The Horsemen, Robert Santore [bookstand for reading .txt] 📗

    Hoof beats, barely audible over the freezing wind. They were coming. I pulled my coat tighter around my shuddering body, and quickly jumped off the road into the underbrush. I hid behind a decrepit bush devoid of life, and lay freezing in the wind. They approached and I heard them stop at the point where I jumped off of the road. They dismounted. I picked up my rifle and turned the safety off getting ready for the inevitable. As they approached my hiding spot I sprung up with a cry, let off a few shots in their direction and ran.

    I heard them cry out in surprise and start to follow. I reloaded my rifle and slung it across my back then broke out into a sprint. Pulling out a homemade grenade I pulled the pin and threw it behind me. I heard them scramble away from it. A large thump immediately followed it and at a couple cries of pain. I ran off silently into the night hopefully leaving them in disarray.

    After their confused sounds died off into the howling wind and the miles passed I decided I would stop and eat my long delayed dinner. Since it was too risky to set up a fire with them so close I had to settle for some jerked beef and icy water. I sat against a tree with a few scraggly leaves still attached to it. Drawing my coat against the wind I shivered while chewing on my stringy sliver of beef. As I sat there I thought about my gun I did a quick check on ammo and found that I was running low for my rifle and only had one more grenade left. I missed my pistol sorely, but I lost that many miles ago running from them before, barely escaping with my life.

    I got up and started off into the cold wind again the road was too dangerous, so I decided I would walk through the Dead Forest. Winter had been going on for the last five years. I can still remember the last summer before the War. It was dryer than usual when the Bombs came. With thunderous roars and plumes of smoke they took out all of the major cities. After that They came, from where no one knows, with Their machine guns and horses capturing people and putting them in irons.  After the Bombs and the slavers, civilization was scattered, and people grew wary of strangers often meeting them with guns and more bombs.

    If I was lucky the cold would take me before They found me so I wouldn’t have to live the life of a slave. I don’t even know why I keep going anymore with all my friends and family gone.

In the distance I thought I saw a glimmer of light. Hope flared through me despite my glum thoughts. After a few minutes of walking the light became brighter and more spots came into being. Definitely a town. I sped up hoping that they would accept my money. Finally the walls of the town came into my sight through the wind.   

I approached the gate and knocked on it hoping the town had some type of door man. A small peek hole opened with a sliver of light I saw two small suspicious eyes stare at me and a gruff voice said, “What do ya want?”

“I would like to know if you have some sort of boarding house or a place for me to rest my head.” I replied.

“Yes, but only for those who can pay.”

“I have money.”

“Let’s see it then.”

I pulled out a small wad of money and showed it to him, with a small nod he opened the gate for me. As I walked in I realized that this was one of the larger towns that was completely self-sufficient. “Where am I right now,” I asked the door man.

“The Town of Nowhere in Old Kansas,” the door man said.

“Thanks,” I said as I handed him a five and walked on. I looked around and was surprised by how clean the city was, and if I listened hard enough over the freezing wind I could hear the sound of generators in the background. I saw a map painted onto a wall and looked at it until I saw that here was a tavern on the street parallel to the one I was on. Walking in that direction I saw that there were actual electric lights on the streets, and the houses were well kept.

Arriving at my destination I walked in and was met by a wave of heat and tobacco smoke. Trying not to choke on the thick smoke I plunged into the haze and found the counter. I walked up to the man behind the counter and got a bowl of soup and a room for the night. After eating the plain soup I found my room and crashed for the night.

When morning came I saw them outside my window holding a picture of me and asking nervous looking people if they had seen me. Cursing my luck I decided to try and slip out the back. Taking all of my stuff I ran down the streets and ran out the door. Even though I was in a hurry I needed supplies and ran into the cold, gloomy morning towards the store a block down the street.

When I got there I rushed in and immediately took food off shelves doing the math in my head as I went. As I passed the counter I threw a wad of bills for the supplies at the surprised woman behind the counter and ran out the door stuffing my provisions into my pack as I ran. I passed a gun store and rushed in finding a well-kept colt .45 and a box of ammo and empty clips; once again I threw money at the cashier. Rapidly filling up one of the empty clips and loading my new gun I ran out past them hearing them shout and run after me as I ran out of the Town of Nowhere.

A bullet whizzed past my head accompanied by a loud bang. I ran as fast as I could until I met the Dead Forest, jumping into the decrepit foliage I waited in ambush until they came. Throwing my last grenade at the lead Horseman I sprang out after the detonation firing my gun dry at the surprised Horsemen. Without waiting to see if I hit anything but air I whipped my rifle around and fired that at them too. Turning and running away I could hear the horses scream in fear and the riders wrestling for control with them. Once again in the cold wind alone with the Horsemen behind me I ran. Behind me I heard hoof beats. They were coming, again.

I stopped for a moment to fill another clip for my pistol and slam it into the handle. I also reloaded my rifle. As I pulled the charging lever I started back off. The hooves were closer; I could practically feel the ground vibrate beneath me. Looking behind me I saw the lead Horseman leveling his carbine at me. I dived just as the shot rang out, the bullet barely missing my head. The Horsemen circled around me. The leader said, “Subsisto, occumbo vestri arma quod nos mos non vulnero vos.”

He was speaking Latin.  “Bonum latinam non loquuntur,” I tried (it means I do not speak Latin well)

“Stop, fall your spears we will hurt not,” the leader tried again in the worst English I have ever heard. I decided they wanted me to drop my guns, but I felt that was not a good idea considering I would most likely end up dead or a slave either way.

Hoisting my rifle I dived to the right through a small gap in the horses and ran behind a fallen tree. Setting my rifle on the log I started emptying my gun at them, turning they drew their guns and fired at me. I realized I was out gunned when one pulled out a grenade launcher.

I just got up and sprinted into the cold forest. I heard a thump and the whistle of wind on the grenade. Diving behind the nearest tree I covered my ears. With an ear shattering blast of solid sound and a bright light I fell blind and deaf to the ground. As the ringing in my ears and my blindness slowly fell away I got up disoriented and saw large blobs of brown color coming towards me. My mind slowly came to the realization that those were the Horsemen.

Finding my rifle on the ground I picked it up I lifted it and helplessly shot at Them. I saw a yellow flash and heard another ringing bang. Next thing I know I’m on the ground with a searing pain in my leg. I weakly pulled out my pistol lifted it up and emptied it at the Blobs. One of Them approached looking up at it, it slowly came into focus. I saw a rifle pointing at my head. A bang and a flash then nothing…

Text: Robert Santore
Editing: Robert Santore and Family
Publication Date: 06-27-2013

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