May debated on which weapon she should bring with her.

The hammer was the lightest and easiest to carry. The flat side you'd smash a nail with could definitely knock someone out if you swung hard enough, and the pointy end you'd pry the nails free from wood with seemed just as lethal. But if she needed to kill something fast, a hammer wouldn't be the right tool when she had better options. To break a bone would be effortless, but it would take a few swings to put something down with a hammer.

The ax would put a quicker end to whatever would try to hurt her. But it would need enough power and accuracy in the first swing to finish the job. Because if May missed the first try, that would give her attacker a window wide enough to battle back. If only she were bigger and stronger, then that ax would be her best friend.

The machete was her best bet. The blade, the strong grip, it was something she could work with.

The contemplation didn't take ten seconds before she grabbed her weapon. Hilt clenched tightly in her teeth, May grabbed the edge of the platform and quickly slid off. After making sure her knees were bent, May let go of the wooden edge before falling twelve feet through the air. Once safely on the ground, she grabbed the hilt from her mouth and began running.

Maybe this was nothing. Maybe it was just more supplies. That would've been nice, because the second bag of seeds she'd planted in the meadow were taking a lot longer to grow than she'd originally assumed. At this point, the sprouts were barely reaching up through the soil. Not ready to harvest any time soon. She didn't even know if the plant she was growing was edible. It could've been some medical herb for all she knew. To cut the story short, some food would be good.

The grass crunched beneath her boots the closer she got to the elevator shaft and the machete held safely at her side. But the closer she got, the slower she became. Because with each step, her ears could pick up the sound of clanking in the distance. The sound of someone hitting metal. Then the shouting. By the sound of the voice, it was a male. And an older male, much older than herself. She couldn't help it, but the fear she'd felt when she first arrived was starting to take over. The helplessness, the fright, the terror of being alone. She was alone here, just her and this new threat.

Once May was only a few yards from the elevator, her walking feet stopped and she gripped the machete with both hands. She hadn't even noticed they were shaking rapidly. Had they been like that before? With a shake of her head, she wiped the clammy sweat from her palms on her pants, shifting the machete from one grip to the other in the process, then took a deep breath. This was her new home whether she liked it or not, and she needed to defend it.

But what if this person wasn't bad?

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the metal gates to the elevator were thrown open with a loud grunt of effort and a man stumbled free from the cage.

At that very second, May ditched all ideas of 'defending her home' and hit the dirt with prayers that he hadn't seen her swarming around her head. The grass was tall enough to hide her, right? She wasn't that big, she wouldn't be that easy to see. And her clothes were lighter than your average outfit, she fit in well with the scenery. At least that's what she told herself to keep her panic from rising. Her chest heaved with each scared breath, wheezing between stone fingers that tried to lock each one in.

This was not going like she planned.

Not at all.

* * * * * * * * * *

The blood dripping down his temple glistened in the morning light. He wasn't sure when he'd gotten it, probably from when the elevator threw him around during the ride up to where ever the hell he was now. He reached his hand up and inspected the injury with a gentleness he hadn't known he possessed. Maybe he'd been a doctor before all this. Or a caretaker of sorts. Maybe even a father. Albert quickly shook the thought-

He paused, hand still risen in the air next his ear like he was listening for something. But in truth, he wasn't listening to anything at all as he took in his new surroundings. His new life. Albert. Albert Einstein. That was his name. At least, that's who he'd been named after. He didn't know how he knew it or why, all he knew was that he knew it.

The fear slowly starting to subside due to this breakthrough, Albert spun in a circle in a lame attempt to take everything in. The walls. The forest. The meadow. It was all too much for one person to bare. He held onto his last shred of sanity, his mind grasping for it like two hands trying to hold onto fog. The effort was useless.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and screamed as loud as his throat would let him.

"Hello!"

The word came out long and thundering and crackling. Desperate. All that came back in reply was the sound of silence. Even the morning crickets had stopped chirping and the birds were non-existent. Albert took a deep breath.

"Is anyone out here?"

Silence.

Another deep breath.

"Hello?"

He couldn't stop the frightened sobs as they wracked his body, convulsing within him and bringing him to his knees. He had no idea where he was or why he was there. All he had was one small word, one little title that kept him from crumpling into a ball on the floor of the elevator shoot. One final attempt. Albert threw his head back and let out one final bellowing cry of help, of need, of despair. Of hope that maybe someone could hear him.

"Please!"

Silence.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

May had seen enough.

Slowly, carefully, the young girl tiptoed from her hiding spot among the shrubs and grasses. Leaving the machete behind. She wouldn't need it. He sat there on his knees, head held lifelessly in his hands as his body shook with frightened sobs. May knew the feeling. Which was exactly why she couldn't just hide away. She needed to be brave for this poor man, this poor creature that was in the exact same boat as she had been in weeks earlier.

He didn't hear her approach.

Her legs worked on their own, moving strong in the direction they wanted to go even though inside they felt like melted rubber. Her breath was even and each inhale she took became a little calmer than the one before. Just calm down, she told herself. He's in no position to hurt you. He's just scared. He just feels alone. Just like May did. That pain, that gut-wrenching fear that seemed to tear out her insides. That was a feeling she believed no one should have to endure.

"Hey."

His head flew up in her direction, eyes wide and blood from his wound smeared across his face. From this view, he looked like a crazed animal. A monster. A threat. One step, two steps, three steps, four steps. Until she was standing right in front of him. He still couldn't believe it. He wasn't alone. A small sympathetic smile crossed her lips and she extended her hand. Pale, frail, smaller than his blood-soaked ones. Delicate. The hands that nearly killed him minutes before.

"Why don't we fix up that wound before it gets too gross?"