3000 years (I)

3000 years ago

In the centre of a village to the north, a raven-haired, pale-skinned man in a black cloak stood with his

arms outstretched, turning around to take in the fruit of his hard work.  

He laughed. 

After seeing the destruction and anguish he caused, he laughed. 

His high-pitched, maniacal laugh piercing the heavens. His side-swept, unkempt hair blew in

the gusts of wind coming by.

He stopped when he saw the silhouette of a person at the entrance gate to the village. 

He smiled. 

“How’s this Willy? Do you like what I’ve done to the place?” 

William Carmine sighed and stepped forward, moving towards the man. 

“Are you satisfied yet, Haynes? Does doing this to innocent villages bring you joy?” William asked,

continuing to move slowly towards Thomas Haynes, dragging his feet.

“Why, of course”, Thomas replied, grinning, “although it would have been better if you didn’t

evacuate everyone”.

“Thirty years of this nonsense and you don’t seem even one bit close to being done with it”, William said

under his breath. 

Thomas ducked his head down and aimed his sight at William, who was getting ever closer to him. 

He started counting the number of steps before William would be within range of his attack.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

He breathed in, clenching his fist.

One.