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This is the first chapter of a book I am writing, any comments will be most appreciated |
Hope of Darkness Chapter 1 The year was 1961. The city of Rome was in full regal preparing for its annual founding celebration, its streets filled with people of all races, ethnicities, ages and sexes. Night after night they gathered under the watchful eye of the Roman Cathedral, resembling a flock of geese, heading to various amusements: some to nightclubs, others to movies, and others to concerts. Merchants stood on the corners displaying their wares, their voices hoarse by their constant shouting. On the street corners, musicians played tunes, ancient and modern. Many people stood and listened, some even danced in the streets. Four girls, two with long brown braids and two with long blond braids, bounced down the streets, holding hands and laughing wildly. They wore prim, proper St Mary’s uniforms, uniforms they hated with a passion because they covered their growing young bodies. After all, these girls were on a mission. They informed their teachers that they were on their way to see the newest movie. However, the truth was that they really wanted to see the newest boys, perhaps even have a groping session after the movie. In their haste to accomplish both objectives, they marched on heedless of the eyes that followed them down the street. Alexandrious watched their every movement. He was thirty years old balding and slightly overweight. “It would be so easy to take all of you, any one of you,” he whispered licking his lips at the sight of those precious young girls. He scraped his claw-like hands against the stone of the alley wall in anticipation of the coming feast. He stepped out ready to move, then he stopped. Hold on, he thought. Just behind the four girls a little red haired girl walked. He thought, at first, that she was by herself, completely unrelated to the girls ahead of her. “Cmon, Sarah!” One of the girls said turning around and gesturing. The red haired girl smiled, waved and sped up to join her friends. A few steps later, they walked on and she fell back a ways. Alexandrious watched Sarah, his eyes narrowed in intense concentration. She had an air about her completely different from her friends. They walked with intensity, clearly on the prowl. She walked wide-eyed taking in every sight, her red hair blowing behind her in the breeze. Turning her eyes slightly she glanced at Alexandrious, her eyes sliding past him without seeing him. He winced at the warmth and sincerity in them, a light sending rivers of torment into his tortured soul. He stared at her, from just behind the street light, his eyes burning with strong hatred and even stronger desire. “Perfect”, he whispered licking his lips, “you will do just perfect.” He turned and gazed at the sky, sneered and shook his fist, his face sunken, his eyes twin pools of lava in the moonlight. “Watch me take another one of Your own,” he whispered. Alexandrious shadowed the girls to the movie theatre watching them stand in the large line stretching for at least one building. The movie must be very popular; not that he cared for such things. Smirking, he cut in line walking right up behind them. Nobody protested or even seemed to notice. Several people, however, behind him, paused in their conversations for a brief moment shivering as if a cold wind blew past them on that balmy spring night. The girls chatted amongst themselves completely unaware of the man standing right behind them listening intently to every word. Occasionally one of them would glance behind them thinking she was being watched. But, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, after a slight shiver, she would turn back to her friends. After a twenty-minute wait, they finally reached the window. Sarah held out enough money for five tickets. “Five to see La Carica Dei 101 (a hundred and one Dalmatians),” She said her face glowing with excitement. The girl at the ticket window took the child’s money and handed out her tickets “Here you go, sweetie” The child smiled, thanked her and ran into the door followed by her friends. The ticket-girl, still smiling, watched them enter the theatre, remembering her own childhood days. Her smile faltered as a black shadow slipped into the theatre behind the girls. She trembled for a moment unsure what she just saw. It must be my imagination, She thought Shaking her head, chuckling at her own foolishness, the young woman returned to the crowd of moviegoers. About two hours later the theatre emptied, the people filtered out most exuberant over what they had seen. Sarah was one of them. She had laughed and cried throughout the movie. All those cute puppies! She hugged herself, imagining holding, cuddling and playing with all those puppies. “What did you think?” A voice called out to her. Sarah turned, smiling, recognizing the young woman at the ticket counter. “I thought it was wonderful!” she gushed “Me too!” The young woman said, “Was this your first time to see it?” “Yes” Sarah said skipping over to the window The two talked excitedly amongst themselves, for several more minutes, the young woman bending close to the girl. “Cmon Sarah!” One of Sarah’s friends shouted from the crowd. “I’ve got to go” Sarah said giving her new friend a cheery wave as she and her friends walked out. The young woman returned the wave. ‘What a sweet kid.’ She thought ‘I wish all girls could be like that one’ This time she didn’t notice the dark shadow as it slipped from the theatre following the girls. Sarah tried discussing the movie with her friends on the way back. However, her friends were disappointed because their boys weren’t at the movie. They spent the return trip to St Mary’s discussing how they would sneak out later that night. Not interested in boys or sneaking out, Sarah fell further and further behind, her thoughts on those cute puppies. “I want one so bad” She whispered imagining a puppy in her arms. “I am going to ask mom and dad as soon as I get home this summer.” Sarah was so focused on her dream that she ran right into the man who seemed to appear out of nowhere. “I am sorry,” She said, her face red with embarrassment, “I didn’t see you.” “That’s perfectly okay.” The man said, a broad smile on his face. Sarah returned his smile. “My name is Sarah,” she said “Hi, Sarah. My name is Alexandrious,” The man said bowing gravely. “That is a funny name,” the girl said, laughing. Then, sobering “Please don’t take offense” Alexandrious smiled gently “None taken, you can call me Alex for short,” Sarah looked up at him. The only distinguishing feature was his eyes, the prettiest blue eyes the child had ever seen. Sarah stared into them imagining she was looking into the deep blue ocean. Suddenly realizing she was staring, the girl flushed again, lowering her eyes. “You shouldn’t be out here by yourself,” Alex told her gravely. “I am not.” Sarah replied keeping her eyes on the ground “I went with my friends to see a movie.” She looked ahead for them but they had disappeared down the street. “They left me” She complained “Where are you going?” Alex asked “We go to St Mary’s. It is just up the street around the corner.” Sarah replied pointing ahead “If you want, I will walk back with you.” Alex offered. “Thank you!” The girl beamed at him The two walked down the street not speaking. Sarah occasionally looked at her new friend and he smiled down at her. They turned the corner and the old school, surrounded by a sturdy fence with the gate shaped like a cross, rose up just down the street. Alex flinched at the sight. “What’s wrong?” Sarah asked “I can’t go any further.” “Why not?” She pressed. “I don’t like crosses.” Sarah frowned for an instant, not understanding. Then she smiled and gave him a quick hug. “Well, I have to go in. Thank you so much for walking me home.” She turned and ran off towards the school. Alex watched her leave staring at the school with its cross on the gate his eyes glinting in the moonlight.
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