I walked slowly up a cobblestone path looking toward a run-down medieval-style home. The door was open so i let myself in, within the mid-sized home a fireplace crackled and popped.

The atmosphere was warm and reminded me of a home I had seen years before but had never had.

I quickly found a chair to rest my tired bones by the fire. After a long journey in the bitter cold and dark i wanted nothing more than to be in this place, warm by the fire with food…

That's right i was out of food, i hadn't had food for days... maybe longer...

Looking around the space within the home, I noticed a family of four sitting across the room, each had a terrified expression on their face. It seems they had just sat down for their evening meal. The children cowered and clung to their parents who comforted them while staring daggers at me.

“Sorry to intrude, I won't be long. I was freezing to death out on the road and i couldn't help notice your fire.” I said sheepishly

The man of the family slowly stood up. In his right hand, he had picked up an axe.

“Ah, I see, I'm sorry it has to be this way.”

The large man approached without replying to me.

I sighed as I stood from the chair. My eyes met his piercing gaze as I rose to my full height of 2 meters. My clothes were raggedy and tattered. How long had it been since i had changed or gotten new clothes? A year or better? Maybe.

Parts of my frail body showed through the tattered cloak and duster on my back. Perhaps I looked intimidating to these people who looked so well off.

My train of thought was derailed as killing intent filled the house. The father raised his axe with both hands preparing to strike down. The bladed head gleamed against the bright glow of the fire. The contrast of this gleaming light in the dark was splendid. Perhaps some day i could recreate it in a painting. Such a sight to behold.

These thoughts were useless! I'd be dead in a moment if I didn't do something! What am I thinking? This man couldn't kill me even if that axe was blessed by god himself. I dropped both my arms loosely by my side. As the axe dropped toward my body.

A stream of bright light poured down from above. This light truly was beautiful.

Though, in the end, the axe struck the floor, becoming dull and hideous in the shadows.

As I thought. He couldn't kill me.

I looked around the room in wonder from a new point of view. Hmm, i was now behind the father. My body had chosen to survive rather than test its durability against the axe.

Poor man. He had no idea what was coming.

The father dropped loosely to the floor as the light in his eyes faded and died out.

My hands hurt, perhaps I had made contact with him while my body moved instinctively. Though I soon learned the pain was from a fork stabbed through the back of my hand.

Hmm. That's not good.

The wife had pulled a sneak attack. Now I'm one hand down. Not good at all.

I sat down slowly next to the young boy without removing the utensil from my hand.

I folded my free hand and said a quick prayer before I picked up a spoon and proceeded to eat a mouthful of boiled carrots.

Mmmm~ was this cinnamon? Sugar? On carrots!? Weird but good. Perhaps this is how they trick the children into eating these disgusting roots.

A tear streamed down my face as I took another bite of carrots, then some meat and bread.

It was all so good. I hadn't had food in so long. Perhaps far longer than I had thought.

My joy was curbed sharply at the wife preparing to make another attack. This time she spoke.

“Die you fiend!”

Feind? Was I, A fiend? Not to my knowledge, fiends prowled the mountains and slaughtered humans when the moon was full. I was clearly a man who only wished for shelter and a bite to eat.

Her green neon eyes shone through the dark. As she quickly stabbed a knife toward me.

I'm sorry it has to be this way.

I dropped the spoon as my arms lowered once more this time my body didn't move like it had before with the husband. Rather my leg extended.

The table flipped up slamming the table into the wife sending her backward to the floor, along with the child she was protecting. she landed hard and didn't seem to move again. One Child had remained in place from the beginning.

I turned to the boy next to me his eyes glared with blue radiance and rotated as he registered data on my movements.

“Keep reading kid. You’re young and I assume you'll come try to find me for what I've done some day. I welcome the company, though it will be your choice whether you follow me into this hell I call home.”

The boy logged my words as his iris’ turned red as if to say he had spotted an enemy.

Sigh.

I wish I didn't have to deal with kids too.

I pulled the fork from my hand and pointed it at the boy. His eyes narrowed as he reached for a knife.

Before his hand had closed, i was behind him. The fork was planted in his spine at the base of his skull. Green electronic ooze flowed down from the wound. Nano paste. This young cyborg didn't know what had hit him as he fell from his seat to the floor. His eyes searched for a target as the light faded. His processors were shorting out and he would soon die.

The last remaining threat was the youngest child a girl who had been knocked down when I kicked the table. Her body was still small and could hardly handle the shock as she gasped for air on the floor.

“You’re a machine you don't have lungs stop gasping!”

I walked over and stared at the torn flesh that had coated the child's machine skeleton, before being struck by the table. Disgusting.

A quick motion to finish the evening as I pulled the child's memory card from the socket on her skull. Once the card was removed the body would instinctively power down.

Once I confirmed the mother was in a low power state I cleaned up the food I had launch off the table. Such a waste of good food.

Though as I looked down, I noticed along with the spilled food there was also chewed carrots and meat, a small pile remained sitting on my chair. Hmmm. How'd that get there?

I pulled my black duster and cloak away to discover my esophagus had become disconnected from my food processing unit.

My memories quickly became fuzzy as I glared at the mechanical gears whirling and moving as my body motioned to sit.

I became sick at the sight of the half man and machine behind my cloak. A gaping hole in my chest and abdomen, exposing my inner workings.

That's right I needed repairs. Wait what am I saying!? Im human! I'm no machine! I need a doctor!

Repairs would be a good idea.

Enough of that! Were human damn it! I'm not some kind of freak! im no monster like them.

I reconnected the tube instinctively and ate more food. I could feel the warmth in my stomach again and power flowed into my limbs. I felt good.

Before I turn in for the night, I should salvage power cores and servos from these guys.

I'm gonna need them in the future.

I always hated harvesting power cores. I had no choice. Another heavy sigh as I set to work, how much longer would I live like this? I guess till the power runs out.