The bell rang for the second time that day. Otto�s stomach churned, Spirius had spotted Huns on the horizon. They couldn�t be far now. He gathered his group of 40 oil men. They had gone over this before. They were to go two to a barrel and walking in a solid wall would pour oil over the long dead grass so that when the time came, the field would ignite. They formed a line and at the blow of Otto�s whistle began walking forward, tipping the barrels ever so slightly at first and walking forward until they had emptied the contents. Otto stood and watched. It was a beautiful image. The oil spilled onto the grass, sending iridescent rainbows across the field as it fell. It was a nice day. The sun was bright, it wasn�t too cold, and there wasn�t a cloud in the sky. This wasn�t how he expected a battlefield to look. He�d always pictured some dark rainy night. Yet this morning�s sunrise was the most stunning one Otto could ever remember seeing. It didn�t seem to fit. You�d normally imagine an army attacking with the shelter of night but Otto realized the chilling fact. The Hun�s didn�t need shelter. They weren�t afraid. Suddenly Otto realized another shocking thing. He wasn�t either.
�Good job men. Report back to your places. The Huns are coming! Let�s give �em hell!� Otto barked.
Out of Time
Adrian and Otto stood on the front line of foot soldiers. They stood just feet away from the field of fire and only a mile away from the Huns. They stood there watching as the endless hoard lowered bridges across the Danube, and march across. They waited, hearts beating furiously.
Adrian try to swallow but found his mouth dry. �Otto, I�m really going to die alone aren�t I?�
�Adrian, look behind you.�
Adrian turned his head to see the army of Gaulians. Their makeshift armor, rough but proud. He saw Otto�s wife, the children bearing their rocks on the roof, and row upon row of men and women bearing shovels, axes, whatever weapons they could bare. This was an army without soldiers, yet they remained brave.
�You were never alone.�
Adrian smiled grimly as the horde approached. They spanned as far as you could see to the left and right and there appeared to be no end to them beyond the horizon. A man on horseback rode ahead of the army. He looked to the city, and began to speak.
�I, Uldin offer you a choice. Surrender now, and you shall be killed quickly and easily. Fight us and you shall all be slaughtered in the most painful manner we can muster!� he shouted.
A familiar swoosh ran through the air. Uldin fell to the ground with an arrow through his neck.
�I, Spirius offer you a choice as well. Leave now, or we shall kill you all just as I killed your messenger,� shouted Spirius standing tall above the city.
A roar grew over the field; the Huns had made their choice as had the Romans. The Huns charged. The archers began to fire arrows into the oncoming mass. Some men fell but there were too many to be felled by arrow.
The Huns grew closer and closer. Adrian turned to Otto, �Don�t die on me yet.�
Otto gave a roguish grin and braced himself.
They had reached the field. The barbarians were upon them. High on the rooftops the archers loosed the burning arrows to a spectacle unseen to anyone on that field. The fire flared higher than a man, surrounding the Huns with its fury. Adrian had to shield his face from the heat. He could no longer see what was going on, but he could hear many Huns screaming and falling. Suddenly Adrian heard a hissing sound fly through the air. He looked next to him and gasped. There was a spear protruding from a soldier just down the row from him. The first Hun emerged from the fire, and then the second. It was clear that they would not let anything get in their way. The flames began to ebb, their fuel exhausted and the carnage began.
8 Hours Later
A young girl, Persephone emerged from the ghost that was once her home. She had hidden from the battle, her mother leaving her hiding inside. She was shivering, out of cold and out of fear. What were the noises that had ensued just hours ago. Where did all of the screams of pain come from. She looked around and could see. Her home was reduced to a few timbers. The fountain ran red with blood. She cried, and began running, desperate to find her Daddy. She tripped over a cleanly picked skull. She fell down and cut her foot on a discarded blade. She sat down holding her foot, the tears streaming down her face. The field she had once played in was covered in birds. Not pretty birds though, not the kind Persephone used to try to play with. These birds, they were feasting. Their once white feathers became red as they gorged themselves on the discarded flesh. She sat on the ground nursing her foot. Where did Daddy go�
