Four horsemen rushed into our small, desolate village. They came in a single line, their robes flowing behind them and giving the illusion that a small stream of water was rushing toward us. As they came closer, it seemed that a dense cloak of evil was draping itself over the crowd, myself include. Screaming broke out among the cluster of townspeople. Children ran, though even they knew that it wouldn’t help. Their parents clambered after them, calling for them to return.

Everyone knew that there was no escaping them, for tales of the four horsemen of the apocalypse had spread even to our secluded village. Over the past months, they had been riding through towns across the world, bringing with them their powers of death and destruction. These tales had all ended with the annihilation of the towns and everyone in them. We had not hope, only fear, for in our hearts we knew that we would soon meet our end.

Our fears were confirmed as the people nearest to the horsemen started holding their necks and falling to the ground with a heart wrenching thud. Then, I smelled something so terrible that it seemed to pierce through me. The smell brought on a sense of suffocation, squeezing my lungs shut.

I stood there clutching my own neck trying desperately to breathe. My face felt like it was on fire, and my head weighed 200 pounds. I fell to my knees, and felt myself drifting to some far away place. Just before I completely lost it, something snapped me back into reality. When my vision strengthened, I could see that the horsemen had passed us and gone straight toward a person I’d never seen before. He wore city attire, which was uncommon in our village.

When they got close enough to the unknown man, Death spoke; the other three lingered behind, knowing their ranks in relation to their leader and conveying the message of a united front.

“Brother,” Death said to the stranger. “We have been searching for you for centuries. Even with our combined efforts, you’ve eluded us. This is different; this time we have found you, and there is no escape.”

“I don’t doubt that you have struggled to find me,” Death’s brother said. “I’ve been evading you with a purpose. The centuries that we’ve been apart have been enlightening. I no longer wish to destroy this magnificent earth, so I will not fight at your side to achieve this task. I swore when I broke free of your grasp that I would never again give birth to death and corruption.”

The horsemen seemed to expect a fight. They stiffened and stepped forward slightly. What the brother said next, however, contradicted their actions.

“You may take me away or kill me, but either way I will not fight. I won’t fight against you or against this planet. You cannot destroy it without me, so I recommend you give up.”

“Never,” said Death as he swung his arm toward the traitor, directing his powers. I felt the atmosphere fluctuate as the brother fell to his knees and gasped for air. Death started to appear weak, but right when it looked like his powers were failing, his brother attempted to breathe for the last time.

The four horsemen rode away, their hopes for massive destruction abolished.

Or so I thought….


When I look back on this horrific scene, I still am instilled with fear. Our village was never the same again. We were lucky in comparison to some of the other cities the horsemen rode through. After their visit to us, their activity throughout the world increased. It seems as if they lashed out in anger, or maybe they felt that they had something to prove, whether to themselves or others I can’t be sure. All I know is that the world might as well have ended that night. They might not be able to destroy the world itself, but our population is dwindling, and nothing yet has been able to stop them. I look toward the future, knowing that it is only a matter of time until pure evil again shows its face in my town. All I can do is wait…and wait…and wait….