Disclaimer - I don't own My Time At Sandrock. This was written for the Froday amnesty for July 2022, which was posted a bit later than usual for prompt 11.21. It was also written for the following Plot Bunny Obstacle Course prompt with the word list I generated being: seem, grace, lose, lay, endure, side, and tooth. Words that are to be used are in bold.
Prompt:
Generate a word bank of 5-7 random words and build a plot using at minimum 3 of them. For more of a challenge, you can only refresh your word bank twice and must choose one of those sets of words.
Example: If the words were "joy, confront, bike, return, paradox, scream" you might decide to use "joy, return, paradox" to write a time-loop/time-travel fix-it fic. Or maybe you use "confront, bike, scream" to write a story about a bike messenger during a zombie apocalypse.
Past is Past, the Past
It didn't seem -
In the back of his head was a jumble of feelings and thoughts that didn't seem quite right. And his head throbbed while his entire body was ready to lurch off the horse, or at least there was that feeling he was on a horse in front of someone, prepared to be lurched off. There was also a level of familiarity with the person that he couldn't place as his mind jumbled everything together.
And he remembered telling that someone—what they were doing was wrong, and he couldn't have anything to do with it. Whatever it was that he now couldn't remember.
Then with little grace , he felt him tilted forward. His eyes opened, and he saw red—the red of the desert around him as he crashed into the ground, hard, having dropped from up high. And as he lay on the ground, his fingers twisting into the hot desert sand, the brightness flooding into his eyesight. He moved, attempting to sit up, only-
It was hard to move.
And his head spun.
He turned his head and saw the other person looming over him. He knew it was that person, although his mind didn't register who it was.
"Don't worry, Unsuur. I'm leaving you someplace you can be found. Be sure to tell Justice and Owen hi for me."
And then he blacked out, or perhaps roasted out might have been the better word, as he found himself having to endure the sun which beat down on him. And he lay there on his side , in pain while his skin blistered.
…
The mind is a funny thing.
There was, as he came too, in the back of his aching mind, a memory—or so it did seem— a vague memory of an event that now seemed so out of place as if he were viewing another person's life as a definite outsider to his own mind.
And he knew he'd hit his head against something because that person decided to—betrayal was the most objective interpretation of what happened, particularly since he'd only attempted to stand his moral ground having objected to something he'd found wrong. And he remembered having some kind of bond with that person—one he managed to lose because he stood his morals to that person.
He let his eyes focus, sucking on one tooth , recognizing, despite never having been there , in the place he now was before, that Unsuur was in the Civil Corps—that person had told him not to trust them, and this was despite the fact he'd said. " No. What you do isn't right, Logan. I won't go along with it. "
Unsuur frowned, his head aching. And his skin was blistered.
"I see that you're awake."
He turned his head, his feelings not feeling like his own.
"So, do you have a name?"
"Unsuur. I think." Which was, of course, the honest for goodness truth. So was his sudden realization that his side hurt.
"You think?"
"Sorry."
"Whatever for?"
"For—well, you know."
"You're not exactly the best conversationalist, are you?"
"I wouldn't know." He then asked. "Am I being interrogated?"
"Mayhaps," the leader of the Civil Corps said.
Which meant, yes, he was being interrogated. "I think I should shut up now."
"Because?"
"I don't know." Unsuur continued to suck on the tooth in his mouth, one hand reaching up to scratch his face.
"You shouldn't do that. And you do know you kind of hit your head hard back there."
"I did? I think I did," Unsuur frowned. There was that feeling—that it did seem like he'd hit his head, along with getting somewhat sunburned, yet his memory was vague.
"My name's Justice, by the way," the Civil Corps leader said.
"Nice to meet you," he said, sitting there, feeling like a complete idiot after he did so. He was, after all, supposed to be wary of them, yet the way Justice stared, it felt like he said something definitely wrong. "So…"
"Are you hungry? Thirsty?"
"Yes," he said, not that he expected to get any food. He started looking around, his mind in a haze.
"Alrighty then. I'll be back in a bit."
Not that he cared. He continued sitting there, looking around the place, feeling safe despite someone telling him he shouldn't trust those in Sandrock. He didn't notice the door open and closed until a new voice piped up. "So, I hear you're hungry, right?"
He turned his head. "More of thirsty."
Justice let the person in to set food on the table, leaving him there with a potential weapon, yet there was no urge to go for it. It seemed wrong, wrong for the same reason he'd objected to whatever that Logan person wanted to do. Yet, he didn't move towards the food, feeling unsure, the warning of trusting anybody in Sandrock playing through his head. The jail cell closed, and the other person whispered something to Justice, and Justice said, "Are you sure?"
"Well, yeah."
"It's not as if," Justice turned his head to look at him, frowning, then lowered his voice.
"I know. I know," the other man said before stepping over. "Hey? Are you going to eat? What's your name?"
"I told you. I don't remember," he said, having pulled his legs up as he looked over at the wall, ignoring the food.
"Ya told me, not Owen here," Justice said.
"You don't know your name?" Owen asked.
"I think it's Unsuur," he said as Justice continued interrogating him. He didn't know how long he would have to endure the interrogation.
"Yeah. I guess we'll go with that. I mean, there isn't any other name you know, is there? That you can think of?"
"Logan," he blurted out.
"Yeah. That name," Owen sighed. "Given what Justice has told me, do I really want to know? And you can't think of any other name, remember anyone else?"
"Kind of hurts to think, sir," he said. "Though now that I think of it, the one thing I'm sure of is that my name is Unsuur. And that I had a run-in of some kind with Logan."
"Yes, but why did that happen?" Owen asked. "How did you even meet him?" And then, "Are you a part of Logan's gang?"
For some reason, he looked at the food on the table, his stomach suddenly deciding to grumble despite the nausea he felt. He glanced away.
"Look, Unsuur, kiddo, we're not going to take the food away."
"I don't know. I can't answer your question. I guess Logan can?"
"Yeah. That's not going to happen any time soon," Justice said. "Given Logan is a wanted man around these parts."
"Oh. I see. Did I do something wrong? Right?"
"Did you?" Owen looked at Justice.
Unsuur wasn't sure what to think, instead looking at the food.
"Don't look at me," Justice said. "I don't remember Unsuur being a part of Logan's gang, and he kind of got knocked out and left for dead. Speaking of which, we'll need to get you some medicine for that sunburn."
"You don't have to go out of your way to do that," Unsuur muttered.
"Yes, but why did that happen? Why did he get knocked out, particularly if it involved Logan?"
He frowned, his side hurting. "I don't know. I think," he started.
"It's okay to think," Justice said.
"Kind of hurts to think, sir," he said.
"I see," Justice said. "Anyways, I don't know how to interrogate you properly, given that it's rather obvious you've got amnesia."
"Amnesia?"
"Means you don't remember who you are," Owen piped up before nodding at the food. "And you should eat, kid."
Unsuur didn't, sucking his tooth instead.
"He may not want us watching," Justice said. "But then, he's also locked up despite me not having any proof he's ever done anything wrong."
It was then that Justice stepped over, opening up the cell. Unsuur frowned. "But I don't have anywhere to go."
"No. I guess you don't. What do you remember?"
"I'm not sure," Unsuur looked away. "I'm not supposed to trust you."
"Logan?" Owen asked.
"I think so."
"Logan, he's not exactly right in the mind, you know. But then, I guess this place can do that to you if you're not careful."
"Then you don't hate him?" Unsuur said, which made the two look at each other. He glanced away. "I don't know what my exact relationship with him. And I know now he's not a good person."
"Because?" Justice asked.
"I don't know. I just, I know I told him I couldn't go along with whatever he was doing."
"Got it."
"And I don't hate him. I just hate what he does. And it makes me feel—not sure how I feel."
"You've time to figure that out," Justice said. "How would you like to help me bring him to justice?"
"Are you kidding?" Owen said.
Unsuur said without hesitation, "Yes."
Owen turned to stare before turning back to Justice. "Really, Justice?"
"The kid needs a place. And, from what I saw go down, he wasn't agreeing with what Logan was doing. Wasn't even expecting it."
"Yeah, but," Owen turned back, then sighed. "Alright. I mean, it's not as if I could—well, it's complicated. Particularly since Logan's involved."
"Which means I need to be the one looking out for the kid," Justice said. "You'd like that? To have someone look out for you? But to look out for others?"
"Yeah."
"Justice."
"Yeah. I know. It's likely how Logan got the kid on his side ."
"I was more of thinking of how the others in town will know he's here."
"Let me think. I decided to bring in a new deputy because it's shorthanded, it being just myself. I ran into Logan on my way out, and the deputy received a head injury, but since he doesn't yet have a place to stay and needed to recuperate from his injury, I thought it best he stay here in the cell where there is a bed. I wasn't, though, expectin' my new deputy to lose his memories, though, so asking about his past—just not an option. Sound good?"
"Well…"
Unsuur frowned. "But Logan knows the truth."
"And what would you do if he tried to hold it against ya?"
"Tell the truth."
"Oh boy," Owen sighed. "And what will you say about where you're from?"
"What Justice said?"
"And you don't at all feel guilty about this, Justice?"
"Not at all. I mean, I did bring the kid in rather late at night, and you're the only one I actually told about him being here, seeing as the kid needs some food. And Mayor Trudy, of course, and we'll likely tell Matilda, but I think they'd rather see a kid reformed than not? Don't ya think?"
"I guess," Owen said. "Are you really okay with this kid?"
"If I did something wrong, anything wrong, then it is my moral duty to make amends. What better way than to serve as a part of the Civil Corps?"
"Yeah. Good luck!" Owen slapped Justice on the back. "And try to get the kid to eat. I'm heading back to my saloon."
"I think we'll be fine," Justice said, turning to Unsuur. "You don't mind me leaving you here to eat ya fill while I go fill Trudy in on the situation?"
"I'm allowed to eat it?" Unsuur said, looking at the food, which looked quite appetizing.
"Of course," Owen laughed. "Why wouldn't you be?"
"Because," Unsuur frowned. "I don't know." Of course, there was a lot he didn't know, though he did know that Logan was wrong about not trusting the Civil Corps, while he was, in turn, wrong for trusting Logan. Plus, he didn't remember anything, so it should be fine. "Right?"