Hey, I went crazy over this story and just HAD to get it out there. I will be posting more of 'Free at Last' soon. If any of you guys know my writing you know I get obsessed with one thing for awhile, write about it, and then move on. Well this is just the next obsession in the chain. I wanted to let you know that if you go to my Biography page I usually post updates on what's going on and when I'll be posting stuff. So if you're wondering when more stuff is going to come out then just check there. Thank you to my editor gbc5452, he did as much writing as editing in this story and I couldn't have done it without him :)
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A portal of fire opened in the middle of the large wheat field. It crackled and sparked with lightning and fire for a moment before the first figure emerged through the large tear in the world. The white horse's hooves crashed to the ground. Instantly the wheat bent the slightest bit, bowing at the large white horse and its rider. The rider looked out at his surroundings and he gave a quiet snort, unimpressed.
The portal cracked and sparked more as the second figure jumped through. The horse's deep brown coat could very easily be mistaken for the fiery red many assumed it was. The ground under the horses hooves burned and smoldered, leaving a burn mark the shape of a horse's hoof on the earth. The rider looked at his companion and then out at his own surroundings much like the first had done. They both turned to watch as the third figure jumped through the portal.
The ground beneath the black horse's hooves began to decay and rot. Turning a sickly green color and crumbling with the trio's weight. The black horses tossed its head and snorted in irritation at the new surroundings. None of the riders turned as the fourth rider jumped through the portal. Which closed immediately after the horses tail left the sparkling red hole in the world.
The fourth horse could not be called white. White was a bright prideful color. This horse was pale, much like the ash after a fire has been put out. It's rider, unlike the others, did not have flesh covering its face. Where the pale flesh to match the horse should be, was only bone and empty eye sockets. Though it had no eyes it still looked around at it's surroundings as it's horse stamped at the ground beneath his feet. The ground beneath the pale horse's hooves instantly died. They looked as if they had been picked years ago. Only their roots still lay solid in the ground, which was as dry as the plants themselves.
"Remember, we are here on business." The pale rider said.
"What business could we possibly have here, Death?" The black horse kicked the ground beneath it while his rider spoke.
"We have business everywhere, Famine." The red rider spoke.
"You know nothing of our current affairs, War." The black rider turned his mount to face War.
"I know more than you do." War spoke.
"Quiet." The white rider interrupted their bickering.
"Thank you, Conquest." Death looked out across the wheat field.
"I cannot stand their arguing anymore than you can." Conquest chuckled.
"He started it." War said quietly. He now noticed the cluster of lights in the distance; A town.
"What year is this?" Conquest asked.
"Somewhere in the new millennium. Early. Ten or so years. "
"How did you guess, War?" Death turned it's bony head to face it's companion.
"This is one of my favorite pieces in time. Much of my work has spread in this century."
"As has mine." Death laughed.
"Don't we always work as a pair?" War smiled.
"That we do."
"Anyways, if you two are done talking. What is our business here?" Conquest moved his horse between the two to get their attention.
"My dear friends, we are here on vacation of course." The term 'friends' was used loosely.
"Vacation? Death, Famine, War, and Conquest...they do not take vacations." Famine joined the conversation.
"Why not?" Death turned it's skeletal head to the side.
"Because, we are needed. Especially you Death. What? While we're on vacation no one will die? You want to make the human race immortal for a few days? Yes that sounds like a good idea." Famine rolled his eyes.
"I can keep up on my work and still have a little fun. You should be able to as well." Death said coolly.
"It's not like you really do much, this day in age anyway." War came in.
"Quiet! I do plenty!" Famine snapped. The other three riders chuckled. Even Conquest.
"Sure you do. How long do we have?" War turned to Death.
"Long enough. As long as you keep up on your jobs we can hang around this dump of a town and wreak some havoc." Death looked back at the town.
"As long as none of us end up like that damned Mephistopheles. You three did hear what he did, didn't you?" Famine spoke.
"Fell in love with a human. Disgusting." Death spat on the ground, which turned to dust the moment it's spit landed on the earth.
"Gave up his immortality and all of his power for some human male." Conquest shook his head.
"What a moron, choosing humanity of all things. Don't you agree War?" The four riders looked at War who had said nothing.
"Yes. An idiotic choice indeed." War stared longingly at the distant lights.
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Jason filled out the last of the paperwork for the day. He sighed and threw down the pen and put the folders away before standing and trying to rush out of the office before anyone gave him another case. He loved being a social worker but when he had started, paperwork wasn't what he had in mind. Sure he got to help a lot of people but there was an equal, if not larger, amount of paperwork involved.
"Heading home Jason?" One of his coworker friends asked as he finished his own paperwork.
"Yup, you?"
"Definitely. Happy Friday!" His friend laughed.
"TGIF, tell the wife and kids I said hello."
"Will do, tell your wife and- oh wait I forgot you refuse to settle down." He chuckled.
"I just haven't found the right person yet." Jason rolled his eyes. Most of his coworkers didn't know he was gay.
"Well instead of going home, why don't you go look? Come to the bar with us tonight."
"Eh, I don't know, Mac."
"Please? You'll have fun. It's just a few of the guys." Mac said. Jason sighed.
"Okay fine, what time?"
"Yes! Nine, you know where." Jason did indeed know where considering they only ever went to one bar in the whole town.
"Okay, see you then." Jason left the office and began walking home. It wasn't a large town so the walk was short. He arrived at his farm house on the edge of a wheat field and took off his jacket before micro waving a frozen pizza. He sat down to eat his food as he thought;
'What the hell am I going to wear?'
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"What the hell are we going to wear?" War asked suddenly. As they walked through the field.
"What do you mean?"
"We're in a different time now. Our current attire wont do." War gestured at their armor.
"So true." Death dismounted it's horse, who tossed his head at the loss of the weight. The other three followed Death and used one of their many capabilities to change their appearance.
"You like?" War spun in a circle. The tight leather pants he wore showed off his ass, and the long coat reached his thighs. He kept the coat open to reveal the tight shirt he wore underneath.
"Perfect. Other than one thing." Conquest stepped up to him, making a pair of slick glasses appear in his hands. He slipped them over War's eyes to cover the glowing red iris that would have given him away.
"Thank you." War adjusted the glasses to fit perfectly. The rest of the riders made their own outfit, complete with flesh for Death.
Conquest went old fashioned cowboy. With the hat, jeans, and boots. His sandy blonde hair was mostly covered by his hat, and glasses protected his completely white eyes. Famine went Goth, with heavy black makeup, black pants and shirt, and piercings to match. He too used glasses to hide his completely black eyes. And Death kept it simple with a male human form, a button down shirt and a pair of blue jeans. And of course, the glasses to hide his new pale green eyes.
"Now we have fun." Conquest smiled.
"Stay." All four of them said at once. The horses did as they were told and waited in the middle of the field for the troublesome riders to return.
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After an hour of trying to find something to wear, Jason finally decided on a brown silk shirt and khaki pants. The shirt matched his eyes and his hair.
