After the Plague

Prologue

A dark path in a dark forest in a dark land in a dark world.

A woman’s eyes were heavy and fluttered as he struggled to keep them open. Perhaps the only thing keeping her awake was the clamoring of her mounted horse under her. Clomp. Clomp. Clomp. 

Stay awake. Stay awake. She forced her eyes open, taking in the surrounding landscape. She had finally made it out of the long stretch of thick forest, and the vegetation had begun to make its transition into small, scrubby bushes. The desert is close. I’m almost there. I’m almost there. Stay awake.

She grappled at her saddle mounted packs, through a tangle of rope, before she grabbed the sweet nectar that she was looking for. The water bottle had been practically destroyed on the road. It was bent, scratched, and tarnished in almost every way imaginable. But, it did the job that it was intended to do, and at a certain point that was all that mattered. The woman unscrewed the top clumsily, and tipped the bottle over her mouth. The still cold water quickly brought her to her senses as it spilled down her front and chilled her body. She wiped some of the excess water off of her mouth with the sleeve of her thick jacket, and replaced the bottle back onto a metal clip, where it slung down amongst the rope and saddle bags.

It only took a few seconds for her to regret the move, but in the least it meant that she wasn’t teetering off her horse anymore. A cold wind bit at her exposed skin. Damned winter even in the desert. This world is a cruel place indeed. Years ago I traveled out here to escape the winter. Jokes on me, I’d kill to be back home. The thought of a warm apartment churned inside of her like the flu. Even the bright, flashing lights and constant noise of the city she had once known seemed appealing at this point. Anything but these trees and damned deserts. 

She sighed. No point in complaining. I wouldn’t mind something to look at, though. The unpaved road in front of her cut through sand and more sand, as even the scrub died out after only a short while. I’ll be there soon. 

The horse continued on in silence, only broken by the steady clomp, clomp, clomp of its hooves against the compressed dirt. Camping on the road almost seemed like an enticing prospect, but the combination of the cold air and foreign desert quickly shut that idea down. Almost on cue, a wolf’s howling dully pierced the air, some miles away. She could tell it was far enough off that it wasn’t a threat, but the reminder of its presence was enough to send chills up her spine. There could be any number of things out there. I’ll sleep in the morning. So, she repositioned herself into the saddle and prepared to ride out the rest of the night in full consciousness. 

But apparently some power, be it higher or lower, didn’t want her to be content just yet, as a dim light appeared up ahead on the road. She squinted, trying to discern what it could possibly be, but a smog covered the moon and stars, preventing her from seeing anything amongst the sand. Who could be out here? I took this road to avoid travelers, not run into them. She reached back into her saddle bag and jostled though her clothes before her fingers gripped around the metal grip of her pistol. She brought it up slowly and concealed it in the folds of her cloak. 

A lifetime seemed to pass as the distance between her and the light source lessened. The horses clomping seemed to stretch out, echoing against the sand. While the light was a sure sign of another, she knew that while they couldn’t see her, they damn well could hear the racket her beast was making. I’m getting too old for this. She cocked the gun  and dialed back the power level, making sure it was as high as it could go. 

The all consuming darkness allowed her fellow traveler to remain unseen, even at just a few feet away. The woman breathed in, hoping that it wouldn’t result in any conflict. That’s the last thing I need tonight. “Who goes there?”