The Godsend Backfire: The Beginning by Harold Straugh (books to read in your 30s TXT) 📕

from where we stood. It looked crowded and hearing about how great Rome was hundreds of years later, I didn’t see what was so magnificent about it.  It looked miserable to me, maybe I was just missing my home already.  The air there seemed more stagnant, there was definitely and odor, even from where we were.

“Let’s stay here for the night, so you can rest,” I saw a concerned look on her face.

“I’m worried with the way we are dressed, it might cause an issue.”

I looked at our clothes, we had developed our own style of clothing over the years, more common to the style what is now known as France’s style of clothing back before France was France.  There wasn’t a lot of colonization back then, it was taking hold though.  It was at this point I missed my old facemask. I had made a makeshift one out of deer hide and dyed it black a while ago, I didn’t wear as much as I used to wear mine, but I’ve heard the horror stories of Rome and they didn’t take to kindly to strangers. It was decided, amongst myself, I would go look for Pontius in the dark and would keep myself covered to blend in with the night.

I built a fire, and put the furs down to for Yura and myself to lay on.  She always liked having her feet face the fire, so we could lay next to each other while she slept.  I always thought laying next the fire was the purpose, but I did what she asked.  I laid down next to her, she nuzzled my chest with the side of her face and was soon asleep.

Rome on the other hand, from the sounds of it, was wide awake. There was some kind of celebration going on there. I didn’t want to lurk around long, I just wanted to find a straggler and hoped they knew where Pontius was.

I waited a few more hours before I made my move.  I slowly turned myself on my side, as I’ve done a million times before and waited a few more minutes to make sure I didn’t wake her.  I slowly got up and walked over to my horse, removed my bow and arrows and then crept away.  I waited until I was a few hundred yards away before using my speed to get me the rest of the way there, the best I could in the dark.

I entered through the westside of Rome, it was dark so I didn’t get the best of looks at the buildings, I wasn’t too concerned with being in there, I was told Pontius was on the outskirts of Rome, I just needed to know where, so I could kill him and head home.

There were torches all around, for a time of no electricity, it was well lit.  I heard a bunch of commotion coming from in front of me, but it was still a distance away from where I had entered. I made sure my facemask was on and went further into the middle of Rome.  The commotion was getting louder and louder and I could hear thunderous footsteps as I got closer.

I was between buildings, looking ahead when I spotted people and spears bouncing up and down in front of them, the slightest glimmer of red bounced above their heads.  The closer I got, the more I realized there was parade of sorts going on. I listened to words being spoken and let my brain translate for me  I got as close as I could to the crowd and found a man, drunk and staggering around.

“What’s going on here?” I asked, the man, who didn’t even look in my direction.  His smell was overpowering, his hair was dark, greasy and slicked over to once side with a little bit of curl.  Beyond the many stains, I believe his shirt was once white.

“The Romans are killing off just about everybody, when they do, they come back celebrate.”

“Who did the kill now?”

“I never keep track, I’m just here to drink,” he chuckled.

I thought for a minute and the asked, “Do you know where Pontius Pilate is?”

He stopped, this time he looked at me, he didn’t seem to care I was dressed up with a face mask on, carrying a bow and arrows, he had a scorned look his face, “I hate that bastard, what do you want him for?”

“I’m going to kill him,” I blurted out without a second thought.

“Go out North,” he pointed, “You’ll come to a hillside, go over the hill and down the other hillside.  You will see a path lined with wheat, you’ll find his place at the end of that path.  I hope you make him suffer for what he’s done.”

“Are you referring to Jesus?”

“What? No, he took my wife and daughter and made a child with both then left them for me to take care of.”

“Did you?” my curiosity peaked.

“I took care of them alright, but I’m not going to say how,” he smirked and the look in his eyes told me I didn’t want to know.

“Thank you!” I said and disappeared back into the shadows.

I needed to head North, which was the direction the group of soldiers were headed.  I kept to the shadows the best I could and soon was on the outskirts of Rome.  I walked a few hundred yards before coming to the hillside that was mentioned.  I went up and over, being dark and not having a torch made the path hard to find.  After many attempts of feeling with my feet and hands, I finally found the path.  I walked it, cautiously for it was eerily quiet and my footsteps seemed louder than normal.

The wheat was up to my waist and I found myself gently brushing it with my fingertips as I walked by, but