Withered

Chapter 1

"Now, these people were promised greatness!" Ivor throws his arm over his shoulder, stepping into Gabriel's spotlight, Ivor's burning fury radiating from him. "And I'm ready to deliver."

Ivor huffs, shaking mad as he retreats to the backstage. "I'm sorry this is how they had to learn the truth."

He's going to set off the monster.

Stop him.

"Gabriel!" I throw my arms up madly, he can't waste anymore time! "You have to stop him!"

Ivor flicks the switch, and Gabriel still doesn't move! Not even when the almost complete wither rises from the shadows. What unseen force is playing with him so much that he can't even move a muscle to protect everyone here?

"Nothing built can last forever Gabriel." Ivor pulls Petra's wither skull from his robe, strolling over without hesitance to the monster. Which finally pulls some reaction from Gabriel.

"Ivor no!"

Gabriel reacted way too late and Ivor places the skull. An explosion pushes my head down, unholy cries already piercing my ears. Fear clenching my heart. Total and utter fear, and I know with every ounce with my being, chaos has been unleashed.

Shit, why didn't Gabriel stop Ivor!?

Adrenaline wastes no time to fly through me again, my head snapping around wildly. First to check my friends, and then to spot Ivor picking himself off the ground. Hate still woven into his soul.

"Creature, attack!"

The thing lets out a monstrous cry, flying freely as everyone else's adrenaline forces them to beeline to the door. I glance at my friends, seeing the same terror on their faces, and figure it's a really good idea for all of us to run away too.

The monstrosity screeches, and I whip my head back to it only to jump wildly to the side when a freakin' skull is launched at me!

Rueben squeals too, and I glance back at the carter that could have been my body should I have reacted a second too late. With shuddering breaths I back away, Rueben shivering and pressed up against me in fear.

Suddenly that iron golem doesn't seem so scary.

BUT HOLY CRAP HERE COMES ANOTHER ONE!

I scramble out of the way, the flaming skulls leaving carters in the ground. Ohmygosh... ohmygosh... what the heck was Ivor thinking? How could anything so disastrous do any good?

And then, just because this thing was scary enough, the walls shake. I whip my head side to side, the walls literally crumbling apart and being sucked into that thing. All the colors draining from them as they get closer, the monstrosity using it to build a shield around itself.

All the life from my friends' faces also drain away, their eyes wide and jaws slack as they stare at a black storm beings to brew. I gotta get them away, we all need to get out of here now! I'm not letting any of them get killed because they forgot how to run away!

"Everyone stay calm! This foul beast is no match for me." Gabriel draws his sword, and I gulp. Doubt strikes me, this thing... it doesn't seem like a mere sword will be able to kill it.

"Creature!" I take a brief second to glare absolute rage at Ivor. "Attack!"

Gabriel jumps up, swinging his sword powerfully at the strange machine block... only for a sharp clang to ring and throw the mighty warrior helpless to the ground. Panic rushing through me, Gabriel didn't even scratch the monstrosity. We're so screwed. We need to run. This is a Wither monster, if the stories about these things are true, we have a monster that only the freaking Ender Dragon itself is stronger than it.