Gladiator (Part I)

GLADIATOR (PART 1)

Deep in the depths of the Coliseum
I wait my turn to die
The roaring blood thirst of the crowd
Echo through the corridors of death
Mutilated bodies pass before me
As remains are retrieved from the arena floor
Will this soon be I?

A masked centurion makes his move
Signalling me on
For now is my time
The crowd screams for another victim
A chilling sound of terror
They care little for our pain
Or our valour shown in death

I make my way to the arena floor
The screams getting louder
More intense
Fear consumes my being
Unsure of what dreads me more
The crowd
Or the death

As I step forth on to the bloodstained field of battle
The smell of decay engulfs my senses
Flies nibbling on the missed remains of my fellows
The putrid smell of death
The vile echoes of the crowd seem to dim in my mind
As I see my challenge before me
A pride of four lions struggling for their release
I stare blankly at my dulled sword
My only defence
I guess this is my fate

A clattering of iron slams behind me
As I stand in the centre of this butchers paradise
I am trapped
A second series of metallic crashing tones
Signal the freeing of the lions
Surely the beginning of the end

A part of me feels I want not to fight
Deprive these sick villains
Of the privilege of the entertainment they desire
But survival instinct prevents me
I must fight
I must survive
Or at least
I must try

As the starving lions edge closer
Silence descends around me
I can hear my own heart
As it tries to beat its way out my chest
I stand surrounded waiting for their first move

Finally a single wild cat pounces forth
I dive and roll to the floor
Narrowly evading its opening attack
The others seeming content to let their leader take the prize

The savage creature launches a second attack
Once again I try to evade
Although this time I catch a glancing blow
As I tumble in a heap on the stale arena floor
I hear a violent howl as I fall
I scan frantically around me
For my weapon dropped in the fall

A glance before me shows it masked in crimson
Only then I notice the screaming pain of the lion
As its innards fight for release
From the lengthy rupture in its severed carcass
A miracle
Could the Gods be with me?

The three remaining creature’s growl
The unison of their menace
Of their pain of their fallen comrade
A violent return to reality
As one they charge
I frantically scramble for my blade
My only hope in this dance of death

With no plan
Running solely on desperation and raw instinct
I charge to meet the advancing beasts
My sword held high
If I’m to die it will be by my terms
As our two forces collide
I plunge my blade deep into the skull of one
While the remaining two intercept me to the floor
Scratching away and slicing through my leathered skin
The crowds roar out in ecstasy

The greed of the two villainous beasts my only chance
As they fight to take possession of this feast before them
Rolling free I retrieve my blade from the cranium of the second fallen beast
The two remaining butchers slaves to their greed
Fighting for the honour of my death
As they wrestle with brutality for supremacy
I watch in awe as these savage creatures
Battle for their pride
Finally one reigns supreme
As a swipe of sharpened claw ruptures the veins of the weaker ones throat
The blood spurts freely to the rapture of the crowd
This is my chance
The perfect opportunity to slay my tormenter
As it stands with its back towards me

Although tempted I resist
The honourable creature before me deserves better
Than a cheap death
And my honour alone
Could not forgive me

The sole lion turns to face me
Approaches slowly
Glares into my eyes
As we exchange a look of mutual respect
The crowd chants wildly in anticipation
And then we attack

The creature lurches forward as we entangle in a heap
Wrestling for our lives as man and beast collide
With strength I never knew I possessed
I manage to hold back the ferocity of its fierce gaping jaws
Though the penetrating cuts on the battered torso
Clearly show my battle is coming to an end

With a final summoning of my strength
I managed to break free from the lions grasp
Rewarding me with a few more vital moments of life
The beast however is relentless
And pounces a final time to claim its meaty reward
For a few precious seconds we scratch and claw for life
Then silence

The lion rests motionless on my form
As a river of blood engulfs me
My trusty blade plunged deep into the heart of this champion
A truly valiant foe
I struggle to crawl out from the immense dead weight
To the freedom of the arena floor

As I clamber to my feet
A dull chant start to erupt from the stunned coliseum
A chant familiar to me
Although one I haven’t heard in a long, long time
It’s my name
Seems no longer I am simply slave
Once again
I’m Servius