Hospitality
It took him two days to reach the nearest town, and he finally sat down for a much needed rest. Not because of the physical strain of walking for two days, but rather the lack of food and water. The sun was sweltering hot and he was certain he was dehydrated. It should of taken him only a few hours to reach a town, but he found all the nearest ones decimated. He was forced to keep on walking. In fact, the place he was at was less of a town and more of a village. The housing was all camouflaged neatly within a forest which held it and engulfed it. It was a great hiding place from the androids. He'd only been there a few minutes when someone noticed his sickly state. "Hey there, son, are you okay?" asked an elderly man who was walking with what appeared to be his granddaughter. He shook his head, honestly answering the question.
"What's the matter?" the man asked, approaching him, offering a shoulder to cry on if need be.
"Androids...killed Amy....." 001 paused to catch his breath, only now realizing how exhausted he really was, "..walked here, so hungry..." His eyes rolled back and he promptly fell over, unconscious.
He awoke sometime later, and presumably, it was currently night. He was laying on a futon, or what he thought to be a futon, with a cold washcloth on his forehead. He sat up, feeling much better than he had earlier from getting some much needed sleep. His stomach rumbled a loud complaint and he held a hand over his abdomen, trying to will it into silence. No one seemed to be present, so he exited the tent he was in to find some company. It was dark and still, but somehow he could sense the presence of many individuals around him. He felt someone gently place a hand on his elbow. "We don't keep fire goings at night," someone whispered lowly, "the androids would be able to find us." He nodded, his eyes adjusting themselves further, and he could make out the figure next to him.
"You must be hungry," the lady continued, then he felt something being placed into his hand, "Eat. I'll get you something to drink."
Judging by the size, texture, and scent, he assumed the woman had handed him a piece of bread. He nearly drooled and jammed the grain product into his mouth, chewing it zealously as hunger overtook him. It wasn't much of a meal, and it barely whetted his appetite. He groaned in disappointment as his body demanded more. Amy had always told him he ate enough for an army, but he would only laugh at her exaggeration.
Sigh. Amy.
The lady returned with a cup of water, carefully handing it to him. He took it gratefully and downed it within a minute. "What's your name?" she whispered, handing him another piece of food, and he assumed it was an apple.
"001," he replied taking a large bite out of the juicy fruit and swallowing it without barely chewing at all. The woman didn't seem too surprised, as tragedy must've aged her prematurely, for her voice indicated for her to still be in her prime.
"My name's Emily, and if you need something, don't hesitate to ask. We're all friends here," she explained, patting him lightly on the back, "I know it's tough, but we all have to move on. My husband and two children were murdered by those androids. You lost someone close to you as well?"
His throat constricted, and his mouth felt dry again, "Yes. Her name was Amy. She helped me when I was first attacked by the androids."
Emily took hold of his elbow again and began to guide him, "Speak softly, my son. Many are trying to rest. Please though, do tell me of your first encounter with those demons. Talking about it always seems to help."
001 merely followed her for a few moments, then his will to speak returned, "I don't know what happened. Amy found me alongside the road, near the town the androids had recently demolished. I myself am a victim of those machines."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"I don't even know who I am. Amy was a doctor, she said I had a serious head injury and I'll never be able to remember."
"My god..not a name or anything?"
"I have no identification. Amy named me 001."
They paused in their tracks, and finally, sat down. "I doubt we can offer you any knowledge here, but you could risk going to a more populated place, such as a city. You might be able to find a news article on yourself in the records at the libraries," Emily helped him the best she could, wondering if it would be best for him to possibly discover the death of his entire family.
"Why would I be in the newspaper?" he instead asked, breaking the disturbing silence.
"Obituaries," the young woman announced sadly, "Every city keeps them up to date. It is depressing, but everyone agrees that it is better to know if their loved ones have passed on or not. If you go to Stratford, they're bound to have the information you seek."
"Then I'll depart tomorrow, once I've gotten plenty of rest and enough nourishment. I thank you for your kindness."
"You are very welcome, my son."
It took him two days to reach the nearest town, and he finally sat down for a much needed rest. Not because of the physical strain of walking for two days, but rather the lack of food and water. The sun was sweltering hot and he was certain he was dehydrated. It should of taken him only a few hours to reach a town, but he found all the nearest ones decimated. He was forced to keep on walking. In fact, the place he was at was less of a town and more of a village. The housing was all camouflaged neatly within a forest which held it and engulfed it. It was a great hiding place from the androids. He'd only been there a few minutes when someone noticed his sickly state. "Hey there, son, are you okay?" asked an elderly man who was walking with what appeared to be his granddaughter. He shook his head, honestly answering the question.
"What's the matter?" the man asked, approaching him, offering a shoulder to cry on if need be.
"Androids...killed Amy....." 001 paused to catch his breath, only now realizing how exhausted he really was, "..walked here, so hungry..." His eyes rolled back and he promptly fell over, unconscious.
He awoke sometime later, and presumably, it was currently night. He was laying on a futon, or what he thought to be a futon, with a cold washcloth on his forehead. He sat up, feeling much better than he had earlier from getting some much needed sleep. His stomach rumbled a loud complaint and he held a hand over his abdomen, trying to will it into silence. No one seemed to be present, so he exited the tent he was in to find some company. It was dark and still, but somehow he could sense the presence of many individuals around him. He felt someone gently place a hand on his elbow. "We don't keep fire goings at night," someone whispered lowly, "the androids would be able to find us." He nodded, his eyes adjusting themselves further, and he could make out the figure next to him.
"You must be hungry," the lady continued, then he felt something being placed into his hand, "Eat. I'll get you something to drink."
Judging by the size, texture, and scent, he assumed the woman had handed him a piece of bread. He nearly drooled and jammed the grain product into his mouth, chewing it zealously as hunger overtook him. It wasn't much of a meal, and it barely whetted his appetite. He groaned in disappointment as his body demanded more. Amy had always told him he ate enough for an army, but he would only laugh at her exaggeration.
Sigh. Amy.
The lady returned with a cup of water, carefully handing it to him. He took it gratefully and downed it within a minute. "What's your name?" she whispered, handing him another piece of food, and he assumed it was an apple.
"001," he replied taking a large bite out of the juicy fruit and swallowing it without barely chewing at all. The woman didn't seem too surprised, as tragedy must've aged her prematurely, for her voice indicated for her to still be in her prime.
"My name's Emily, and if you need something, don't hesitate to ask. We're all friends here," she explained, patting him lightly on the back, "I know it's tough, but we all have to move on. My husband and two children were murdered by those androids. You lost someone close to you as well?"
His throat constricted, and his mouth felt dry again, "Yes. Her name was Amy. She helped me when I was first attacked by the androids."
Emily took hold of his elbow again and began to guide him, "Speak softly, my son. Many are trying to rest. Please though, do tell me of your first encounter with those demons. Talking about it always seems to help."
001 merely followed her for a few moments, then his will to speak returned, "I don't know what happened. Amy found me alongside the road, near the town the androids had recently demolished. I myself am a victim of those machines."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"I don't even know who I am. Amy was a doctor, she said I had a serious head injury and I'll never be able to remember."
"My god..not a name or anything?"
"I have no identification. Amy named me 001."
They paused in their tracks, and finally, sat down. "I doubt we can offer you any knowledge here, but you could risk going to a more populated place, such as a city. You might be able to find a news article on yourself in the records at the libraries," Emily helped him the best she could, wondering if it would be best for him to possibly discover the death of his entire family.
"Why would I be in the newspaper?" he instead asked, breaking the disturbing silence.
"Obituaries," the young woman announced sadly, "Every city keeps them up to date. It is depressing, but everyone agrees that it is better to know if their loved ones have passed on or not. If you go to Stratford, they're bound to have the information you seek."
"Then I'll depart tomorrow, once I've gotten plenty of rest and enough nourishment. I thank you for your kindness."
"You are very welcome, my son."