Archdorf Route 1 – Street

You decide to listen to your gut feeling and not to risk anything, while you think again about the words of your old friend Buck. Although you don’t believe that you would become a victim of the Halloween killer, a “normal” crime could also happen on this particular night. Since you are responsible for your family and your life is dear to you, you choose the lighted path that leads inside the village. You are already soaked, so it doesn’t make any difference whether you walk 20 minutes longer or not.

You trudge through some puddles on the now muddy road surface and arrive at the village square after some time. Your shoes are also soaked by now and make a creaking noise every time you step on them. The large front of the church rises up in front of you and you hear the splashing of the fountain, which is in the middle of the square and is visibly damaged, so that water flows out through cracks in the stone in some places. You notice a man who has pulled the hood of his jacket over his face, his gaze fixed on the ground. He walks briskly past you, probably to escape the rain and find shelter somewhere. You catch a closer glimpse of him and notice that he is armed with a sword, his hands firmly anchored to the hilt. Since you are in Archdorf, you don’t give it a second thought and continue on your way. As you pass the well, you notice a hasty movement out of the corner of your eye. You look closer and see a silhouette coming towards you from a covered alley. The closer the stranger gets, the more clearly you can see him. He is a man in his late forties, brown long greasy hair, brown stubble beard, visibly unkempt, emaciated and dressed in rags. One of his eyelids hangs over his eye, closing it halfway. You come to the conclusion that he must be a homeless man. The man rubs his hands together and grins widely as he hobbles closer and closer to you. You avert your eyes from him and continue walking at a brisk pace. He doesn’t seem like a danger to you, but you still don’t feel like arguing with him. You just want to get to the inn as quickly as possible. “Oh, please wait! Could you kindly spare some money for an old beggar? My friend back there and I are starving, three days now since our last meal… Please have mercy… Please help us escape starvation one more time…” In a raspy but emotionally charged voice, the beggar asks you for help. You stop, but do not turn around. Although the homeless man sounds quite convincing, you are also aware that he could just as easily be a drug addict who needs money for his addiction and is just a good actor. You sigh and ask yourself why you of all people have ended up in this situation. On the one hand, you know what it is like to starve and if he really needs help, you would gladly help him, but on the other hand, it is your hard-earned money that is keeping your family from starving and you have no understanding for it being invested in drugs. Good-natured as you are, the decision is difficult for you, but you want to leave the situation behind as soon as possible.