mirror. Blood was trickling from his mouth and it was smeared on his hands.

It had been a week since he killed Reuben.

He had caught Piglin Flu, a disease he had discovered when he first started coughing blood. He spent a while frantically sifting through the books in the library until he found the book containing information on the Piglin Flu.

It was a deadly virus caused by Piglin blood entering the human body. It caused nose bleeds, shortness of breath, weight loss, coughing blood, and death.

That night Zud had discovered that Kate was also sick. They decided to keep the illness to themselves. The members had other things to worry about and it's not like there was a cure anyway.

Zud's body shook again and he coughed, more violent than before. He washed his face off and spat out the last of the blood accumulating in his mouth. He had to fight his gag reflexes. It usually helped him to get over the coughing fit.

There was a soft knock on his door. Zud made sure he looked presentable enough before opening it.

Henwy stood in his doorway. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder and his sword hanging by his side.

"Oh hey, Hen," Zud greeted the mayor, "What's up?"

"Sigils and I are planning an expedition through the forest, probably past the valley, to see if we can find anything to fix the Chamber. Kate's coming with us and I wanted to see if you wanted to tag along," Henwy explained.

Zud thought for a minute. He wanted to believe that something out there could fix their situation. If they could find it, Zud would be fine. He would die and come back, the illness dying with his other body.

"Yeah, I'll come," Zud nodded.

Henwy smiled, "Great! Meet us by the trail to Everest. You might want to pack whatever you can for a few weeks."

By the time the group had set off, it was noon. They hiked along the trail to the highest mountain in the valley. The trees thinned as they continued climbing. Sigils had wanted them to go past Everest and to the land beyond. Zud had been there once.

He hadn't planned on going back.

But Zud would go anywhere for the hope of survival.

They reached the peak by the time the sun was beginning to set. Zud looked over the valley with awe. The sun cast a soft pink glow over the town, even the houses that were further away, tucked into the forests and mountains. The dark and haunted forest where monsters lurked was tucked away in the shadow of Everest. Zud could even see the crash sight formed by the time machine.

He sat down at the edge of the cliff and admired his home. Kate appeared next to him and sat down as well.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Kate whispered.

"I wouldn't say it was worth the pain that is paralyzing my legs," Zud responded, the soreness in his legs flaring.

Kate giggled. Zud glanced back to see Henwy and Sigils setting up a small tent. There was already a small campfire, crackling and blazing. The cold breeze rolling through the mountains urged Zud and Kate towards the warmth.

"Could we talk about those trees we passed?" Kate muttered randomly.

"What do you mean by that?" Sigils asked, finally managing to prop up the tent.

Zud felt his nose and throat itch.

"Those few birch trees that were broken in half by the trail. It looked like a small hurricane had blown through the area and knocked them all over," Kate explained.

"I was too hyper-focused on the trail so anything that looked out of the ordinary just flew right past me. The Ender Dragon could have been walking beside me and I wouldn't have noticed," Henwy responded dryly.

Sigils shifted and turned to look down at the valley. Zud pressed a finger to his nose and brought it back covered in red.

"Excuse me for a moment," Zud quickly stood up and started towards the woods. He heard Kate start coughing as he left.

Zud found a relatively sheltered area and sat down, pulling a small piece of cloth out of his pocket and dapping the blood on his nose. Zud let out a small cough and felt the coppery taste of blood in his mouth. He spat it out and stared at the scarlet-speckled leaves, groaning to himself.

He felt the buildup of a headache as spots flew over his eyes, making him dizzy.

Crap.

Breathing suddenly became a chore for him, so he silently sat in a pile of leaves suffering and wheezing.

Yeah I'm gonna die. The thought felt oddly soothing. Zud carefully stood up before leaning against a tree, trying to focus on the world around him. His vision blurred, his head throbbed, and there was a horrible ringing in his ears. I need to make it back to them.

Warm blood was running down his face and trickling from the corner of his mouth. Zud stumbled up the slope, trying not to pass out.

When he made it to the campsite, he could barely see Henwy and Sigils huddled over Kate who was looking very pale and propped against a fallen log.

Tck...tck...tck...Crack.

"Oh, hey!" Zud smiled and gave a small wave. His mind felt numb and loopy.

The world slipped out from under him.

Tck...tck...tck...Crack.