[ WP ] The image of a skeletal horserider appears over every major city and declares that , if three chosen people survive for the next 50 years , the apocalypse will not arrive ; it does not say who they are

It was thirty minutes shy of fifty years since the figure had appeared in the sky portending the death of humanity. The figure rode astride a black horse, his flaming skull affixed by the horns of a stag, like a figure out of pagan folklore. Fifty years he had given them. Fifty years to ensure that three people out of seven billion would n't die. `` Who?'' The words had been shouted to him in every conceivable dialect. In response, he had turned and ridden away. 
 
 Astrid had been a child then and did n't fully comprehend what had happened. It was n't so much the horseman, but the look on her parent's faces that foretold how much her world would change. Their fearful gazes. Their withheld tears. Those images imprinted on her memory were where it had all begun for Astrid. 
 
 Things had begun in an unlikely place. Hope. Every blog, every newspaper, every broadcast, every place that served as an outlet for opinionated discussion foresaw this as a turning point. A new era of peace and involvement for all of mankind. There were calls for funding for new medical technologies, for a mandated disarmament for all countries, for aid to be provided to impoverished nations. Anything that would not have been possible before the world had a gun held to its head. 
 
 But that was only the first wave and Astrid could see it had been a childish dream. The second sent terror across the world's countries. Radicals of every background saw the event not as a warning, but as a condemnation. A harkening back to the tale of Abraham and Sodom. Seeking to be the agents of whatever gods they swore allegiance to, people took up arms against one another slaughtering indiscriminately. 
 
 They were n't the only ones. Any sick and volatile degenerate who could get their hands on a weapon saw this as an opportunity. A way to leave a legacy and shape the world in a way that would have been impossible before. Astrid had spent this entire time locked in her house with her parents and it had been the worst three years of her life. 
 
 At threat of extinction, governments acted with a haste that would not have seemed possible a mere five years ago. First, towns enacted martial law and barricades appeared around villages and farmers and outliers formed self-protective posses. Then counties, states, and finally countries brought the world to heel under new and often military-led programs. Personal freedoms and inalienable rights were forgotten. Or made mandatory in a way some people joked bitterly to deaf ears. 
 
 The world powers formed a coalition and mandates were passed for the sake of keeping order. Any who resisted were exterminated entirely. A calculated risk, the experts called it. Provided it had n't killed any of the three, the risk seemed to pay off. Extremism and hostile governments seemed utterly absent after the culling and the world waited the next thirty five years with bated breath. 
 
 The next three and a half decades had not been pleasant, but they had seen some of the positive effects of the situation. Medical research saw breakthroughs at an incredibly accelerated rate. In the wake of new medicines, people saw their lives extending into years they had n't thought they'd had. In cases where people could n't be kept alive with medicine, iron lungs were produced in industrial quantities and set up in warehouses across the world in an effort to make sure people made it to the fifty year deadline. 
 
 Third world countries saw stable governments for the first time in generations. Technological innovations were rampant. Self-driving vehicles had been implemented almost completely over a decade and roadway deaths were almost non-existent. Alcohol, cigarettes, and anything that could be abused had been effectually eliminated. Even world-wide dietary restrictions were executed and the positive impact on people's health was immediately apparent. 
 
 There were downsides to all of this. Riots sprang up as people were denied their vices but these were put down with brutal but pointedly non-lethal force. Suicide also became highly illegal with threat of discipline being enforced on the family members of those that were successful. Those that were not were often restrained in psych wards. Astrid shivered at the thought of spending thirty years in a padded room and a straight jacket. 
 
 Issues that people had n't initially considered also came up. What if the three had n't been born yet? In the wake of some sort of biblical proof, did that mean abortions could constitute murder of one of the chosen ones. The governments decided not to take any risks and made abortions illegal, but offered free sterilization in its place. If they could be judged on the possibility of someone being born or not, they may as well give up now. 
 
 Although the years had stretched into timelessness, the day was finally here. Judgment day. At the second of the appointed time, the sky darkened and the horseman appeared. Everyone saw him in exactly the same way from where they stood in the streets or leaned out of windows. He gazed down at them wordlessly. Then he drew a sword from a belt on his side and pointed it towards the heavens. Three beams of light shown down through the sky illuminating the crowds. People stared at their neighbors but the light was too diffuse to effectively pinpoint anyone. 
 
 Then the figure turned and disappeared. 
 
 Murmurs went through the assembled masses. Did they pass? How could they tell? When would they know? Frightened expressions lined people's faces bringing Astrid back to a similar time as a little girl. Why had this happened? 
 
 A shout cut through the air over the buzz of conversation. 
 
 `` No! It does n't matter anymore, Ma! It does n't matter!'' It was a young man shouting and Astrid knew him. He had always been a troubled child and now, approaching thirty years of age, he still lived in his mother's apartment, confined by the fear that gripped the world and driven mad by it. He had n't been the only one. In his hand, he held a gun. 
 
 `` Jerry, come on now,'' his mother pleaded with him. `` Just put down the gun. They'll get this all figured out. We'll figure this out.'' Her voice was shaky and her eyes were full of tears. 
 
 She took a step towards him, her arm outstretched and the gun rang out. A look of surprise covered the woman's face and she slumped to the ground. 
 
 Jerry turned, his eyes wide in shock and the assembled police forces charged at him. It was the worst thing they could have done. Jerry waved the gun wildly, shooting at them but instead plastering the assembled crowd. Panic ensued as people trampled their neighbors seeking the safety of their homes. There was no way the police could reach him through the mob and the shots continued to ring out. 
 
 Astrid looked down at her dress where a red stain was growing over her stomach. Her head felt light and she sagged to her knees. Had they failed? Or were they just doing the horseman's work for him? It was the last thought she had as she fell under the stampede of feet.
