Shadow Part 1, Genesis

Chapter 6

Taking long, deep breaths, Octavius held his head over Mary's unmoving body. As he sat on his feet, in the middle of the marketplace, while his knees dug into the ground, he embraced Mary with both arms and brought his nose and forehead close to connect with hers. Grasping his left hand through her silky brown hair just above her neck, he trembled as he tried to keep Mary from touching the coarse lifeless soil below. With his other hand gently lifting her lower back and nothing to hold her sagging legs, Octavius' lower lip started to quiver and his brown eyes grew soft as they filled with tears.

One after another, each tear fell slowly, along his cheek, around his nose and to flow onwards down to Mary. Combining with the cold blood which dripped out of Mary's puffy, bruised but supple skin, from multiple wounds slashed across her face, the watery blood stained Octavius as he carefully laid his head and nose upon hers.

"Mary?" he said calmly, hoping she would hear his voice.

Her lithe lips stayed shut. Bringing her closer so she could lay on his lap, he brought his right thumb across her bottom lip, wanting and waiting for anything. After caressing her cheek and Octavius' fingers turned wet with blood, moments went by and there was nothing.

Remaining somehow calm, his small straight nose and the tip of his charcoal-coloured hair became damp. Staring at the tears which ran down the mound of his wife's swollen eyes, he refused to believe something like this could happen. Wishing that he had followed Mary to find Aeliana, the chill from the dropping temperature in the still desert night and the helpless look Mary displayed, suddenly awakened immense pain within him.

He could feel it, everything. Weeping and moaning uncontrollably, sudden images flashed in his mind. He felt Mary struggling to breathe, crying from the malicious fists which ravaged her, squirming while blood drooled from her mouth to get away and striving and screaming for help when no one answered her call. He could feel her being all alone, just her and her last thoughts in the cold dark lane, praying that he was there.

Within seconds he snapped. The crying stopped, his hands tightened and nothing was heard but his heart beating faster and faster. Raising his head slowly, as he stared out to the empty street ahead, a scowl formed as his eyes flared red and Octavius turned disgusted and vengeful.

"Octavius!"

Cassian, a citizen of Marantine, and four other members of the village, dressed in their night garments, arrived behind Octavius to see what had happened.

"Octavius! What the hell is going on?" Cassian exclaimed as his hands clasped brown scruffy hair not knowing what to do.

"Cato..." he said ominously.

In realisation, everyone suddenly became frantic and confused, and two women, Faith and Laura, rushed to Mary's side.

"Oh my God! Mary!" The two women screamed wildly.

While scraping away pieces of glass so Faith and Laura could kneel on the ground, tears filled their eyes after they tried to pull Mary away from Octavius' stiff grip. The rest of the men stood behind, too sickened to move at the sight of Mary's state.

Distraught, screaming and shouting insanities, no one could believe what was in front of them.

"That son of a bitch!" Jacob, the man with the rusty brown hair exclaimed. Pacing around the group he squeezed his fists and grew infuriated.

"We can't just stand here, let's do something and get him!"

"Do what?" Christian, the man with the large belly and full beard proposed. "We can't just leave her here!"

Squabbling between themselves, Cassian kneeled down next to Octavius.

"Octavius, tell us what's going on!"