Her Name Is Rain – Amy Hodges-Laurenzo
The Shattered Kingdom – KA Stefana
Her Name Is Rain – Amy Hodges-Laurenzo
Tejas…
Established in March 2031…
It popped up on the Texas/Oklahoma border, just a little west and north of Texarkana. It sat on a range of about twenty acres and happened when hard working folk from Texas, Oklahoma, and some Cajuns from Louisiana came together.
The town housed about a few hundred adults, but only a dozen children of various ages.
As a rule, everyone contributed to the workings of the town. No exceptions could be made in order to keep it all running smoothly.
North Tejas, the cattle, goats, and sheep grazed under watchful eyes. To the west, farmlands got tended by those that knew how to grow food. Those with a handle on sewing, kept everyone clothed. The hunters ran the last of the Bayou once a week. Others with skills contributed in other ways as well.
June…2032…the day depended on the person now days.
Texarkana didn’t take the brunt of anything but did suffer from a few attacks during the war that ended all things. It still looked burned out, but many buildings still stood. This made it a known stomping ground for Scavengers.
Scavengers like to raid the larger unoccupied cities and remote locations. Their objectives; to get their hands on non-perishables, find old but working weapons and ammo, gather useful tools, gather supplies, and any valuables left behind. Usually armed, this made for some bloody conflicts when more than one raided an area at a time.
On the northwest edge of the city, one such Scavenger walked along with a black stallion mustang in tow. She had already checked out some of the buildings in the vicinity of Old Interstate 30 and the horse already carried some of the finds, in saddle bags. Now the lady’s eyes locked on an old Dollar General store.
The lady in question only stood about five feet and five inches in height. Her black hair hung straight to her shoulders. Her blue eyes looked a little tired. When on the job, she could go days without sleep. She appeared to be in her late twenties, but reality made her a decade older at thirty-eight. Her clothes were a little dirty, but Scavenging isn’t a neat job either. She wore stone washed jeans, a black men’s shirt, a matching denim jacket, and a pair of tan cowboy boots that she grabbed at a Cavender’s on a scavenge run a month ago.
The whole look seemed more of convenience and availability, rather than planned. The options always seemed the same. One would either wear what crafters provided or see the Scavengers for their stock in clothing and nothing ever matched. The lady kept a third of what she found, in that category, for herself.
The lady also carried a SIG SAUER P320 M17 9 mm Luger Pistol. Since part of her work, in Tejas, involved reloading ammo, she didn’t have problems with ammo.
Rain Hart had two jobs normally in this day and age: Scavenger and a Trade Shop in Tejas.
On this trip, she already had a haul. She found extra ammunition in abandoned cop cars and SUV s. Also Rain managed to find some screws, nuts, and bolts. Her horse, Midnight, carried it in saddle bags.
“What do you think, Midnight? Do you think the D.G. might have some stuff?”
The stallion bobbed his head, as if to say yes.
The partnership walked up to the collapsed east wall of the building and Rain tied his reins on a piece of concrete bound rebar. “I’ll take a look. Guard the door.”
Rain pulled her side arm and slipped inside through a hole in the wall.
Many shelves had been knocked down and it had been grazed over pretty well in the grocery section. However, with careful scrutiny, she did find some canned chicken that had no dents, a two pack of Hamburger Helper Lasagna and a gallon of water that seemed fine. She holstered her SIG and gathered the items for herself.
In one of her jacket pockets, Rain kept some water treatment capsules. She threw four in the gallon of water. Then she returned to the horse called Midnight.
Rain tied the gallon of water to the saddle horn and bagged the rest.
A second trip in, she found a container of rubber cement, some clothes line packs, and a few packages of cup hooks.
A third trip in, allowed her to grab some medical supplies that were still intact.
With all the she found, Rain started to untie Midnight’s reins…
Suddenly large bursts of light made her stop and look up.
Her eyes locked on the approaching twilight sky. Something, really high up, cast a glare.
Separate, from the object, came smaller balls of fire that seemed to fall from the sky.
Not sure what any of it could be, rain untied Midnight, mounted up, and rode him to a line of trees to observe further.
The objects went in different directions.
However, the trajectory took one down to the west over I-30 before Rain lost sight of it.
She shook her head, “Wow, Midnight. The planet is half dead and now we have Aliens. Talk about weird. I wonder what they want.” Rain steered the big black mustang to the northwest and prodded the horse into a gallop. “Let’s get home.”
Midnight responded in kind and carried his lady passenger back toward Tejas.
Rain knew that she should tell someone what she saw, whether or not they believed her would be the question.
Dedicated to a friend that left this world all too soon. Lance Lucas left this world 12/27/2024. He had suffered a long road with Loeys–Dietz syndrome (LDS) is characterised by a mutation in the transforming growth factor beta receptor, and is strongly associated with aortic aneurysms and rupture. This story immortalizes my friend for all time, or at least as long as my stories circulate out there. *This is the rewrite of the story once called “Sky on Fire” Not actual Rain, but Metaphorical.
© 2025 Coming Soon …After the Fall
The Shattered Kingdom – KA Stefana
The river ran backward on the day the Queen vanished. The Schatten Queen faded into the shadows, leaving remnants of magic to wreak havoc on the traitors who betrayed her mate. Before she passed through the portal, she cursed the land with a dark and unbreakable spell. Her fractured soul would never recover from King Xavier’s death, but Queen Amala’s revenge would live forever in the hearts of the survivors.
Tendrils of magic flowed through the forest and the village, slowly stealing the resources from the land.
Eloise stood by the edge of the river and felt the magic pierce her soul. The pain radiated throughout her petite frame, leaving her breathless, gasping for air to fill her lungs. Reaching out to Ash, she fell to the ground and looked up at the dark clouds rolling in.
The end of time waited around the corner.
Ash ran to her, feeling the effects of the magic bearing down on his broad shoulders. “Eloise, stay with me. We need to flee this cursed land.”
Shaking her head, she whispered, “I don’t have the strength.”
Lifting her, Ash held her in his arms and glared at the river. How did the Queen’s magic alter the flow of the water? Could he reverse it?
His magic wasn’t strong enough.
“You are the Queen’s daughter. If anyone can break this curse, you can.”
“No!” She screamed in agony as the curse tightened around her heart. “My mother’s curse is unbreakable.”
“But it was spoken out of hatred. Can’t love break the spell?” he asked, needing to believe that hope still existed. Even as he asked, he already knew the answer. The forest surrounding him had gone silent. The leaves on the trees turned from emeralds to rusty browns and ambers.
Fall would soon turn to winter.
The wild roses withered as their pink petals fell to the ground, and the birds in the sky stopped singing their songs.
Turning his attention back to Eloise, he begged her to reconsider. “My love, you need to try to break her curse. Perhaps not alone. What if I chant the spells with you?”
Resting her head on his shoulder, she could barely find the strength to speak to him. Knowing she would soon pass to the Netherworld, she resigned herself to her fate. “I can’t. My strength has failed me.”
Closing her eyes, she remained in his embrace, feeling her soul slipping away. Soon, she would know if the tales of the Netherworld were true. Or perhaps…
It was an endless void, full of desperation and misery.
Time passed slowly as she clung to Ash’s hand. The distant river flowed away from the village, and the air grew heavy as the dark magic continued its path of destruction.
Shivering, Eloise let go of his hand. Moments later, she whispered, “I’ll see you on the other side.”
Ash felt the power of her words as he looked into her sunken eyes. His love wasn’t long for this world if their circumstances didn’t change.
Tired of being the victim of betrayal and dark magic, he raised his hand and screamed at the top of his lungs, trying to weave harmony back into the cursed land. Ash felt like he chanted a thousand spells, but when he fell silent, the river still ran backward.
Closing his eyes, Ash listened for a sound of hope, but the forest remained silent as the malignant curse blanketed them.
Lying beside Eloise, he placed his jacket over her chest and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. As the midsummer moon danced in between the clouds, Ash closed his eyes, fearing that he’d wake alone in the morning light.
How to break betrayal’s curse? Love must be the answer!
But was it?
Before the sun rose over the horizon, he heard the familiar rumble of horse’s hooves pounding on the dry earth. As the horses entered the clearing, he watched the dust clouds form around them. Leather boots hit the ground, and the Queen’s soldiers surrounded them.
Separated from Eloise, he tried to protest, but an unnamed soldier tossed him over a horse, and they raced away from the river into the forest.
Was hope truly lost?
Time passed slowly as he entered a dreamlike state. Images of Eloise faded, and he was transported to another world, where he heard the Queen laughing with her advisors. She was proud of her curse.
As if she saw Ash standing in the center of her court, she turned to him and stared into his soul. Throwing back her head, her laugh ricocheted in his mind.
Waking up, he reached out for Eloise, but he was alone in a large bed somewhere in the castle. Jumping up, his bare feet hit the ground. Ash looked around to get his bearing straight before racing out to find Eloise.
Nothing else mattered! He needed to save her!
Running down the hall, he opened the first door he found, but she was not there. He opened the next. And the next! But he could not find her anywhere within the castle, yet he knew she was still alive. His soul would fracture the moment she passed into the Netherworld since they were fated mates.
It was time to claim her. Perhaps his love would save her from the curse.
Entering the King’s court, he brushed past the guards and ran to the dais in the center of the room. Eloise’s broken body was on display for all to see. The kingdom waited for their new queen to rise.
But what if she didn’t? What then?
Stepping up on the dais, he leaned over and kissed her sweet lips, knowing that if love wasn’t the answer, he’d be thrown in the dungeon for the remainder of his days.
The guards caught up with him, pulled Ash off of the dais, and threw him to the ground. As a heavy boot connected with his ribcage, he heard Eloise cry out, “He is my mate! Leave him alone!”
As Ash’s world gave way to the darkness, he heard Eloise’s voice weaving her magic. Hours later, he woke up in her bed, uncertain if his lingering memories stemmed from a nightmare or reality.
© 2025 – KA Stefana
