Requested by Clairryan12637
A/N: Hey everyone! It's been awhile and I want to apologize for the period of time I was inactive. I'll try my best to keep the updates coming! Thank you for those of you who have waited and stuck with me! Stay safe!!
•Jesse's POV•
Lukas and I set out to go hunt down monsters, seeking adrenaline and maybe find something valuable on the way.
The moon glows, the darkness of the forest bleached by its light. Trees cast appalling shadows. I shiver at the site of the terrain. Dark, haunting and cold. Completely opposite to the daytime version - bright, welcoming and warm. It almost feels as though the trees themselves are watching us.
I step a bit closer to Lukas for safety. He looks down at me, the pale light of the moon reflects in his eyes.
"What's up?" He asks, looking straight ahead again. I look down at our feet, our paces match.
"Nothing. Just feels... like we're being watched." I said, resting my hand on the hilt of my sword.
"Don't worry, you've got me with you. We make a pretty good team." He replied with a soft smile.
Lukas has an aura to him that just makes you feel safe, even when danger is around every corner. He has the kind of attitude that makes any bad situation appear to have a good side.
We carried on walking, our eyes watching cautiously for any movement in the shadows. Any sounds breaking the silence.
To my left, I hear a twig snap underfoot. My grip on my sword tightens as I stop and turn to see what the disturbance was.
There, standing perfectly still, aiming a razor sharp arrow at us, is a skeleton.
"Get out of the way!" I yell, pushing Lukas down to the forest floor as the arrow whizzes through the air where we had been standing!
"Whoa! Thanks, if you hadn't pushed me down, I'd have been skewered!" He said, his hair ruffled from the sudden act.
I don't reply. Instead, I scramble to my feet and rush to the monster, raising my sword past my shoulder and slashing it across the skeletons body, severing it at the spine.
After it converted to dust, I turned back to Lukas, blowing the loose strands of hair out of my face.
"Phew! Better him than us. Okay, one down, many, many more to go!" I say as I start walking again. Lukas trails behind, now more aware of his surroundings.
While I dealt with the skeleton, he got his bow out, an arrow knocked and ready to shoot.
•••
The sounds of rushing water filled the silence and we came upon a river leading to a plummeting waterfall. On the other side of the river, a cole mine, now abandoned, sits in solitude. Its depths would have beckoned a few stray monsters. Prime monster hunting site.
"Come on. That old mine looks promising. Let's go check it out." Lukas says before wading through the frigid, rushing water. Once he's across safe and sound, I follow his lead, taking the same path he did and coming up on the opposite bank where he lends me a hand and helps me out of the water.
I nod my thanks and we continue.
Lukas enters the colliery and I tag along, sticking close to him. I reach into my pocket, pulling out a lighter and take a torch off the wall, setting it alight to illuminate our path.
We walk for awhile, some areas in the shaft have stalagmites due to the accumulation of minerals dripping from the ceiling of the cave. Minerals that survived the mining that used to happen here.
As I admire the formations, a group of creepers barrels out of an adjacent tunnel, storming towards us! I whip around to see Lukas firing triple shots at each, watching them cease to dust; I rush at two stragglers, spinning my blade as slicing at them, severely injuring them to the point where healing is impossible. They, too, reverted to dust.
Gunpowder lies among the remains of the monsters.
"Ha, just like old times, huh?" I say, still out of breath. I walk up to Lukas and give him a high five.
"Like you always say, 'team work makes the dream work!'"
I smile at him and we tread deeper into the tunnels. Every path decorated in spider webs, grime and rust. Traces of anyone being here as of late are insubstantial.
"Kinda creepy down here. Don't you think we'll get lost? We've made so many turns, it's hard to retrace our footsteps." I say, a little perturbed. Maybe we'll just find the other end of this mine.
The hairs on my arms stand up and I can't shake the feeling that something is about to happen.
As my senses go haywire, a spider launches onto Lukas from its hiding spot from a beam in the ceiling!
"Ugh!" He struggles to get the upper hand, but manages to detach the spider from him, I grab my sword and thrust it at the spiders abdomen, instantly ending its life.
"Ugh I hate spiders. Thanks, Jesse!" He said, dusting himself off. I scan his body for any injuries but for the moment, he seems unscathed.
Soon enough, we stumble upon the exit of the mine. We enter the forest again, breaking in the cool, fresh air, clearing the stuffy mine air out of our lungs.
•••
After being on the hunt for a few hours, sunlight begins to pierce the horizon. Hints of pink and orange peek past the land, the stars now snuffed out.
"Its getting late... early? Eh, never mind! We should head back." I say as we reach the fringe of the forest.
"Yeah, let's turn around." He agrees.
By the time we get back to the river, the sun has fully revealed itself, but still sits low in the sky.
Taking shelter under a large tree is a horde of zombies, without us noticing, they creep up behind us, still being sheltered by the shade.
I only notice them when a guttural, hungry growl escapes one of them. Lukas an I stand back-to-back,
The number of zombies increasing, some coming from the old mine.
As we begin to battle the fiends, one zombie crept up out of my peripheral vision and strikes, leaving a gashing wound on my upper arm. I yelp in surprise and deliver a powerful blow to the zombie, ending it for good. The adrenaline pumping through my veins numbs the pain on my arm.
While I'm distracted by a few zombies, I don't realize that another zombie stalks up to me from behind.
"Jesse! Look out!" I turn to see unhinged jaws ready to tear into me when I'm shielded by another who then takes the blow!
"Lukas! You...why did you do that?! Now you've been bitten!" I yell, now realizing the danger my best friend is in.
Raging, I spring to attention and clutch my blade in a white-knuckled grip and run headlong into the fray.
In my blind fury, I conquer my enemies.
Remembering Lukas, I head back to him and kneel beside him. I forget all about my injured arm.
He's alive but a little worse for wear.
"Lukas, that was brave yet idiotic of you... thank you." I say, moving to rest my hand on top of his. He looks at me, smiling despite knowing his fate.
"You'd have done the same for me. I'm simply paying the debt I owed you for saving me so many times. I never actually thanked you for that." He says, pulling himself up to rest against the trunk of a tree.
Tears prick my eyes as I try to think of a way to save him.
"No! There is no debt to pay! I won't let you die. I won't let you become a monster. There has to be something I can do. Something that can save you!" I retort, tears now streaming down my cheeks. He looks at me, a rueful smile on his face.
"Theres nothing you can do. If you don't want to see me turn into one of them... just kill me here. Now. Its okay." He says, handing me a hunting knife from his pocket.
I glance down at the blade in his open hand and push it back to him, looking at him in the eye.
"No. I won't do it. I'll find help. I'll get a cure!You just have to promise me that you'll stay strong!" I plead with him.
You don't have a choice, Jesse!" He says, his voice filled with remorse.
I look at him, determined. "You're wrong! There's always a choice. So please, stay strong until I get back."
He stares at me silently for a few moments, and then smiles.
"For you? Anything. I'll be strong for you." He replies with a smile.
I smile too, letting the tears flow freely as I embrace him. I don't know what came over me in that moment, but I reach up to his face, one hand snaking to the back of his head a pull him into a kiss.
The moment I register what I'm doing, I pull out of the gesture, my cheeks burning furiously in embarrassment.
Lukas says nothing at all for a short period of time while we sit in heavy silence.
"Um... I'm gonna go find that cure now!" I say as I try to distance myself from the tension as quickly as possible, but before I manage to get away, a hand shoots out and grabs my arm, pulling me back down. I look to Lukas who's smiling.
"Erm...?" I struggle to form my words as my cheeks gain more heat.
He pulls me closer to him and kisses me on the forehead.
"I know you can do it," he pushes me away a bit, "and that was a goodluck kiss for the journey. Not that you need it. I'll see you soon, Jesse."
I get up to leave but stop in my tracks and say, "Oh, and Lukas? If I come back and you're dead, I'll resurrect you and kill you myself!"
That being my final statement, I start on my way agian, back to town, to a physician.
•••
Having finally reached town, I don't seize my running. I burst into the building and demand to see a physician who can provide me with what I need.
"How may I help you?" Comes a soft voice behind the counter.
"I need a cure. Specifically for a zombie bite! Please, be quick about it, o don't know how long my friend can fight back!" I implore with the dainty lady behind the counter.
"Your request shall be fulfilled. I'll go check the back room for a vial of the antidote."
I wait anxiously at the counter, my fingers tapping away on the polished marble finish.
Finally, the lady returns and produces a small, cylindrical vial and I snatch it from her, paying quickly and rushing back to the forest.
What feels like an eternity of running, I come up to the river, and within my reach, Lukas sits weakly under the tree.
I come up to him, galling to his side and producing the small vial.
"Here! Take it. This will save you." I say, once again overwhelmed with emotion.
He cracks his eyes open, bringing his hand up to shield himself from the blistering sun.
He takes it and consumes the vials contents.
Over the course of an hour, Lukas seems to perk up a bit.
"Feeling better?" I say, doubt still playing on my conscience.
"Much. Come on, let's go home." With some effort, he pushes himself up and offers me a hand, pulling me up next to him.
As we come up to the Towns gates, Lukas stops. I stop and turn to look at him.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He says, walking up close to me. He looks down at me before pulling me into a tight embrace.
"Thank you, Jesse. You saved my life. I guess I owe you... again." He jokes.
I hug him back, resting my head on his shoulder. He pulls back and puts his finger under my chin, beckoning me closer to him.
He meets me halfway and we acquaint our lips again. This time, there is no rush.
"Wanna go get dinner somewhere tonight?" He asks after breaking the kiss.
I laugh and we walk back into town together, hand in hand.
Yaaaayyyyyy I'm so glad that I get time to write again! Thank you for the request Clairryan12637!! I hope it was what you expected and I hope you enjoyed it!
Requests are open again, so please send some in!
~ajj221