Modern medicine had taken away all of his world-ending furies; there was little left for Pestilence to do but retire. He sat in the Adirondack chair, fishing pole in the pond, sipping on something cold day after day. At first, a welcome change from several thousand years, running around the globe, stirring up trouble... not all sunshine and happiness, however, Pestilence was bored.

  His cell buzzed from the armrest, Pestilence snapped it up quickly, glanced at the caller-ID reading 'Pale Horse,' he tapped the green icon.

  "Please let it be something big, something biblical," he silently wished.

  "Death, you know I am retired, right," he said, dispensing the usual pleasantries.

  "Pestilence, I know no such thing," the dry husky voice responded, "however, I do know you're bored and looking for something to do."

  "And what are you plotting this time?" He asked his fellow rider.

  "Just a little apocalypse," The tone of Death's voice told Pestilence that he had something up his sleeve.

  "I Don't Know," he sighed. "Last time you said that I spent 2 years crossing the globe, and the Spaniards got all the credit."

  "Trust me, Pest, This time I got it all worked out, you will love it."

  "Yeah, last time you said that I ended up wading, waist-deep through an African river," again the master of disease sighed, "I spent a month just getting rid of the leeches."

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  "No, really, this time, it is fool-proof," Death assured him, "nothing can go wrong."

  "AND... now you jinxed it"

  "Don't be such a buzzkill," Death egged Pestilence on "Famine is going to try this new trick of starving people in their own homes."

  "And what about War?" Pestilence asked, showing a hint of interest, "Is he going to join your little scheme?"

  "He told me to bugger off when I called, 'I have dozens of warzones to tend to, I can't be distracted by your nonsense' he actually said that, and then hung up on me."

  No one could get Death Riled up like War, Pestilence tried and failed to stifle a chuckle.

  "He'll come around though, "Death continued, ignoring the mockery. "Once he sees this thing in motion, he'll beg to join up."

  "Like I told you before, I am retired."

  "Yeah, but you are bored, and this will kill some time."

  "I am not THAT bored" Pestilence did not have many memories of Death's schemes going well.

  "Yeah, but it's not like you have anything better to do, right?"

  "Look, Death, "Pestilence Starting in a serious tone "One-on-one, no one can beat you, no one can escape you, but when you start these big schemes... when you take people before their time... Well, something always fouls it up."

  "If you are so confident it will fail," Death said in an antagonistic tone, "Why don't you just give me one day, if nothing happens, you can walk away."

  "Fine, I guess I can give you one day" Pestilence knew this was the only way to get Death to back down "But, then I am out, and you have to promise to leave me out of your next scheme."

  "Scouts honor" Death said before hanging up the phone

  Pestilence chugged the last of his drink, stood up, and stretched his arms and legs. "Might be nice to have a little distraction?" he told himself before climbing into his Dual-wheel diesel.

  "Let's ride," he told the vehicle and turned the key. The Pearl White Truck belched a cloud of thick black smoke and drove away from the lakeside cabin. Pestilence didn't need to guide the truck, She knew which way to go.