Ruby groaned as she woke, her body sinking into the soft grass beneath her. The sunlight hit her eyes, bright and blinding, and she shielded her face with her hand. It wasn't just the brightness, though. Something about the light seemed strange. She blinked, forcing her vision to adjust, and as she sat up, the scene around her came into focus.
The endless green plains stretched out, serene and still. But what caught her attention first were the flowers, or what she thought were flowers. She crawled closer to one, frowning. It wasn't a flower at all—it was a face. A human face, staring blankly at the sky.
Ruby recoiled, heart pounding, as she took a second look. The face was carved in perfect detail, down to the curve of the jaw, the shape of the nose, and that unsettling smile. All the flowers—dozens, no, hundreds of them—wore the same face.
She scrambled to her feet, breath quickening. "What... the...?"
Her gaze shot upward. The sky wasn't any better. Massive faces loomed in the clouds, all with that same expression. It was like being watched, but by something much bigger than anything she could understand.
Her stomach lurched. "Where am I?"
Movement caught her eye. Two figures were coming toward her, pedaling leisurely on bicycles through the grass. Ruby's instinct screamed to run, but her curiosity held her frozen in place. The closer they got, the more her stomach twisted.
The first rider was an older man, his expression calm and almost too familiar. Ruby's eyes widened as she recognized it—the same face as the flowers and the clouds, but on a living, breathing person. The second rider, a younger man, had the same face too, but... younger, sharper. A mirrored version of the older man.
Ruby's heart raced as the two stopped their bikes in front of her. The older man gave her a gentle nod, smiling in that strange, almost eerie way.
"Ah, you must be new here," he said, voice deep and soothing. "Welcome to Obama Land."
Ruby blinked, completely thrown. "W-what? Obama Land?" She pointed at him, her hand trembling slightly. "Who are you? What is this?"
The older man smiled wider, though it didn't make Ruby feel any less on edge. "I'm Gregory," he said, gesturing to himself with an air of pride. "Though I know I bear the face of this 'Obama' fellow you're probably confused by. It's quite common around here."
The younger man, still perched on his bike, chimed in. "And I'm Devon." He tilted his head, smirking a bit. "Same face, different guy."
Ruby's mouth opened, but no words came out. She stared between the two, trying to wrap her head around the situation. "You both… have the same face. But… different names?"
"Exactly," Gregory said smoothly, as if this were all completely normal. "Here in Obama Land, most things do." He pointed toward the sky where the enormous faces floated like clouds. "You'll see it everywhere, but don't let it worry you too much. You'll adjust."
Ruby shook her head, backing up a step. "This is insane. How is this even possible?"
Devon shrugged, nonchalant. "It's Obama Land. Things are a bit different here."
Ruby turned in a slow circle, taking in the endless expanse of Obama-faced flowers and the eerie, watching clouds above. Her pulse hammered in her ears, and her instincts screamed to flee, but she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the two men.
Gregory smiled again, far too calm for the situation. "It's strange, I know. But don't worry, we'll help you get used to it."
"Get used to—" Ruby shook her head, taking a step back. "No. No, I don't think I'm ever getting used to this."
Gregory swung a leg over his bike and dismounted, the grass crunching softly beneath his boots. He gave Ruby a calm, almost paternal smile, the kind that was meant to reassure but only made her feel more uneasy.
"You must have a thousand questions," Gregory said, brushing his hands off on his pants, the warm breeze tugging at his clothes. "Let me explain, and I'll try not to overwhelm you."
Ruby took a step back, eyes narrowing but keeping her silence.
Gregory glanced up at the sky as if drawing strength from it. "You're what we call a Distoria."
"A what now?" Ruby blinked, still processing everything.
Gregory gave a small nod. "It's the name for someone like you. Someone who doesn't quite… fit the pattern of Obama Land." He gestured vaguely at his face, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You're not like us. Most of the people here—" He motioned to the horizon, where Ruby could see the endless flower-head Obamas and the drifting cloud faces. "—share, well, this look. But you… you're different."
Ruby swallowed hard, her hand brushing against her side where her scythe usually hung. "So what, I'm some kind of outsider?"
"Precisely," Gregory said, as if she had hit the nail on the head. "Distorias are rare in Obama Land. Most who end up here get integrated, one way or another." His eyes softened. "But don't worry, we're not like other dimensions. We don't force people to change. We hide. We survive."
Ruby's mind raced. She'd heard of weird things in Remnant, but alternate dimensions? She hadn't thought they were real. The idea alone stunned her. Her hands curled into fists at her sides, struggling to absorb the reality of it all.
"Hide?" she finally asked, frowning. "From what?"
Gregory's face darkened, and Devon straightened up from his relaxed posture. "From Freddy Krueger."
Ruby's eyes widened in disbelief. "Freddy Krueger? As in the nightmare guy with the claws?"
Gregory nodded grimly. "Exactly. This place, Obama Land, was created to be a secret dimension—away from Freddy's forces. They won't invade here. It's hidden, shielded from his reach. As long as we keep a low profile, we're safe from him and his tax collectors."
Ruby blinked. "Tax collectors?"
Devon scoffed. "Yeah, Freddy's got these creepy tax guys who show up in every dimension he controls. They drain the life out of places, literally. It's not just money they're after."
Ruby crossed her arms, growing serious. "And you just… hide from him? That's the plan?"
Gregory shifted uncomfortably. "It's the only plan we've got. Freddy's powers are beyond anything you can imagine. He can enter minds, control dreams, even reshape reality. That's why we created this place—to keep him out."
Ruby took a deep breath, her fists clenching. "I've fought some pretty crazy things in my time. Maybe I can help. Maybe I can stop him."
Gregory's eyes flickered with something close to fear. "I wouldn't suggest that. Freddy Krueger's not like any enemy you've faced before. He's not bound by normal rules. His power is… cosmic. If you're not careful, you'll end up trapped in one of his nightmares forever."
Ruby fell silent, considering. She wasn't one to back down from a challenge, but Gregory's warning weighed heavily on her. Freddy Krueger wasn't just some monster she could slash her way through. He was something else.
Gregory gestured toward the distant horizon, where a small town appeared, tucked away in the middle of the vast grass plain. "Come with us. We were headed back to the village. You'll be safe there for now. We can figure out what to do next."
Reluctantly, Ruby nodded, and they started walking toward the town. As they drew closer, Ruby began to take in more details of the settlement. The buildings were quaint, made of wood and stone, with charmingly mismatched windows and slanted rooftops. It looked like something from an old storybook, with winding dirt roads that cut through the small village.
But what truly struck Ruby was the people.
Women walked by in groups, chatting and laughing, each of them wearing the same face—calm, confident, and eerily identical to one another. Every single woman in the village bore the likeness of Michelle Obama. The men, scattered about, were just as unsettling. They all had Gregory's face, the same distinct features of Obama, though some were taller, shorter, or had different builds.
Ruby's stomach twisted again. It was as though someone had copy-pasted a few faces onto an entire population.
Devon smirked as he noticed her discomfort. "We don't get much face variety around here, but hey, you get used to it."
Ruby ignored him, her eyes scanning the village. The sight was surreal, to say the least. "This is… your town?"
Gregory nodded, his expression softening as they entered. "This is home. Everyone here was once a Distoria, like you. We've made a life here, hidden from Freddy's reach."
"But," Ruby hesitated, "what if he finds you?"
Gregory's face grew serious. "Then we'll have to fight. But until that day comes, we stay hidden. We survive."
Ruby looked around at the village, at the Michelle Obamas and Gregory Obamas all going about their daily lives, and felt an odd mix of fascination and dread. There was something disturbingly peaceful about this place, like a dream teetering on the edge of a nightmare.
Freddy Krueger might be out there, lurking. But for now, Ruby was here—in Obama Land. And she was far from sure about what to do next.