It's Where My Demons Hide

[Barca]

The frequent raids to the villa were aiding in building the army that Spartacus so desired. One that would strike at the Romans with every victory that they celebrated. This particular raid of a wealthy villa should be no different. It was what Barca had told himself anyway. But when he had stormed in with the other rebels as they slaughtered the soldiers and masters of the house . . . there was indeed something different. Something vastly different. Children. They did not often find villas with them, but this particular one, had it.

Barca looked at the child he had come face to face with and froze. His entire body stilled at the sight. His mind thinking back to that night where Batiatus had ordered him to murder the child. Barca knew he had been stripped of choice, but it made it no easier to bare the consequences of his actions. He had even lied to Pietros about it, fearing that his lover would be fearful of him; would loathe Barca for what he had to do. Killing in the arena was far different than killing a defenseless child.

And it made something inside of Barca, snap. Something inexplicable. A trauma; a reliving of that event. That moment where he realized just how far he was willing to go for a master. A master with no honor. Barca raised sword in preparation to strike the . . . no. It was not a child. It was a ghost. It held the face of the one he had slain so long ago. He was to slay his demons. He was to rid his mind of this, once and for all.

But a hand on his ceased action midway and Barca aggressively turned, striking the woman across the face before his blade slit her throat. A scream filled the air, and Barca slashed his sword against another and another. His head sharply turned to look for the child who was running away from him. His ghost was getting away. With deadly purpose, Narca charged toward it, as if the Beast of Carthage was doing true justice to his name, slaying all that stood in his path, not noticing whether it was Roman or slave. He had to kill his ghost, once and for all.

Tag Pietros