Withering World [MCSM Fanfiction]

TRANSMISSION: Chapter 25

Petra

If I had just seen Jesse yesterday without Wither, I would've thought she was wearing white face paint today.

"I did what you wanted," she says as her precious smile acts as a surrogate for the sunshine prevailing through wicked clouds. "I stopped working."

"Let's keep it that way until we get back." Lukas finds his own chair, the one Axel sat on the last time we visited.

Jesse pops the cork off her healing potion; her chapped, fragile lips feathering the rim of the bottle as the striking fuchsia liquid bubbles down her throat. She looks back at Lukas and I instantly see the violet undertones in her iris slowly beginning to make an appearance. There's a hitch in my breath and my mind lags when her eyes flicker over to me.

"Jesse, I want you to imagine. Imagine so hard that me and Lukas will return with that blue mycelium and that you'll be okay and that- and... and..."

This must be the tenth time she rests her hand on mine, thumb rubbing the back of my wrist as if I'm the one in physical pain. "I will be okay. And that's because I have an awesome adventurer friend and an amazing author friend who will save us all."

"Screw Wither," I say, the words slipping off my tongue like gravel. I won't cry, but maybe it's because a mental anesthetic has already invaded my system and numbed it completely. "I'll keep on fighting for you, Jesse. Until my body takes its last breath, I'll fight."

"Same here," Lukas remarks.

"I wish I could go with you guys. But all I can do is say take care." This time, she's the one with tears and heartbreak swimming in her eyes.

"Rest up, Jesse. The world will soon need you again."

She bats away her blanket, revealing that she'd been sitting cross-legged while leaning back into her plush, hospital pillow. Her thin yet heavily creased gown swishes along with the rippling polka dots in her every move. "The world needs you now."

Our vulnerable leader glances at the clock on the wall. "You should go."

After a nod of agreement, I stand, patting Lukas's shoulder to signal the end of our time with Jesse.

Remember, brave face, Lukas.

The door shuts, and there's a big emphasis on the sound of it closing - it pounds and echoes in my ears. A shutting door's noise has never felt so guttural and vein-deep.

----

It's the heat of the tunnels slowing me down. Lukas's weighted hair is doing the swooping thing again, and his goggles are barely glued to his head. Unlike how it felt with the thousands of people marching along in front of me when we moved into QZ, the figments of manic spies stalking within the walls are gone; chased away by the strangling arms of growing vines and carpets of moss. The cave has shifted its aura, no longer saddened with a gloom, rather shaken by the whispers of mystery.

"There's the three-quarter mark," Lukas says. "How about a break?"

"First time I'm saying this but sure." I listen to my body without hesitation.

He doesn't stop to judge, probably too tired to even throw a look. Instead, he gracefully lowers himself against the cave's edge, trusting the rocks behind him not to slit his head open when he reclines on them. I follow, though my bandana's far too cherished for it to be sliced at all, so I rely on my posture.

"What's the underneath like?"

This is disastrous. It's also partly why I would've rather come with Jack. I expected more of a, "how long do you think we'll be out" sort of question, but no- instead I have to intimidate him again and shut down his overly busy and curious mind. I'm not an idiot to know that it would end in catastrophe... for him, not for me.

"Well, for a start, it's a bit like QZ with no proper light levels-" My eyes search for his approval.

"No, do tell. I like to hear stories as well as write them."

"Obviously, the sky's all bedrock. It's more mesa than any other biome down there, dystopia material, really. Everyone you meet has lost their sanity. Oh, and you think the mobs here are terrible? Down there, they're living nightmares."

"Yeah?"

"Uh, huh. I hope you're okay with wither zombies, spider creeper hybrids, and endermen the size of the Primary Terminal. And because there's no daylight, they're everywhere, 24/7."

"You're joking." There's an inescapable fear lying behind his unrestful smile.

"Reconsidering your choice yet?"

"Never. For Jesse, never in a million years."

Determination. Cute.

"You fancy her, don't you?"

"No," he jabbers, and I feel the heat radiating off his cheeks. In response, I twist my head cheekily to fully face him, the taunting as subtle as I can make it while I toss him a smirk.

"I'm a human lie detector, Lukas."

"Okay, maybe a little then."

"Thanks for your honesty. Perhaps that's another reason I chose you instead of Jack."

"Alright, alright, no need to deride me." Lukas says.

"I don't even know what that means," I chuckle, removing the single fallen hair on my shoulder that has detached from my scalp.

"Forget it. Let's talk serious - I want you to run me through the plan."

I put a mute on the teasing and revive all the journey's elements, patching it together: Binta's compass, the Primary Terminal and Fred's keep, hopefully where the blue mycelium still is.

****

A/N

You know when I said in my very first author's note that there would be no external shipping... um... I may have just disregarded that by accident.

Oh well, whatever. You can still ship anyone you like in this story, which is why Petra asks if Lukas 'fanc[ies]' Jesse rather than if he 'likes' her.

This chapter also took longer than I thought it would take me. You guys can tell me if it was boring or not, I need the criticism :P

If you really enjoy this story so far, go ahead and give it a vote or leave a comment... or both! You already know I'm thankful for every single one :)

Oh, and just a warning beforehand, there'll be much less of Jesse in the next few chapters since it's just Petra and Lukas going off on their mission adventure thingy. Bear with me if you guys really like hearing from Jesse's perspective. Hopefully, she'll come back.

Obviously, now you'd know whose POV it is next - Lukas! So I'll update you guys soon.

See you in the next chapter!