Taken || Book 2 of 2 in the Sam's Back series

12

The night was dark and beginning to age when Scar managed to sneak out of Larry the snail. Cub had insisted on staying with him and was asleep on a sofa, and it had been a challenge not to wake him, but somehow he'd done it.

The jungle was alive as the leaves above rustled in the breeze and the nocturnal animals crawled around in the depths. It was peaceful. The most peaceful it'd been for him in a long time. He appreciated the quiet, warm, calming atmosphere, it was a contrast to his buzzing head that was constantly throwing around memories of Sam and death.

He walked slowly around the edge of the lake, watching as there was the occasional ripple that echoed through the clear water. He could hear a zombie or two in the background and decided to pick up the pace a bit.

The cosy hobbit hole came into view and so did Grian and Mumbo, who smiled at him. Grian looked like he was about to say 'hi' or something of the sort but an arrow flew by them as a skeleton came out of seemingly nowhere.

"Inside?" The short hermit suggested instead. He nodded and they made their way into the wood-lined entrance room.

Once inside, neither of them got a chance to speak before Grian rushed forward into another hug, this time with both of them at the same time. Scar tried his best to hug back without getting in the way of Mumbo, while still including him.

"I thought you were dead." Grian mumbled. Mumbo's arms found their way around both the shorter hermit and Scar.

"I thought I was dead too." Scar said back, a small tear going astray.

"I thought the same." Mumbo said, and Grian just hugged tighter. It was the first time either of them had properly spoken, save for their words of shock and questions when they first respawned. "But we're not dead, we're right here." The words sounded good, seeming to bring just the tiniest bit of sense and hope to the moment.

"I'm so sorry I let it happen though, because Xisuma might not have realised in time and then you really would've been dead and I'm so sorry I got you involved." Scar couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Why are you blaming yourself for what happened?" He asked.

"Because I told you about Sam and he had warned me that if I-"

"Grian, shut up. Don't ever think that what happened was your fault. It was Sam's." Mumbo said firmly. Grian stayed silent, his doubt clouding over. "Would you blame us if this whole thing had been the other way around?"

"No." Grian mumbled.

"So don't blame yourself. Blame Sam." Scar said. There was a moment of silence before Grian nodded.

"Good." Mumbo said, satisfied. "Anyway, was there any reason you wanted us here?" The hug broke apart.

"I just... everyone was talking earlier and I just wanted to see you when we could actually talk, y'know." Mumbo and Scar nodded, it hadn't been the best situation for them to regain themselves earlier. "I wanted to check on you two, are you okay?"

"Personally, I was a bit shaken about not being... well, dead." Mumbo said, being honest because he knew that otherwise Grian would worry.

"Me too." Scar said. "Earlier, did you say Sam was dead?" He hadn't exactly been in a 'taking information in' mood.

"Yes, Xisuma put him on hardcore mode after I... uh, well anyway I killed him when I saw. He was about to leave anyway I think, warning me to to tell anyone else about him otherwise he'd come back." Grian said to them, just being so happy that he had the ability to.

"After you what?" Scar asked.

"Not important." Grian shook his head. They didn't need to know he'd buried their bodies.

"You said he warned you not to tell anyone about him, was that why he came back in the first place? Because you told us about him?" Mumbo asked. Grian nodded.

"I'm-" he was about to apologise, but thought better of it after receiving a Look. "But anyway, are you both okay?"

"As long as Sam's definitely gone, and you and Scar are okay, then I'm okay." That wasn't to say he wouldn't feel the mental consequences of what had happened, but he would get better. He would be okay.

"I'm okay too, and will be even more when a bit of time passes. That is, as long as Cub doesn't hug me to death. I swear I've exchanged two or three hugs with him throughout all of Hermitcraft, but now he won't let me out of his sight, apart from for this which he doesn't know about." Grian chuckled slightly.

"Can we see each other again tomorrow?" Their  short midnight meeting was coming to an end.

"Of course." Scar said and Mumbo nodded in agreement.

"Okay," Grian said. He didn't want them to leave. He wanted to always know they were safe. Mumbo gave him a hug.

"Do you want me to stay?" He'd read his mind.

"Yes please." Grian mumbled. They glanced at Scar.

"I would offer to stay but Cub's at my starter base right now and if I'm not there in the morning he'll probably panic." He said.

"Okay." Mumbo said, chuckling slightly. He let go of Grian and gave the mayor a goodbye hug, then Grian did the same.