Conquest
by: Silena Buckelew
Copyright 2014 Silena Buckelew
This is a work of fiction. Any similarities with real life persons or events are purely coincidental.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~
https://ladymulti.livejournal.com/
~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~
1: The Girl Calm and Fair
My name is John; I was once just a simple guy who lived in a small city. There wasn't much to do around there so no one could ever get into anything good or bad. I guess I was ordinary; as was my friends and girlfriend. Yet there this one girl I once knew. She was fair and beautiful, yet she always seemed distance and tired. I never knew why she was such a way, but I fancied her in a way. I never told my girlfriend this, but I was pretty sure she had gotten the clue anyway from things I learned later.
Other than that, this one girl was strange; whilst everything else seemed so normal and ordinary, she stood out. She stayed alone and quite; her only friend seemed to be a horse she owned. It was strange, such a beautiful young woman all alone.
My curiosity with her would continue for a couple of years even as they days passed and nothing changed. Then one day, after I had a fight with my girlfriend, I finally had the nerve to talk to her. So, I gathered myself and went to the Equestrian park where she often went.
I remember calling her name and her turning to me and smiling slightly before asking, "Would you care to ride him?" she asked me.
She was so open to talking to me so soon. Perhaps she had seen me watching her for we ended up carrying on a conversation as it was not the first time we had talked. We ended up talking for hours; she was unique just as I thought. She seemed kind and so caring. Then came time for me to leave and the calmness from her presence changed.
Instead of saying goodbye she looked at me, laughed, and said, "She is a poison." And just like that she left with her horse, to return him to his stall; and that was that.
It was bizarre; I never would have expected such a dark turn to the conversation, but never did I really know just how true those words she spoke were. Later that night, once I returned home, I was hoping to resolve the fight with my girlfriend but instead… I caught her in the arms of another man.
How did she know? How did the woman who never spoke with anyone and hardly wandered far from the Equestrian Center know such a thing was going on?
My girlfriend and I broke up that very night not to anyone's surprise. It seemed that change had begun for me…but apparently, changed had already been festering everywhere…
2: The Man with Fiery Red Hair
It came out of nowhere. Everything was calm one day; the next…absolute chaos. There was no warning for anyone as war had begun; and at the start, the reports were that war had started worldwide. It was not centered to one location; such a strange and unusual fact.
Times changed so quickly. The people in the small city clamored together to try to hold on to what we had left; we attempted to stitch civilization back together. I worried about her; worried about her being alone.
And that is why, one day I headed out towards the ranch place the Equestrian Center was located. A lot of the horses had been stolen towards the beginning of the war as gasoline and other fuels used for transportation had become scarce.
Oddly, hers had never been touched; that beautiful white horse had been left behind by even the thieves. I knew the look of that beast and that was why, when I came to the location of the ranch I clearly recognized that majestic animal. Yet, it stood not alone and not rider-less.
Upon the horse was indeed the girl; I was pleased to see her. Yet, my eyes fell to the auburn colored horse that stood next to the white horse and upon its rider. The girl was not alone; she was talking to the other rider a tall man with red hair.
Though I made no call nor no motion, they had both somehow noticed me. I froze in place even as they rode over to me.
"Oh, it is you," she said to me.
I was at lost for words.
"Are you enjoying the beginning of change?" the man with red hair inquired in a smooth voice. Honestly, the sound of his voice gave off an intoxicating feeling in my body. I was confused.
The girl shushed him, "This one is good; he is a kind man who once spoke with me here for hours." The red haired man merely looked at her, his head cocked to the side.
She looked down at me and smiled, "Welcome to the new world." She said to me.
"Why are you all the way out here instead of trying to help rebuild?" I asked her.
It was then that she laughed; it was the same ominous laugh from when she told me about my girlfriend, so I dreaded any words to follow, "The war is not over; this is not the time to rebuild. The worse has yet to come."
The words weighed heavy upon my soul that moment; I had no words to say.
"Come," the red haired man stated, "It is time to go; the others await."
The girl smiled at me once more before riding off with the man with the red hair. I was at a loss of what had been said and how calm she and the other had seemed to take all that had been going on around them. Yet, as they rode off, it then occurred to me; just as the horse had been untouched by thieves, they had seemed untouched by the change that had been occurring.
What did it mean?
3: The One Well Fed
Times continued to a downward spiral. The war indeed continued. We of the city banded even closer together forming our own world as was necessary. Somehow, small bits of civilization carried on as it once had, but it was clearly falling apart bit by bit.
Radio had become out form of communication as far as the range would reach. It was the best we had to keep up with everything else going on in the world. It was nice knowing that we weren't alone in out plight to hold on and try to keep stable lives.
Yet a situation began to arise as our stockpiles began to dwindle. Food was becoming scarce to come by. It was clear to everyone that we were digressing. But we did the best we could and decided to take food source into our own hands. Scavenging, hunting, farming…we began doing it all. Anything to keep safe and fed.
I had become a hunter. I remembered a forested area near the ranch, even though I dreaded going near that place since that day, so I decided to go there one morning despite a horrible feeling in my soul.
That feeling did not disappoint me. It was there that I saw her once again. Yet she was there alone; I caught glimpse of her sitting at a small table in the stable, a book in her hand, reading. Despite my better judgment I approached her.
Upon reaching her, she smiled, but did not look up, "It is impolite to not say 'hello'." She said to me.
"Why are you so calm about all of this?" I asked her bluntly. "Why aren't you helping everyone gather food?"
"The lack of food is not my concern," she said to me, erely. She closed her book and looked up at me, her face serious, "Why do you keep asking me such things?"
"Why are you alone today?"
"I cannot give you the answers you seek." She replied callously. "What is coming is inevitable."
"Who is this guy, eh?" a man's voice called from outside.
I turned to the voice off to one side; a man jumped down from a black horse. His appearance struck me as odd. The lack of food was great in all areas but the man who had just dismounted the horse was clearly heavier set than anyone I had seen in quite some time. How was this possible.
"He is good; he is a man I once spoke with for hours here." She said man.
"Why are you still here? We've got things to do; come on." He said curtly.
She stood from the table, smiled at me, and went to her horse.
"Hey, you, keep away from the lady, okay." The man said.
"Don't worry of hi
m," she said as she mounted her horse, "I'm not his concern at the moment; the worse has yet to come."
The man huffed, glared at me; I merely just watched as he mounted his horse and turned to the side, "Still, keep away it you know what is best for your health."
She smiled as she rode to him, "Come, let us go be with the others."
I watched in dismay as they rode off. It seemed every time I encountered her things seemed to become a little bit stranger. I knew not what to do; but it was time that I returned to my friends and let free this information of my encounters with her and the strangers henceforth.
Something bothered me, deep within. I could feel my soul both drawn and disturbed by the girl and the two men I had met alongside of her. I don't understand why I felt that way; nor did I understand why I had come to my conclusion.
She and those other riders were up to something; and everyone need to know. Yet would they believe me?