Beautiful story, @samsmith1971. Your story takes us to another time and an alternative reality. The narrator's plight as a fugitive creates a great story arc. It is believable that coming out of hiding is an incredible relief he is ready to submit to, even though there are no guarantees that the rider means him no harm.
Thank you for posting your story in The Ink Well, and for reading and commenting on the work of other writers in the community.
Thank you for appreciating my piece. I tried to write the story on multiple levels so that it could be read at once as a simple fictional post-apocalyptic tale, an allegory, or a personal human story... or all three combined, as originally intended❤️ !PIZZA