The Fifth Horseman

When the echo of other hoof beats fades away, I dismount. The movement disturbs some ashes beneath a ruined building. A young woman, dressed in rugged clothes, huddles in the rubble. My heart leaps to see her, the lone survivor in this wasteland. She’s the one I’m here for.

“I didn’t think there’d be anyone left,” she says, climbing toward me, her arms outstretched.

“I come behind my brothers,” I say with a smile. “That’s why you see me after outlasting war and disease and death. I am the fifth horseman, who brings despair. But you may call me Hope.”