Man on a Donkey Cart

*Crackle Crackle*

A fire was crackling at the side of a path of an open field in the violet moonlight. There was a black sack-like bag beside the fire and on the fire, there was a rabbit roasting.

Zane was slowly spinning the rabbit over the fire, his puffy black eyes focused and his mouth watering. He was wearing a black trouser and boots, but he was bare chested on the top. His back was covered by a orange furred fox leather, which was already starting to look black due to the blood on it.

It had already been more than a month since Zane left the lab. He had crossed the Beast-Scourge Forest and came out from the other side.

It took a month to cross the forest. It took a lot of time as he had to fight a lot of beast in the forest. He could easily kill beasts like foxes and wolves if they were alone. The fox's pelt he was wearing as a robe right now was also from a beast he killed.

But sometimes, he had to run away and hide from beasts like the Mad Mist Bear and the Feathered Flame Ape. He had to hide in a cave for a whole week until the Mad Mist Bear stopped looking for him.

He also had to run for a few days from the Feathered Flame Ape. "Haah..." Remembering the days he spent in the forest, Zane sighed.

'Why is it always me that needs to go through these things...'

'I haven't even slept properly in the last month.'

Zane took the rabbit out of the fire and took a bite.

'Mmm..' He began munching on the rabbit quickly.

As he was feasting on the rabbit, a donkey cart came towards him and stopped near him.

"Hello friend!" A man got off from the cart and walked towards Zane, pulling the donkey together with him.

As he got near the fire, Zane could make out his features. He was a middle-aged bald man with a goatee and he was wearing simple village clothes.

"Can I also spend the night beside this fire? It seems you're alone. I'm also alone, it's safer with two! Haha." he spoke with a friendly tone.

"Hmm.. Sure.." Zane replied.

"Ohh thank you friend!" The person quickly went towards his cart and picked some things up. He came back towards Zane.

"Do you want a sleeping bag? It seems you don't have one." The person threw his extra sleeping bag towards Zane, who caught it with one hand.

"Oh.. Sorry, forgot you were eating." he was embarrassed.

"It's okay. Please take a seat." As Zane was lacking sleep, he appreciated a sleeping bag from the stranger. So he became a bit friendlier towards him.

"Do you want some?" Zane teared off a leg from the rabbit and gave it to the stranger.

The stranger took the meat and sat down opposite to Zane. "Thanks a lot! I'm Edwin by the way. What's your name?"

"Zane."

"Ohh what a great name, haha" He smiled. "And? Where are you headed towards?"

"I'm just a vagabond. I'm trying to reach a city or a village for now, then I'll decide on my next destination." Zane spoke calmly. He then pointed towards the donkey and the cart. "What about you, you a merchant?"

"Ohh goodness no! I'm just a woodcutter from Lastwind, a village near the town of Rivenport!" He corrected Zane. "A vagabond huh.. Interesting. Why don't you come with me then? You can head towards Rivenport after coming to our village."

"Huh... Rivenport. Mister, are we in Procella right now?"

"Yes, We are just a bit from the border of Astra. Didn't you know that? Where did you come from?" Edwin asked, confused.

"Ohh... I came from Astra, a town named Luesburg."

"Luesburg huh.. I've never heard of it."

"Yes, it was a small town, abandoned due to the plague some years ago."

"Oh! I'm sorry." Edwin dropped his face.

"No matter. Anyways, I accept your offer. I'll come with you to your village. Let's sleep for today mister." Zane stood up, throwing the bones in the flame.

"Oh good! Okay then, Goodnight." Edwin also stood up and started laying down his sleeping bag.

Zane also put down his sleeping bag on a flat surface and laid in it.

As he was still exhausted from his journey, he fell asleep quickly.

---

"Let me go!" A kid was screaming, his arms and legs strapped in a gurney. "Let me go right now!"

"Don't struggle 084. We need to do the tests now." A doctor was standing beside the kid, smiling with his teeth showing. One of his teeth was made of gold.

"I don't want to do the tests. I want to go back to my parents." The kid was still struggling.

"Shut up!" The doctor slapped 084 across his face. "Your parents don't want you. They sold you to me. They don't want a defective child haha." The doctor smiled again.

"Now shut up and stay still." He strapped a metal headpiece with wires on his head.

"Brace yourself. This is going to sting." 084 saw the golden tooth as the doctor smiled and flipped a switch.

"AAHHHHH" 084 screamed in pain as his whole body was being electrocuted.

"Now focus 084, do you hear anything?" The doctor turned off the machine and asked him.

084 was panting and couldn't hear anything the doctor said. In the next second, 084 started to struggle. He wanted to move his hands towards his head.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

084 screamed even louder than when he was electrocuted. He started hearing loud voices and sounds in his head.

■̶̼͒̀■̸̨̠̩̝̑̾■̴͍̞̀͂̾̅̈■̴̛̬̺̒̂̈̎■̴͕̯̲͇̐■̸͈̌̔̈́̈■̷̱͂̑̂̚■̸̙̋̑͌■̸̱̐̂■̷̹̾͊̔̇̚■̴̫̜̗̜̓̚■̶̨́̆̿̍̇■̶̯̬̲͎̟̃̚̚͠■̴̧̱̰̩͕̍̅̈́■̵̧̜̺̂̀͝■̶̡̧̤́͆̈̚■̵̡̲̈́̌■̵̟̎̉̊̇■̷̗̮̌̄̓ͅ■̸̪͓̽͠

The doctor's eyes sparkled. "So you do hear it."

084's body started to spasm.

"Nurse, quick----"

The sounds started to fade and 084 started to close his eyes. Seeing a nurse came in through the door with his closing eyes, he fainted.

---

*Gasp*

Zane woke up, drenched in cold sweat. He looked at his arms and his surroundings. The sun was already starting to rise.

'Oh...Just a dream' he calmed down.

Then his face contorted, 'A dream about my past life again...Why is this happening...' Zane had started to dream about his past life this past month. This was also why he never woke up feeling rested.

Zane stood up and looked ahead, he saw Edwin already loading up his things on the cart. Edwin also turned back due to the noise and saw that Zane was already standing.

"Oh! You're up friend? Looks like you were having a nightmare. I've learned from my wife to never wake up someone while they're having a nightmare haha..."

"Yes..." Zane replied and started rolling his sleeping bag. He then took it and threw it on the cart.

"The sun is rising, what do you say we set off right now? We have a lot of ground to cover." Edwin smiled.

"Sure.."

Zane picked up his bag which only had one strap and wore it on his back. He groggily walked towards the back of the cart and climbed it.

Edwin watched Zane with a smile on his face and once he sat down on the cart, he climbed on the seat at front and pat the donkey on his back.

The two set off towards Lastwind.