The Audacity of Blind Faith (2nd Draft)

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Why I Write  (E) An explanation of why I write as well as what I believe the purpose of writing should be. #1559875 by Matty Zink

The Audacity of Blind Faith

1

         “The waters run deep,” Cato says.  He pauses and takes in a deep breath while running his hands through the rushing water, “I don't think we'll make it.”

         “We can do it,” Agrippa says while sipping from a flask.

         “And you've drank enough to drown Rome.”

         The two men glance over at some rustling from the bushes behind them.  Agrippa stands and puts his flask away, Cato brushes his hands against the grass and stands. 

         “Cassius - sir, Cato believes we cannot cross here.”

         “Is that so?”

         Cato stands still, looking into the woods behind the stately commander.

         “He thinks we should look for a narrower crossing.”

         “We don't have time for this, we must rendezvous with the other divisions in less than two weeks. Tell the others, here is where we cross - one hour.”

         “Cass...” Cato begins.

         “What?” He interrupts.

         “He meant nothing by it, don't worry sir, we'll tell the men.”

         “Good, good.  And Agrippa, should I believe your lips are red due to good health?”

         Agrippa looks at Cato who stares at the ground. 

         “Something never change,”

         Agrippa and Cato stand in silence until Cato grabs him by the shoulder, pulling him close.   

         “I'm sorry Cato, I didn't mean to...”

         “You never do.”

         Cato gives his friend a slight push.  Agrippa stumbles back, quickly regaining his footing.  As Cato sits on a rock at the edge of the water he covers his amber beard with his hands.  Agrippa looks at Cato, then walks away.

         “I'll tell the men,” he yells.

         Cato continues staring at the seemingly serene river.  To him the unblemished water seems to be rushing by at an ever increasing rate, as if it sensed their presence and was angered by it.

         “Water's good, man is not.  If any of you Gods are here, now would be the time to help,” he says while pouring out his flask into the river. 

        The river quickly envelopes the ruby liquid, diluting it within seconds to the point that it is unnoticeable. He puts the top back on the container and throws it mid-way into the water.  It bobs continuously as if struggling for air.

         “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 --- ” Cato counts silently.

Once the flask is out of his view, he puts his head back between his hands. 

2

A group of two-hundred men stand at attention in front of Cassius. 

         "The first man to cross will secure the rope.  All others will use it as a guide. We must not lose any supplies this time, step carefully. By the end of the month, we will be in Britannia!” 

         The men burst into a wild cheer, raising their weapons in the air. Cato is at the back of the group clapping lightly. 

         “The first man to cross was chosen by lottery - Agrippa.”

         Agrippa steps forward, stumbling slightly on some loose dirt.  Cassius hands him the end of a rope, which he takes while slipping off his back-pack. Cassius ties the rope to a jagged rock and has two men secure it. There is mumbling from the crowd as Cato pushes his way to the front. Taking his first step into the water, Agrippa pauses for a moment before taking another. All of the men watch in silence as he trudges through the rapids that pound against his chest.  He slips, the river begins carrying him off. Cato runs to the water while counting

         “1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - ” his pack hits the ground a moment before he dives into the water.

         The crisp autumn water feels like shards of glass slapping against his face. Through hazy eyes, he can see a figure flailing wildly near him. He fights the thrust of the water and pushes on. 

         Cato grabs his friends arm as they are carried further downstream. Both thrust against the current, forcing their bodies towards the riverbank. Before they could reach it, the rope runs out of slack, both men are violently stopped. Cato regains his footing and slowly walks them towards the river bank. With one push Agrippa tumbles onto the bank. 

3

         “Caligula's dead!” A voice screams through the darkness.

         Cato wakes up instantly, his eyes dart around the darkness.

         “Everyone awake, get up you bums. Caligula is dead. Assassinated.  We're going home!”

         A torch bobs through the camp moving towards Cato. 
         
         “Cato? Cato? You awake? The emperor was done in. We can go home now.  No attack on Britannia, no more fighting.”

         “That's good Agrippa, I'm sure we won't be leaving tonight though.”

         "Yes, yes. We're waking up the men, celebrating the glorious news."

         “Wake me up again when we start heading back”
         
4

         “I can't believe it, only a couple days from certain death and we're saved. The new emperor, he'll set things right in the empire,”

         Cato nods occasionally but focuses on the path ahead.

         “Think about it buddy.  No more ridiculous demands, no more worshiping him like he's a Gods, no more horses appointed to the Senate.”

         Agrippa gives his friend a slap on the arm.

         “You listening to me?”

         “Yeah, yeah, no more horses.”

         “You know Cato, sometimes I wonder where your head is.  We were on the verge of death not a week ago and we've been saved. You could show a little enthusiasm for the emperor who saved your life.”

          Cato pushes Agrippa off the path and continues to drag him into the woods.  He speaks in a rushed but quiet voice.

         “And you could think about who almost killed you back there at the river. Get your fucking head straight, you think any of them give a shit about us? They'll just continue to do what they do, playing chess with our lives. This has all happened before, and you're a damn fool if you think it won't happen again. I saved your ass, not the emperor.”

         As Agrippa begins to speak Cato grabs his mouth and pushes his head against a tree.

         “No Agrippa, no more, I'm done. We've both lived through the rule of various men, some of them worse than others, but all of them did nothing to help us.  Don't you see, we can only help each other, and ourselves.”

         Cato loosens his grip and walks away. Agrippa rubs his cheeks and follows.

         “Oh no, no, no Cato. You're not talking about what I think you are - are you?”

         Back on the path both men are at the end of the marching line.

         “You know what'll happen if they catch you? You know what they'll do to me?”

         “I can't do it anymore, all this marching and invading,  pointless and fruitless endeavors into foreign lands. Look where its got us, the grandest empire the world has ever seen brought to the verge of collapse by one mad-man in a long succession of lesser mad-men.”

         “It'll be different this time Cato, just give him a chance.”

         “We'll see.”
                   
5

         The regiment is setting up camp for the night in a flat field while the thinning Cato lays alone in the long grass. He's invisible to the other men as the greenery overtakes his fading frame. The sound of Cassius's subdued voice wakes him. Cranking his head to the direction of the voice, he struggles to listen.

         “The men will be disappointed, they were looking forward to some down time.”

         “I know, but Claudius was left in such a stink with the treasury running dry, he has no choice but to expand the empire.”

         “Very well then, I'll inform the men in the morning that we are heading towards Judea.”

         “And Cassius, this is just a rumor but I feel a need to tell you as a friend. There's talk that the Senate is pushing him to invade Britannia when this whole Judea business is finished”

         “We will go wherever the emperor decides.”

         “May the gods watch over you and your men.”

         “May the gods watch over Rome.”

         The sound of footsteps fading away fills Catos ears. The sharp grass whips against his bare arms and legs as he jogs to the camp. As Cato approaches, he can see Agrippa is drinking wine and singing songs with the men. Cato is hunched over, breathing heavily, delivering lines of speech in between breaths.

         “Agrippa - we're not going – home.”

         “What are you talking about?” Agrippa asks while moving his friend away from the group.

         “Judea – we're going to – Judea.  I heard Cassius – we leave tomorrow – in the morning.”

         Cato regains some breathe and looks up at his friend who is wide-eyed.

         “It's not true.”

         Cato nods his head.

         “Oh, I get it,” Agrippa says while letting out an artificial laugh, “You want me to run off with you.”

         Cato shakes his head.

         “Forget it, you've lost it and you're not dragging me down with you.”

         “Listen to me,” Cato yells.

         “To hell with you.  I'll grant one last favor to the old friend who saved my life, leave now and I won't say a word to anyone.  They won't notice until the morning. Go, go now.”

         Cato straightens up.

         “Go.”

6

Cato is shirtless chopping wood with a rusted axe beside a log cabin, which is surrounded by dense forest. A winding path cuts through the trees. His toned muscles glisten with sweat under the mid-day sun that protrudes through the leaves. Several young villagers pass by and he ceases his chopping to give a wave and a smile. A woman exits the cabin and paces over to him carrying a clay jug. Cato throws the axe into the base stump where it sticks, and turns to his wife. 

         “You've been working hard, have a drink.”

         Cato takes the jug and gulps down the water.

         “I'm worried,” she says.

         “Sill?”

         “The army is due to approach any time now.”

         “I know, I saw the scouts.”

         A trumpet sounds in the distance.

         “Get inside.”

         Cato takes his time going in while his wife remains still. She keeps her head bowed as the men pass row by row. The last of them pass by and she signals for Cato to come back outside. He stands by her side, looking at the tracks made by the passing men.   

         A wounded Agrippa stumbles past from down the path gulping from a flask. His eyes glaze right over Cato as he swerves to the side of the path, almost tumbling into a tree. He pauses, turns around, and lets out the most horrific scream he can muster.

         “Traitor!”

         Cato gives his wife a kiss and motions for her to run.  She flees into the forest, not even pausing to take one last look back.  Agrippa tries to draw his sword but it falls to the ground, he stumbles while trying to remove it from the thick mud. Two soldiers run to Agrippa and stabilize him.

         “This man is a deserter. His name is Cato, he fled the army like a coward, in the night, four years ago. At a time when his empire needed him most.”

         The two men draw their swords and walk towards Cato who kneels down with his neck out.

         “You left me – you left us.”

         “It could have been different,” Cato says to the ground.

         “You don't know what I've seen, what I've done. We needed you.”

      "You mean you needed me."

         The men raise their swords.

         “For the good of the empire,” Agrippa mumbles.