A/N Image above is drawing of The Assassin.

The sun came pouring through the small gap in between the curtains and just so happened to glare right in Steve's face. He groaned and tried to ignore it, but the sunlight seemed to intensify its glare. With a sigh of defeat, Steve started to sit up but was forced back down when the pain came shooting in every direction through his body.

One of his eyes was swollen shut and his lip was cut open and swollen as well. He could tell that his leg was injured excessively in some sort by the huge cast that was almost too heavy to move. His arm also had a brace wrapped around protectively and bandages were stretched across every scrape and cut he had.

With his one good eye, Steve spotted a healing potion on the small desk near his bed and snatched it quickly. He tipped the bottle back and drank until not one drop was left. Already feeling the pain subside a bit, Steve pushed himself up so that his back was resting against the wall.

Steve was surprised to see Donny laying on another bed on the other side of the room. He didn't look too well either. One of his legs had a cast that was even bigger than Steve's and was propped up by a couple of pillows. He looked like he was on the brink of death with all the bruises and cuts he had.

In the corner of his eye, Steve noticed a pair of wooden crutches resting against his book case. He glanced warily at his leg before stumbling of the bed and landing on the ground with a thud.

"Ow." He muttered as he laid there to catch his breath a bit. From there he crawled over the the book case, but made sure not to put his weight on his broken leg. Once he reached the crutches, Steve grabbed them both and, with all his strength, pulled himself up until both crutches sat comfortably under his arms.

Moving was slow and sluggish, but it was better than not being able to move at all. With one step at a time, Steve made it over to Donny's bedside and plopped down on a nearby chair. He shook his head in dismay; Donny's injuries seemed even worse up close.

"I guess you were caught in the explosion too, huh?" Steve said with a sad chuckle. Donny didn't respond, of course, leaving Steve to sit in silence as the pain slowly left his body from the potion.

Steve decided that the potion finally started working and stood up from the chair, wobbling as he was trying to regain his balance. He readjusted his crutches and took one last look at Donny, but noticed something he hadn't noticed before. The top button on his shirt was missing, revealing a small scar or mark on his skin. He leaned in and pulled the shirt down a bit more and gasped at what he saw.

There was a dark purple scar, shaped in a circle with a thicker line running down the middle, covering over his heart. The scar was so neat and precise that it had the appearance of maybe a cat eye or-

"An ender eye." Steve uttered, astonished. Just then, a scream was heard from the other room and Steve ripped his thoughts away and immediately made his way out of the room.

Even at the end of the hall, Steve could see the four men holding Casey down. He stumbled down the hall without falling at all and went into the kitchen. He knew that fighting up close with a sword was out of the question, so he searched for his secret chest that even Alex didn't know about.

Once found, he grabbed his bow and stack of thirty-two arrows and rushed over to the back door. His crutches laid still on the floor so he was moving on pure adrenaline. Steve opened the sliding window and set up his first shot. The arrow flew past the group and hit a nearby tree, but luckily none of them noticed.

C'mon, Steve. Aim and fire. Simple as that.

Steve took in a deep breath before shooting another arrow. This one connected with the guy closest to Steve, and he fell to the ground with an empty thud. The other guys noticed, but otherwise didn't care and kept moving at the same pace. Steve let another arrow fly, hitting one in the arm. He stumbled in pain, but still helped drag Casey to where ever. Two arrows later, and the guy lay motionless on the ground.

The two left definitely noticed the attack and started to run with Casey, though it looked more of a gallop. Steve put two arrows on his bow this time, each landing on the leg of one. He repeated this until both men were on the ground, motionless like the others. He stood up from his crouch position and stared out the window to make sure no others were left. After the silence settled, Steve limped over to his crutches and took a while to adjust them correctly.

He limped out of the kitchen walked out of the wide open door, noticing Dare laying unconscious on the ground. Casey wasn't too far away from him and laid in the same state as Dare.

Steve wanted badly to rush out there and help them, but it wouldn't do anything with him in his condition and just waste time. Peering around the room, Steve's eye caught the old blocky phone that he only used during emergencies. He limped over as quickly as possibly and fell back into the couch. He reached over the arm and dialed the castle's number.

Hopefully the office wasn't blown up. Steve thought anxiously. After a few rings, the phone was answered by a rather depressed woman.

"Hello?"

"Abigail? This is Steve, Notch's brother. I need you to send him down to my house now." Steve urged. Abigail sighed deeply on the other side.

"I can't do that. He's already too busy with other tasks." Her monotone voice was so unlike her, that Steve had to make sure it was her before responding.

"Okay, fine. Could you send the guards Gabe and Wilson down to my house then? Please?" He was basically pleading her. She told him to hold for a minute, leaving various clicks and stressful voices in the distance. After almost exactly a minute, she returned back to him.

"They said they'll be down as quickly as they can."

"Okay, thank you." He hung up the phone and stared at the blank TV screen in front of him. Where's Alex? He thought to himself suddenly as he noticed the bleak, empty house. His eyes widened when he realized there was someone else he should be worrying about.

What happened to Herobrine?

Wait, what happened before the explosion?

It was like his memory had been completely wiped out of his brain. He could remember the conversation with Notch about Andrew's secret involving Herobrine, but the memory ran cold when he started to storm out of the room. The memory picked back up with him facing Herobrine laying on the ground in pain. His arm crooked beneath him and the blood starting seep into his clothing.

That wasn't the worst part, though. The worst part was that he couldn't remember a single detail of how either of them became so beaten up. A fluster of questions swirled around as he attempted to get answers from Herobrine, but was in such a daze he didn't even acknowledge Steve's presence at the time.

No, that wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was what came next. Herobrine snapped out of his daze and it was as if all the pain washed away. He sat quietly and attentively for a fraction of a second before a look of horror crossed his face.

It was as if some magical being granted Herobrine his inhuman strength again because in his condition, he shouldn't have been able to walk. He grabbed Steve and tossed him across the room like he was a football. Miraculously, he landed without getting hurt worse than he was.

Confusion settled in and he had to strain to hear what Herobrine was shouting.

GET BEHIND THE THRONE NOW!

Those words echoed through the room and he dove behind the oversized chair with no question. He peeked from behind to see Herobrine limping as fast as he possibly could away from the wall. In one heart stopping moment, Steve witnessed his brother fall to the ground, unable to get up. He had no idea what was going on. When he saw the explosion hit Herobrine seconds before he was enveloped in the rubble as well, he knew his brother had sacrificed himself just so Steve would be alright.

Then the explosion made its way towards Steve, and that's when the memory ended. He was left staring wide eyed and breathless at the blank wall. He hadn't recalled the memory since the incident, but then again he was unconscious until a few minutes ago. Left in the dreadful silence of his thoughts, a pair of footsteps were heard in the near distance before the creaking of wood signaled that the person had entered his house.

"Steve? What the nether happened out there? And aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Wilson said, panting a little.

"No time to explain. I need you and Gabe to bring in Casey first, then Dare. Don't mind the other guys out there." Steve said while ushering Wilson out the door. Wilson stared at him like he lost his mind before taking off out the door. With only one crutch, Steve awkwardly limped down the hall and back into his room. He ignored Donny and went straight to his large bookcase. After examining the spines of all his books, he found his old book that identified all the different types of healing potions.

He also swiped his encyclopedia of every potion that could be made. Just the two books were already a heavy load for him so he started to make his way back into the living room. He saw Casey laying uncomfortably on the couch and he assumed they were both outside trying to lug Dare into the house.

Steve grabbed his other crutch on his way back to his room making the trip a little bit easier. He opened up a chest next to his Book case and pulled out a smaller black bag filled with various potion ingredients. He hurried his way into the living room for the last time right as Wilson and Gabe dropped Dare none too gently on the floor.

"Steve? What the nether happened?" Gabe asked, exhausted from carrying the weight of Dare. "And why are there four dead guys on your front lawn?"

"Guys, I just woke up a few minutes ago so I won't be able to explain a lot to you." Steve gave as a heads up. He waited a moment before continuing.

"I woke up this morning-"

"We know that. Just tell us how these two became unconscious and why there are dead people with arrows sticking out of them?" Wilson asked impatiently. He kept glancing over at Casey with a hard frown carved on his face.

Steve glared at Wilson for interrupting him before starting again. "Fine. I heard a scream from my room and raced out of my room to see the front door wide open. Four guys had overpowered her and she was laying unconscious as they were dragging her away.

"I knew that in my physical condition I'd never be able to fight them off. So I hid in the doorframe and shot them until they were all immobilized." Steve finished. While speaking, he had moved to the edge of the couch so that he could examine Casey's face to see if he could find any symptoms caused from the potion.

"By immobilized I assume you mean shot down until they were dead." Wilson spat at him. Gabe had been sitting quietly on the love seat listening attentively to their...conversation.

Steve rolled his eyes, or at least his one good eye. "They aren't dead, I'm sure of it."

"And what makes you so sure?"

"I'm a professional archer, I think I know if I killed a person or not."

"You know what, I don't care anymore. Now what the hell is wrong with Dare and Casey?" Steve couldn't tell if his comment showed true sincerity for them, or if he was just pissed off.

"I don't know. It may have been a potion or a powerful hit to the head or-"

"What's that sticking out of Dare's leg?" Gabe asked in a hushed voice. Steve was expecting some rude comment from Wilson, but brushed it off and limped over to where Dare was laying on the floor. The crutches fell with a clatter to the ground. Wilson found this especially irritating by stomping his foot on the floor.

"What is your problem?" Steve exclaimed giving Wilson a sharp look, who gave one even nastier in return. He scoffed and plodded into the kitchen.

"Don't worry about him. He hasn't been sleeping well lately and the explosion rattled him some. He was always closer to Donny than I was." Gabe explained with a sad smile. Steve nodded, his anger slowly leaving his body. When he settled near Dare's leg, Steve realized why he was unconscious.

"It's...a dart. But wouldn't it take multiple ones to make someone the size of Dare fall out cold like this?" As an example, Gabe flicked Dare's forehead. He didn't even stir.

"No, not exactly." Steve said, a smirk forming on his lips. He was tempted to flick him again, but there were more important matters to deal with.

He gently plucked the small dart out of Dare's leg. In response, Dare groaned loudly in pain, but settled back into the slumber he was in. Steve raised an eyebrow before examining the dart.

"This type of dart is heavily loaded with toxins, and the smallest amount of a healing potion so it doesn't kill its victim. These are actually quite rare. The people who attacked them weren't ordinary bandits." Steve explained with astonishment.

"So, what? Casey and Dare are special somehow? So much that criminals wanted them?" Gabe asked.

"Well that just makes it sound creepy."

Gabe shook his head and turned his back to Steve. "Prolly because of their powers." He muttered to himself. At least, he thought it was to himself.

Steve froze, and suddenly the dart didn't interest him anymore. He forced himself to glance over at Gabe. "What do you mean by powers?" He asked, nervously chuckling.

Gabe tensed up when he realized that Steve heard. "Uh...nothing. I was just muttering nonsense." He covered with a nervous smile. Steve stared at him, his breath rapidly increasing by the second.

"How do you know?"

"Know what?"

"I'm not stupid. How do you know about their...powers?"

"How do you know about their powers?"

Steve stared into Gabe's eyes, which held no emotion other than anxiety. He relaxed and sighed heavily causing his chest to swell up with pain. He had temporarily forgotten about his injuries to his body. But he shook the pain away like an annoying mosquito and forced himself to concentrate on the situation at hand.

"When I was gone, I wasn't kidnapped by an enderman. I mean I was, but the story is different from the one I told everyone else." Steve began to retell his tale of how the chaos all started, leaving out certain details (most dealing with Herobrine). It had seemed so long ago that Steve had to dig deeply to remember certain details. Of course he didn't tell Gabe everything, but mainly focused on Casey and Dare as Enders.

Wilson came fuming back into the room right as Steve was retelling the part where they all went the wrong way while trying to get back to the house. Both Steve and Gabe quickly dropped the story and actually started tending to Dare.

Steve graciously opened the old, dusty potion book and peered down at the book until he reached his desired page. It dealt with certain mobs and the types of healing (or harming) potions that are useful to them. Tilting the book away from Wilson so he couldn't see, Steve skimmed over the enderman classification page.

After many tense minutes and plenty of sarcastic remarks, Dare was resting peacefully on the couch and Casey on the love seat. Wilson had calmed down so that he didn't give off the aura of hating anyone and everyone who even looks at him.

Out of the eerily quiet, yet calm room, Gabe sighed heavily and turned casually to Steve. "So, where's Alex?"

Steve shrugged, uninterested. "I dunno."

Gabe's forehead creased in worry but he looked away before anyone really took notice. "Oh. I hope she's alright." He mumbled.

"She's probably down in the village or marketplace. No need to worry." Steve didn't even believe his own pitiful attempt at a lie. Truth was, he was extremely worried about her, especially considering the event that had unfolded before him not too long ago.

"Yeah, I bet Alex is fine." Gabe said, sounding like he was trying to encourage himself.

Wilson hadn't said anything for the past few minutes, staring at the blank television set. He coughed and blinked until the daze left his eyes.

"Have you looked at those people out there yet?" He asked.

Steve's eyes widened and he shook his head quickly. "No, I completely forgot they were out there."

Gabe stood up from his spot on the ground and walked rather slowly towards the door. He stuck his head out the door and a couple seconds later came back in with a puzzled look on his face.

"There's no one out there. It's as if four dead guys weren't there at all-"

A loud hiss was heard outside with a small explosion far enough so none of them were affected, but the sound triggered something in Steve and he clutched his head in pain. Wilson and Gabe both grabbed their swords and rushed out of the house while Steve was left trying to wipe his traumatic experience out of his mind.

Oh, are you alright? I didn't realize how much the sound would affect you.

Steve's memories instantly cleared and he protectively held onto his crutch, easing his way back on his feet. The voice. He grew to hate the voice and the atmosphere it brought with it. But this time it was different.

It felt...closer.

"Maybe I did know how it would affect you after all." Steve turned his back to the door, eyeing the woman in a black mask covering half her face and skin tight suit that held numerous weapons.

"Stevie, Stevie. I'm so happy to finally meet you, but I must go quickly for your friends may come back before I get what I want." Her dark chuckle and intimidating posture kept Steve in place, unable to break away from her deadly gaze.

"Ah, I'm not worried. Goodbye, Steve. You'll miss me...and Casey."

Her eyes lit up, shining through the room. Before he could react, The Assassin grabbed ahold of Casey and teleported away, shrouding the room in despair and darkness.

Steve stared at the love seat where Casey had been resting peacefully moments ago.

What's going to happen to her?

He glanced behind at the wide open door to see Gabe and Wilson fighting numerous men draped in black clothing.

He looked down at the ground because it was the only place he could look without disaster tolling through the thick, dense air. Swords and screams clashed together in the air outside while the deafening silence caved into the room. Steve sank back into the corner of the room where his vision and the sounds all blurred together.

Ever wonder why water affects Enders they way it does? I've thought about experimenting to find the answer to that question. I guess I can finally do it since I now have a test subject.

The voice died away, just like his spirit did.

•••

Hello everyone! So I'm at a crossroads with this chapter. It seems kind of pointless considering I left the same cliffhanger on the last chapter as I did this one. But, then again, this one is a lot more important. Eh, oh well.

I can't help but feel bad for Casey. I know I'm the one who wrote it like that, but still. I'm kinda evil... Eviler than Herobrine.

That's not possible.

Thanks, Hero, for your input in my author's note. *eye roll*

You're welcome.

*facepalms* So anyways...thank you all for reading this and I will see ya next chapter.

-Crazy