The earth was cracked, with fissures several dozen feet deep.
The Black Death Grass was withered and yellow, and the vast wilderness was devoid of life.
On a main road trampled out by refugees and traveling merchants, a group of riders galloped eastward, kicking up a trail of billowing dust behind them.
Fleeing refugees stood numbly by the roadside to get out of the way.
CRACK, CRACK, CRACK.
The sharp crack of a whip echoed through the air. Traveling merchants, not daring to delay, cursed as they herded their donkeys and oxen, pulling their carts aside.
A young child on horseback watched curiously as the riders galloped toward them from the distance.
An adult pulled out a cloth to cover the child's mouth and nose.
SWOOSH~
