The Phantom Virus

  Books by Mark Cheverton

  The Gameknight999 Series

  Invasion of the Overworld

  Battle for the Nether

  Confronting the Dragon

  The Mystery of Herobrine Series: A Gameknight999 Adventure

  Trouble in Zombie-town

  The Jungle Temple Oracle

  Last Stand on the Ocean Shore

  Herobrine Reborn Series: A Gameknight999 Adventure

  Saving Crafter

  The Destruction of the Overworld

  Gameknight999 vs. Herobrine

  Herobrine’s Revenge Series: A Gameknight999 Adventure

  The Phantom Virus

  Overworld in Flames (Coming Soon!)

  System Overload (Coming Soon!)

  The Birth of Herobrine: A Gameknight999 Adventure

  The Great Zombie Invasion (Coming Soon!)

  Attack of the Shadow-Crafters (Coming Soon!)

  Herobrine’s War (Coming Soon!)

  The Gameknight999 Box Set

  The Gameknight999 vs. Herobrine Box Set (Coming Soon!)

  The Algae Voices of Azule Series

  Algae Voices of Azule

  Finding Home

  Finding the Lost

  This book is not authorized or sponsored by Microsoft Corp., Mojang AB, Notch Development AB or Scholastic Inc., or any other person or entity owning or controlling rights in the Minecraft name, trademark, or copyrights.

  Copyright © 2016 by Mark Cheverton

  Minecraft® is a registered trademark of Notch Development AB

  The Minecraft game is copyright © Mojang AB

  This book is not authorized or sponsored by Microsoft Corp., Mojang AB, Notch Development AB or Scholastic Inc., or any other person or entity owning or controlling rights in the Minecraft name, trademark or copyrights.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Sky Pony Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

  Sky Pony Press books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Sky Pony Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or info@skyhorsepublishing.com.

  Sky Pony® is a registered trademark of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.®, a Delaware corporation.

  Visit our website at www.skyponypress.com.

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

  Cover design by Owen Corrigan

  Cover artwork by Thomas Frick

  Technical consultant: Gameknight999

  Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-0683-5

  Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-0680-4

  Printed in Canada

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  As always, I’d like to thank my family for their support through all my crazy writing binges and Skyping with schools and radio interviews and … It seemed endless at times, but their support has helped me to make it through without going too crazy. Credit should go to my editor, Cory Allyn, and the great people at Sky Pony Press. They all help to polish up the story and make it really sparkle. These books would be just a dim reflection of themselves without their help. To all my readers who have taken Gameknight999, Crafter, Digger, Hunter, Stitcher, and Herder into their hearts: thank you for all your support.

  A big THANK YOU goes out to Shari Thomas for her dedication and kindness, and to Hilary Northrop for her ever-present smile and magic gum; you two are our heroes. Another big THANK YOU goes to Inge Jacobs for her constant help, support, and understanding. And a gigantic hug and THANK YOU is saved especially for Christine Jones, whose tireless efforts and dedication help countless children. We are forever in your debt.

  Our choices and actions define who we are and how others see us. Do people see the real you, or just the convenient you?

  CHAPTER 1

  SIGNS

  The blinding sphere of light slowly faded around Gameknight999, and he could see the blocky landscape that now surrounded him. A long stream of water fell from an outcropping high overhead, forming a small pool of water at his feet. The spray from the water felt cool on his skin. Wiping the moisture from his face, Gameknight felt a flat cheek under his stocky rectangular fingers. He held his hand out in front of him and spread his fingers wide. They were like long, square sausages. He grinned.

  That falling water had probably saved his life when he’d first entered Minecraft. He could still remember that first terrifying battle with the giant spider. The monster had carelessly jumped into the flowing water in an attempt to attack him. Trapped in the turbulent liquid, the spider had been unable to defend itself, allowing Gameknight to finish it off … his first kill. What a terrible way to remember your first adventure within Minecraft: the death of another creature, he thought, his grin fading.

  “Are you just gonna stand there looking like an idiot until the sun sets and the monsters all come out to greet you?” a voice said from behind.

  Gameknight turned to find his friend, Hunter, standing there in full diamond armor, her red curls spilling out from under the shining helmet. Waves of iridescent magic flowed across the glacial blue coating, casting a soft purple glow around her feet and bathing the nearby oak in sparkling light. Behind her, Gameknight could see two horses tied to a fencepost sticking up out of a clump of grass. The horses were happily leaning down and munching on the thick green blades.

  She looked up over his head, and Gameknight knew she was looking at the letters floating in the air above him; this signified him as a user. Craning her head up even higher, Hunter searched for the server thread that would attach to the top of his head and extend up into the sky. The server thread connected any normal user to the server, allowing him to play the game from the physical world. But Gameknight knew he had no server thread. He was not just playing the game; he was actually in the game. All of the feelings and smells and sounds that happened within the game were very real to him. With his father’s invention, the digitizer, Gameknight999 had been transported into Minecraft and was now part of it. He was the User-that-is-not-a-user.

  “Oh … ah … yeah, I’m ready,” Gameknight said clumsily. “It’s always a little bit of a shock coming back into the game using my father’s invention.”

  “I thought he smashed it after he captured and destroyed Herobrine,” Hunter said.

  She untied the horses and handed one of the ropes to Gameknight.

  “No, he just demolished the computer that ran the digitizer. It was no problem hooking a new computer up to the digitizer and loading the software.”

  “You sure the Herobrine virus was completely destroyed?” Hunter asked.

  Gameknight nodded.

  “He’s toast,” he said proudly.

  “Toast?”

  “Oh, yeah, um … toast is what you get when you heat up bread,” Gameknight explained. “The surfaces of the bread get cooked and turn brown and …”

  “I stopped listening to your explanation after you said ‘toast,’” she said. “You should just make reference to things that are in Minecraft. How would I know what ‘toast’ is?”

  “Good point. But yeah, Herobrine is still destroyed,” Gameknight said. “He’ll never hurt us again.”

  She sighed, but in a good way, and Gameknight could see her visibly relax. Reaching into her inventory, she tossed him his armor and weapons. He quickly put them on, then drew his enchanted sword and held it up into the air. Sadly, Gameknight always felt better when he had a sword in hi
s hand.

  “Then let’s get moving,” Hunter said. “Herobrine might be gone, but I still feel better when we’re close to the village.”

  "Me, too," he said as he leapt up into the saddle, Hunter following closely behind. “I know that Herobrine’s gone, but I can’t help still feeling nervous. We’ve been living under the threat of total destruction for so long, it's hard to just turn off feeling scared, like it was a switch.”

  They spun their mounts around and headed out of the shallow basin toward the distant village. Hunter kept her enchanted bow in her hand as they rode. Even though it was daytime and it was unlikely that they’d be attacked, Gameknight knew that she always liked being prepared.

  They rode in silence, moving through the blocky landscape at a gentle trot. Soon the lush, rolling hills of the grassland biome gave way to a thick oak forest. It was quiet in the forest, too; the only sound was the clip-clop of the horses’ hooves. Gameknight would have expected to hear the occasional moo of a cow or bleat of a sheep, but there was nothing. Was it just nerves making him so suspicious, or was something actually going on?

  “You hear that?” Gameknight asked.

  “What?” Hunter relied.

  “I don’t hear any sounds at all,” Gameknight said. “Something’s wrong. We have to hurry back.”

  “What are you talking about?” Hunter said. “Herobrine is gone, and I don’t see any monsters anywhere. There’s a difference between having frazzled nerves and actually doing something silly because of unfounded fears. Do you really think that problems always happen when you come into Minecraft? Aren’t we a little self-centered?” She gave him a silly look, crossing her eyes, then laughed. “Relax, there’s nothing wrong.”

  “I’d still feel better if we got to the village sooner rather than later.”

  Kicking his horse, Gameknight shifted to a gallop as he steered around the thick trunks of the oak trees. Hunter accelerated and matched his speed. As they rode, Gameknight continually looked left and right, ready for a skeleton or spider or zombie to jump out and attack. But nothing happened. Finally, a cow mooed in the distance, and Gameknight999 relaxed a little, glad to hear the animal’s voice.

  When they reached the end of the forest, the sun was nearing the horizon. Long, dark shadows crept out from the base of the forest trees, stretching across the grassy plain ahead like spooky fingers.

  Gameknight smiled and relaxed a bit when he saw the village; after so many adventures inside of Minecraft, it actually felt a bit like home. A high cobblestone wall surrounded the collection of buildings, with tall archer towers standing vigilant along the fortified barricade. Urging their horses across the plain, they headed for the wooden bridge that spanned the village’s moat and led to the open twin iron gates.

  To the side of the village, Gameknight could see his own castle. Dark purple-black walls of obsidian circled the central keep, forming a perimeter. The cobblestone and obsidian structure that sat at the center of the castle rose high above the barricade. It narrowed as it climbed to the sky, until there was just the smallest of rooms at its peak.

  Around the castle, defenses jutted out from the midnight walls, but Gameknight could see that none were manned. Since the destruction of Herobrine, life inside Minecraft had been peaceful, with axes and hoes replacing swords and bows.

  “You see, I told you nothing was wrong,” Hunter said. “All is as it should be. The great Gameknight999 has no monsters to slay and no great battles to win. All this peace and quiet is making you restless!”

  Gameknight harrumphed as he put away his own enchanted bow and crossed the wooden bridge that led across the moat. Dismounting, he held the reins of his horse and walked through the double doors, uncertain what to expect.

  Suddenly a rocket streaked up and exploded in a shower of color high overhead. Gameknight jumped in surprise, his hand instinctively reaching for his weapon, but instead of screams, cheers echoed off the walls and buildings as the villagers emerged from behind the wooden homes, shouting his name and smiling. Gameknight frowned slightly at being so jumpy as he dismounted. A young girl came running up, her curly red hair bouncing about her shoulder with every step. She jumped into his arms, a huge smile on her face.

  “Gameknight!” she yelled.

  “Stitcher … I’m glad to see you too,” he replied as he caught Hunter’s younger sister in his arms.

  “She seems happy to see you. We all are,” a young NPC said.

  Gameknight set the girl down and turned to the villager. The young boy was clothed in a black smock, a gray stripe running down the center. The dark clothing made his blond hair seem to glow with a golden light. The only thing that could possibly be brighter were his shining blue eyes.

  “Crafter, my friend, it is so good to see you again,” Gameknight said.

  The young NPC smiled and nodded. “We are all happy you have returned,” Crafter replied. “I thought perhaps a celebration might be in order. Later we’ll …”

  “Gameknight! Gameknight!” A lanky boy was running full-speed toward him.

  “Slow down, Herder!” Gameknight shouted, but it was too late.

  The young boy tried to skid to a stop, but instead smashed into the User-that-is-not-a-user, knocking him to the ground. Crafter helped the boy up as a pair of large hands reached down and helped Gameknight to his feet. Looking up, the User-that-is-not-a-user found Digger standing over him.

  “Is everyone OK?” Digger asked, his booming voice sounding like distant thunder.

  “Yeah, I’m OK,” Gameknight replied. “Herder, are you all right? What were you thinking, charging toward me like that?”

  “Come quick, come quick, there’s something wrong with my pigs and cows,” the lanky boy said.

  Spinning around, Herder streaked to the animal pens, his long black hair flying behind him like a long stringy flag. Gameknight looked at Crafter and smiled, then followed the boy.

  They were all shocked when they reached the pen holding the village’s pigs. The little pink animals were all walking backward, something that was impossible in Minecraft.

  “What’s going on here?” Gameknight asked, looking at Crafter.

  “I don’t know,” the young boy replied. “I’ve never seen pigs do this before.”

  “Look, there’s a sign in the middle of the pen,” Digger said. The stocky NPC moved around to the side of the pen so he could see the writing.

  “What does it say?” Crafter asked.

  Digger looked back at his friends, a confused look on his face.

  “I don’t understand it,” Digger said.

  “What does it say?” Hunter asked, having now joined the group.

  “Well … it says ‘KROP’?”

  Gameknight laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” Crafter asked.

  “Read it backward,” he replied.

  Crafter thought about it, then smiled.

  “And look at the cows!” Herder yelled, pointing to the brown spotted animals.

  Gameknight turned and ran to the cow pen. He didn’t need to get that close to see what was wrong. The animals were upside down, moving along on their backs, their long legs waving around as they slid through the pen.

  “There’s another sign,” Hunter said as she streaked by. “It says … ‘COM’?”

  Gameknight laughed again.

  “What is it this time?” Crafter asked when he reached his friend’s side.

  “It’s upside-down,” Gameknight explained. “Turn it over and it spells …”

  “COW,” Hunter growled. “Well I, for one, don’t think any of this is funny.”

  “Well, your village has been trolled,” Gameknight explained. “I don’t know how a user did this though, without—”

  “Everyone, come back to the gates!” a young voice shouted from the fortified wall.

  Gameknight looked toward the voice and saw Stitcher standing at the iron doors, her enchanted bow in her hand, arrow notched and drawn. He ran to his friend and drew
his own bow, notched an arrow, then slowly stepped through the doors. He could see a sign sitting on the far side of the wooden bridge. Moving cautiously to the sign, he looked at it and was confused. It was an arrow pointing out onto the grassy plain. He cautiously followed the directions, blades of grass swishing against his diamond boots as he walked. Back from the village, he could still hear the cows and the pigs in the village, the animals apparently not adversely affected by the prank.

  Ahead, Gameknight spotted a bare patch of dirt where once there had been grass. As he approached, a sign appeared out of nowhere. Moving closer to the wooden marker to see what it read, Gameknight felt a drop of liquid hit the top of his head. That’s weird, he thought. I didn’t notice any rainclouds. He reached his hand up without looking, and when he pulled it back in front of his face, he stopped dead in his track. It was green slime! Stepping back, Gameknight looked all around and saw a heavy rain of green spheres falling, but only in a two-block radius around the sign. This is impossible, he thought. Why are all of these weird things happening?

  He heard footsteps from behind, and knew his friends had caught up to him. Staying outside of the green hail, Gameknight moved so that he could read the sign.

  “What does it say?” Crafter asked.

  Gameknight glanced over his shoulder. His friends were spreading out across the grassy plain, their weapons drawn.

  Looking back at the sign, he read the message. His blood turned to ice.

  “Well?” Hunter asked. “You gonna share with us, or keep this a secret?”

  He stepped backward, shaking his head.

  “It says ‘IF YOU THINK I’M DONE WITH U, THEN UR ALL FOOLS!’” Gameknight said.

  “Who wrote it?” Crafter asked.

  Gameknight turned and looked at his friend. He knew his face betrayed the sense of fear that filled his entire being.

  “Are you all right?” Crafter asked.

  Gameknight shook his head. “It’s signed ‘HEROBRINE’!”

  CHAPTER 2

  SPIDERS

  The giant spider watched as the User-that-is-not-a-user struck the sign with a diamond pickaxe, shattering it into a million pieces. The villagers then built a cobblestone structure around the blocks that were covered with the sticky green balls of slime. Sakkir glanced over at the spider next to her, also hidden amid the leaves of the tall oak.