7:35AM1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2ynK90zvI
Marcus awoke suddenly. The sky was still dark.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIQA0Py2kr
“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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVAdylv2wk
“It cannot be morning yet. It is still dark.” Marcus said drearily.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFBmbjZ7FX
“The sun has risen, brother.” Caius replied darkly. “The ash cloud that had begun to shift has returned. Thicker, this time.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniOHheA344
“The mountain has stopped its rumbling Caius. The god’s are appeased.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5hsnCmCZO
Caius snorted.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDCPuqY4ak
“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.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGkdtaO8Z8
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwy9MMHBCQy
“We shall leave the city at once.” He announced. Caius nodded in agreement.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPHVSKbfnp
“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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIG9GjmOPP
“Where is your gladiator?” Maxentius demanded.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwafmrHAlP
“He shall be here presently, I would imagine.” Livia replied curtly, fighting the urge to insist that he was not her gladiator.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRociz750k
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3nXBQkEm0
“Get outside!” Livia demanded. Maxentius paused.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHapJQtatr
“Surely we should be safer inside?! We should not go out there into it! It would kill us all!”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHB1ysWCTIb
“It will destroy the house. We will be safer in the hills, far away from here.” Livia insisted.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49aRTzGemn
“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.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Khb958WUE
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAIW9vBT7w
“Walls shall not be enough.” She said softly.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMdUWW92Q3
“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.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQGtKxo4qn
“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?”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdHr2YGyOM
“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?”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHOl2Mj0t3
Livia nodded.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfPq92qgT0
“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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7:45AM1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnanXnKLD32
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7J78enqEme
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQAK67lneJ
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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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgvQjmoVfn
“I was coming to get you. We need to leave.” He said into her ear.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8C95pBwJrL
“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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IC90UGWM2
“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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK05aNTGbze
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xMEsSyn4u
“One would think the sun had forgotten to rise today.” Livia said lightly.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSohY0Wew9K
“The sun has forsaken us.” Caius replied darkly. Marcus glanced sharply at his fellow gladiator.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4s2zvC5Z7
“There is no need for dark omens, Caius.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTrso44qKV
“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.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkKLhrNZvA
Marcus stopped.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡseL7OuWMom
“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!”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVSKqyGTWT
Caius remained silent.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhDg6t8ctX
“I apologise, brother.” He said softly. “My tongue consults not with brain in times of panic. I do not think before I speak.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CNrbLOpd1
Marcus clapped his friend on the shoulder.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡviCQb9U3Qe
“You are forgiven. Now, shall we stop stalling and continue?”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3OKHhw9dd
Livia, watching the encounter unfold before her eyes, was at once confused by the temperament of men. Shaking her head, she moved past them.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfl7uRmucs
“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.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsLayXjj36
Caius nodded. Glancing behind him, his eyes widened and his pace increased.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgB7aE8dZZ
“We shall have to run if we are to dodge this.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1J2zkpR0Ej
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7:50AM1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtEigxNN2e
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaoo82NrCp
Maxentius sat next to Ariadne, his arm around her shoulders.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwFm6BCH6p
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7m8dxVI0B
“Why has it stopped?” Ariadne whispered. Maxentius shrugged.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vX4uiG7Kv
“Perhaps it is over.” He said quietly. “I told you we would survive this. I told you I would protect you.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhj4aerYK7
“You did.” Ariadne said, burying her head into his shoulder.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhWdF3aMkK
“We shall leave for Rome as soon as we know for sure it is safe.” He said. She nodded in agreement.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGEaXZmGAC
Outside, it seemed that all footfalls had fallen silent. Not a soul was to be heard. The temperature was rising.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKpE9FrEnr
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYxNLBvUVn
And then it was over.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmnyOlnQ7F
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQZ9aSI6lg
“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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVitc8SZqM
“We need to keep going!” He shouted. Above the noise it was difficult to discern the words they spoke to one another.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhgD9gdAP3
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGqD3w3Vxo
“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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2H2SzCKhZ
“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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8AM1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJTdeNjeIg
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kuZ8zQnZ4
“Stop.” Livia said, letting go of Marcus’ hand once again. “Stop.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CLJbGOQkx
“We cannot stop now!” Marcus said incredulously.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGYr4vH4OY
“We cannot outrun it Marcus! We shall die running!”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcF7WLO7D5
“We shall die on our knees if we stay here!”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhmMTvBLoB
Livia was breathing hard, trying desperately to catch her breath. Caius had stopped too.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtb7zekXEmk
“She is right Marcus. We have no chance.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wOCw32vsg
Marcus looked at the darkness that was nearing them. It was only meters away. He could almost feel the heat.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQMhIWyFV7
“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?”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIRLTl24Kj
Marcus glanced at Livia. “Yes, she can ride.” He replied. The old man shook his head.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFyR0mpEumx
“Not her. The girl.” He said, pointing at the young child in Caius’ arms.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0xZ88PNNF
“Can you ride?” Caius asked. She nodded.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOJJHsJ0OM
The man approached her and handed her the reigns. “Ride, child. Ride for Rome and tell the emperor what has occurred here.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPIfIHXOQm
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqVKHRVDWl
“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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbY5Xw21Fx0
“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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rr6M46Vqf
“What do we do now?” Livia asked.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQOp306Fkj
Marcus looked at the cloud that was approaching fast and took her into his arms.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgm3TsR0r3
“Close your eyes.” He said softly. She did as he said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pushing her face into his chest.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrB1lrmg7Km
Caius fell to his knees.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6LQJ2TJSf
“I was supposed to die in the arena.” He said bitterly.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXihdY3KJo
“The whole world is an arena Caius.” Marcus replied. “All of us live inside the Gods' own personal arena.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnygTpospqc
Caius managed a small laugh.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0gCn5sfsH
“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.”1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUqr65ryCV
Marcus laughed.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrrp5DIM2g
“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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvptBPOxB6
“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-“1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk22Lsz70rr
“I love you.” Marcus interrupted. Livia smiled.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTg8HtuleYD
“You stole the words from my mouth.” She said softly.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNpWt1X61q
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…1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8mS7x0hAO
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazZgwzTD0E
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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9AM1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuRw94xo0w
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcnmZ9oDVP
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5UOAhK1EM
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHG9sFtpsZ
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrxxYoRagB
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYlbSDizqn
And thus I take my leave of you.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpt3pBj91Yq
- Pliny the Younger1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYlebxDhOt
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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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirEGliIxiU
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.1052Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSirPinvVZ
