The Ladies of Horror
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One Last Ride  
by Rie Sheridan Rose

There is a hush now in these once vibrant lands. The rail goes straight as an arrow through the remains of verdant fields. Nothing grows here now. The trees are gray skeletons with leaves like groping fingers…

I was an engineer my entire life—riding the rails from dawn till dusk. It was an easy and peaceful life. I expected to end my days so. But God had other plans.

It’s six weeks now since the plague descended. Everything ended so quickly. By the end of the first day half the people in the valley were dead. Most of the others followed by the end of the week. As far as I know, no one else remains. All are dead. I am the last.

Tomorrow, I will stoke my engine one last time, and guide my old companion to the end of the line. There was once a bridge there, but it was old, and recently repairs were begun. They’ll never be finished now. That suits my purpose.

I will build up the steam and fly off the end of the rail. In this way, I will hold onto my own destiny. This end will be of my own choosing. I will not fall to the plague.

One last ride. It’s all I ask.

Fiction © Copyright Rie Sheridan Rose
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

More from Author Rie Sheridan Rose:

Overheard in Hell:
Dark Poetry

Poems exploring hell and damnation. Tales of sorrow, vengeance, betrayal, and redemption. Ghosts, ghouls, and demons stalk these pages. Don’t read in a lonely house…in a darkened room by a single candle…

…unless you like the touch of an icy finger up your spine.

Available on Amazon!