Herobrine's Origin

Intro

  I flailed wildly, trying to pump power into my legs, forcing myself to dash towards the dim light in the distance. Sweat poured down my forehead and arms, though the air around me was damp and cold. I saw my torchlight bounce its light quickly across diamonds in the walls, against gold and shiny iron. It flashed briefly by, then it was engulfed by darkness behind me.

I heard footsteps behind me.

Keeping my eyes to the pinprick of light at the end of the tunnel, I clenched the torch tight and boosted myself to the limit. My feet slammed down on the rough gravel. I hurt all over, but it would be nothing compared to the thing behind me if it got close. I didn't want to get caught by it. The thing that was haunting me yet again. A monster.

I should've known that I was tired. I was bringing myself to the very edge of passing out—I could feel it in my throat as it ached as I shakily took a breath in. And I should've seen that one damned rock sticking out of the ground in the middle of the tunnel. But my torchlight didn't catch it.

My foot picked itself up then slammed full force into the rock. I felt everything flip. I felt my leg get stabbed by the point of the rock as I fell on it. I felt agony as it tore through my flesh and crack into my bone. I felt the gravel drag over my face and arms as I landed.

I heard blood and sweat softly dripping onto the gravel. Dripping from my leg and arms.

I smelled copper and dust. The dust flew up like a blanket when I fell and now covered me.

I tasted grit between my teeth. It crunched and stuck in the middle of my mouth.

And I saw nothing. I should've known that the torch wouldn't have survived the fall. It must've gone out in one of the lingering puddles of mud laying idly around.

Wait. I could see something. The tiniest light, barely there, right in front of me. I just needed to get up and start walking.

I moved my leg the tiniest inch up but regretted it. Pain flashed in my leg and crawled up my spine. It felt broken. I lifted it with a muffled scream, and for a minute it stayed up, but then I felt it twist suddenly and my foot faced downwards. I whipped my arm in my mouth and bit down hard, trying not to scream loudly. My tendons were screaming out at me, and hot tears were starting to streak down my dirty cheeks. Blood flowed through my teeth.

With a determination—really it was just a desperation—I reached a shaky hand out towards the light, then put it down, grabbing the ground and dragging myself forward. I repeated it with the other arm. Reach for my only hope, then slam my hand down to move forward, military style. My leg burned with fire, but then it slowed to a throbbing ache. I was slowly getting closer.

Footsteps. Loud, scraping footsteps, came from behind me. There was only one thing that could come for me in this tunnel. And I didn't need to see it.

Quietly but roughly, I put my head down and wished that I was invisible. Maybe it wouldn't see me if I stayed put and quiet. Agonizingly slow, it scraped by. I could almost see its feet from where I lay. Big, black, swarming shadows for a body. It placed fear in my heart as it dragged its darkness around me. It knew I was here, didn't it? Maybe if I stayed quiet and tightened my body to stop myself from making noise, it would pass by and wouldn't see me.

Like I said: I should've known.

I flexed, and the traitorous gravel beneath me crunched. My eyes widened as the thing froze, then turned towards me. It was just a shadow, but it seemed to be darker than the stuff around me.

My eyes widened as it bent down. Then, two white bulges popped from its head. Eyes. Then a shiny gleaming smile opened, chockful of serrated teeth, long as a blade, and leaned close to my face. A blood red tongue slithered out and slimed my dusty and tearstained cheek slowly.

Suddenly, it grabbed my face with its teeth. Blood spurted from my skull and into my eyes as it crunched down. I didn't even have time to scream as the pain flowed like a flood in my body.

It just went red.

***

I flew out of bed.

Well, I didn't fly, but I did flop out of it in a panic, landing with my blankets tangled tight around my body. The cold wood floor came up at me, chilling my hot sweat-stained shirt. My hair was a matted mess on my head, and my leg—the broken one in the mineshaft—was tangled tight in a blanket.

I hit the ground hard, waking me up from the nightmare and shocking my eyes to open wide. But I didn't see anything clearly. The sun must've been just rising. Everything was blurry and fuzzy with dark shadows and silhouettes.

It still reminded me of the time I stepped too close to a creeper. When the gunpowder shot into my eyes at blinding speeds. The day I lost most of my eyesight, when I could only see light and fuzzy shadows after that.

That was two years ago. I'd gotten used to it after that, but when the nightmares came around—when I could see, really see, for a time—, I had to get used to not seeing as well when I woke up.

I slowly got up, feeling around for the blanket's end. I weakly tried to unwrap it, but it was stuck on like a slime and tied tight.

I sighed. Another sleep, another nightmare, I thought, resting my head on the wood, closing my eyes tiredly. I already felt exhausted.

Slowly, I got up, blankets still on my leg, and stumbled out. I lightly touched the hallway walls, leading me to the kitchen. Even with being able to see a bit, during the time with little sunlight and more darkness I had to feel my way towards everything. Touching the wall, I made my way to the counters. Touching the counters, I made my way to the furnace, and so on and so forth, until I found ingredients and made breakfast: one small, cooked egg.

I felt my way to the main table, and, sitting down and chewing slowly, I thought about my nightmare.

It was funny, really—this was normal for me. Not a shadow, per se, but nightmares were a nightly routine that happened out of the blue. No rhyme or reason needed.

Sometimes it was a pack of angry wolves chasing me in a mineshaft.

Other times it was nothing but footsteps.

But rarely, it was...

I didn't want to think about it, but I still did. A shadow. It would be a shadow. And not just any shadow, something like a monster that knew where I was every single damn time. It would have white eyes that bulged, and sharp needle teeth that seemed to glow in the dark. And I always thought I would lose it in the end, but no—it would eat my face while I was still alive and terrified.

The thing scared me, and it seemed to know it. It would chase me until something happened that I had to slow down, then slowly come at me and get me at the very last moment.

I could still see flashes of it. Teeth, eyes, then red. Needle pointed teeth, eyes that almost popped out of its face, then a spatter of dark red.

I didn't realize I was shivering so damn hard until I fell off my seat, my jaw landing first on the cold floor. I grunted, then got up, holding my chin tenderly.

I knew this wasn't good to think about by myself, else I go nuts with the info. I needed to talk it out.

It was time to wake up Steve.