So, I originally wrote this in 2007 and rediscovered it late last year. This is a rewritten version of the original because, as one could well imagine from a 13year old, it was pretty badly written, even more-so than it is now.
I debated long and hard about whether I would post this or not. I finally decided that I would because I am interesting to find out if people actually like my writing or if this is a hobby that I'll just keep to myself. So, please, when you finish reading the chapter comment. If you like it, tell me why you like it. If you don't like it, again, tell me why. Tell me how I can improve and all that jazz. I mean, you don't have to if you don't want but I'd appreciate it.

THE FOURHORSEMEN

A scream pierced through the soundless night, she shot up. Again the scream sounded and her pale blue eyes opened wide in alarm. Silently she crept down the corridor; the echo of the last scream seemed to bounce around passageway. Again and again the screams sounded until the girl was unsure if she actually heard them or her mind was fooling her. Another scream pierced, louder than any of the others, and the girl stood frozen, her heart seemed to stop beating. She whispered, unshed tears choking her throat, "Mother…"

She spied down the end of the corridor a door slightly open, light emitting from inside. She tiptoed to the door and looked through the crack. A dark red stain covered the rich green carpet. Forgetting about the possible dangers in the room, she entered.

She followed the bloodied footsteps on the carpet to an armchair that sat before the large fire place. Her father was slumped soundlessly, unmoving in his favorite chair. Her breath caught in her throat as she glimpsed the thick crimson blood dripping down his brow. His light-brown hair was glued to his head by the crimson-red liquid. His brown eyes were half closed and his mouth opened into a silent scream. Tears streamed down her pale face as she sobbed, "Father…"

Her ears strained to hear the slightest whisper as she wiped the blood from her dead father's face. Her heart sped as the creaking sound of footsteps thud from just outside the room. The girl dove behind the open door, trying to control her heaving breaths.

The sound of clinking metal and breaking glass reached her ears. Her breath caught as a man walked past the door she was hiding behind. A deep voice asked, "Shaun, you found anything?"

"Nah, they were Lord and Lady of Esilanna but they got nothing worth anythin' more then a few silver pieces." Came the gruff reply, "But I thought you said we wouldn't kill 'em."

"They got in my way. You gotta problem with that Shaun?"

There was a slight pause before the other man replied, "Nah, Rob. I 'ave no problem with that. But let's get the hell outta here."

"Just wait; they had a daughter, Grace or something. We gotta find her, she might tell someone we were here and if someone guesses it was us, then we're dead men. We gotta kill her too, just in case."

Grace gasped loudly and screamed as the door closed, revealing her to the men. A man with dark green eyes and an evil grin chuckled, "Looky here. Appears we don't have to find her, she found us."

She collapsed to her knees as the other man pulled an already-bloodied knife from a small sheath at his side. Her long black hair created a veil around her face as she sobbed, "Please do not kill me. I swear I will not tell a living soul of what I have witnessed. Just please, do not kill me!"

Heaved up by her black hair she was forced to look into the face of the murderer. He put his dagger against her throat; a thin trickle of blood ran down her neck. He seemed to pause, thinking to himself. In a low voice he spoke, "You swear on your pitiful little life that you will not tell a single person?"

She cried, tears still pouring down her face, "Y-yes… just please, do not hurt me…"

He dropped her and the other man carefully put the knife away. They climbed out the window and the man called, "Enjoy your life Grace. We will be dropping in every now and then to make sure our deal is kept."

Grace collapsed on the blood soaked carpet and cried. She cried for the death of her parents… and her cowardice.

"I am sorry. We cannot help you."

The man looked over the small teenager standing before him; the dress she wore hugged her petite figure.

"Please! Just a job! A small job! We do not ask for much! Just a few copper coins will do!"

She hit her small fist savagely against the smooth wooden counter, her dark brown eyes flashed savagely as again the man shook her head. The young girl was surrounded by several young, malnourished children, all wearing torn and dirty clothes. A few of them were clinging to the older girl's skirt, hiding from the portly man behind the counter. The man rolled his squinty eyes at the petite teenager shrieking at him.

He repeated again in an annoyed manner, "I am sorry. We cannot help you. We have no place for scrawny girls and underfed children."

Again she hit her small fist on the wooden counter top, scowling furiously and she yelled, "They would not be underfed if we could afford food. And if you ever got up from your overly large ass then you would have realised that food costs money. We would have money if we could get jobs!"

"And you will not find those jobs here. Now, leave my shop," he pointed a chubby finger at the door, "Or I will make you leave."

She glared at the man as the children pulled her through the small mobs of customers and out into the streets. They walked away from the shop, past other busy shops and glowering at the people who turned their noses up at the sight of the ragged looking children. They sat down on one of the rare grassy areas in the city; the girl sunk her head into her hands and whispered, "I am so sorry. I was certain that I could find a job for us all there. I am sorry children."

One of the children began plaiting her long brown hair and a small girl whispered, the older girl immediately recognizing her voice, "We know you are trying your very hardest for us Kathryn."

Kathryn smiled warmly at the girl and wrapped her arms around her protectively and said to all of the children, "I have to find you all a job, or at least a few of you. You all heard the matron, we must or we go hungry. We barely get enough food as it is, if the matron lowers it anymore than many of us will not survive till next winter."

One of the younger girls started to cry, tears pouring down her small face. Kathryn held out her arms to the girls and held her close; she soothingly stroked the girl's curly red hair. The little girl sobbed into her ear, "Kat, we won't find jobs will we? We will have to go hungry; I don't want to go hungry. My tummy hurts and if we go hungry again it will just hurt more. My tummy feels empty."

Kathryn soothed, "Lillie. The matron will give us food tonight, if your tummy hurts really badly I will give some of mine. But sweetie, don't cry, it will just make you feel more empty."

She stood from the ground and warmly held Lillie's hand, she smiled down at the crowd of young children and called, "Come on, let's see if we can convince Cook to give us some scraps."

The clashing of metal rang in her ears. Horses ran wildly in fear. Fire crackled and was burning dangerously. The long sword in her hand was covered in blood, her older brother fought by her side. Her long red hair whipped around as she turned and another bandit fell, her sword plunging into his chest.

She cursed as her hair started to escape from the ribbon that held it back, as she pushed it out of her eyes a sharp pain exploded in her side. A long dagger protruded from her side; grimacing she pulled it out, she threw it at a near-by man. Blood was flowing freely from her side; she saw her brother fall next to her. She felt the fire burning her back, but she knew that if she stopped fighting she would lose her life.

She stumbled and her maroon eyes began to dim. Her steps shortened and she collapsed on the blood soaked dirt. She looked up, her father lay dead by the caravan, her brother by her side and her mother looked over and screamed, "Ruby!"

Ruby saw the arrow fly through the air and with a sickening 'thump' implant itself into her mother's chest. She saw a tall shadow stand over her before her head fell against the ground, her vision dark.

-
Ruby woke to a wooden wall of a caravan, bumping along an uneven road. Her hands were tied firmly behind her back and her feet tied at her ankles by a messy but secure knot. As she tried to sit up her side exploded with pain, dry blood caked her dress. A wave of despair and anguish washed over her as memories flooded into her mind.

She was sitting by her father's side, they were all laughing at a stupid joke he had just told them. His booming laughter stop suddenly; his brown eyes looking deadly serious. Ruby listened intently and heard the sound of a branch breaking outside the caravan. Her father stood silently and gripped his massive sword in his hand. Ruby watched as his huge figure left the caravan. She held her breath as his pain filled cry rang through the night followed by a heavy crash.

She, her brother and mother ran from the caravan; weapons in hands. Ruby stood stock-still as she saw her father's body lying mangled in the dirt, blood leaving a crimson stain on his shirt. Looking up she saw bandits had completely surrounded their caravan; all dressed in torn and dirtied clothes. They faces were masks of cold-blooded joy for the death they had caused.

"Samuel, if anything happens. Look out for Ruby," Her mother whispered to her older brother Samuel.

His eyes were following the bandit leader who was slowly walking forwards to them, "Of course mother."

The bandit leader ran forwards, a rusted sword swinging wildly in his hands Many other followed after him, Ruby began to fight. Someone dropped a flaming torch, the dry foliage catching alight immediately. Ruby knew that there were too many of the ruthless bandits to keep at bay for too long.

Ruby was yanked from her vivid memory by loud yelling and the caravan pulling to a stop. The door opened and a hunched woman in a brightly coloured dress, which Ruby faintly recognized as her mother's, look over her before screaming, "Get in here! She's awake, she too big for me to take on me own!"

The woman was wrenched out from the doorway and another shadow filled it. A man walked over to Ruby and heaved her into a sitting position, smiling at her grimace of pain. He spoke menacingly to her, "Will you come without a fight, or will I have to knock you out?"

Ruby spat on the man and growled, "Kill me! I'll join my familia!"

"Wench!"

Ruby collapsed over as the man brought his fist to the top of her head, knocking her unconscious.

She nimbly jumped onto a high wall and walked along it until she reached the other roof. She silently crept along the roof; agilely she climbed down onto a small balcony. Using her set of lockpicks, she unlocked to window and climbed through the now-open window and into the dark room.

A throaty cough from the far corner warned her of another person in the room. The girl backed into the corner and waited for her gold eyes to adjust in the dim lighting. She knew she would not be spotted easily in the shadows, for she wore a black tunic and dark brown leggings over her slender figure.

Gradually she began to make out a large bed on the far wall, several other pieces of furniture scattered around the room. The girl crept over to the bed and a small smile touched her mouth as she saw the woman lying there was deeply asleep. The smile disappeared as she noticed the thin trails of sweat running down her face and her shivering body. On her finger a wedding ring lay glinting slightly but the man who gave the woman that ring was not lying beside her.

Pulling the dirty, emerald-green cap further on her head, she continued through the room. Placing things of value into the small, handmade leather bag she held tightly in one of her hands. Continuing out the room and into a narrow corridor, she found a small jar containing a few silver and copper pieces which she tipped into her bag.

Her sensitive ears heard the light foots steps of a young boy who was down the other end of the corridor. She quietly snuck behind a doorframe until he had gone past. The girl watched him walk into the room with the ill, sleeping woman.

Deciding to leave the quiet home, she peeked into the room where the boy lay next to his dying mother. She crept past the pair sleeping fitfully in the shadowed bed. Before climbing through the window the girl looked back at the little boy and woefully shook her head. Knowing that the young boy would soon join the countless of other children whose parents have died from the Killing Flu.

Silently the girl climbed out the window locking it again. She jumped from the balcony and into the deserted streets. Running into a shadowed alley, she began to count what she had stolen that night. She emptied the small leather bag onto the dusty ground, out fell a few coins, mostly copper, a beautiful pearl hair clip, a thin gold ring and a bronze comb speckled with gold-coloured specks.

Not bad, could have gotten a bit more. But that kid needs it more, she thought.

She threw everything back into the leather bag; she tied it onto the rope around her waist, her makeshift belt. She walked back out onto the streets and gazed around, looking uninterested. On the corner she saw a young girl, with curly brown hair and dark blue eyes, appearing to be only few years younger than herself.

The other girl called, "Leona? Is that you?"

Leona walked over to her, she crossed her arms across her chest and asked, "What is it Violet?"

Shuffling her feet the younger girl asked shyly, "Can I borrow some more money; I promise I will give it back to you. Mother and father have gotten worse and-"

Leona put her hand up, silencing the girl, "Violet. I'll give you more but you'll have to find a new way to get money from now on."

As Leona gave Violet several pieces of gold and silver; Violet asked," Are you going somewhere Leona?"

Looking down at the younger girl, Leona nodded. She swung the leather bag onto her shoulder, "You should steal stuff then you won't rely on others."

"I- I can't do that. These people are my friends; they need the money as much as I do. It's not fair," Violet pushed the coins into the front pocket of her dress," Stealing works for you. You don't see what happens after you steal, I would."

Leona ran her tongue along the front of her teeth, rolling her eyes, "One of the highlights of my job, I assure you. But," she smiled awkwardly, "I hope your parents get through this illness. Goodbye Violet."

As she turned to walk away Violet flung her arms around her waist and sobbed, "Thank you so much Leona. I owe you so much."

Stiffening, she pushing the girls arms off her she groaned, "Violet, I'm flattered but, please, don't touch me."

"Goodbye Leona."

Leona walked away from the younger girl, feeling her eyes on the back of her head; she climbed deftly up a near-by tree. She leapt the short distance between the topmost branches of the tree and the roof and ran along the roof tops until she was out of sight from Violet.

Making no sound as she crept along the rooftops Leona wondered to herself, perhaps I should leave tonight, rather than tomorrow. But what town shall I visit next? I'll have to get my map from the drain.

She spied from the corner of her eye a drunken man stumbling out of a tavern, in his filthy hand he swung a half empty bag of coins. His tunic stained with food scraps and wet with ale and sweat. Leona jumped down and ran in him, tears pouring down her face. She sobbed into his chest, "They're after me! Please, help me!"

"Getta way fr'm m-me ya filth-y mag-got!" he slurred words so badly he was barely understandable.

He pushed her away from him and laughed as she stumbled and fell, crying harder. Leona jumped from the ground and ran into a side street. She stopping crying and smirked as she held the bag of money in her hand. She took out few coins and raised her blonde eyebrows at the gold coins that glittered in her hand. She dropped the coins back into the stolen bag and ran back to the open drain she had made her temporary home. She squashed her blanket into a bag, bigger then her treasure bag, and slung it over one shoulder. She followed the road that led out of town and walked along the dusty road leading to another town. Leona sighed contently, moonlight flittered through the tree canopy over head, lighting the road in few place.

She kept walking until she could barely see the road on which she walked. Veering off the path and into a small clearing of trees; Leona pulled the blanket out of her bag, using the bag as a pillow she slept, nightmares playing in her mind.

Reminder; please comment. Did you like it? Did you hate it? How can I improve? Please, I will be panicking now about having posted it and I need the comfort of reviews.