The Last Days of Pompeii

Day 4

Saraphina;

     I wake up to the sound of carts and shovels. There is also the sound of people mumbling. A glance outside reveals a line of people leaving Pompeii. No one is here in my room, packing my stuff. Obviously, we're staying put. The clean up is still in full swing, slaves throwing bits of rock and other such objects into carts and hauling them off towards the old slave compound which has become the trash dump. Bodies still litter the streets, skulls crushed in where something landed on them.

     Yesterday's search for the peasant girl proved to be fruitless. She seems to have vanished into the mist. Sometimes, it seems as though she's around a corner, but she's never on the next street. Laughter floats out of the shadows, but all that is revealed upon closer examination is an empty alley that leads to another, less familiar part of town. People stare as I call out. “Who's there? Are you the girl? Come out, I just want to talk.”

Morine;

     I'm still wandering the city, looking for my family. Sometimes, while going around corners, the girl from the villa can be seen searching the streets. I've learned to hide in the shadows. Fear drives me. Being alone is almost as bad as the idea of staying in a place I don't know.

     Sometimes, it seems as though she's worried, other times disappointed. But, whatever or whomever she searches for, I'll be in the shadows, watching. Seeing as I escaped from her home, she may be hunting me. So far, she has failed. All I know is, I don't want to be found.

     She's been known to say things to draw me out. Now I know that I'm the one she seeks. Fortunately, she's not familiar with this part of town. I can easily slip down back ways. She follows, catching glimpses as I lead her on a wild goose chase.

Lartimer;

     Work began earlier than normal. The enforcer slammed into the temporary housing that was set up for us. “Due to the condition the city is in, there is to be more work and less wool-gathering. On your feet, get ready to report to your assigned work zones. Come on, hurry up. Not like you're going to need any more sleep.”

     Everyone was ready within a minute. On the way out the door, tools and carts were handed out. As soon as we were loaded down, we got moving. No one wanted to get the whip. The city was to be completely clean by the end of the day. Everyone did what was expected of them, and it was clean.