finally my internet works again.
Well, I anyway hadn't got much time in the week, but now it will go on. So here is a part of the next chapter.
I guess it hasn't become that good, but its quite different to imagine what a person feels in a situation like that. Didn#t happen to me up to now
Enjoy!
Edit: Did a second part. This chapter will become very long, but foccused on the main characters. However you'll also be in there.
The ruins of my life
I sat there for hours, still with someone sitting next to me, embracing me. When I could open my eyes again without crying, I turned around. Next to me sat Marc, his eyes closed. He still embraced me, but in that moment I didn't care, it was even good to have someone telling you that you aren't alone with all those cruelty and madness.
When I felt strong enough, I turned my head to look at the dead body of my wife. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. I felt totally empty, no tears in me, neither of happyness nor of mourning. Just nothing.
We sat there for around half an hour before I started to say something.
“How can anybody do something like that? Destroying lives without reason, without mercy?”
Marc said nothing, but I knew he couldn't. There wasn't an answer for that question. And even if it was, it wouldn't have helped me.
I knew that, but I needed an answer. To fill the emptiness, although it would have left another emptiness after realizing that what happened wasn't a dream. The emptiness of living with the memory and the certainty that what happened was irrevocable.
After some time I stood up, went silently to the dead body and picked it up.
We went to the hills to bury her.
The memory of that time is blurred, I wasn't thinking, I wasn't crying, I was just waiting to wake up out of that nightmare. But I didn't.
Only the time we stood in front of her grave is burned more clearly into my memory than anything else. I can remember the wind touching our hairs and blowing the scent of scorched wood to us.
And I can remember the look on her face. Somehow enraptured, looking up into the sky but still showing her fear in the last moments of her life. I can't forget that image. Whenever I think of her I see her face in that moment.
“Fare well”, was the only thing I could say before my words suffocated in tears.
Silent and motionless we stood there, I don't know for how long. Then a shadow appeared, human-like but completely dark and with a long cape. Two scary eyes looked at us from where the face should have been.
Without paying attention to us the shadow hovered to the dead body and raised his hand.
The body now being transparent stood up and floated out of the grave. It turned to me, looking into my eyes with a knowing smile, then it vanished. I never saw her face again.
I screamed at the shadow.
“You! You already took everything I fought for. Now you are taking her away again.”
“Everybody has to die.”
“But why now? Why her?”
“Every death is hard for someone.”
I looked at him in confusion. How could anybody be so cold, so heartless?
“Why are you doing that? How can you?”
I couldn't see the face of the reaper, but I was sure he wasn't touched by what I was saying.
“Without the death, would you esteem the life?”
“But why did she have to die so early? Why couldn't you wait?”
He looked at me. Calm, untouched, but not contemptuous.
“Am I the one who kills the people? Or are they the humans with their war, their hate and their cruelty?”
I was silent. I didn't know what I could say.
“I am just the one who has to look at what the humans are doing, releasing them from their pain. I am just the part of life the humans are more leaned towards.”
There was a deep pause.
“Will I see her again?”
“I don't know. You will have to find out by yourself.”
Another deep pause.
“So why should I live on? What holds me here?”
“I normally don't give advices for your life, but I tell you: Don't throw it away rash. You only have one life, but thousands of years afterwards.”
With this words he vanished, leaving me behind. It had already became dark and the moon was shining over the hills. I still looked into the direction where he had stood.
“No, I won't throw away my life. I will use it for the last thing left. Vengeance.”
He woke up, tears covering his face. The image of his wife's face was still in his mind, looking at him but he couldn't read her expression.
He looked around. Trees covered the sky, only a few beams of the moonlight got through the leaves. Leaves were also all around him on the ground.
Slowly the memory came back. He and Marc had their lair a bit away from the rebel's camp because Z and Fred had to talk to their leader before letting them in. In times like this you couldn't be suspicious enough.
They were already fallen asleep when they heard rumor from the direction where the camp was. Immediately they stood up to see what had happened. It was dark and the camp was quite far away, but they could already see flames gasping up for the sky.
Taking their swords they ran for helping the rebels. They couldn't see the army, but they already heard the noise of battle. They ran and ran with the camp coming nearer and nearer when both suddenly got knocked out by two hits with a club out of the dark. A quirk of the fate wanted them not to participate in the battle.
When they woke up again and wavered to the camp, they saw it all teared down. With blood and dead bodies the battle had left its marks. However the bodies weren't as numerous as the rebels had been. That ment that the rebels probably were just captured. Hope was still shining on the horizon.
They tried to follow the tracks of the army, but they were just too tired to walk on. As soon as they found a place to rest, they fell down and asleep.
So here they were, alone in the dark, the rebels caught, the army still marauding... What could they do now?
Suddenly horses were coming out of the thicket. Within seconds they encircled Cen and Marc, watching them concentrated while holding their bows and swords in their hands. Nobody moved, you nearly could feel the tensed attention in the air.
Then one of the riders dismounted his horse. He had long blond hair and sized them up with his calm brown eyes.
He turned to another man.
“I don't think that they have something that is worth the effort. But nevertheless we have to take them with us. Our leader doesn't want us to let people go off without him knowing.”
“So what are you waiting for? Let us go, take them with us and make sure they can't escape.”
Two of the men climbed down from their horses and followed Cen and Marc with their swords in front of them. There was no chance to escape.
As most of the bandits, what they obviously were, rode on horses, they set a brisk pace. However two swords in the back were a good motivation to run.
After some time which could have been half an hour, maybe even a full one, Cen wasn't paying attention to it, they reached the bandit's camp. It was even bigger than the rebel's one. It was obvious that this wasn't just a random gang. It was almost like an army.
They were guided through the camp with many people watching them. Many of them stared at them with empty eyes, many of them had shredded clothes and were trying to eat bread having its best time behind it. Although it was a giant and organized group, most of the people had just joined because they had nothing to eat and because they needed someone to follow.
He didn't notice how they reached a tent being much bigger than the other ones. When they came in they saw a man sitting on something like a throne, but with an armor and a sword in his hand.
The leader of the group capturing them began to speak.
“We found this men in the forest, it doesn't seem as if they carry something valuable.”
With a gesture the man on the throne told him to go away.
He sized Cen and Marc up.
“What are you doing alone in the wilderness in a time like this? And whom are you leaned towards?”
Cen sighed. Everywhere he heard the same question. Sometimes he wondered whether there was a real difference between the army, the rebels and the bandits. Well, all of them were humans in the same time. Just the fate made them acting different.
“We are leaned towards nobody but to ourselves. However we are hating the emperor for killing everything we had and are now trying to kill him. I know that you are working together with the army, but I want to offer you a deal.”
The men said nothing but motioned Cen to go on.
“At the moment you are just marauding over the country and killing innocent villagers for robbing the few things they have. Besides the fact that this is cruel and inhuman, you hardly get enough food to feed your followers and in the near future you won't have any people to rob anymore because you and the army are killing everyone.
However there is a way being better for everyone. While the villagers have only the things they need for living, the emperor has tonnes over tonnes of gold and treasures in his palace. Killing him and taking over the realm will give you and your fellows enough money for the rest of your live.”
The man was obviously thinking about that possibility, but seemed uncertain.
“Why should I do something risky like that? If we fail, we will all die. Or something worse will happen.”
“Because you can't go on like this forever. What will you do after killing everyone? But if you kill the emperor...”
“Well, I will think about that. Until then you can stay in the camp. But just under arrest.”