"Yeah Monica?" I yelled as I walked into the living room, kind of a mess given the blankets and pillows over the floor. Monica pointed to the TV, the news was on.

"Fighting back zombie attacks with hard hitting facts, this is Minecraft News! I'm Adam here with a breaking special in the Herobrine case. After a tough fight on route 70 Central, 16 Year old Ranger De'Fillio has escaped police once more. The last sighting was in the forest surrounding Holly Frost farm and has not been seen scene. Fortunately, Police have captured a suspect thought to be working with Ranger in escape and the Police are offering a 100 Diamond reward for anyone who is able to bring Ranger to justice, and lower 10 Gold rewards for any information with proof. That is all for breaking bedrock news, now to Dan for coverage of the Parrots Vs Bats major league baseball tournament. Over to you Dan!"

Monica turned off the TV and I signed. Jason was in custody, and was going to break sooner or later, giving away where we are. I flopped my hands to my side and fell face first to the couch. "I'm a worthless piece of flesh." I muttered

"No you're not." Monica frowned to me. "Stop saying that. It's only because of that monster you feel like that."

"If you believe that, your just blissfully ignorant." I sighed and walked outside onto the back porch. I thought I herd Monica gasp after what I said.
Michael's backyard wasn't much, it was hardly a backyard. Just a small driveway for a single car with a little patch of grass that lead into a back ally that went to the main road. I felt awful about Jason, he'll probably be tortured because of me if he doesn't give the police answers.

I went to the grass and lied down in the slightly cloudy sky. I really was trying to think here; even if we were able to solve this issue, defeat Herobrine, prove my innocents, and keep me alive, would I ever be normal again? The amount of insanity that has encased my brain and dark forces that poisoned my soul made me wonder if I would ever go back into even a semi normal life.

Would I still have flash backs? What about nightmares? Would I still see hallucinations? I don't know...
But the sun felt nice and warm, just the right temperature to make me feel comfortable and even slightly happy...

"Ranger get up!!" I felt something violently shaking my body. I opened my eyes slowly and saw it was Jake.

"Jake? What's going on?"

"Taylor's missing! I-I think the police got him!! He went out front to do something and hasn't returned for 3 hours!!"

"What?! Did you happen to see where he went and--?! Wait 3 hours?!"

"Yeah you've been napping in the sun. And well... you l-looked happy and-- N-nevermind! It's about 6pm and we need to find Taylor before the sun sets!" Jake got up and ran around into the alley way, I followed him.

"Why did you let him leave the house in the first place?!"

"Look, he said he was going to step outside for some fresh air, then we didn't notice time had passed! Don't blame me for why he's gone."

"Well I'm blaming you until we get an answer."

We both went running down the seemingly abandoned town street, not a soul in sight. Just some trash and leaves flowing in the wind.
It was old Town, seemingly like the economy run down. Supposedly there used to be a coal mine close by, but after it was tapped and all the able body workers left, the town struggled to keep up. It was practically a ghost town with how little life was about.

I glance to my side and see what looks like a small park and playground, and I see the flash of a blue Hoodie. "Taylor?" I yell and chase after it.
I wade between rusty swing sets, hop over an old teeter totter and went around a dirty yellow slide. When I emerged from the playground, I ran down the block, and I saw Taylor in the middle of the street on a small, round-about island, seemingly holding something. He looked terrified, constantly looking over his shoulder. He was hiding behind a tree on the island

"Taylor!! I yelled and races at him.

He was shocked by my voice. "Stay away Ranger!! Get out of here!!" He yelled. He seemed to be holding a brown and beaten up book.

"What's going on?!"

"P-People... bad people!" He paced around a lot, looking constantly. "Here! Take this and go!"

He threw the book to me. Large and heavy that nearly pushed me back from the force of impact. I could barely make out any title or anything, it was clearly very old. "Get out of here!! I'll be fine!"
I saw something behind him, a dark figure cast in shadow behind a tree baring something in hand. I saw what it was, it was some sort of crossbow. I wasn't about to be a pussy with Taylor in obvious danger and ran in towards him.

"Ranger stop!! Take the book and run away!" He yelled, but I ignored his orders.

I saw the figure grow come from behind the tree and seem to pull something into the crossbow and load it. I went rushing and I grabbed his hand and made a 180 turn to go the other way.

*Cur-chunk*

There was a loud cur-chunk sound behind us, the arrow hit the tree. We went running, as fast as our legs could carry.

*Cur-chunk*

"GRAH!"

Taylor fell to the ground. I saw his leg, blood seeped though his pants and an arrow shot into it. He rolled onto his left side, grasping his leg in writhing pain. Taylor struggled to stand as the figure re-loaded his weapon. There wasn't going to be any time to waste, he would reload before Taylor got up
I grabbed Taylor's hand, and practically yanked him off the ground, but he struggled to stand.

I went to look behind him and saw the figure pointing. It was followed by a loud noise, an eminence amount of pain, me feeling myself fall, and blacking out.

~Taylor POV~

I herd a loud sound of something firing and sealed my eyes shut in fear on the asphalt of the road. But I wasn't shot again. No... I was on the ground, but only had one wound in my leg. I was bleeding fast, but I tied my jacket like a tourniquet to steed blood flow. It didn't hit a major vein line, good.

I herd barking dogs and the mutters of voices around me. The sound must have brought them here. I finally opened my eyes, and only saw the worried looks of people. They looked shocked, and depressed by a sight behind me. The mutters had some people curious, other concerned.
Scared... I looked behind... to a sight I never wanted to see in a million years...

Ranger lay dead in the middle of the street with an arrow between her eyes. It leaked fresh blood and her eyes and mouth were open, frozen in time from when she was shot. I gasped... I couldn't breathe. This wasn't happening... this COULDN'T be happening. This is all a dream!! Taylor wake your fucking self up!! Your gonna wake up any moment now, back at the house!!

But it failed. As much as I want to deny it... this was real. Ranger is really dead.
I crawled over to her body, shaking it in a futile attempt in hoping she would be hanging on by thread of life, like when she overdosed. I shook and shook but there was nothing. I felt her neck to her jugular vein...

...There was no pulse...

My tears slipped out and couldn't be stopped. I held her upper body, her eyes void of color and life, frozen in her death animation. I sobbed into her body, the whole town watching me weep. I tried to talk, but nothing came out but wails in sorrow.
I glanced up though the watery eyes and saw Monica, Jake and Nathan, who was walking on his foot, still limping a little. They came rushing to my side. Jake leaned down to feel a pulse, in case I missed in panic, but nothing came up. Only tears and inconceivable words.

"My... m-my fault...." I sputtered. In my desperation to save her, I KILLED HER. I'm the reason she died. If only I hadn't been so afraid and fucking moved, She would still be here. If I hasn't gone out by myself, she would still be here.

My friends looked down in sorrow pain as well, but nothing near close to mine. Monica looked with a gasp... then grew pissed off in the direction of the shot.

"Why? WHY?! We told you her story!! You've damned us all, Michael Khelvan!!"

Coming out from behind the dark shadow, was Michael. The one who took us in, the one who fixed Nate's foot up. The one we thought we could trust.
"Why should I have believed you? You dumped me for that Jason idiot, and where is he now?! Ranger was a monster waiting to be born, She had to die. The law wanted her to die, I saved us all."

"Did you not listen to our story you pathetic cur?!?" Nathan screeched. Everyone else seemed a little shocked at the language. "You damned us all by killing her!! Herobrine will return for sure now that Ranger is dead!"

"The story goes as-

"To the Nether with that story! To the Nether with your beliefs! It's game over for ALL of us now, the world will be razed with fires from the Nether itself, and world will run red our blood. We are ALL dead.
You disgust me you pathetic excuse for a man. I can't believe you. I can't believe I EVER trusted you."

Nate huffed and was about to tackle Michael to the ground if not for Jake holding him back. Michael growled and the crowed up roared.
"Heretic!"
"Traitors!"
"Death to their blasphemy!"
They talked as if the only story that was ever herd was the one true one. But the book I had, proved them all wrong. I looked to the side, to the old brown book I found, a few feet away from me.

"T-The people I found who gave me that... t-that had the answer to it all. T-The P-People. They knew how to stop this... Stop this without Ranger needing to die. And now... it's void. M-Michael... you've damned us all."

Some of the people in the crowed emerged with swords or bows pointed at us and badges, showing they were undercover police officers. Knowing we were screwed if we tried to do anything, held hands high in surrender.

One of them wearing a white shirt and gold badge came forward and held a walkies talkie. "This is Sheriff Burns, we have Ranger dead and suspects apprehended."

~~~~~
DUN DUN DUN!!!!!

Yeah I'll admit the last few chapters have been a little more filler, but hopefully this chapter sparked some plot points! It may also be a little contradicting because they talk like it's a religious story when it's not but still kind of is-It will make sense eventually, I swear.
Thank you for reading and I'll see you next chapter!

Also just as a little fun fact, the whole story idea, you know how I mentioned it was a dream, was actually chapter 8/9 as the start and I just kind of built off that. But you probably don't care so I'll see you next time!