"Why not try it?"

"Oh (God) no yuck! That's for animals. We're not animals!"

Sartor wandered alone through the forest, eating from the fruit trees when hungry.

"We're just full. That's all." She replies. "Tummies are full." She whispers.

They lay this way for an hour or so as it gets colder. Then they start shivering from the cold. And finally start crawling towards each other. Gathering in piles, bunched together to stay warm. So they lay, falling in and out of sleep. Like they were drugged. I walked around them, observing them. Every single one was the same. Shivering. Staring off into the distance. Not talking. Not making eye contact. I could hear howling outside. My stomach growled. Worse I was very thirsty.

"Hey. Is there water anywhere?" I nudged one of them with my foot. No response.

I raised my voice, "Hey junkie. Is there water anywhere?"

"The fruit is full of water my friend." He said with a dreamy smile, still staring off into the distance.

"Just the fruit then is all you eat?"

An almost imperceptible nod of assent.

"Who brings it?"

"The lady."

"Bit older, straight black hair. Parted in the middle?"

"Yes. Lady Sarah. She brings it. She found each of us in the forest and brings us to safety."

"Doesn't ever turn anyone away huh?"

"Never...." he falls asleep.

I'm not like these people. I knew it. This lady knew it. That's why she turned me away. I walk around the group again looking for Natasha. But she isn't here.

Night it is but the moon shines so bright. I'm cold. I too want to shiver. It would be nice to snuggle up. But I'm not one of these people. I lightly kick her again.

"Hey! Just the lady brings it? No one helps her?"

"No." she whispers half asleep.

Other than the high open windows, there is only one exit from the room. Large double doors which are closed. They are locked but move a bit when i pull move an inch outwards. I yank on them repeatedly with all my might. They do not react to the considerable noise and the doors break loose of the flimsy lock in less than a minute opening into a long hallway which i walk down passing many closed doors on each side, dim light from sconces,

At the end of the hall the lady stood waiting with a drawn crossbow.

"You're not one of my people."

"One of your drug addicts?" I ask.

She scowls. "I only protect them and keep them happy. Better than the death which awaits outside. What are you doing in here? How did you get in?" she asked.

"Just trying to not die. Why didn't you try to save me?" I ask.

"I've learned that some people can't be saved. If you could you'd be in there sleeping with the rest right now. But instead you're breaking down doors and who knows what else in the night. Such people don't live for long."

I dart forward while ducking to the side. The crossbow bolt skims my cheek. I yank the weapon away from her.

"Where is Natasha?"

"Sleeping peacefully."

"What game is this you're playing with the drugged fruit?"

"I'm saving their lives!"

"From what?"

"There is a creature in these woods that kills all who travel through here. The only chance at survival is to stay here. So many have died because they wouldn't stay. Finally I took this drastic measure ten years ago. But I've learned that it doesn't work with some. Those I don't welcome in."

"Those you let go on to die."

"As opposed to what? Let them come in and have them potentially overreact like I think you're going to do?"

"Lady have no fear. I wish you no harm and think it a noble deed you do for these simple folk. You are correct though in that I certainly have no wish to hide here from this creature. There is simply no possibility of that happening. I would greatly appreciate though if you could tell me more of it."

"It roams at night searching for prey. Nothing lives here outside of this house. For it finds everything. Finds all living creatures and kills them. Nothing lives for as far as I've seen. But men like you always think they can defeat it."

"If nothing lives, wouldn't it starve?" I ask.

"Hmmph! How would I know? During the day it's safe outside. But there is nothing alive. Some have attempted to stay outside near the house at night and they almost brought ruin upon us all. It killed them and tried to enter the house."

"But what is it?"

"It's a horror. Somewhat like a man but larger and grotesque. It kills with it's bare hands. The few corpses I've seen were not hardly eaten. Except while they still lived."

"I don't understand how people come here. But once here they cannot travel far enough away to escape it. Somehow these people just appear here. And I try to save those I can. These poor people. They never know where they come from. I give them something other than a horrific death. I don't suppose you remember how you came to be here?"

"I...."

"You don't know, do you? And isn't it funny that you never thought about the fact that you don't know before I mentioned it just now?" she asked.

I didn't know. So I reached within myself to find it and to my shock it wasn't there. I felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under me. I reached for the memories and they weren't there. Somehow I was here but my memories were not.

I mused... "I feel as if... my memories just don't matter. I'm me. As I've always been, day after day. Situations change and change and change till the situations just don't matter anymore. Like I've lived for so long the particulars just don't matter.... Now at least that I try to remember, it seems this way...."

"So you think you've lived for some incredibly long time then? Centuries at least? How could you know this?" she asked.

"How could I know it without actually remembering it.... I don't know. Perhaps I've been enchanted and that is the thought put there to make me continue along my way despite not remembering...." I said.

She smiled and said, "It could be that you're enchanted. But it's a sort of dead end to say that magic did it. Whenever something doesn't make sense we can say that. It may actually be true. Or it could be a lazy way to explain anything we don't understand."

"Is this just how the others also feel?" I asked.

"They generally don't describe it quite the same. They just say they don't care to remember. But perhaps it's the same idea at its heart." she answered.

"Before or after you enchant them with the fruit?" I asked.

"I carefully interview each before I give them the fruit." she answered while looking at me warily.

"Is that where Natasha is?"