Luca

Luca ran through the streets of silk town. Darkness wrapped around him. His breathe getting heavier with each frantic step. The streets were completely desolate of which he was glad. Time after time he felt as though his body might give way, but his legs kept him going. His aim, to get as far away from his home as possible, yet it was the only place he longed to be.

He glanced a dark alleyway on his left and darted down it, hoping to lose the guards who were pursuing close behind. He found a narrow stone doorway of an abandoned house and hid in it, the smell the moss growing in between the solid rock penetrated his nostrils.

Luca inescapably turned his thoughts to his brother, standing their just moments ago in the doorway of their small decrepit house.

Unable to make sense of what had happened, and every image turned into a blur obscured by the dull ache in his head. All he could remember was that whatever it was standing in that shabby doorway, it was no longer his brother, and those hollow green eyes would leave him sleepless for nights to come.

The feeling of unease shuddered throughout his body, as if something unescapable was on its way and all he could do was stand there and wait for it. Feet frozen to the ground. He never understood just how small he was in a world so big until now.

Something big was happening, he knew that much, because over the past few days the guards have been clearing out more and more people. His brother had thought it had something to do with the rumours of this strange disease that had gripped the city. If what he had heard was true, then the city was rotting from the inside out and soon it would disappear into emptiness.

The thought turned Luca’s stomach sour and he could taste bile at the back of his throat. He forced a swallow down and sent it back where it came from.

His mind was shaken back into reality when he heard the rattling of chainmail getting closer. He held his breathe just enough to keep quiet and thanks God that he was able to steal enough time in the dark to do so.

The sound of only one guard approaching could be heard. The other two must have set off in another direction, heading into the market if he had to guess.

Luca leaned back as much as he could hoping the shadows would swallow him up enough to remain hidden. The door behind him moved slightly with his weight and he realised it was unlocked. Very carefully and slowly he opened the door and slid into the house.

The stench inside took his breathe away and he almost vomited. He reached back for the door, but the guard’s footsteps were getting louder.

He went in as much as he dared and found a corner with some empty barrels stacked on top of each other. He carefully slid past ensuring not to touch any of them in case they were to fall, giving away his hiding spot. Kneeling, Luca could only see a couple of feet in front of his face. No light penetrated the room except for a small slither from a lamp on the street outside, which had almost finished its life and was flickering violently.

Dust had already begun to settle around him as he lay as still as he could.

The guard stopped outside the door, Luca, peered out from in between the barrels, and watched as the guard entered. He grasped his leg tightly to stop from the uncontrollable shaking.

The taste of bile had crept its way back up into his throat.

The Door burst open suddenly making Luca’s leg shaking come to a halt.

‘Come out and I’ll make it fast, I swear it!’ the guard barked.

Luca dared not move.

The guard took another step. The sound of his sword being drawn echoed all around and seemed to run through Luca’s body.

Luca felt his leg start to shake again and wrapped his arms around his knees squeezing them tightly to stop the shaking.

Another footstep came closer, the guard was standing just on the other side of the barrels.

His sight now slowly adjusting to the dark he could see the guard’s face. Keeping his eyes fixed on the stranger he felt his heart pounding in his chest. Not realising his grip slowly slipping in his hands, his leg let out a sudden jerk and the guard fixed his eyes on him.

Without thinking, Luca jumped up at him and they both stumbled to the floor, the guards helmet flew up in the air and crashed against the wall. Luca was on top of the guard and for a moment their eyes met. Luca saw dark eyes starting back at him, a vision of heavy chainmail pulsed in his mind, and the smell of burning flesh invaded his nostrils. He could hear the screams of a woman faintly in the distance, and the smug laugh of a man. He knew, these were not the eyes of a decent man.

And with the feeling of terror taking over, Luca plunged his thumbs into those eyes and felt them wrap around and touch the back of the man’s socket.

The man let out a harrowing scream which made Luca squeeze harder and harder until his hands were drenched in blood, and it was not until he felt something in the man’s head pop that he finally released his grip and fled the house.

In a daze, Luca felt his body taking him somewhere but could not focus on anything. His mind swirled at the visions that lingered, already becoming a blur in his fragmented mind. His hands still dripping with blood, he reached for a wall for balance, leaving a trail behind.

The contents of his stomach rushed up and suddenly spilled out onto the cobblestones in front of him. The bitter taste attacked his mouth as he wretched some more.

Finally, stood straight and steadied himself, and with his breathing almost exhausted he lumbered his way to the old docks.

***

Luca could not know how long or far he had been walking but when he snapped back into focus the landscape had drastically changed, and the screams of the guard could no longer be heard echoing around in his head.

Thick trees populated on his left which expanded out into a dense forest. The thought about hiding in there appealed to him, but he knew it would be unwise. With the Summer days fading away, there would be no new growth and he would be found eventually if he did not die first. A soft breeze from the ocean hit his face and he felt a wash of relief come over him. Everything seemed so much calmer here.

This was a discarded part of town. Once a lively port where merchants would set up stalls to trade in their exotic fruits and fill the air with sweet scents, luring in customers who had more coin than sense. Sailors would come and frequent the whorehouses after spending months away at sea, eager to exchange their body weight in gold for a little company.

Eventually, with the main port expanding, fewer and fewer people came here, until the merchants and whores packed up their stalls and houses and went off elsewhere in search of other prospects.

Now it is completely derelict apart from a few small boats owned by poor fisherman.

With a slow pace, he hoped to find something, anything that would get him out of this dying city.

There were no boats tied to any moorings and the whole place looked ransacked and desolate. Then, he spied a shape moving close by in the water. He squinted his eyes, trying to focus in the dark and he could make out a small rowboat with a man rowing away.

Luca ran to the edge of a dock.

‘Hey!’ Luca shouted, waving his arms frantically being careful not to fall in.

The sailor paid no attention and kept on rowing.

‘Stop, please! Come back!’ Luca shouted with a desperation in his voice.

‘Fuck off! Go and die with the rest of the scum in this place, I am done!’ Was the man’s reply.

The boat was getting further away as the tide helped him.

There was a rustling and murmur in the trees behind Luca. He turned to see a woman, limping her way past the bushes.

Luca’s eyes widened at what he saw. It was clear she was one of them. She was wearing half torn rags and had her breasts hanging out. Skin was starting to peel off from her arm and face as loose pieces of flesh dangled down from her body.

She was muttering incoherent words as she stumbled her way towards him.

Her eyes were completely red with bloodshot and were fixed on his. Luca was frozen still, unable to move from the terror that has gripped him.

There were vines that had wrapped around her bare feet which clung onto her and slowed her pace. She reached out an arm to Luca with a skeleton like hand. Her fingernails were completely black from infection.

She was almost within arm’s reach of Luca when he finally snapped out of his trance, and he threw himself into the water.

The man turned around to see what was happening, completely unaware of the woman standing on the edge of the dock.

‘I told you to piss off! if you come near this boat, I’ll kill you!’ he threatened.

Luca could not even hear the man shouting back, all he could hear was the sloshing of water around his ears and he intermittent breathes he took as he tried not to swallow the seawater.

It was at that time that the man on the boat looked up and saw the woman fall into the water too.

‘Now Listen, I don’t know who the fuck you two are or where you have come from but if you come any closer…’

‘Please!’ Luca managed to say as he grabbed onto the boat. He had used up all his energy fighting with the water.

The woman was almost on him.

‘Help!’ Luca pleaded.

The man picked up his oar to hit him away but hesitated. He looked and saw the woman’s bloodshot eyes desperately reaching for Luca in the water.

Luca had both hands on the boat now and was trying to pull himself up.

The man swung his oar and it smashed into the woman’s face. A handful of her teeth went flying into the water. She turned her head back around and fixed her eyes on the attacker. He hit her several more times before she finally lay motionless with her head down in the water.

Luca, barely clinging onto the boat now, felt two large hands grip under his arms, and he was pulled onto the boat. His head hit the splintered floor of the boat and before he could come to, he lost consciousness.