Ami tightened her grasp on the vines, desperate not to fall. She was trying to use her good arm, but with her luck it seemed she would have to use both. That thought was what frightened her the most. Slowly edging her way to the front door, Ami miraculously dragged herself up, her good arm now sore. Great, she thought sarcastically. As silently as she could be, Ami came close and looked through the doorway. Luke was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Rufus. Rather than make her feel comfort, this unsettled her. Ami took a deep breath, and with a leap of courage slowly creaked open the door.
She tiptoed across the floor, not daring to make a sound. If she had to fight her way out of this, that's just how it would have to be. Mind, she'd rather not, all injuries considered, but she knew she might. Ami checked the entire main room, found nothing, and climbed up the vines to the chest room. Still nothing. She should have expected this. If Rufus was to be anywhere, he may still be in the room she left him in. Ami stepped across the hallway, her heart pounding in her throat, as she drew open the doors to the final room.
Thankfully, Luke was nowhere to be seen. Ami felt her heart rejoice when she saw a familiar looking fur ball curled up in the corner. Rufus was alive! He was badly beaten up, but still alive nonetheless. Ami scooped the wolf in her arms, hearing him make a small noise. Whether it was pain or happiness she couldn't tell. Ami quickly ran on her toes out of the room, into the hallway, scampering down the vine ladder and outside into the crisp air. Using one arm to hold Rufus, Ami took her slightly good arm and slowly dropped down the giant vine ladder leading to the ground.
It was a miracle, she thought. How was Luke not there? Well, it didn't matter now, they were free! Ami's feet touched the chilly snow on the earth below her. Luckily her legs were still fairing well, so she put Rufus in her good arm and ran. She ran and dashed as fast as she could, sprinting away from the Sky House, her home. Well, it wasn't a home so long as Luke was there. Ami felt her stomach boil with anger. This was all his fault! If he could have just played it cool and not tried to kill her, she wouldn't be on the run! Her arm probably wouldn't be all gross, and Rufus wouldn't be so bruised and battered!
"I'll get him for this," Ami growled through her panting. She didn't know if there was a soul around to hear her, or if Rufus was even awake to hear such a comment, but it was more for her to remember. Luke would pay for this, that was for sure.
Fear. Unease. Paranoia. These things constantly shifted around in Ami's mind. The night was upon her, and though she had brought two brand new swords, the question was not if she had the equipment to save her, but if she had the ability. With a cut-up arm to fight with, she didn't stand much of a chance against a group of monsters. She could handle two, at best. Ami already had her sword drawn, and was doing rapid circles around and around to make sure she wasn't missing a grain of sand anywhere.
"Uhhh..." The sound of a Zombie snapped her attention. She hacked away at the creature with haste, quickly killing it and relishing in the award of watching it explode into dust.
"Skree!" The same happened with a spider. One at a time, one at a time. She could make it if they lined up single file. Of course, she knew all good things couldn't last. For when she heard the poof of something else in front of her, something she had never seen before that sent out a bright ball of energy that hit her squarely in the chest, that's when she knew she couldn't handle it. Ami got up, determined to fight. She struck the creature with her sword, sending it backwards, and grinned. Maybe she did have a shot. The creature took something out of its pocket. A vial. Full of a pink liquid.
"Oh, come on!" Ami yelled, angered as she watched the creature restore its health with a potion. She ran towards it again, ready to strike, and was knocked down by a blast of energy yet again. She got up, struggling to see. Swinging blindly. Forced to the ground. Her vision slowly fading, a dark figure jumping in front of her and making an unintelligible noise. Ami blacked out.
"You know, running headfirst into a witch isn't the best sort of strategy." A man's voice said. Ami had just barely woken up, her eyes were still adjusting to the scene around her. She rubbed them with her stub, noticing that the gash on her arm was gone.
"Wha...?" she questioned, looking to the guy sitting beside her.
"It's a health potion, like the one the witches use. Works wonders on all sorts of things. If you're exhausted, boom. Lively as ever. Near death, boom. Healthy as a newborn. Er, if that makes sense." Ami stared at the man, taking in all of his features. Tan skin, short brown hair, a small goatee, and two blue eyes that blinked at her. He wore a loose, light blue shirt and jeans. This certainly wasn't someone that Ami knew.
"Uh," Ami started. "Who are you?" The man suddenly looked a little embarrassed. "Shoot, forgive me. It's been a long time since I've introduced myself to someone. My name is Steve."
"Steve?" Ami repeated, her mind clicking all the pieces into place.
"Yep. That's what I said." Steve looked a little uneasy. "What's your-"
"Do you know someone called Michael?!" Ami blurted out. Steve leaned back in his chair. "Yes. But if you could please give me some sort of information on who you are I might be willing to tell you more."
"Oh, right." Ami blushed. "Sorry. I'm Ami. Michael and I are friends."
"Friends, huh?" Steve cocked his head to the side. "Out of curiosity what made you so sure that Michael and I were known to each other?"
"He talked about you when we got to the sky house," Ami explained. "Michael said that you two built that crazy place together. But...he also said that you parted ways, I think." Steve nodded. "No kidding we separated. I can barely stand that guy."
"What? So you did help build the house...wow. Why did you leave?"
"Why did I leave? I believe the more appropriate question is why wouldn't I? Look," He stood up and walked across the room to a big chest and dug through it.
"During the construction we realized that we had more differences than similarities. We ended up only fighting, so I left to get some peace. Mike was too self-absorbed to bother chasing after me, and too arrogant to stop arguing. That's all that you need to know."
"But-"
"I'm not saying anymore. We both know that we can't get along, so we stopped. Got it?" Ami gave a sheepish nod. Steve sighed. "Okay. Sorry if that came out as harsh, we have quite a bit of history."
"No kidding," she said weakly.
"Here's an idea," he said. "do you want to come out and meet some Villagers? I have to tend to the animals anyway. I can show you around, if you'd like." Ami gave him a confused look. "Villagers?"
"Hello!"
"How are you?"
"I am a helicopter," The voices of what Steve called 'Villagers' surrounded Ami. They weren't the brightest of the bunch - one look told Ami all that she needed to know - but they appeared to be kind, in the very least.
"Steve! Steve!" A villager ran at full speed towards them, screeching to a halt. "There is an emergency!" Steve sighed. "What is it this time?" The Villager ran off down the street, motioning for them to follow. Ami and Steve exchanged glances, following suit. Down the street was where the Villager stood, gazing upwards at a shingled, wooden roof. On top of the roof was another Villager, who seemed to be panicking.
"Aah! How do I get down?!" he exclaimed.
"Just hang on, Villager Number Thirteen!" The Villager on the ground said. "We have help coming for you!"
"Okay..."
As the two approached the situation, Steve slowly grew more disgruntled, slowly pressing his hand to his face. Ami said nothing, instead wondering how this would play out. Steve looked from the Villager, to the other Villager. "Is this what you bothered to drag me out here for?" he asked impatiently.
"Please! We don't know what to do!" The Villager on the ground pleaded. Steve sighed, taking a better look at the house. Something caught his eye on the side of the house.
"There's a ladder on the side of the house. Climb down on that." He shook his head, already marching away from the scene as Villager Number Thirteen made his way down the ladder.
"Thank you, odd man!" Villager Number Thirteen said, beaming at the back of Steve. Steve lifted an arm as he left. Ami trotted along to keep up, giving a small wave goodbye.
"I'd suggest not getting too friendly with them," Steve said as they reached the outskirts of town. "they can be a little...needy." Ami made a face. "Really? I think they're sweet. Idiots, but sweet."
"Idiot is only the tip of the iceberg," he muttered. Ami opened her mouth to say something, but decided not to. She didn't really know these Villagers as well as Steve probably did. Or at least that's what she assumed. Steve looked a little agitated right now, and Ami didn't want to press her luck with this new stranger. She looked ahead to see an oak fence, containing cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens. The fence was huge in itself, and she couldn't count the amount of livestock, there was too many!
"Wow," she breathed.
"It's not that spectacular," Steve shrugged. "I just take a lot of milk and meat with me, just in case I get stranded for a bit. Sometimes I like to travel, too." He opened the squeaky gate, closing it once Ami had walked in behind him.
"You travel?"
"Occasionally. I was going to head out on a small vacation a day or so ago, but that was when I found you facing off against the witch. Figured I couldn't leave a poor soul to die." Steve took out some seeds, and was instantly surrounded by all of his chickens. He smiled as the chickens graciously ate from the pile of seeds resting in his stubs. "Watch this," he said, motioning to two of the chickens that had eaten their share of seeds. The two drew closer together, seeming to almost merge into one another, and before Ami could blink, a small, squeaky sound emerged from in between them. The chickens separated, and a newborn chick had been born. Ami was amazed, to put it lightly.
"Whoa!" she exclaimed. "That's incredible!" Steve blushed. "It's not that big of a deal...I do it all the time. It's just how nature works." Ami looked at him with big eyes. "Are you kidding?! That's the greatest thing I've seen in ages! Michael never had livestock before, and he never did anything like this!" Steve's eyes clouded over.
"That's because Michael doesn't know compassion," Ami's smile faded as her gaze was taken away from the chickens and placed onto Steve.
"What?" she said. Steve stared at the ground.
"Nothing, let's move on. Hey, you want to see me do the same thing to those pigs over there? The piglets are pretty cute. You're a girl, so you probably like cute things, right?"
"Right," Ami said, still staring after him. Her mind was filled with questions, nearly spilling over. How she craved to know more of their friendship, but how the fear crippled her. She sighed, shaking it off and skipping to walk with him into where the pigs, cows, and sheep were grazing. "Where were you going to travel before you found me?" she asked, trying to keep the conversation from taking a darker turn.
"Oh? Well, that's just the thing. I don't know. When I travel I don't really have a destination, I just go. Gives me more freedom. I'm an explorer at heart, anyway. It's a thrilling experience for me, though I don't get to do it often."
"Neat. I've...never really traveled." Ami scrunched up her face, making an attempt to remember something more. "I mean, that's what I think." Steve hesitated for a fraction of a second, but pulled out bundles of wheat and fed the cows and sheep.
"Tell me something," he spoke absent-mindedly. "What memory do you have of before you came here?"
"You mean with Michael? Well-" Ami started.
"No," Steve interrupted. "I mean of before you came to this world." Her face paled.
"How do you know-"
"I know a lot more than you think. Answer my question, please." Ami swallowed the lump that had risen in her throat.
"I can only remember a little bit. I was studying to be a nurse...or my family were doctors...I don't know. But I didn't - don't - want to be a nurse; I can barely stand the blood. I know a lot about astronomy, though. I find that stuff fascinating. ...Er, that's it." Steve nodded, mildly impressed. "You know more about yourself than others in your situation do. That's good." He continued on with his work, saying nothing more.
"That's it?" Ami asked. "Michael came up with the theory that we were in a game a long time ago. We talked about what we all remembered, and-"
"Who do you think gave him that idea?"Steve scoffed. "I knew that jerk would only credit himself when it came to something like this."
"Steve," Ami said. "I get it, okay? You and Michael had it out for each other. But when was the last time you spoke to the guy?" Steve turned his cold, blue eyes on her. "It's been a few months. And for good reason - I shouldn't have to go crawling back to him to make amends."
"I think you should give it a shot," she said quietly.
"Really?" Steve questioned sarcastically, putting away the wheat and pulling out a few buckets. He began to milk the cows, still retaining an air of aggravation.
"And why should I do that?" Ami twiddled her thumbs nervously. "I think you two should make amends. You know, to not have any regrets, just in case something happens."
"Like what? If 'something' is referring to 'death' then tell Michael to be my guest when he goes. I couldn't care less what happens to him."
"I just want to help you two-"
"Maybe I don't want your help!" Steve blurted. He sighed. "Sorry, I shouldn't have yelled. It's a touchy subject. I'd rather stay as far away from him as I can, okay? Now let's go back home. Can you carry some of this milk for me?" Ami nodded solemnly, avoiding Steve's eye and putting a few milk buckets into her inventory.
Things had gotten a little tense between Steve and Ami. Ami didn't want to think low of him, but couldn't help but be hurt by his words against Michael. She helped sort and place all the milk buckets in a chest that Steve was organizing. As she did so, her mind kept replaying Steve's reaction to mentioning Michael. She didn't know why she wanted to get in their business and set things right, but she had somehow committed herself to doing so. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea as she initially thought. Ami glanced out the window, noticing the orange tinge that had settled upon the land. Night would be soon.
"I never get over the sunsets here," she said, breaking the silence. "the same goes to sunrises. They're just so pretty."
"Sunset?" Steve repeated, worry spreading across his face. "Er...I need to go."
"What?" Ami blinked. "But monsters come out, and if you get surrounded -"
"I've been doing this for a while, Ami. I know how to defend myself. Just stay here until I get back, okay? I won't be long." He gave her a reassuring smile, hustling out the door. Ami was left to wonder what that boy was up to. She stared at her sword leaning against the wall.
There wasn't a moment to waste, she thought, grabbing her sword and slipping out of the door after him.
Chaos. Disaster. These were the words that Ami would use to describe the current situation. All of the Villagers were running amok, yelling and screaming as Zombies began to infiltrate their village. She saw the green, walking corpses chase after them, and could only feel the fear that they felt.
"Get in your houses! Everyone, get inside somewhere and don't come out for anything! That's an order! Villager Number Seven, get inside!" Steve's voice rang clearly through the mayhem, commanding Villagers to get inside, to stay safe. The realization kicked Ami in the gut.
Is this what he does every night? she thought briefly, scanning through the crowd. Well, I shouldn't just be standing here, then. Ami furrowed her brow, and charged into battle. She targeted a Zombie just ahead of her that was chasing a Villager. With a few quick slices, the Zombie fell to the ground, gone from this world. The Villager ran in circles, stupidly and aimlessly.
"Hey, get inside!" Ami beckoned at the Villager. He froze for a second, looking at her, and then scampered away into a house as fast as he could. She couldn't believe that had worked. Ami worked her way through the village, slaughtering zombies and ushering Villagers into their houses until she saw him again. Steve was sprinting towards a Villager in close quarters with a Zombie.
"Get out of the way!" he yelled, trying to rush to his side. But it was too late. The Zombie bit into the Villager's flesh, knocking him to the ground and devouring a good chunk of his neck. Ami held both hands to her mouth, unable to look away with the scream caught in her throat.
"NO!" Steve screamed, as his fears were confirmed. The Zombie had finished off the Villager, and now turned to Steve, but was this time accompanied by the dead Villager, who had risen again as a Zombie, his flesh already beginning to rot. Steve blinked tears out of his eyes.
"I'm sorry," he said, hacking his way elegantly through both Zombies. As the Villager Zombie fell, Steve slumped to his knees. Ami slowly approached him, his jumbled words barely making sense.
"Steve?" she asked carefully. Steve jumped, quickly spiraling around from his spot on the ground. His sword was drawn against her, though his hand shook tremendously. As he recognized who she was, Steve lowered his sword and held his head in between his knees.
"I failed," he said.
"Failed? No way. You saved all of these people from a horrible death." Ami motioned to the rest of the village.
"But I let him die. I couldn't do anything about it - he was taken before I could do anything." Ami sat down next to him. "Sometimes we can't prevent what is already inevitable. You did all you could, right? I think that counts for something." Steve was silent for a moment. He took a deep breath, and seemed to gain his senses back. He looked at Ami, eyes stained red and gasped.
"What are we doing outside still?!" He jumped to his feet. "Come on, let's get back inside!" Steve practically dragged Ami back to the house. After Steve had calmed down a bit, the two sat in silence. Neither was willing to talk, and it seemed to be better that way. Eventually, Ami stood up, crawling into the bed Steve had laid out for her.
"I'm going to be heading back to the Sky-House tomorrow," she said, playing with the blanket. "and I was wondering if you would like to come with me." Steve remained still for a while, and Ami assumed that meant no. She lied down, about ready to close her eyes and sleep when she heard him speak up.
"Yes."
ns 15.158.61.51da2
