The New Horsemen

by Nikolai Swartz

  Warren quickly stepped in after him.

  Standing shoulder to shoulder, they watch as the numbers ticked higher and higher. The doors pinged open once more, revealing a long dark hallway. The glassed walls on either side revealed well lit offices with clear views over the city skyline.

  “Are you scared…?” Warren finally asked, hoping to deafen the silence.

  “Shhh…” Conquest responded

  “It was just a question” Warren responded

  “You’re making a noise…”

  The continued down the hallway with extreme caution, trying to find a way up onto the rooftop.

  “You still haven’t answered my question…”

  “You wanna know if I’m scared?”

  “Yeah…”

  Conquest stopped to look at Warren, “We are walking to our deaths… this corridor, this hallway… this is our death row… we’re most likely not coming back from this. Conquest looked down the corridor, noticing the fire escape through the window at the end of the hallway, “You ask me if I’m scared, of course I’m scared… but if he hurts her, he will be the one who is scared”. Conquest pushed on the window to open it, but it didn’t budge. He then pushed a bit harder, this time causing a bit of dust to float off from the point where the window pane and the wall met. Warren looked up, noticing the dust waterfall from the top. He then took a step back. The dust came pouring down with each time that Conquest pushed.

  Warren took another cautious step backwards

  With one last shove, Conquest pushed the entire window pane out of the wall, causing it to crash out onto the fire escape. The momentum caused him to fall on top of it.

  Warren laughed in shock, “Out of all your bright ideas…” Warren said calmly, “That was my favourite”

  “Don’t make me beat you” Conquest responded as he propped the window pane up against the railing.

  CHAPTER 19 – THE LAST SAVIOR

  Warren walked up the fire escape right behind the horseman, watching the green armour scrape against the walls and clank against the railings.

  They reached the top and Warren was grateful to be on the solid concrete instead of looking over the edge of the steps at the ground and the car that resembled ants from the dizzying height.

  That’s when he saw them – Justice and Kim, standing on the other side of the roof. He had her at the back of her collar. Not being one to easily conceded, she still wiggled around, trying to escape his grasp. She even went as far as to elbow him in the ribs, which had no effect on him, but hurt her elbow as she mainly caught armour.

  “Let her go…” Conquest and Warren said in almost perfect unison

  ‘I haven’t decided on that part yet” Justice responded.

  “Decided on what yet” Conquest barked back

  “On whether I want to let her go… or watch her go splat” Justice grabbed her at the front of her collar and lifted her off the ground; and with the greatest of ease, he dangled her over the edge of the building, causing Warren and Conquest to startle slightly, but a stare from Justice stopped their motion almost immediately.

  “Put me down” Kim shouted repeatedly, whacking his hand constantly, but nothing she did caused the slightest movement from him. His grip remained solid, his outstretched arm remained unaltered and his stance remained firm.

  Warren gritted his teeth, carefully watching the hand of the horseman.

  “One of you are a horseman…” Justice continued, “... and the other gave up the ability that could have possibly saved a life today. So how do you think you will stop me and save the girl?”

  “Listen…” Warren grunted through his still clenched teeth, “ She has nothing to do with this. Let her go and we can sort this out between us all”

  “You threw me into a prison for centuries…” Justice barked back, “For years, I roamed an endless eternity… cursed with unbearable pain that was only cured when I judged the lost souls roaming through the lands. Do you know how that feels? Do you know how long I dreamt of this day… the day that I would have my brothers begging at my feet?”

  “You don’t have to punish her for that” Conquest interrupted

  “Before I kill you” Justice said, his voice suddenly as rough as it was deadly, and the pupils in his eyes whitened, “… I will make you feel the same hatred that I felt for centuries…”

  The white horsemen suddenly tossed the girl over the edge, and in the same motion withdrew his sword from his waist. Conquest and Warren charged at him, the former with his sword drawn. Noticing the sword swinging at him at chest height, Warren leaped, performing an Eagle dive over the sharp blade; the steel narrowly missing his chest by a few centimetres. The leap took him directly over the edge into a nose dive after Kimberley. She was flailing around as she tumbled uncontrollably down the side of the building.

  With his arms reached out, he darted through the air after her, when suddenly a cold ball of metal struck his shoulder. He glanced over his shoulder, but before he could determine what exactly had happened, another piece hit his other shoulder. When he looked the other way, he realised what exactly had happened. Looking around, he saw the other pieces of his armour floating around him, and launching at him to form his red armour. He looked at the building in the hopes of seeing his reflection, but all he could see was a hole in the wall that was lined with flames, following him perfectly down the building. Having caught up to her, he grabbed her around the waist, when suddenly, out of the hole against the wall, appeared the head of an armoured horse. Then his body, and shortly the legs. Warren grabbed the horn of the saddle and pulled himself onto the seat, with Kimberley on his lap. The hooves of the horse thundered against the glass as it galloped down the side of the building, causing the windows to explode outwards… shards of glass showered down alongside him as he galloped down the building. Each piece of glass reflected either a bit of moonlight or streetlights, creating a glittery hail of star-like essence that he powered through atop his mighty steed.

  The ground got closer and closer, and Kimberley’s muscles got tenser and tenser. She shrieked and shut her eyes tightly, expecting the worse as they approached the ground at an incredible speed. Warren swiftly wrapped the ropes around his wrist and pulled back as hard as he could. The horse reared, compensating for the ninety degree angle the met with the ground like a meteor from space. The impact sent a shock wave throughout the city, triggering alarms from blacks away. Windows exploded from the wave, showering the streets like miniature stars as they reflected from the light. Warren flicked the strap and kicked the stirrup, causing the horse to take off at speeds greater than any horse could possibly travel at.

  CHAPTER 20 – FALLEN

  Conquest chased after Warren, who had just initiated his charge at Justice. He watched as Warren dove over the large blade and over the edge of the building. He just managed to draw his sword in time to block the attack that was meant for Warren.

  “It’s unfortunate…” Justice said as he locked swords with the teen. He leaned in closed and continued, “Unfortunate that he wont be able to save her. But at least that is one less rider that I have to worry about… making you the only lose end”

  Victor couldn’t think of anything to say. He knew that Justice was right. Neither Warren or Kimberley would be able to survive that fall, but still he remained hopeful… hopeful that Charon or the sisters would intervene and save them before they reach the ground.

  Victor forced Justice aside and ran toward the edge, but his opponent returned it with an incredibly powerful shoulder thrust that knocked him off of his feet.

  Frustrated, Victor leaped back to his feet, but before he could retaliate the rogue horseman was right in front of him, and he found himself fending off swipe after swipe at speeds that he didn’t know was possible. He managed to deflect every attack. Blow for blow, the two continued atop the building. Despite managing to keep up with the pace, a slice of Justice’s sword managed to get through, causing a gaping scratch diagonally down his chest
plate. This allowed him to get some distance between himself and his attacker. They charged at each other again with swords held high, and again began trading attacks, but only meeting the other’s blade.

  Victor felt confident that he was keeping up with the veteran swordsman, but suddenly Justice spun around a downward slice from Victor and delivered an incredibly powerful spinning heel kick to his chest. The impact sent Conquest flying over the edge of the building through the window of a neighbouring building, only a few floors below that building’s roof.

  He tried his best to slow his momentum as he crashed into the office desks and other furniture. His weight and the speed that he was travelling broke some of the chairs and desks. When he finally managed to come to a rolling stop, he looked down to analyse the damage that his armoured had sustained and was amazed at what he found. His chest plate was completely dented with the imprint of Justice’s sole.

  He looked up just in time to see Justice land, having jumped from the previous building, through the already broken window.

  Conquest picked up his sword and prepared his sword once more. Justice walked to him with victorious confidence.

  Conquest charged his opponent, but Justice easily deflected every attack, while only holding his sword with one hand. He stood tall and confident, his face unchanged flicked away every attack from the young horseman. Conquest launched at Justice with a jab of his sword, but Justice flicked the blade aside, spun around Conquest slashed him across the back. The power behind the attack ripped through his opponent’s armour, tearing it as if it was a mere cloth.

  Conquest groaned in agony. The blade had managed to pierce enough to cut him across the back. He rolled his shoulders, trying to find comfort in the pain, but his armour seemed heavier. It was harder to move. He grabbed the front of his chest plate and ripped the entire body of the armour from his torso. His armour had no real worth if his enemy is capable of cutting through it with such ease.

  He held out the armour, allowing it to fade into dust and blew back into his face into his mouth.

  He coughed dramatically, pounding his chest with the top of his fist.

  “I swear…” Conquest said, having managed to regain his breath, “That was meant to look a lot more awesome…”

  The two ran at each other and started matching up attacks once more. The hollow ‘pings’ of their swords meeting in the middle rang through the hollow hallways of the building like church bells.

  Despite his swifter movements without his armour, all Conquests attacks were still being met by the sword of his opponent.

  In one last effort, Conquest jabbed his sword low, but Justice managed ti flick it away. He used the momentum, and performed a downward swipe, but his blade was met by the palm of the other horseman. Justice grabbed the blade as if it were dull and ripped it from the hands of the teen warrior. He threw the sword aside and in one swift motion slashed Conquest across the chest at an upward angle. The impact sent Conquest flying onto his back. He remained on the ground. The only movement was that of his chest moving up and down.

  Justice walked over to him with the arrogance of victory.

  Using what remained of his energy, Conquest raised his hand and threw one last ball of contained water energy at his opponent. It wasn’t much. All he could muster was a small ball of energy that was barely the size of his fist. He smiled greatly when the ball hit Justice’s chest plate. He did not know why he was smiling, as all he had managed to do was confuse the centuries old warrior.

  “Why do you keep trying?” Justice finally broke the silence, “Why do you continue to fight, knowing that it is a lost caused?” He stopped beside Victor, whose body was now beginning to morph back to it’s normal state, “It is hopeless. You knew, when you stepped onto that roof that you would not be walking away from this fight, yet you still fought”

  “Yeah…” Victor said with a mouth full of blood. A pool of crimson red had formed on the floor underneath him, soaking his clothes in red now that he was back to his original state, “… But you have to admit that I gave you one hell of a match…”

  “Deluded human…” Justice spoke, “… I shall never understand why my brothers chose to be human for the remainder of eternity. So frail; so weak; and so deluded. I wish they could see how much their powers have faded thanks to their choice”

  “You have some serious sibling rivalry issues”

  “What I have done to you and your friends is nothing more than retribution for what my brothers did to me”

  “Do you know what I hate?”

  Victor waited for a response, but all Justice did was stare at him with his usual blank stare.

  Victor continue, “… is villains that talk too much”

  Before he could say anything further, Justice drove his sword through his chest.

  CHAPTER 21 – THE RETURN

  Having stopped on the sidewalk in front of her door, War leaped off the side of the horse and helped Kimberley down.

  She immediately smacked his hands away and took a few steps back. She stared up at him with tears in her eyes. A crease had formed between her raised eyebrows.

  “Do you mind explaining what exactly is going on?” she finally spoke, “Why do you look like that and who was that weirdo back there?”

  “You wouldn’t believe me” he explained, his voice more rugged than what she was used to from hm.

  “Well I need answers…” her voice still riddled with confusion, “So, either you start explaining or you stay away from me”

  Warren averted his eyes. He stared down the dark empty street, between the sea of houses. He knew she was still watching him, awaiting a response, but he feared that she would think he’s crazy and have him put in a psychiatric ward, or worse, never speak to him again.

  “I’m waiting…” she continued after a short moment of silence.

  “We are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse… or at least we were…”

  “What…?” she exclaimed, “… what do you mean by we?”

  “Faith, Seth, Victor and myself…”

  A moment of silence fell between them. She paced back and forth, rubbing her cheeks as she tried to accept the information.

  “I really need you to say something…” he finally broke the silence.

  “You, Seth, Victor and Faith…” she repeated, “… but wait… Seth and Faith are dead. There were police all over the school”

  “Yes” he responded, unable to bring himself to tell her that Victor is also dead. He felt Victor’s presence fade away just moments before they reached her house.

  “So, you’re telling me that that had something to do with that man back there?”

  “Yes…”

  “And who is he…?”

  “That’s the part that is hard to explain”

  “Well, nobody knows that I’m back yet, so start explaining…”

  Warren took a deep breath, “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was real. The only problem is that there was five horsemen, not four.

  The fifth horseman was the leader of the group, known as Justice. He was in charge of the rest of them. This was mainly because he was the judge. He could sense the good and bad in people. But he went insane and starting to treat everyone like they were evil. He went on a killing spree. He killed without mercy or prejudice. When the other horsemen realised what was happening, they got together to stop Justice. When they finally managed to stop him, they couldn’t kill him. Not because they weren’t strong enough, but simply because they couldn’t bring themselves to do it. So, instead, they came together and created another realm and called it Purgatory. They banished him to that realm to forever judge the dead that came through there.

  Soon after, the horsemen allowed themselves to be reincarnated throughout history. The problem is that he has now escaped. That’s who you met”

  Kimberly stared at him with her head tilted. “So, you expect me to believe that your are the reincarnation of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”

&
nbsp; “Not all of them…” he responded sarcastically, “Just one”

  “And that one would be…?”

  “War!” He stared back down the dark street at the city line that was visible between the rows of houses, “… but I guess it doesn’t matter now if you believe me or not” he took a breath. He knew he had to tell her, “Victor is gone. It’s just me… and I don’t stand a chance against him”

  “Wait…” she interrupted quickly, “What do you mean by Victor is gone”

  He stared at her in silence, racking his brain for a better euphemism for what he was trying to say, but the look in her eyes already told him that she understood.