Awaken: Book two of Fallen Series

“IT’S TIME. ARISE AND RIDE FIRST RIDER.” The command in the voice was impossible to ignore. The darkness I had spent centuries in faded, blaring light blinding me. I knew what this meant. It was time for the humans to repent for the damage they had caused. It was time for me and my brothers to judge the humans and their hearts. It was our jobs to bring the humans their judgments or their redemptions. Not many knew the horsemen could give humanity a second chance. We could see into the hearts of man. We could see their light or their darkness. And how much of which rules this world. However, we must ride and we must spread our respective gifts among the world. The world must know of our arrival. Up until our eldest brother takes his ride. It will be him who decides their fate. Him who we will reveal what we have found. It will be him alone who will give his final judgement to the creator. I mounted my white horse, patting his neck affectionately. “We have a long ride and hard journey ahead of us.” I warned him. Squeezing his sides with my heels so set him into motion. And we did. I knew what this ride would bring us. Once word got out that the first horseman has started his ride people would take to the streets. Riots would start. People would loot and steal. Some would form militias, and armies. Free lancers and assassins would attempt to kill me themselves. They’d quickly learn I couldn’t be killed, but that wouldn’t make it any less painful. All of us had been prepared for what would come from our rides. We were warned of how the humans would react. Told how even though they were forewarned that they wouldn’t understand. Humans were not wired to understand the divine. Since Eve took the first bite, their ability to retain anything regarding to the divine was lost, the knowledge long forgotten. A punishment for her transgression, her betrayal. My ride started in one of the most populated places on the planet. China. Bole, China to be exact. People wouldn’t notice my plague right away; it would take an hour at best before they fell ill. Then a few hours before death would quickly take them. My brother no doubt already knew I was riding, my rise calling to him, my spreading plague already pulling at his power, drawing the people towards him. He by far had the hardest job of us all. Having to face the death of countless every moment of the day while we slept. Now however it was our turn. My turn. My plague will spread and many will die. Having woken up on such a populated side of the globe meant word of my ride will reach the rest of the world much faster making my ride much harder. But it is something I must endure. My ride must go on. Many here would have already died before I even made it half way across the first few densely populated cities. Alerting the ones ahead. They won’t understand at first. China was not a God-fearing nation, though some here would know and would spread the word. Prophets and preachers would take to the streets in every corner of the world. “Sir, you can not ride that beast in the city.” A human officer tried to stop me. A wave of my hand and plaque quickly swept his body, taking him quickly. Pandemonium rippled through the people around us and coursed from them to the rest of the people around them as if it were contagious. I had hoped not to be so direct in my path. As I did with the officer, a quick sweep of my hand and the city had fallen. My plague taking them all in one fell swoop. I had hoped to give them time to say goodbye to their oved ones. Taking them all like so seems so harsh, even for me. Oh, well. Seems it can’t be helped. I did this, moving from city to city, spreading my plague. And it was as I feared. Word had spread of a horseman on a white horse, where plague follows him. Many have tried giving me offerings. Food, wine. Women. Some barbaric men even offering me their own daughters as the girls wept beside them. “Stop!” The voice was female, commanding. Curious I drew my horse to a stop and turned to look at her. She was beautiful for a woman. She had waist length blonde hair and the oddest cerulean eyes for a human. Her face was pressed into hard angry lines as she stared at me with as much hatred as her slim body could seem to muster. “And you are?” I arched a brow. “Going to stop you.” She sneered, shooting off a single shot from a gun I hadn’t realized she was holding. The bullet hit my throat, tearing through my flesh with searing pain. I had been so blinded by her commanding tone and odd eyes I hadn’t noticed her weapon. Shameful. “You did it Joy!” A man shouted, a face popping up above me and peering down at me. “No, I didn’t. He’s the first horseman dumbass he can’t die.” Her voice smaller, unsure. “I can’t believe you had me shoot a man. Here take you stupid gun Hank. Now give me back my sister. I did what you asked.” “Yeah, yeah.” The man waved her off. “She’s back at your place safe and sound. She’s tied up in her bedroom closet.” “You tied up my sister?” She growled. “She’s only ten!” “Yeah, so? We needed help and you were the only woman stupid enough to stay in town. Lucky for us you’re a pretty little thing.” Hank’s voice grew deep. A smack echoed through the air. “Touch me and I’ll kill you, Hank.” The woman, Joy, Looked down at me with sorrow in her eyes. “What are you going to do with him?” “Keep him from spreading his disease to anyone else.” Hank hissed. “How in God’s name do you plan on doing that? He can’t die.” “He can. Temporarily. He’s dyeing now. He’ll come back to life, like always.” Hank smiled down at me as black started to creep into my vision. “Then we’ll just kill him again. And again. And again. And again.” “You can’t do that.” Joy gasped. “It’s barbaric. At least what he’s doing is somewhat humane.” “You defend him?” “Oh, go f**k yourself Hank.” Joy snarled, before turning and storming away. “We’re going to have fun with you.” Hank smiled down at me. Sharp pain radiated up my arm before my vision clouded in black. This man’s heart was black, he had no light in him. He was part of the reason the world needed the horseman. Him and his like. I may be an angel, but I was unallowed to use any of my abilities other than plague against the humans. I could not show my wings, could only regenerate and heal to carry on my purpose. To use our power in any other way against the humans was to go against the creator and that wasn’t something I was willing to do. I would have to endure whatever this black hearted human had planned. My brothers still slept. No one was coming to save me. When I woke, I woke in sever pain and tied to a post. I was not ignorant to the cruelty of humans. I had watched them as I slept. My consciousness drifting throughout time. So as the men started piling kindling at my feet, I knew their plan of my demise this time. They planned to burn me. I could easily break my binds. But I am not allowed to reveal myself. I, like my brothers after me are meant to suffer at the hands of humans during our ride. We are meant to witness and endure the cruelty and the kindness humans have to offer. “Hank, stop. You can’t do this. It’s cruel.” The woman from earlier shouted as she ran forward dragging a tumbling girl along behind her. “You can’t stop me.” He sneered. “Anyway. He deserves this plus more.” “No one deserves this.” She shook her head. “I never should have helped you.” “I would have killed your sister if you hadn’t.” The woman pushed the girl behind her curling her lip at Hank. “You’re evil, you know that?” “I never claimed otherwise sweet cheeks.” The woman’s eyes flickered around her mouth moving. No, counting. I followed her eyes. The men, she was counting the men. Eight. I looked back to her; her eyes were on me. She looked down to her sister then held one finger up to me before picking the girl up and running. Did that mean something to humans? I continued watching the men until they seemed to finish what they were doing. Hank didn’t hesitate as he threw the match onto the pile of dried straw and twigs. It ignited, the fire spreading and consuming the kindling quickly before reaching up towards me. I had never known pain before my ride, I had never known much of anything before. I was created for one purpose. Ride through earth and bring plague. I was pestilence. So feeling as the fire hit my skin. Feeling as the skin bubbled and melted from the bone. Smelling the burning of my flesh. And feeling the tearing and scorching pain from all of it, and my screams rippled through ever atom of who I am, I thought this was the worst it could get. I didn’t realize how deprived humanity could get.