Minecraft Story Mode: One-Shots (Jetra/Lukesse Edition)

26. Selfless (Lukesse)

Cold. Distressed. Trembling. Freezing.

I had just helped someone out of the riptides; he was visibly struggling and drowning and crying out like a child for help. I threw my jacket off and dived right in, the forceful tides beating and smashing me about. I gasp for air as I grabbed the boy and with all my strength, which by the way had been drained like water draining down a kitchen sink, dragged back to shore.

The tides were so strong and so massive, my legs were shackled and shuddering violently. I dropped to my knees to check the seemingly lifeless body which lay in a mass of sand. His heart was still beating, but only so faintly, and only to fade away into near-nothingness. I lifted the boy into my arms and limped towards the cave everyone was sheltered in. My limping legs gave way to immense pain which metastasized throughout my whole body, meaning I had to call to Axel and Olivia to help me. And to my disgust, only Olivia came.

“Is he out?” she asked, picking the boy up and letting my arm sling around her shoulder so I could walk again.

“Let’s get him inside, the fire was just set up.” The living cadaver didn’t shift, nor shuffle, nor twitch an eye, he just stayed still as a statue. The pain now struck my brain, scrambling my senses and surging electricity through me. I cried out in pain, but knowing that I narrowly saved someone’s life anaesthetised some of the distress.

Olivia lay him down on the rough rock floor and I wrapped my sand-ridden jacket around him and dragged him near the fire. I was vaguely disappointed that only one person came out to help me; I was too cold and in too much pain to even lash out at them right now.

I turned to the boy, his face pale as the moon and his skin cold as ice, his heartbeat a mere whisper of life, his clothes a water retention system and a freezer for his skin. And then he shuddered viciously as his bloodshot eyes flew open, he gasped and panted and gasped and panted like he just ran a marathon now.

“Ssh, relax. You’re safe now.” I tried to console the nervous boy, but his balled-up fists concealed his pale lips.

“Take anything, please don’t hurt me!” he whimpered as he winced, I saw in his pale-blue eyes that he was nervous.

“We’re not going to hurt you, try to relax…” my voice trailed off. He wouldn’t stop repeatedly panting, but after a moment, he toned down and weakly muttered

“Th- thank you. For saving me.” I smiled at him.

I thawed my frozen hands by the fire as I was handed a sandwich. The constant hiking had already drained my stomach, the riptides only made it worse. But when I saw the boy, clutching his stomach, I immediately blanked out all my body’s needs. I got up, and handed it to him.

“No no. I can’t do that,” he reluctantly replied, pushing it away.

“No seriously, I mean TAKE IT.” I forced it into his hand, he would’ve argued back, but he was too hungry to even do so, he replied “Thank you” in a guilty and feeble voice. “That was for you Jess, not him!” I rebuked Axel's complaint, saying

“Would you do that for me?” He didn’t argue back, he just rolled his eyes and sat down.

After 10 minutes of tending to the fire and sighing to its rhythmic hiss, the boy finally got up without a word, and started walking away. I quickly grabbed his arm and asked

“Where are you going?” He sighed in worry and responded

“Away. Look, I am grateful for your unconditional hospitality, but you don’t have to worry about me. I don’t want to inconvenience any of you.” Olivia interjected.

“But you’ll suffer even more out there!” He shrugged at her, he then flinched when Axel got up and said

“I say we let him do what he wants.” The boy will die out there if I let him leave, I insisted he stay with us but he was heavily reluctant and visibly distraught.

“I can’t just let you sacrifice your time for me, you will suffer as well.”

And then it started raining devilishly outside, his head dropped in despair, only for me to hold it up with my hand.

“It’s okay, we don’t mind at all. Let us help you, you don’t have to leave, it’ll only make it worse…” I calmly responded in a soft voice. He saw that I was insistent, and despite his reluctance, he eventually sighed, loosened his spine, and sat down to lean against a rock. Axel whined

“What are we gonna do with him in the morning?” I replied

“He stays with us that is if you’re cool with it.” He sluggishly flicked a shoulder. Tiredness loomed over the cave and everyone started to drift off to sleep. Before I went to sleep, I heard him whisper

“Thank you again. I really appreciate it, Jesse.” I smiled sweetly and replied “No problem-” he quickly said “Lukas.” I then gave in to the subsided pain and drift off beside him.

A/N I wrote this for my English Language mock exam, and I got loads of marks for it! The only difference is the names (hey, I didn't want my classmates to know I like the game!).