Chapter Text
You wake up in a cabin, an old, warn down, wooden cabin. It was dusty, dusty enough to trigger your asthma and make you wheeze slightly. You were curled in a corner, like you were a cat.
You didn't recognize this place… You didn't recognize the clothes you wore. You didn't recognize anything except yourself, but how could you prove you were real?
This didn't feel real.
Even if this was a dream, you had to figure out how to wake up.
Standing up, you wandered through the cabin. You noticed it was rather full, like it was abandoned in a hurry. Strange… you find no clues after several minutes of searching. You then wondered outside, the door creaking as you opened and closed it.
You were in the middle of a desert? There's no town, no person, nothing in sight other than a sea of cacti. You're fucked. Or so you thought. Just then, you see something faint moving in the distance. It moved closer ever so subtly. It was… Horses… People riding horses…? Cowboys…? Whatever, you're in luck.
Becoming ecstatic, you run towards them, waving your arms in the air, wildly, as if you were on fire, which, in this heat, you might as well be.
After a few minutes, the group of cowboys and yourself reached each other. None of the men stood out except for a particular pale male wearing a comically large black hat. It shielded his pasty white skin from getting flushed pink in the sun. He towered over all the other men… Had to easily be seven feet… Maybe more. He spoke to you
`"Greetings, little one. You wave your hands at us, yielding our venture. Might I ask why?"` he spoke with a weird elegance in his voice.
`"Oh, uhm. I'm lost. I don't know where I am — or what to do. Please, please help."` You plead with a quiver in your voice.
The men stayed quiet for the most part, but you could overhear some whispers about how strange you spoke. Eventually, one man spoke. He must have been the leader because of how he was up front.
`"Why should we help? We're barely scraping by ourselves. We don't need another mouth to—"` he tried to say but was cut off by the pale one.
`"Shush, Glanton. Look how desperate they are. They are in dire need of assistance. I say we bring them along. What do you say, boys?"`
Several men agreed with the pale man, though it was most likely out of fear looking at the stiffness in their movements. Now the leader, Glanton or so he's called, mumbles a swear under his breath and reluctantly listens to the group. The pale one smiles. The smile looked… Horrifying. If he wasn't helping you now, you were sure he would torture you just by that facial expression.
`"Come, sit behind me, child."` the pale one then patted the butt of his horse slowly… Almost mischievously.
You listen. You get on the giant silver horse with the help of the man.
`"Thank you… really, I do appreciate it."` You say
`"Of course, you looked like you needed someone to keep an eye on you… to help."`
You chuckle nervously before hugging the pale one from behind just as the horse started to move forward again. `"Say, I never got your name. Uhm, what is it?"`
`"Holden. Judge Holden, you are Y/N, no?"`
You froze. He knew your name. How the hell did he know it? This is the first time you've met him, let alone talk to him. How did he —
`"Sorry if I scared you, sweet child. I do not mean to. I simply have a vastness of knowledge to me."`
`"Its — okay. That's a uh. nice name. Can I ask what are you the judge of?"` you ask hesitantly, still thrown off by him knowing your name.
`"The judge of character! The judge of life and death! The judge of living beings! I judge whether you should be alive!"` The judge let out a hearty laugh… creepy. Goosebumps form on your sunburned skin. This man — or thing is frightening… but alluring in a twisted way.
You watch as coyotes, cacti, shrubs, and so on move past you at a rather fast pace. This, paired with the scorching heat, makes you drowsy despite just waking up an hour ago.
Having nothing better to do, you let sleep take over your body.