And The Heavens Fell Silent by Maria Louise (beach read TXT) 📖

what horrid things they would do to her? I felt unstable at the thought.

     Custa must have been thinking along the same lines because with a fearful glance at the crowd, she hugged Phoenixand wrapped the shabby piece of cloth around her brother in a motherly sort of way. She then started to run away from us. At the outskirt of the city she hesitated and looked to me.

    “Don't die.” she said making amends with her obvious dislike of of my person.

     “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

     And with that, she left. Disappearing into the depths of the shadowed city.

    I could have taken her with me, but with all the horrific things that had been happening around me, she would be better off in this starved city. I was a magnet for chaos and evil. Or maybe I just brought it upon myself.

     Shouting, rage and profanity filled my ears as the lunatic people surrounded us hungrily.

     “Leave! Now!” I demanded to Phoenix. He simply looked down at me with a slightly confused look on his face.

   “I am not leaving you.” he told me stubbornly. His words and anger were familiar to me. That was exactly how I felt when mother made me leave. I searched Phoenix's honest eyes, looking for any sign of weakness. Unlike me, he had none.

    Annoyed, I grabbed hold of Hosannas mane and swung myself up onto his back. Instantly, I felt peace spread within my body. Just being with him gave a feeling of comfort. Though I was still flabbergasted at Phoenix's sudden attachment to me.

     “This is not like the books I read!” I wanted to yell at him. “There is no such thing as love at first sight...Or attachment at first sight...”  Whatever his weird obsession with me was. Somebody needed to teach him that in thisnew world, you needed to earn trust, strive for love, then maybe you would not fear the person. Maybe.

     “Hey, woman! Get off the horse or will eat ya alive too!” someone threatened.

    “That animal is mine!” said another unknown voice. The wild crowd started to move in on us, most people holding ropes and weapons.

     I felt Hosanna starting to get nervous under me. His body tightened up, waiting for my command. His hoofs pawed the ground in agitation.

     Glancing around us I soon realized that we were circled. There was no way out of their angry faces and hungry eyes. Most limped, tipped and staggered slowly closer and closer to us, hesitant and afraid of Hosanna and the death stares I was shooting at anyone who dared take a step closer to my horse.

     The nights shadows fell eerily across their bony bodies, making them look as if they were already dead. A woman to the right of us showed no fear of Hosanna, she only wore a detached starved look that hinted toward insanity. I noticed in horror that her arm was decapitated at the elbow and the wound was so raw that it was barely scabbed over. It was swollen and red with blood and pus oozing out of it. Her decapitated arm was outstretched toward us as she continued to stumbled closer. It was as if she forgot that it wasn't there.

   Though I was afraid, I felt sorrow too. A sorrow much greater than the nagging fear. How sick was this City of Ruins? It was infected with evil. I looked down at Phoenix and saw that he too was feeling the same way. He looked from face to face his expression contorted in a mask of pain and horror.

      A bitter mood mixed in with my sorrow and fear. This could not get any worse.

     That was when the heavens rumbled and a black cloud rolled across the sky, obliterated

the red moon light and tuning the riot of people into a dark purple glow.

   Ha. Ha. Very funny God, I thought dryly as rain started to trickle down on us. Hosanna shuddered under me, almost tossing me to the muddy ground. We were doomed.

     I could not contain all the stress and chaotic emotions anymore. Wildly, I through my head back and laughed at the irony of life. I knew I looked insane with my wild red hair dripping around me like blood and my crimson eyes flashing in the purple glow, but I could not help myself. I was learning more and more that my reaction to stress was both insanity and sarcasm. The thought was humorous. I was so much like my mother.

      Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Phoenix giving me an odd look. As if judging me for my hysterical laugh. Like he was one to judge! At least I was not naked!

    Out of nowhere a black horse broke through the crowd of people, knocking them over and trampling them into the mud. I instantly recognized the horse as the demons black stead.

    All stilled at that moment. The crowd went silent. All I could here was the puffing breath of        Hosanna and the steady beat of his heart under me. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump thump. The beat was rheumatic and hypnotic.

   Tearing myself away from the rhythm of Hosannas heart, I saw that the black horse made a small opening that was just enough room so that we could escape. The horses black fur held a majestic blood tint to it as the moon shone a singly crimson ray down on the horse and its rider.

   Suddenly, I was brought out of my blissful trance like state by someone jumping on Hosanna behind me. As I felt his burning thighs cup the back of my legs I stiffened like a board. I instantly knew whom it was. Not because I saw him, I did not, but because of the feeling of dread that settled into my gut and also another feeling came upon me with its unwelcome presences. A stirring inside me I had not felt before.

    “What're ya waiting for?! Lets go!” shrieked the person riding the black horse. I tightened my legs around Hosanna and Phoenix wrapped his arms around my waist as Hosanna reared in the air, his hoofs making a cracking sound as they made contact with someone's skull. Hosanna then trampled mercilessly through the people. Blood mixed with mud swelled underneath us and sprayed our bodies as we followed blindly behind the midnight horse.

      I saw, as we galloped through the city, a few demented looking animals held in houses or shabby pens. The animals had abscesses and extra body parts. Some could not even walk because of an extra appendage. A couple even had more than one head. I realized in shock that they were the pigs I had heard but they were mutated from the flare. They must have captured them from the northern side of the world, where the flare was the worst but the food was most plentiful.

                                                                   

As we ran farther and farther from the starved desecrated place, the city’s torch light flickered smaller and smaller until I could see nothing at all.

     When the adrenalin sadly decreased from my veins, I became increasingly aware of a fact.

    There was a naked man riding behind me, laceing my body with agony. And I mean right behind me. Touching me.

    Phoenixes chest heated my back and his hot breath steamed on the side of my neck.            Sensually, I felt a shiver rolled down my spine and goose bumps formed on my arms. It was not from the freezing wind that howled in my ears nor the icy rain that pelted my skin like a thousand little needles. No, the cold weather did not affect me near as much as Phoenix did.

     From unmentionable reasons, I could confirm that I was not the only one who was quite aware of the person of the opposite sex riding with me.

    Poor Hosanna. I thought.After a pause I realized, poor Phoenix too. It must have been very uncomfortable to be riding a horse naked! Though he seemed to be enjoying himself just fine.

   My face heated.

Yram

 

In the long run we are all dead-John keynes

    

     I could not tell how long Hosanna had been trudging through the mud that swelled higher and thicker around his legs. Each time his foot would pull itself free of the sludge it would make a sickening slurping sound as if the ground was trying to envelop him into its dark depths.

     I could not feel the cold anymore. My body was tingly, fiery and frozen in numbing bliss, at least thats what I thought I was feeling, for I had never experienced cold of this extent before. I knew it was not a good thing for my body to stop feeling the pain, but I could not help but be thankful of its absence. Even Phoenix’s hand around me and his chest pressed against my back, no longer provided any warmth. Phoenix was, like me, drastically losing body heat.

     Hosanna quickly passed the smaller black horse. His body was much more powerful and his speed quicker, though I guessed the black horse was much younger then Hosannas older age of seventeen.

     From the black horse behind me I heard a woman's rustic voice yell, “My damned horse can't run much longer and she needs water! We also need ta find shelter or I'll freeze meh ass white!”

     Freeze her rear white? Great. Now I had two odd strangers tagging along with me. The thought made me smile. I am a magnet for all things peculiar.

      Almost ironically, a bright burst of light struck the ground in front of Hosannas feet making a loud bionic cackling sound. Hot mud splattered across my face and heat exploded over my body, blasting my hair backwards as the smell of burnt hair assaulted my nose. The lightning startled Hosanna and he reared over backwards, slamming me and Phoenix into the mud, his body ground us deeper into the thick abyss as he struggled to get up.

     I could not see anything in the never ending mud. I could not breath. Could not scream or mud would fill my lungs and diminished the short supply of air I had. I could not even think of anything besides, I hope Hosanna was okay.

     I thrashed and reached around for something, someone, to help me, but found nothing besides the all consuming mud. I knew I needed to breath soon, my lungs must have been aching for air, but I could not feel it. All I could feel was the quiet emptiness around me, killing me, in a peaceful sort of way.

     This could not be the end, could it? After all the fear, rage, and sorrow? There had to be a purpose to my struggles. Surly, death was not yet to take me, was it? My life could not end! The prophecy had not been fulfilled!

     With my last ounce of strength I thrust my hand out in a direction I prayed was up.

     Nothing. No hand grasped mine. Nothing solid made contact. Nothing at all.

     I realised my breath, then