The Watching Mine

The player descended into the mine expecting the usual silence, but the deeper he went,

the more wrong everything felt. Tunnels he swore he had never carved branched off into

darkness, perfectly smooth, as if someone else had been working while he was gone.

Torches began to vanish behind him one by one, leaving only the dim glow ahead,

and with it came the sound of footsteps that always stopped when he did. His inventory shifted

on its own, blocks rearranging into patterns he didn’t recognize, and a message flickered

across the empty chat despite the world being singleplayer. When he finally noticed the breathing—slow,

patient, right behind him—he realized the mine wasn’t generating anymore.