Shadow Part 1, Genesis

Chapter 7

Cato and Aeliana held their breath while the image of Octavius appeared in their minds. Everything came to a halt. Squeaking arose from the worn out hinges which barely held the broken door afloat. The aroma of wine surrounding Cato and the stench of chicken manure along the corners of the barn, filled the air as Aeliana's sense of smell manifested. She was scared and frightened to her core, Cato however, looked to the barn's entrance in excitement, wondering just how broken he had made Octavius.

Octavius was tough, strict and firm, but also kind. His jovial personality, with his soft straight nose, strongly built face and kind brown eyes would only send the message that he would do anything to help anyone. But he loved his wife, more than anything in this world.

She could feel it. The shivers from his cry still continued to shake Aeliana as her arms, legs and back quivered constantly. It was as if she and the children were helpless on top of a ship's mast during a storm, with furious waves causing the ship to tremor uncontrollably. She held onto the babies for dear life and prayed.

Becoming entangled within her thoughts and Cato taking pleasure from Octavius' pain, the ragged door was suddenly flung wide open as a gust of wind swirled through the barn.

Cato could feel the cool breeze creeping its way through his thin cotton clothes and inwards beneath his skin. Feeling his intoxicated form wearing off as the chill struck his body conscious, Cato unearthed the cuts and bruises from where the lantern had struck his face. Clutching his head with his left hand while Cato became dazed and unsteady, he lightly rolled his fingers down his sliced cheek with moisture covering his fingertips. Noticing blood pouring down his face and the shards of glass that penetrated his skin, Cato only became more ferocious as the stinging pain woke his mind in a horrid state.

"Cato!"

Drawing closer, Aeliana felt Octavius' voice rise with ferocity. Peering into the pile of hay ahead, Aeliana sat weak and timid, feeling her body slowly drifting away. Gazing up towards the roof of the barn, as her eyes rolled back, she saw Cato lift his body and stand tall while he turned to face the opening of the old building.

Closing her eyes, she could hear Cato move. Not to the sagging door, but shuffling to face the pile of hay where he last saw Aeliana lie, and unexpectedly he started to speak.

"I beat her slowly" He said. Aeliana's eyes felt as if they were swimming in water. "And I made sure her whole face was covered in blood!"

While the weather sent another gust of wind swirling through the barn, droplets poured from underneath Aeliana's eyelids and down her cheeks as the stench of Cato's breath almost caused her to regurgitate her last meal.

"When I come back... Aeliana. I will make sure your whole body will be covered!"

Feeling her heart suddenly stop, Aelaina absorbed all the smells and noises while Cato turned and walked calmly to the exit. She felt the grinding shards of dirt skidding between Cato's leather sandal, causing Aeliana to clench her teeth but relax while he proceeded to get further away.

As the slurred footprints from Cato's tracks led a fine trail to the barn, Octavius stood two hundred feet from the opening next to the stables. While Octavius waited in a stoic stature, ignoring his cheeks and forehead stinging red from the chill breeze, he heard Cato's voice whisper from the wide open door.

"There they are, all scared and alone," Cato uttered. "Hoping to live, but they know they won't. And when it comes and they know it will, they will bleed on forever until they wilt."

Glass sticking out of his mangled skin, Octavius could see the blood dripping from Cato's face as he crept out of the barn's shadows. With the wind getting stronger, Octavius' tunic flailed against the breeze as he felt the thumping of his heart beat throughout his hands.