The Nowhere Man: Book One

Chapter One: Ain't No Grave

A mysterious stranger awakens in the middle of Nowhere with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Accompanied by an odd but friendly dog, the stranger sets out to find some answers. However, it isn't long before trouble comes knocking.

When the man rose from his slumber in the scorched hardpan, he did so beneath a hot and primordial sun. His thoughts were a haze, a muddled collection of nothing and everything blurring together all at once. When his body began to respond, it did so slowly, and he lifted himself weakly.

His vision was cloudy, but even so he could clearly make out a bright pink smear in front of him against the rusted backdrop of brown and orange. The smear moved, shifted slightly, and as his eyes adjusted he discovered it was not a smear but a dog. The mutt looked at him curiously but with friendly eyes, smiling genuinely as if silently spectating his efforts at picking himself up.

"Grh...hey there, boy."

Unexpectedly, the dog waved. Even more unexpectedly, the dog talked.

"Hey!"

The man decided not to linger too much on the fact that the dog spoke. There were, obviously, more pressing matters at the moment, even if he didn't know exactly what they were yet. Maybe the dog could help. The man fully lifted himself and stood, wobbly at first, before gaining his footing. He shielded his face with the back of his hand as he lifted his head to the citrus sky, then back down to the dog.

"How long was I out?"

The dog shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I found you out here, laying just like you were when you woke up. You were breathing so I knew you weren't dead. I figured I'd stick around and keep any pesky animals from getting to you before you woke up."

"Well, that's...awfully kind of you. Thanks."

The dog nodded.

"You got a name, boy?"

"Courage," he said. "My old owner called me that, she said it's because I was brave."

"Heh. Courage. I like that," the man remarked, grunting as he strained himself. "Your owners around here, Courage?"

Suddenly, the dog's whole demeanor shifted. His smile dropped, and his eyes softened. The man knew what this meant, and he knew not to press.

"Oh. It's just you then."

"Yeah. You're the only person I've seen in...well, a really long time. People don't typically come around Nowhere anymore."

"Nowhere? That's where I'm at?"

Courage nodded.

"Mhm!"

The man looked all around him. 'Nowhere' was an apt name. There was nothing but flat, barren desert as far and as wide as he could see, an endless and immeasurable purgatory.

***

The pair walked on across the wasteland, Courage leading. The man wiped away the sweat forming on his brow with the back of his wrist and hand.

"How'd you happen to come across me, dog?" he wondered aloud.

"I was on a stroll," Courage answered. "I usually like to go for one whenever I can. It's peaceful, and it gives me something to do. Muriel and I used to go for strolls when she was still here."