Forgotten Stories

Execution

The sound of chains echoed amidst the roar of the crowd, a prisoner dressed in nothing but a torn leather shirt, barefooted, walked among the citizens of the city ashamed, his body was scarred by the brutal condition he was inside the cell, beatings, torturing, refusal to let him sleep some of the adversities he lived the past month, the feeling of cold steel on his arms and body constraining him to move freely.
Two soldiers were by his side pulling his bindings without remorse, sometimes even he was falling down and he was weak and flimsy. His face covered in dried blood, one of his eyes lost its green color and a crimson red filled the white. The people around him called him names, belittle him because he violated the law, or at the very least that's what was going on in the surface. The truth is everyone who came to the execution today was there to feel better about them, a strange soothing of the soul when you saw another human being torn to shreds in front of your eyes. The citizens of Arnathia were used to these executions, every other week another violator would be publicly executed.
The man fell down, he didn't move and could barely breath, the soldiers kicked him and commanded him to get up but he was ever so weak he didn't even feel the pain of the steel boot on his face. The soldiers looked at each other and continued their way towards the platform dragging the man through the rough ground.
When they reached the execution platform they dragged the man through the stairs making sure his head would hit every step, they laughed. The pulled him up, and pierced his hands with a hook then they raised the half dead man up for everyone to see. A gasp came out of the man's bloody and mudded lips but that's all he could say. One of the soldiers before leaving punched him in the stomach, it made the man swing back and forth each time the hook tearing his flesh a little.
The crowd underneath was ecstatic, the men called him names and the women screamed that he should be put to death with the vilest of ways. A man came up the stairs of the platform wearing a long black coat, his hair were white as the snow, his skin pale and his eyes sent shivers up and down the crowd's spines. That man was the right hand of the king, Lucius the Mad Executioner.
He raised his hands and calmed the crowd, a wicked smile appeared on his sick face, "People of Arnathia it brings joy to my soul that so many of you came here today to witness the end of a violator" the crowd roared his smile even more wider and twice as wicked "Do you not all feel safe under the rule of our merciful King?" Lucius asked and the crowd agreed "Are you not treated fair in the kingdom of our beloved leader?" once again the crowd in unison agreed. "Then why since you all love and serve our glorious protector there are worms hiding in our great city that try to overthrow him?" Lucius screamed with fire in his cold eyes "Why there are still those that break our laws, put this system of order into chaos by not doing what they have to so the system run in harmony?" the people in the crowd looked at each other "I'll tell you why, it's because some of them are monsters, devils that have no care for the fellow human, worms that burrow deep underneath and feed of by the righteous and hard work of the citizens of this grand city. They come from hell, they whisper in ears and fill your heads with lies of true freedom, equality and nonsense, things that will get you killed, a life without our lord and savior King Archer that supposedly will be better but I tell you People of Arnathia that these lies will only be our downfall. He has no care of the blood and sweat that took to build this city, he has no care for the children his very presence poisons their little minds, converting them into devils, YES people of Arnathia this man here has come not only to bring ruin to our city, but to take your children, twist them into demons and bolster the armies of evil" the crowd went wild with the words the executioner spoke.
"But enough, we gave this abomination enough of our time, rejoice as he will burn alive in the holy fire of our king" Lucius said and grabbed the torch; he approached the prisoner closer, looked him in disgust and lit him on fire. The chained man tried to scream as the fire ate away his body, he could smell the burning flesh, an excruciating pain but he was powerless to do so. The more he screamed the more the crowd cheered and laughed for the end of the "devil".
When the fire subsided the crowd had dispersed, Lucius had return to the castle and the two soldiers were left behind to clean the mess. "Damn, he still smells, what the hell did this one do?" one of the soldiers asked the other, "I think he stole a loaf of bread, his family was hungry? I didn't pay attention was busy roughing him up" the other one said laughing. "Damn Lucius made a monster out of this fella, man has a talent". The other soldier grabbed the burned corpse "He wants to keep the city in check, what better propaganda than an execution and the demonizing of someone? People think they are safe and sound within these walls, truth is they are like mice trapped inside a boiling cauldron without a way out" the soldiers said and they both laughed as they threw the body into the pit to join the rest of the rotting corspes.