Thump-thump-thump-thump. 

It was unbearable.

The drums pounded on and on, day after day, as though they never even considered ceasing. It was beyond annoying- it was downright inconveniencing. My thoughts were muddled, mixed with the hammering. Indecipherable. Confusing till the end.

The drums began hundreds of years ago, when I was just a child on Gallifrey. The kaliedescopic lights of the time vortex sent them spiraling straight into my mind, and they've been there ever since. I was cast away by my peers, and they were right to do so. No one else was plagued by the noises filling my brain. I was alone. A freak.

So there my freakish self stood, in the middle of a field on earth, stranded and trying to ignore the noises that so infuriated me. Earth had always been one of my least favorite places. The stupidity of humans had turned the place to a mess of chaos and filth. Of course, it was there of all places that I found myself stranded.

It had all ended in a bright flash of light. He stood just a few feet away from me, standing between Rassilon and I. With a powerful body that was technically still a corpse, I was able to use every last volt of electricity I had been resurrected with to stop the time lords from returning. That bright flash sent me there. Wherever 'there' even was.

I began to trek across the meadow. There had to be something around here. Humans obviously hated their environment- there's no way they'd leave a whole block of it unused like this. Anything was better than this godawful field, with its tall, itchy grass and uncomfortable quiet. The drums were far too loud in silent places.

Within five minutes of walking, trying to focus on the disgusting place around me rather than the pounding in my mind, I found a dirt road. Just across it was the smallest of diners. The building stood alone, which I found ridiculous. The place was already contaminated by the tacky old shack and the road; why wouldn't the species put good use to the rest of the area?

When I stepped inside the restaurant, a bell jingled over the doorway. I rolled my eyes. Why not just place Broadway lights over my head to celebrate my arrival?

The woman (if you could even call her that- she looked far too young for her job) sitting at the front counter looked beyond surprised to see me. "Oh, hello! Um, what can I get you?"

I slumped into one of the booths, immediately bumping my knees on the low table. "Coffee. Black."

"Is that all?"

As soon as she said the three words, I realized that I'd been asking myself the same question. When I was first ressurected, I woke with the hunger of a thousand men. Though this was the same body, the hunger was gone. Still, the drums stayed. Thump-thump-thump-thump. 

I waved her question away. "Yeah. Can you hurry up with that?"

She raised an eyebrow upon hearing my cold tone, but headed to the kitchen nonetheless. I took a quick look at the room around me. The whole place was disgusting. The lights were far too bright, whatever retro-sixties look they were going for had turned out horribly, and the place was practically falling apart: mysterious stains on the hideous carpet, peeling wallpaper all over the place, windows caked in dirt. It was apparent that no one really gave a damn about the place.

I sighed. How was a plain old coffee taking so long? Humans struggled with the most ridiculous things. It was almost impressive how much they'd managed to fail in such a short period of existence.

Running a hand through my hair, I began to ask the very question I'd been avoiding: was this the same body? The hands looked the same, though they were covered in filth. Still, hands weren't exactly a defining feature on anyone.

I pushed myself out of the booth and sauntered towards the men's room (which was about as big a disappointment as the rest of the diner had been). I was surprised to see that the mirror wasn't as dirty as the rest of the place seemed to be, and even more surprised (and pleased) to find that my face hadn't changed.

I smiled what I thought to be a charming grin and smoothed down my blond hair. With a few splashes of water, the dirt was mostly off of my face, hands, and favorite black hoodie. I was back in business.

When I returned to my (completely unpleasant) table, I found that the woman had finally brought me my coffee. When I took a seat, she reappeared by my booth.

"That'll be $1.20," she said, a hint of curiousity in her eye.

"Don't have any money."

She almost looked angry for a moment before concealing it with a smirk. "Um... Alright. How about this: you don't have to pay, but I get to ask you a few questions."

"That sounds dreadful."

"It's me or the police station, buddy."

"Tough choice." I paused, simpered. "What do you want to know?"

She didn't hesitate to slide into the seat across from mine. "What's your name?"

"The Master."

Her brow furrowed. "That's not a name."

"It's mine. Next."

"Why are you here?"

I held my coffee in the air before lifting it to my mouth for a sip. "I'm thirsty."

She rolled her eyes. "No one comes out to the middle of nowhere just because they're thirsty. Besides, you don't even have a car!"

"Walking is good for you."

"Yeah, whatever." Another eye roll. "How old are you?"

I gave her a quick once-over. She couldn't be older than eighteen. "Too old for you, if that's what you're asking."

"Ew, no." She crinkled her nose in disgust, but a blush was quickly creeping up her neck. "I was just wondering."

"You wouldn't believe me."

"Try me."

I leaned towards her, elbows on the table. "1275."

"I meant your real age."

"So did I."

She stared at me for a few moments, daring me to say more, argue further. Upon realizing that I wasn't going to, she smirked and slid out of the booth. "Right, well," she began to walk towards the kitchen, "I'll be washing dishes if you need anything."

"Hold on- Don't I get a question?"

The waitress stopped in her tracks. "No, you get a coffee."

I rolled my eyes and proceeded anyways. "Where are we?"

She crinkled her forehead. "Nebraska." After a few moments of concerned thinking, she continued. "Are you okay?"

Gracefully standing, I started walking towards the exit. "Better than ever."

The door jingled again as I stepped outisde. Thump-thump-thump-thump. Thump-thump-thump-thump. The drums were nearly deafening, especially when I was alone.