Fates of the Fateless

Ch. 1 A Slight Shift

You've had your fair share of odd dreams, the occasional struggle to find a toilet, teeth falling out, meeting someone you've really never met before. However, this one was a little out of sorts; you in the middle of nowhere, buck ass naked in a red desert being judged by vultures. While not your wildest dream, unlike the others none of them felt so real. A lucid dream so intense you dare say you could practically feel the coarse warm sand slipping between your fingers as you slowly lifted your aching self-up.

"Guuuuugghh..." rolling onto your side cradling your head, shielding the unyielding sun's light from your face. The heat towering down on you, broken by a soft and gentle breeze caressing bare skin bringing with it a terrifying revelation. This was no dream.

"Wha... Where...?" Quietly mumbling to yourself as you finally managed to truly survey the area around you. The sweet fragrant smell of sage brush filling your nose, the land was absolutely decorated with them. Their pale earthy green tones stood out against the warm red rusty sand that bled from the ground up into the rugged mountains that held up the sky in the distance.

"Oh no.. Oh no no no no!" in every direction there was simply more sage brush and sand, only broken by the occasional juniper tree or cactus. "Wha-what happened?!" You would have thought it to be some of the most beautiful natural land you've seen if not for the rapid panic attack creeping in, spurred on by incoherent thoughts. How did you get here? Where is here? Why the fuck are you naked?! "Ok, ok ok ok! Last thing I did, what's the last thing I remember?" Breathing in long deep slow breaths in an attempt to calm an adrenaline spiked brain enough to remember how you even managed to get into this situation.

You recall making your way home from a late night out, the roads were especially barren even for 3 am. A quick stop at the local station, only a little out of the way of the city. And then the storm. Seemingly out of nowhere with the darkest clouds you'd ever seen. You remember how the appliances began to go crazy, rapid ungodly wind; a crack of thunder so deafening. Light consumed everything... and then... then what? Did you pass out? Did you get jumped?

I... I need to find help. I need to find people.

Staggering onto bare feet, you began slowly trudging blindly toward the expanse of mountains. Covering your vulnerable self the best you could with just your arms. Sobbing the whole way.

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There was no concept of how long or far you'd been walking. Only that the sun had begun to bleed a warm red orange as it started its descent behind the cliffs. Your arms and legs were scraped up, no doubt bleeding from all the Joshua trees and other scratchy and pointy flora you'd pushed past. You didn't dare to look at your feet. But it was all worth it for the feeling of finally stumbling upon what appeared to be a man-made trail clearly flattened into a dusty path. You nearly screamed when you glanced down the trail to see a distant cloud of dust made by an approaching car heading your way.

"Hey! HEEEYY!!" you hollered, voice cracking a bit, waving your arm frantically. "Please! I need help!" As the vehicle grew closer you realized it wasn't a car at all, but a wagon with two burly horses calmly tussling up the dusty trail behind them.

"Sweet mother Mary and Joseph! Miss, what happened to you?!" A gruff skinny man with suspenders and a worn straw hat looked a ghast at your current state. He somehow seemed more in shock than you were.

"Please.. I- I need help. Can you take me to town?" You managed to speak clear enough through shuddered breaths, keeping your dignity somewhat intact hunched over covering your delicates.