Knight Awakening

The sensation of being poked by a stick is what woke him. Max's body felt like it was on fire, his joints ached and he was disoriented. His mouth felt as dry as a desert. He cracked open his eyelids and the bright sunlight bored into his brain, bringing another bout of great pain.

"Are you dead mister?" a little voice asked.

"Maybe undead," a boy added. "He could be a zombie."

"That's gross," a girl replied.

Max's eyes cleared to see that several children had gathered around him. His mouth was too dry to say anything. He was in some park, lying underneath a picnic table. The kids had gathered round to see the strange man; one of them held a stick like a warrior.

"I think he's a bum," a little girl said matter-of-factly. "My dad says they sleep outside a lot."

"Well, your dad sleeps outside a lot," one kid told the little girl.

"Does not."

"Does too."

Max sat up and hit his head on the bottom of the table. His body was sore and tired. He looked at the 7 kids standing around him. Max saw his clothes were torn and tattered; he had to find some suitable attire.

He brought his hands up to his face; they were still shaking. He really didn't know what was going on but he felt uneasy; he felt that this thing had happened before, maybe once or twice.

"You okay, mister?" a little boy asked. "My dad is a doctor and he can fix you up."

"No doctor," Max said with a dread undertone. He felt that seeing a doctor would cause him greater pain then he was in already.

Max paused for a moment and took in the scenery. His memory fleeting, as if pieces of it were hidden behind a thick curtain. He didn't know what was happening.

"What's your name?" one of the girls asked.

Max had to think about it sometime before answering. "Cube. I think my name is Cube."