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The Stranger

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william23

william23

Magistrate
The Stranger

Junos was 18yrs old and the son of Mortious and his mother Martha. They lived in a little village on the road leading to the town of Nazareth. This had been his home for all of his early years and he had learn't his trade of clay pot making well. His pots were well known in all the neighbouring villages and were most excellent for holding fine wine. As the shop was on a main road the trade was good and Junos and his family led a very happy life. Junos was an only child and for the first years of his life he had to amuse and fend for himself. Five years ago he, as a child, had witnessed the quashing of a rebellion and had learnt to hide himself from the marauding soldiers who were searching for the cult called Christians. He had heard how this sect was intent on destroying Rome and to spread the word, of their so called God, to the masses. The ultimate result was the crucifixion of their King on a hill outside of Jerusalem. Things then started to die down but the search still continued for the remainder of the sect and to bring them to justice.

One day Junos was in the yard decorating some pots for a customer when he was approached by a black man of quite large stature.

"How are you my good man," asked the stranger, "I am looking for work and somewhere to stay?"

"Well good day to you, sir," responded Junos, "can I offer you some water and some bread to eat, it's fresh as just baked today."

"That's really kind of you," replied the stranger, "how about a nice jug of wine for this silver coin?" and he flipped a coin towards Junos.

Junos caught the coin cleanly, "sure," he said, "let me get you some of our best wine, please sit and I will attend to it straight away."

The man sat on a stool and Junos hurried off to fetch the wine and bread.

"In a hurry son," called his father.

"We have a visitor and I am just going to fetch some wine and food, look he has paid me," and he showed his father the silver coin.

Mortious held the coin in his hand and spoke quietly to his son in a hushed voice.

"Better get the good wine," he said as he stroked the coin in his hand, "this man has travelled far, probably from Rome itself, it would not do to upset him."

Junos hurried and collected the wine, in one of his ornate pots, and took a couple of loaves on a wooden plate. He returned to the dark skinned stranger and placed the pot of wine on the table with the bread. He filled a silver goblet with the wine and sat down opposite the man. The man took a sip of the wine and smiled, "this is good," he said, "very good."

"We make our own wine," spoke Junos, "the soil here is just right for the vines and we have had enough rain to give us a good crop."

"Glad to hear it," smiled the stranger, "nothing like a good jug of wine with friends. By the way do you have any work I can do, I am a hard worker and right now I would be glad of anything you offer."

"I am not sure, let me ask my father. Father," called Junos.

Mortious came over, "good day to you stranger, I hear you have travelled far."

"Yes," replied the man, "I have been travelling for days looking for work but there is nothing that suits my trade." The man took a bite from the bread and then washed it down with a mouthful of the red wine.

"And what trade would that be?" returned Mortious, with an air of curiosity in his voice.

"Crucifixion," replied the man, "crucifixion."

To be continued........................................
 
Crucifixion!

"Crucifixion," exclaimed Junos as his father gripped him on the shoulder.

"Careful my son," he whispered in his ear, "we know nothing about this man."

The stranger noticed the reaction, "don't worry," he said, "I always get this kind of reaction when people here that dreaded word."

"How were you involved, stranger?" approached Mortious with an air of caution in his words.

The man sighed, "well many years ago I was in charge of the execution site at Golgotha."

"What, the Golgotha, outside of Jerusalem?" responded Junos.

"That is right," replied the stranger, "terrible place the smell, at times, was unbearable. Shit, piss, blood, you name it, they all contributed to the stench of the place. Not far from the site was the burial pit where the dead crucified bodies were thrown, flies were everywhere."

Junos swallowed hard, he had this awful picture of misery in his head but he had a morbid facination for the awful details.

"Please tell me more," asked Junos.

Mortious looked at his son, "not for me," he said, "I am going to get my head down for a while, this heat is unbearable." Mortious left to seek shade in their home whilst Junos and the stranger sat under a nearby tree with another pot of wine.

"This really interests you doesn't it?" smiled the stranger.

"Yes sir," responded Junos, "I bet you have some stories to tell."

"Oh I have my boy, I have, but where to start," he pondered as he stroked his withered chin. "Have you ever seen a full crucifixion up close and personal?" he started.

"No sir I haven't," replied Junos, "but everyone say's it is an awful way to die and can take many hours or even days."

"That's right," continued the stranger, "I have nailed up many a thief and watched them for three days writhing on the spikes until the spark of life leaves their wretched souls." He took a long mouthful of wine and then eased his tired back against the tree stretching out his long legs. He placed his hands behind his head and stared up into the pale blue sky.

"Make yourself comfortable and I will tell you my story."

To be continued...............................................
 
The Story Begins

The stranger pondered for a while and then he began, Junos sat back in eager anticipation.

"I was about your age, you know, when I witnessed my first crucifixion. One of the elders in the village had been caught stealing and was immediately sentenced to crucifixion as a deterrent to others. He was quite frail and was unable to bear his crossbeam without some help. I watched as they led him, naked, out of the village to a nearby tree, where they bound him to its trunk and lashed him. They did not whip him too much as they wanted him to suffer long on the spikes for people to see, as a warning. After the token whipping was over they bound the sobbing man to the beam and hammered the sharp spikes into his bony wrists. There is always a fair amount of blood and the screams can be deafening, unless they faint from the pain. I watched the man being dragged, by his nailed wrists, to the tree trunk and lifted up so that the beam wedged between two branches and tied off with rope. I remember the crowds cheering at the sight of the thin body and the children throwing stones to get his attention. The work continued to its conclusion when his heels were nailed either side of the trunk. His legs were splayed quite wide which made breathing quite difficult. He only lasted a few hours but they left his body on display for two days, it had the desired effect."

Junos sat with his mouth open in awe at the strangers description, the man continued.

"I watched as the men, who had nailed him up, divided the clothes of the crucified between them. They did quite well, a nice pair of sandals and a nice outer garment of quality cloth. The loin cloth, however, was too badly soiled before he was stripped and therefore thrown in the refuse. I had just seen a man die by a very cruel punishment but I have to say I was quite aroused by the experience. There was never a shortage of men to do the crucifying as the pay was reasonable and the perks of the requisites of the prisoners was appealing. Several of my friends had taken up this job, in smaller villages, but I had ambition and wanted to do better than them. This is why I headed for the city of Jerusalem, I had heard of an uprising by a sect calling themselves Christians. The authorities were rooting out these people and nailing them up as quickly as they could make the crosses. There was always going to be the work and it wasn't long before I was taken as a helper on the hill of Golgotha."

"What did you do as a helper," enquired Junos.

"Patience lad, patience, I can see you want all the details and you shall have them. As a helper my duties would be to help keep the site reasonably clean. When the bodies were removed I would pull out the spikes from the limbs or sometimes out of the cross itself. The spikes would need to be re-sharpened ready for further use. I would cut wood and make small slats into which I would bore holes to take the spikes, like a kind of washer. This would stop the crucified pulling off the spikes and dying quicker. Ropes would have to be coiled up ready for the next batch of victims. On occasions I would help in holding a man or woman down on the wood for the nailing. I always enjoyed holding down the feet, especially that of a woman. You get quite a nice view of her cunt convulsing as the spikes are driven. Got a bit too close once and got pissed all over my face, they all laughed at that but I never made that mistake again."

Junos was laughing and almost choked on his wine. The two talked well into the evening before they both retired for the night. The stranger had promised to tell more the next day and Junos lay in the house thinking about what was to come.

To be continued..............................
 
jacksjg89 said:
Great. Keep going. It’s a long shot, since your giving the stranger a backstory, but I’m still putting money down that he’s Satan. The stranger is usually Satan.

Minor quibble though. Why does an elder of the village need to steal? Isn’t he one of the leaders?
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william23 said:
This elder had stolen food.
Click to expand...
Even Elders get hungry! ;)
 
Another Story

Junos was the first to rise, he had slept well mainly due to the copious amount of wine consumed by him and the dark skinned stranger. His first job was to check on the latest batch of pots he had made to make sure they were not cracking when they dried, all was fine. He then prepared some food for his mother and father and collected some water from the well. As he returned he saw the stranger resting up against the tree and waved.

"Good day to you," greeted Junos, "I trust you slept well as I did."

"I slept very well," replied the stranger, "thanks to your fine wine and good company. It has been a while since I shared my experiences with anyone, maybe we can talk some more."

"That would be good," responded Junos, "but maybe we can be more careful on how much wine we consume."

The man laughed, "I wish to pay for your kindness," he said,." "I notice your roof needs some attention, I am quite handy with a mallet and nails, as you know."

"That is very kind of you," came a strong voice from the house and Mortious walked out. "I have been meaning to see to it since the last heavy fall of rain but never seem to get around to it."

"It's the least I can do," returned the stranger," "your son and I had quite a chat last night."

"I know," said Mortious, "My wine shelf looks quite empty!"

"Which is why I will attend to your roof, kind sir." with that the stranger looked around for suitable wood to make the repair.

Junos and his father carried on with their daily work. Mortious was busy collecting more grapes from the vines, whilst Junos decorated a batch of newly made pots. The dark skinned stranger went about repairing the roof in a business like manner. As the sun rose higher, in the clear blue sky, the air became hotter and the work stopped for lunch. The family and the stranger sat inside the shaded house and ate some food and drank a hefty supply of water.

"What were you talking about last night?" enquired Junos mother, Miriam.

"Oh, just the work I used to do, this, however, is not the time or place to discuss the morbid details of crucifixion."

"No, I guess not," replied Miriam, "well enjoy the rest of your lunch. Junos, your father and I need to go into the village, we won't be too long, I am sure you can amuse yourselves.

"Yes mother we will be fine," responded Junos, with a glint in his eye. More stories to hear, he thought, maybe they will be more detailed.

When his mother and father had left Junos approached the stranger.
"Please tell me more stories," he asked, "last night really got my imagination going."

"Well I guess I can tell you why I am here and the events leading up to it," spoke the stranger. "Make yourself comfortable as this is quite a long story and it starts back in Jerusalem about five years ago."

Five years ago, thought Junos, that would be about the time of the crucifixion of the Nazarene, they called Christ.

To be continued.................................................
 
The Story Starts

The stranger continued the story, he cleared his throat and leaned back against the tree.

"It was at the time of Passover," he started, "there was an air of uncertainty as to a possible revolt. There had been rumours that a King was approaching and that the people would rise up against the authorities. There was an extra consignment of guards on duty that day in order to keep the peace."

"I have heard all about this," cut in Junos, "apparently he arrived on the back of an ass and all the people laid palms at his feet."

"That is true," replied the stranger, "but I was already on duty at Golgotha and did not see this event take place. By this time I was in charge of the men on the hill, I rarely got involved in the nailing but would oversee proceedings to make sure things ran smoothly. Today was a reasonably quiet day as we had only nailed up two beings that afternoon, one man and one young woman. Nothing out of the ordinary, the man screamed as the spikes were driven and the woman pissed herself all over the rocky ground. The rest of the time we were gambling for the clothes of the crucified and checking on others that had been nailed up the day before. Sometimes we would gamble as to how long we could keep them alive, that was great fun," he laughed. "Sometimes you have to find things to occupy your mind as it helps blot out all the moans and groans. Today we had a visit from one of the crucified's family members, a mother. She knelt at the foot of her son's cross and wiped the blood from around the spikes oozing out of his feet. We always make sure that they do not try and end the life of the victim as they must suffer the pangs of crucifixion for as long as possible."

Junos was sitting in awe at the story, he had this vivid picture in his head of the events taking place.

The stranger continued with his story.

"We stayed on the hill that night to make sure the crucified were not rescued by any relatives. We had the usual pack of wild dogs to contend with but we soon saw them off. We had a nice flagon of wine that night and the night flew by quickly. The following morning we were sent a message to prepare some stakes for an impending crucifixion. We readied three stakes close to each other as we had been told, on numerous occasions, that they would be good company for each other. I made sure that the spikes were nice and sharp and enough rope was coiled up at the foot of each stake. We soon got news that three were indeed going to the cross that afternoon and that extra guards were being sent, as trouble was to be expected. We waited and waited and soon, in the distance, we could see some soldiers on horseback leading out a group of men, three burdened with the yokes for their crucifixions. There was a large crowd following the prisoners, some were wailing others were cheering and goading the men on their way. There seemed to be a hold up as one of the men had fallen and was being whipped to get up. All the men appeared worse for wear from earlier floggings and this would make them more cooperative for the nailing. It took quite a while for the approaching party to reach us on the hill but once they arrived we soon had them placed in front of their stakes. We had orders for the Nazarene to be placed on the center cross and so the preparations were made.

My men are well experienced, as I helped train them, and all three were stripped of their remaining clothing and thrown down on the rough ground. The thieves put up their usual struggle and cursed all the way but we soon had their arms roped to the beams. The Nazarene, however, seemed much calmer and made no attempt to avoid being tied to the wood, he had a sense of serenity on his face. I could see the compassion in his eyes as my men went about their work. Meanwhile the thieves were being gripped tightly and two soldiers stood on their shins to stop all movement. If you have ever heard a man scream, as nails are driven into his limbs, you will know that the pain is agonnising. The hammers fall time and time again onto the large nail heads and soon rest against the flesh of the twisting forms. There are groans and more crying from the families of these men as the end of their wretched lives looms even Soon the beams and their burdens are lifted high onto the stakes using stout poles. One of my men gets too close and a flailing foot catches him right on the cheek, sending him flying to the ground. He soon got his revenge as he hit the ankle, of the man, several times, before he drove the last two remaining spikes into the heel bone. With the two thieves nailed up I oversaw the fixing of the Nazarene to his cross and made my final checks on the security of the stakes. There was quite a group huddled around the Nazarene's cross and one, I presume his mother, was kissing his nailed feet and getting royal blood all over her lips. We all sat down on a large rock and a gambling game soon took place for the Christ's royal robe. They were going to divide it up into four pieces but in the end threw dice for it. Not sure who won it but a loud roar went up when the game was over, the cloak disappeared."

"I remember looking up at the sky and seeing dark clouds forming very quickly, as if commanded to. There is a small hut on Golgotha and we all decided to take shelter from the incomming storm. Boy that was some storm, I have never seen such rain or wind for that matter. It even felt as if the ground was moving but I may have just been out of it because of the wine inside my gut. When the storm passed we went out to check the prisoners. The life of the Nazarene had left his body but the two thieves were still groaning in their world of pain, although they were now clean, ha. It was decided not to leave any bodies on the cross because of the Sabbath and so it was decided to break the legs of the thieves. I grabbed my long club and approached the first thief called Dismas. I pinched the inside of his leg, to get a reaction, and then swung my club at his left shin. The club struck true and the bone snapped cleanly which gave rise to a loud shriek. I mashed his other shin in the same manner and watched him hang by his bleeding wrists. His penis began to spasm and a shower of piss rained out narrowly missing me. The air from his lungs was slowly expelling and within minutes he was dead. I moved to the second thief and was confronted by his mother who fell to her knees pleading to spare her son. I pushed her out of the way and several blows later this thief was also wheezing before death. One of my men had thrust a spear into the Nazarene to make sure, as sometimes they play dead and get taken down during the night. So now all three were dead but that is not the end of the story."

"What happened next," enquired Junos, "well?"

To be continued..................................
 
The Mob

The stranger continued his story.

"We hung around for a while and watched as a group of followers pulled out the spikes, from the limbs of the Nazarene, and lowered the body to the ground. They were watched as the body was wrapped in linen and carried away, on a makeshift stretcher, down the hill. I, and several others, then placed ladders up against the crosses of the two thieves. I then set to work in pulling out the spikes from their heels whilst another scaled the short ladder and lifted the beam complete with body off the stipe. With the feet released the body and the beam slammed into the ground and two others prised out the two remaining spikes from the wrists. I then coiled up the ropes and gathered up the spikes for cleaning and re-sharpening and took them the short distance to the shelter hut. I then started to clean the bits of flesh and bone off the spikes and started to file the points. As I was doing this I could hear a commotion outside and through the window I could see a group of men approaching with lit torches."

"Who were they?" enquired Junos.

"At that me I had no idea," replied the stranger, "but I found out later that they were followers of Dismas and Gestas, the two thieves we had crucified earlier. I ducked down out of site, others out on the crucifixion site were not so lucky. The followers were well armed with swords and daggers and made swift work of the men on duty, there screams were terrible to hear. I climbed out of a window and crawled the short distance to the burial pit at the rear. Climbing into the pit I dragged myself over the dead rotting bodies as quickly as I could. I grabbed a corpse of a woman and hauled it over me and kept ever so still. The stench was unbearable and my eyes were watering badly so I kept them tightly shut for as long as I could. The mob had dispatched the guards and were on the lookout for anyone else who they could kill. One of the crucified's mother said that another, which was me, had made off into the darkness. They searched for sometime but never thought to check the pit and that was my lucky escape."

"Phew," said Junos, "you were lucky, but are they still looking for you?"

"Unfortunately yes, I have been hiding from village to village and have been lucky so far,but for how much longer,who can tell?

"Well you will be safe here," responded Junos, "we are well known and respected and so no one will question us."

"The stranger smiled, "thank you kind sir," he replied, "but I do not wish to bring danger on your family, you must tell your mother and father about the situation."

"No," exclaimed Junos, "we must not tell anyone, the least people know the better."

The stranger agreed and both men sat down to partake in some food and a refreshing drink of water.

To be continued..................................................
 
william23 said:
The Story Begins

The stranger pondered for a while and then he began, Junos sat back in eager anticipation.

"I was about your age, you know, when I witnessed my first crucifixion. One of the elders in the village had been caught stealing and was immediately sentenced to crucifixion as a deterrent to others. He was quite frail and was unable to bear his crossbeam without some help. I watched as they led him, naked, out of the village to a nearby tree, where they bound him to its trunk and lashed him. They did not whip him too much as they wanted him to suffer long on the spikes for people to see, as a warning. After the token whipping was over they bound the sobbing man to the beam and hammered the sharp spikes into his bony wrists. There is always a fair amount of blood and the screams can be deafening, unless they faint from the pain. I watched the man being dragged, by his nailed wrists, to the tree trunk and lifted up so that the beam wedged between two branches and tied off with rope. I remember the crowds cheering at the sight of the thin body and the children throwing stones to get his attention. The work continued to its conclusion when his heels were nailed either side of the trunk. His legs were splayed quite wide which made breathing quite difficult. He only lasted a few hours but they left his body on display for two days, it had the desired effect."

Junos sat with his mouth open in awe at the strangers description, the man continued.

"I watched as the men, who had nailed him up, divided the clothes of the crucified between them. They did quite well, a nice pair of sandals and a nice outer garment of quality cloth. The loin cloth, however, was too badly soiled before he was stripped and therefore thrown in the refuse. I had just seen a man die by a very cruel punishment but I have to say I was quite aroused by the experience. There was never a shortage of men to do the crucifying as the pay was reasonable and the perks of the requisites of the prisoners was appealing. Several of my friends had taken up this job, in smaller villages, but I had ambition and wanted to do better than them. This is why I headed for the city of Jerusalem, I had heard of an uprising by a sect calling themselves Christians. The authorities were rooting out these people and nailing them up as quickly as they could make the crosses. There was always going to be the work and it wasn't long before I was taken as a helper on the hill of Golgotha."

"What did you do as a helper," enquired Junos.

"Patience lad, patience, I can see you want all the details and you shall have them. As a helper my duties would be to help keep the site reasonably clean. When the bodies were removed I would pull out the spikes from the limbs or sometimes out of the cross itself. The spikes would need to be re-sharpened ready for further use. I would cut wood and make small slats into which I would bore holes to take the spikes, like a kind of washer. This would stop the crucified pulling off the spikes and dying quicker. Ropes would have to be coiled up ready for the next batch of victims. On occasions I would help in holding a man or woman down on the wood for the nailing. I always enjoyed holding down the feet, especially that of a woman. You get quite a nice view of her cunt convulsing as the spikes are driven. Got a bit too close once and got pissed all over my face, they all laughed at that but I never made that mistake again."

Junos was laughing and almost choked on his wine. The two talked well into the evening before they both retired for the night. The stranger had promised to tell more the next day and Junos lay in the house thinking about what was to come.

To be continued..............................
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William this is a great story, you have immense talent and I love your subject matter,period pieces like this are priceless and to me this was the “Golden Era” of crucifixion so to speak, the rest is just not as interesting to me. You are a master of this era and your stories are time machines to get back to it. Keep up the good work, this story is amazingly well written and you have the language down as well and that makes it even more believable.
 
gunslinger said:
William this is a great story, you have immense talent and I love your subject matter,period pieces like this are priceless and to me this was the “Golden Era” of crucifixion so to speak, the rest is just not as interesting to me. You are a master of this era and your stories are time machines to get back to it. Keep up the good work, this story is amazingly well written and you have the language down as well and that makes it even more believable.
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Kind comments, many thanks.
 
Months Later

Junos, over the comming weeks, had formed a friendship with the stranger. His mother and father had also grown fond of him as he was very useful at doing repairs and was always willing to collect the grapes from the vines. In short, he worked hard and his only reward was a roof over his head and food and drink in his stomach. There were no more stories from the stranger as now he felt he had a purpose in life.

Then, one hot day, while Junos and the family were working hard in the vineyard a cavalry of soldiers on horseback approached. The hooves of the horses raised the dust from the ground and this was spotted by Junos quite some distance away. The family returned quickly to their house as the soldiers got nearer. There were six soldiers on horseback and behind them some foot soldiers. In the middle of the group Junos and his family could see four stooped beings bent double under the yoke of wood lashed to their outstretched arms. The group looked piteful wearing just small loin cloth's, their sunburn't backs stripped with the lashes from the whips. It was a family, just like Junos, a mother, father and two daughters. The horsemen stopped in front of the house, "water for the men and horses,"barked the soldier. "None for the prisoners," he continued.

Junos and his father quickly filled buckets from the well for the horses and brought jugs of cool water for the soldiers. They looked at the forlorn group of prisoners with their bone dry lips and blistered faces.

"Leave the scum be," yelled a soldier, "they are destined for the cross like their king!" his voice was stern.

"Water, water," one of the girls croaked feebly, she could not have been more than twenty years old. Her pretty pert breasts bore witness to days of pinching and fondling and what had happened further down her body was left to the imagination.

Junos looked at the girl, "I can't," he spoke, "I wish I could but the soldiers would strike us down."

The girl bowed her head as she fully understood and resigned herself to the fate that awaited her.
Just then the stranger came out of the house with more water for the soldiers. His eyes locked onto the group and his face dropped, he sunk to his knees for there in front of him was his younger sister. He shook his head and put his finger up to his lips to keep her quiet. A tear ran down her sunburn't cheek and onto the barren dry ground. The stranger ran back into the house and seconds later came running out with a knife in his hand. His speed was so fast that two of the soldiers were dispatched before they knew he was on them. The odds were well out of his favour and soon he was wrestled to the ground by four burly soldiers. The knife was kicked from his hand and soon his arms were bound behind him. The soldiers hauled him to his feet and dragged him, past the two dead soldiers, to the tribune of the company.

"Well, well, if it's not Pontius, how have you been keeping all these years? not seen you since that skirmish back in Jerusalem." The tribune had a grin on his face but that soon changed as he viewed the dead soldiers bleeding all over the ground.

"Take him!" he bellowed, "and the rest of them as well, looks like we will need more crosses and spikes when we reach the city."

"No!" screamed Junos mother, as they had their arms tied and mouths gagged. The last thing Junos saw was his home being set alight and reduced to a fiery bonfire. What will befall us he thought?

To be continued..........................................
 
william23 said:
Months Later

Junos, over the comming weeks, had formed a friendship with the stranger. His mother and father had also grown fond of him as he was very useful at doing repairs and was always willing to collect the grapes from the vines. In short, he worked hard and his only reward was a roof over his head and food and drink in his stomach. There were no more stories from the stranger as now he felt he had a purpose in life.

Then, one hot day, while Junos and the family were working hard in the vineyard a cavalry of soldiers on horseback approached. The hooves of the horses raised the dust from the ground and this was spotted by Junos quite some distance away. The family returned quickly to their house as the soldiers got nearer. There were six soldiers on horseback and behind them some foot soldiers. In the middle of the group Junos and his family could see four stooped beings bent double under the yoke of wood lashed to their outstretched arms. The group looked piteful wearing just small loin cloth's, their sunburn't backs stripped with the lashes from the whips. It was a family, just like Junos, a mother, father and two daughters. The horsemen stopped in front of the house, "water for the men and horses,"barked the soldier. "None for the prisoners," he continued.

Junos and his father quickly filled buckets from the well for the horses and brought jugs of cool water for the soldiers. They looked at the forlorn group of prisoners with their bone dry lips and blistered faces.

"Leave the scum be," yelled a soldier, "they are destined for the cross like their king!" his voice was stern.

"Water, water," one of the girls croaked feebly, she could not have been more than twenty years old. Her pretty pert breasts bore witness to days of pinching and fondling and what had happened further down her body was left to the imagination.

Junos looked at the girl, "I can't," he spoke, "I wish I could but the soldiers would strike us down."

The girl bowed her head as she fully understood and resigned herself to the fate that awaited her.
Just then the stranger came out of the house with more water for the soldiers. His eyes locked onto the group and his face dropped, he sunk to his knees for there in front of him was his younger sister. He shook his head and put his finger up to his lips to keep her quiet. A tear ran down her sunburn't cheek and onto the barren dry ground. The stranger ran back into the house and seconds later came running out with a knife in his hand. His speed was so fast that two of the soldiers were dispatched before they knew he was on them. The odds were well out of his favour and soon he was wrestled to the ground by four burly soldiers. The knife was kicked from his hand and soon his arms were bound behind him. The soldiers hauled him to his feet and dragged him, past the two dead soldiers, to the tribune of the company.

"Well, well, if it's not Pontius, how have you been keeping all these years? not seen you since that skirmish back in Jerusalem." The tribune had a grin on his face but that soon changed as he viewed the dead soldiers bleeding all over the ground.

"Take him!" he bellowed, "and the rest of them as well, looks like we will need more crosses and spikes when we reach the city."

"No!" screamed Junos mother, as they had their arms tied and mouths gagged. The last thing Junos saw was his home being set alight and reduced to a fiery bonfire. What will befall us he thought?

To be continued..........................................
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Great twist!
 
The Journey

Junos, his family and Pontius were led out and their hands and feet were shackled in irons. Junos mother spat at Pontius, "curse you, fuckin' bastard!" she screamed. Pontius looked down at his feet in shame as the irons were fastened to his feet.

"Move, you scum!" bellowed the tribune, "In the next day or two you will be hanging on your crosses, the nails will pin you to the wood for all to see." The whips began their work and the sorrowful procession started the long journey out of the village. They passed people who had known the family for years and hid their faces in shame. The stones dug into their bare feet as they trudge away from their burning homestead. Junos looked over his shoulder and wept and then it turned to hatred as his eyes befell on Pontius. The journey was long and the pace relentless, only stopping once for water and then it continued. The chains on their feet chaffed the skin and made every step painful but this would be nothing compared to what was to be their final end.

At last the city loomed in the distance, as they got nearer they got their first sight of the execution site. Permanent upright stakes rose up from hard ground some were still occupied with the remenants of the last victims. The younger members of the group sobbed as they passed the crosses and saw what they would endure. Dogs were all over the place snuffling at the naked bodies and gnawing at severed limbs. As they entered the city the holding cells were already open and the prisoners were herded into them. Those with beams, on their outstretched arms, had them removed before being pushed in. Pontius immediatley hugged his younger sister who cried on his shoulder.

"Help us Pontius, help us," she wailed, but he could not offer the answer he wished he could give. He stroked her head gently and wiped away the tears from her red sunburn't face.

"I am here with you," he tried in vain to comfort her, "I won't leave your side, I promise."

"Yes I think we can arrange that," sneered a soldier, who had over heard the conversation. "The carpenters are hard at work making your crosses and, for the women, cornu's for their tight holes. Now get some sleep as it will be the last pain free night you will have!"

The soldier left with the sound of sobbing women and curses from the men.

To be continued...............................
 
Crucifixion Day Arrives

The night was long and warm, no one got any sleep as the sound of sawing, chiseling and nailing went on long into the night. Pontius comforted his sister and she fell asleep in his arms. The silence was broken by the chinking of keys in the cell lock and the door swung open and a stream of sunlight lit up the cell.

"You first," sneered a guard as he grabbed the young girls arm and pulled her from the embrace of Pontius.

"No, no, not me," she wailed, "not meeeee!" as she was hauled out of the cell and out into the courtyard. A number of crossbeams lay on the ground with ropes already in place to tie the victims. The girl was heaved onto a log and the ropes were pulled tight around her elbows.

"Please no, please don't," but her pleas went unnoticed and she was soon pulled to her feet. The shackles were removed, from her dainty feet, and tossed to one side. A soldier seized an end of the beam and she was marched out through the gate and onward to the execution hill which loomed in the distance. Her bare feet trudged through the dusty and rocky ground as she bent beneath the yoke across her raw and sunburn't shoulders. Within minutes they arrived at the site where her final agonising hours of her life would end. The soldiers were in no rush but they pushed her to the ground and one soldier to each hand got in position and ready with a sharp spike.

The spikes were positioned just off center of her tiny forearms and the skin pricked with the points. Soon both hammers fell in unison and it took little power to drive them through the pale flesh and tiny bone of her skinny arms. Boy did she howl her head off and kick her heels in the dirt but her struggles were in vain as soon rough hands were raising her onto the upright.

The cornu was already in position and once the crossbeam was slotted in place they positioned her tight little arse over the point. At the given sign she was lowered and impaled into her tender parts. She squealed and her eyes bulged as the implement pressed over her sweet little arse and pushed further inside. The soldiers stood back and waited for the initial struggle to subside and then approached for the feet nailing.
Two more evil black spikes were drawn and her pretty young feet were positioned to the sides of the upright. The clanging of the hammers signified her heels being firmly fixed and soon it was all completed. Her wet and soiled loin cloth was ripped from her loins and her back crashed back against the upright. She groaned and wailed in the boiling sun and soon the dance of death began.

The soldiers brushed themselves down and wiped their hands of the victims blood and returned for the next prisoner.

To be continued..........................................
 
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