The
village I’m from is nothing like the surrounding ones. Their sturdy, plain
structures seemed almost shabby compared to our elaborate buildings and grand
castles that looked as if they touched the sky. The main part of the village is
built around a large chasm with a waterfall and lake in the middle. Bridges
make up the large part of our roads in that area – some made of elaborate
stonework while others are tiny, rickety wooden planks. Even the outer portion
of the village, down the mountainside in a flatland, still boasted buildings
with odd curves and materials that were rare in our area in the world.
Despite
the beauty of my surrounding environment, I can’t help but grow more depressed
every time I look around at all the empty homes and shops in the village. Two
weeks ago, my brother was killed by a zombie. He was my last living relative
and the only other person in the village. None of the other villages have come
to our aid since the monster invasion began six years ago. Since that time our
thriving community has slowly dwindled until there was only myself left. How is
one person supposed to protect, maintain, and repair all of these buildings? How
is one person supposed to survive this world alone?
Every
day begins at dawn with work that can be done inside buildings, due to the fact
that monsters may still be lurking about outdoors. During the six years before
I was alone, we managed to connect a large portion of our buildings with
underground tunnels and secure the inner portion of our village from the
invasion. I harvest food from our indoor fields and prepare and store what I
can. If I have the time, I work on the slow mining to expand the tunnels that
were started by the other villagers. Once the sun is high in the sky, I move my
work outdoors. I tend to the animals and any outdoor crops, I repair any damage
the creepers and endermen caused during the night, and attempt to retrieve any
supplies I’m running low on inside.
When
there were more of us, this would also be the time that we would work on
expanding the village and the castle towering over it. I suppose one could say
we had hopeful minds to believe that there would be future generations to enjoy
what we worked hard to build and protect. We used to also be able to spare the
man power to send out an occasional ranger party or two to gather the supplies
that were located further out from our local lands and scout for any village
that may be willing to send aid to us.
Now any
hope of help has been dashed. Before our last ranger went missing, every report
told of villages full of people who were unwilling to face the beasts that
plagued our people every nightfall. I still catch myself looking off into the
horizon for the army my father promised me would one day come to our aid. I’ve
learned the hard way that no one is coming. Heroes are for fairytales.
To be
honest, I never would have imagined that I’d be one of the last ones standing.
I was young when this all began, and was raised fighting this war against an
infinite army, however I’m not exactly the strongest or most clever of the
villagers who once lived here. I had to learn to dabble in every trade in order
to play my part as the numbers began to disappear; this made me a master in
none of them. I can blacksmith, chop down a tree and saw it into lumber,
garden, bake, build, and mine when necessary. But due to my novice skill,
everything I create turns out bulky and blocky and just good enough to work. It
seems as if no time passes at all before it breaks and I have to make another.
Some of the other villagers used to be able to make tools that would last for
years, but that seems like a dream to me now. Now, everything breaks and everything
decays.
Ever
since I buried my brother, I’ve thought about casting my gear aside and
wandering into the wilderness with nothing but a sword and some bread. Maybe I
could find a fresh start in a village that doesn’t have a mob of monsters on
its doorstep every night. Maybe I could build a little cabin far, far away from
here and live off the land. Anything would be better than to watch these empty
buildings fall down around me, right? Is there any point to living a life in
this huge place alone?
And for
the fourteenth dawn in a row, I’ve awoke with these thoughts racing through my
mind. Finally, I decided to give up this forsaken place and seek out refuge
elsewhere. I can only hope that the beasts do not follow me. I’ve gathered up
only the very basic necessities – sword, axe, pick, food. Right as I was about
to set foot outside of the edge of the village, I paused. Was I really going to
leave my only home? Was I really going to allow those monsters to win?
Yes.
Yes I was. Because this was no life.
I made
a quick sign out of materials laying around and I hammered it into the ground
with the hilt of my sword. On it read:
Please reclaim what I
couldn’t.
-Steve
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