7:35AM892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9eMN5UQJh
Marcus awoke suddenly. The sky was still dark.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZxdpaUL6i
“Leave now.” Caius said stiffly. He stood at the foot of Marcus’ bed and was already prepared to leave, right down to the knots already tied in the strings of his sandals.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpaHADVblm
“It cannot be morning yet. It is still dark.” Marcus said drearily.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1hRdz0see
“The sun has risen, brother.” Caius replied darkly. “The ash cloud that had begun to shift has returned. Thicker, this time.”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbT1no1dCS
“The mountain has stopped its rumbling Caius. The god’s are appeased.”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzoy7VUoaGY
Caius snorted.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs10gKJclFk
“You think they are satisfied with a little blood spilt in the arena? I have lived under these gods my entire life. I see now their true faces. They do not wish to bless us. Their only intention is to bleed us, to hurt us and to curse us.” He paused. “Pompeii has seen enough of their blessings in these years past. Each one has ended with lives lost and buildings crumbling to dust.”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOnCVx9MEa
With a swift glance out of the window, Marcus saw thin shafts of sunlight struggling to push through the dense cloud that had descended. The ash that had stopped falling the night before now flowed freely once again, and Marcus noticed cracks along the floor that had not been present before he had fallen asleep.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IuLtDrh6C
“We shall leave the city at once.” He announced. Caius nodded in agreement.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoysidOxSjq
“Behold: the first sensible thing you have suggested all week.”
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7:40AM
Livia was awoken by the slamming of the heavy bronze door at the front of the house. Before she had a chance to gather herself, her bedroom door was unceremoniously thrown open and there, in the doorway, stood Ariadne and her fiancee.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTAvzZeNoh
“Where is your gladiator?” Maxentius demanded.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BhbVgRd3g
“He shall be here presently, I would imagine.” Livia replied curtly, fighting the urge to insist that he was not her gladiator.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglyk6hpZ2s
Ariadne was about to intervene, but was interrupted by screams from outside. The floor rumbled ever so slightly. They moved to the window, and saw to their horror, the cloud that had annihilated Herculaneum moving closer. It would be upon Pompeii within a matter of minutes. Rocks that had been pushed along by the current were thrown back out again at violent speeds, their temperatures enough to cause severe burns.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVxRqZfBER
“Get outside!” Livia demanded. Maxentius paused.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5F2fjoJOq
“Surely we should be safer inside?! We should not go out there into it! It would kill us all!”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgA7qnFQtE
“It will destroy the house. We will be safer in the hills, far away from here.” Livia insisted.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6azYRrJCkl
“Your cellar should provide adequate shelter.” He replied. His tone suggested that he would be the one to make the final decision. “Ariadne is with child. She is in no condition to be running through the streets. We shall take shelter here.”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxsVfi4wfn
Livia considered his point but wondered why, if walls were enough to save them, the remaining citizens of Pompeii were running through the streets seeking their safety.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcovBI0Jzwd
“Walls shall not be enough.” She said softly.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNPJN8Tt8Q
“They shall have to be.” Maxentius said bluntly, turning away and leading Ariadne down the stairs. At the bottom, he turned back to Livia. “Leave if you wish; I shall remain and take care of your parents. Find your gladiator, Livia, but know that you enter a world of chaos out there. A world that will almost certainly lead to your death.”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡum0DT15rXr
“It is a chance I am willing to take.” She replied. Turning to Ariadne, she shot her a pleading glance. “You are certain that staying here is the right decision?”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9cZFTnfPB
“Yes.” Ariadne said with a nod, “I trust Maxentius to keep us all safe. I worry only for you Livia. Is he worth risking your life for?”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9O3oMnKhG
Livia nodded.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEdJ0VxkUD
“Then I pray the gods smile upon you.” She said softly. She took Livia’s hands and held them tightly. She hugged her tightly. “Be safe,” she whispered as a stray tear leaked from the corner of her eye.
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7:45AM892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4l1ssaV2L
The ash storm that was approaching finally hit the centre of the city. She watched as the second story of buildings was eviscerated and thrown to the ground. She heard the screams as buildings fell and toppled. Every instinct was telling her to run, to find cover and to stay there, but her legs would not move. Her eyes were transfixed upon the wall of dust, ash, rock and heat that was methodically sweeping across the streets of Pompeii.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIy5ssyvyX1
When her feet remembered how to run, she turned and tried to refrain from looking behind her. She could smell burning and her lungs ached. She inhaled ash and debris as she ran, the taste causing her tongue to recoil and her eyes to water. It tasted acrid and sharp and it seemed to stick to her tongue like a stubborn paste that was hesitant to go away.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGS2IKFiPp
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Arriving at the gladiator’s barracks, Livia spied Marcus and Caius leaving swiftly. She ran to them, and was caught immediately by Marcus’ arms, catching her in an inescapable hug.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVB5aO6mih
“I was coming to get you. We need to leave.” He said into her ear.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQH4EJ0FIv
“We cannot outrun it.” She said quietly. It was approaching quickly, and no matter how fast they were able to run, Livia knew in her heart it would catch up to them.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCUrU635S1
“We can try.” Marcus said simply. His jaw was set and his eyebrows were furrowed; he was determined to make it out of the city alive. Taking her hand, he ran forward, casting only a backward glance at the certain death that lay behind them. Checking Caius was still with them, Marcus took off down unfamiliar back streets.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKraeAeOylj
All lights had been extinguished, like it would somehow save the inhabitants from the debris and destruction, and visibility had become difficult. The ash cloud that hovered above the city still rained down upon them, and although the sun was now nearing its highest point in the sky, there was not an ounce of daylight to be seen. The cover of darkness coated them thoroughly.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjRATBZqei
“One would think the sun had forgotten to rise today.” Livia said lightly.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8CKwrp8lE
“The sun has forsaken us.” Caius replied darkly. Marcus glanced sharply at his fellow gladiator.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPPthFUjTH
“There is no need for dark omens, Caius.”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIL2aE3nlB
“Omens? This is no omen! Can you not see that the world is ending?! Day has become night, the sky is falling in! The sun has not forgotten to rise; the sun is dead.”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawfLlQNcdG
Marcus stopped.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv10Ou6W668
“If you insist on projecting your negativity, perhaps we shall leave you here!” He said only inches away from Caius’ face. “I for one intend to leave this city intact, and if you would only stop whining for a moment perhaps you too would have a chance of living past this day Caius!”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTi6LA9aYsk
Caius remained silent.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡId1ddbSyMT
“I apologise, brother.” He said softly. “My tongue consults not with brain in times of panic. I do not think before I speak.”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtI3RRmM5Da
Marcus clapped his friend on the shoulder.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ224MNFvZY9
“You are forgiven. Now, shall we stop stalling and continue?”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVmGh26jXz
Livia, watching the encounter unfold before her eyes, was at once confused by the temperament of men. Shaking her head, she moved past them.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCT4vjIWoU
“Yes, now that you two have made up, perhaps it would be a good idea to carry on with the leaving part of our plan.”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXc9Iv8ht7K
Caius nodded. Glancing behind him, his eyes widened and his pace increased.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHMvk5zhfL
“We shall have to run if we are to dodge this.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3knAJT2Aa4
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7:50AM892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIn7VGFz9a7
Ariadne sat in Livia’s cellar. Her father had been carried down the steps by some slaves - his drunkenness had made him difficult to wake. Her mother sat next to him, holding tightly onto his hand, despite the fact that his was not holding onto hers.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmXe20KyDE
Maxentius sat next to Ariadne, his arm around her shoulders.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2jthkZTlt
Above them, they could hear the heavy sounds of footfall as all classes of citizen hurried past on the ground above. The windows at the top of the cellar sat level with the ground, and Maxentius had closed them in order to stop debris finding its way inside. It was becoming hot in the cellar, but outside it had fallen quiet.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGAAhEo2oo
“Why has it stopped?” Ariadne whispered. Maxentius shrugged.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7pQFxHVjad
“Perhaps it is over.” He said quietly. “I told you we would survive this. I told you I would protect you.”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqOJiqze8o
“You did.” Ariadne said, burying her head into his shoulder.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5bwlGmxBI
“We shall leave for Rome as soon as we know for sure it is safe.” He said. She nodded in agreement.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8AED4wh8o
Outside, it seemed that all footfalls had fallen silent. Not a soul was to be heard. The temperature was rising.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Qv5dJxdNQ
And then, as though all of Hell was breaking loose, the glass in the windows shattered and into the cellar swept an almighty gust of wind, noise, heat, rock and ash. The noise of it was deafening; the heat unbearable. Ariadne clinged tightly to Maxentius and closed her eyes. One hand rested on her stomach, trying feebly to protect the child she was carrying. Maxentius' arms encircled her and for half a moment she believed it would pass.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhi8NZwhwOx
And then it was over.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPE1HY49E9B
It was silent again. The dust and ash stopped; the rocks stopped falling. It was over within seconds. The current moved on, leaving only corpses behind in Livia’s cellar.
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7:55AM
Her feet pounded the pavement as she ran. Her legs had never moved so fast and her hand stayed tightly in Marcus’ grip. He pulled her along and she knew that if he were to let her go, she would falter and fall back into a pace that she could manage. But a pace she could manage would not keep her alive; a pace she could manage would get her engulfed by the cloud that seemed to move even faster as the death toll climbed higher.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlghbZU6xQ
“I cannot breathe, Marcus!” She protested. Her lungs that were aching before now screamed in protest. Her vision was shifting, and each breath she took delivered a fresh influx of soot and ash into her chest.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqzj0uzQX7
“We need to keep going!” He shouted. Above the noise it was difficult to discern the words they spoke to one another.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDq0OeLYscC
The cloud of debris kept moving forward, and with it came a gust of wind akin to a hurricane. The wind rattled in their ears and combined with the sound of shouts and cries, it was nearing impossible to hear. Children stood in doorways, wailing desperately for their mothers. Livia looked backwards at them, feeling her heart tear into pieces as she saw them. A small girl stood crying by the side of the road, the fear in her eyes enough to make Livia pull her hand free of Marcus and stop beside the girl. Marcus whirled around and placed his hands on Livia’s shoulders. His forehead rested upon hers.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0ow2jPmVg
“We cannot stop Livia.” He said sternly. He looked into her eyes and saw the words of protest rise to her lips. “Livia. We. Cannot. Stop.” Tears fell down Livia’s cheeks, and then Caius, in one fell swoop, picked the child up into his arms.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb60cwONwpy
“Go! Now!” He said, setting off again at a run. Marcus did not question the actions of his friend, and instead took Livia’s hand again and followed Caius, running down the streets coated with a thick layer of ash.
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8AM892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9nRut3h9V
The world had now turned completely black. The shafts of sunlight that had fought their way through before were now finding it impossible to push through the dense cloud that had descended. The cloud moved closer. As they reached the gates to the city, they found that it was almost empty; everyone else had decided to try their luck at the harbour. Caius still held the child he had picked up on the road, and Marcus still gripped Livia’s hand as tightly as he would grip a rope when dangling over a precipice.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtnEU80qxj
“Stop.” Livia said, letting go of Marcus’ hand once again. “Stop.”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgNHqIqUED
“We cannot stop now!” Marcus said incredulously.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvBm4ypcuh
“We cannot outrun it Marcus! We shall die running!”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCowpWlfB0
“We shall die on our knees if we stay here!”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuxdUAZTRp
Livia was breathing hard, trying desperately to catch her breath. Caius had stopped too.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3aYgOHgPA9
“She is right Marcus. We have no chance.”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nzFHbBfEh
Marcus looked at the darkness that was nearing them. It was only meters away. He could almost feel the heat.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuC7tg2k2gj
“Gladiator!” A man called from beside the gates. He was old and withered, but in his eyes he harboured an air of kindness and generosity. In his hand his held the reigns of a pony. “Can she ride?”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9plc2SwCw
Marcus glanced at Livia. “Yes, she can ride.” He replied. The old man shook his head.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo22uxJ20ko
“Not her. The girl.” He said, pointing at the young child in Caius’ arms.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qbUYBFINI
“Can you ride?” Caius asked. She nodded.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjyZcK5iMXX
The man approached her and handed her the reigns. “Ride, child. Ride for Rome and tell the emperor what has occurred here.”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4g73VYElrv
The child looked up at the old man with wide eyes. She looked at Caius for approval. Caius nodded and placed her on the pony. The animal was small and could probably hold no more than what the child weighed, but it would suffice. Caius smiled at her.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbq7dZq0LpH
“My name is Caius, by the way.” He said with a soft smile. “I want you to ride as fast as you can, do you hear me? Ride as fast as you possibly can and get as far away from here as possible and do not stop until you are out from beneath this cloud and you can feel sunlight on your face.” He said kindly. The child nodded numbly; she had lost her mother and had found Caius. Her entire world had been saved by Caius, and though he had held her in his arms only a mere five minutes, Marcus could see the bond he had formed with the child.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYmPg14d6Y
“Run.” He said. The girl clapped her heels on either side of the pony. It set off at a gallop and carried her out of the city walls and up the hills to safety.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHHsYpjJzo
“What do we do now?” Livia asked.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDnHpWJYWC
Marcus looked at the cloud that was approaching fast and took her into his arms.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU93oHX1vd1
“Close your eyes.” He said softly. She did as he said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pushing her face into his chest.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYz2lMcOvM7
Caius fell to his knees.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2mrhvMjXn
“I was supposed to die in the arena.” He said bitterly.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKOYVn6Vcv
“The whole world is an arena Caius.” Marcus replied. “All of us live inside the Gods' own personal arena.”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXgfYVvT4F
Caius managed a small laugh.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblnyITJIKs
“How poetic of you, Roman.” A tear fell from his eyes and he began to cough as the dust entered his lungs. “I thought I would die fighting a Roman, not alongside one.”892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0fUpU170x
Marcus laughed.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjc9f9uhnQE
“I would die by no one else’s side other than yours, my friend.” He said softly. Caius looked at him earnestly, before turning away and bowing his head.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EcGxfb8CA
“Marcus,” Livia said. “I know we are to die, and I know that perhaps it is the circumstances that entice me to say this, but-“892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cumHyhAnZ
“I love you.” Marcus interrupted. Livia smiled.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRinMwUOYqu
“You stole the words from my mouth.” She said softly.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIeMr0SLD8f
Marcus looked at her sadly, and saw in her eyes the life that they could have had. If only he had never come to Pompeii, if only they had met under different circumstances, if only…892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡheoftg3rrO
The temperature got hotter, and Livia had to fight the urge to run any further. Her legs were tired, her throat was sore and it hurt to breathe.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtoZMiiQNz1
Opening her eyes for the briefest second, she saw the darkness consume them. She shut her eyes tightly as the heat engulfed them and the world fell away. She tightened her grip around Marcus’ neck as the debris began to gather around them. Falling to her knees, Marcus followed her down, refusing to relinquish his grip on her. Closing his eyes tightly, and unable to even lift his head, he cradled her body as the current took the last few pieces of strength he had left.
And then it moved on. The cloud had passed, and behind it was only bodies and ash. Not a single soul remained living in the city of Pompeii.
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9AM892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nfcxQop9U
The ash continued to fall, forming blankets on all those that appeared to be sleeping. The girl watched at the fires began to dwindle and the ash began to settle. She remembered what Caius had told her. To ride until she felt the sun on her cheeks, to ride to Rome and to ride as quickly as possible.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwM5QtI2c9o
She turned her pony around. She shed tears for the family she had lost and for all those that had lost their lives in the city. She knew as she beheld it before her, a smoking and crumbling counterfeit of the magnificent city of Pompeii, that no life remained. She looked no longer upon the city of the dead, and instead turned her gaze forward. Sunlight still shone. The sky was still blue. It was not the world that had ended. Only Pompeii.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfAuqVwubz
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0ZJPzjVe3
The bodies that were recovered were found intact and uninjured. More like sleep than death. Most remained buried and crushed beneath the weight of layers and layers of ash. I could boast that not a groan or cry of fear escaped me during these perils, but I admit that even I believed that the whole world was dying with me, and I with it.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1ASqraPaQ
And so ends our tale of Pompeii. A tale of destruction and despair that will strike fear and sadness into the hearts of many for years to come.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfloqCNtmBS
And thus I take my leave of you.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7iGZmK7jRr
- Pliny the Younger892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZx2R2qCoun
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Authors Note: The ending is a slightly modified excerpt from a letter by Pliny the Younger explaining the tragedy of Pompeii. I received a review a while back stating that the first person narrative at the start of the very first chapter was confusing - I'm not sure how well this comes across, but I was aiming for Pliny to be the storyteller. His letter and introduction is supposed to frame either side of the narrative. He both begins and ends the story, and as an eyewitness to the events (he was across the bay in Naples when it occurred) i thought it was fitting to include him in here somewhere.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6S6DWUxRmi
Anyway, this brings an end to the story and I would like to thank those of you that have stuck with it the whole way through. I wouldn't have any motivation to write at all if it wasn't for you, so thank you.892Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXw4maB3oGg
