Deus Vult: A Tale of the First Crusade by James Lopez

Author:James Lopez [Lopez, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780578325415
Publisher: Iron Crown Publishing
Published: 2022-01-03T00:00:00+00:00

26

THE MASSACRE

Rodrigo ran down the city streets with a small group of soldiers with the goal of finding and opening another one of the city gates. A steady flow of Crusaders was now pouring into the city from the south, and groups of marauding soldiers began stalking the city streets, causing fear and panic among the residents, who were awakening from their slumber into a living nightmare.

A woman’s scream of terror behind him brought Rodrigo to a sudden halt as the rest of the group continued without him. The scream sent a chill down Rodrigo’s back as he spun around to see where it had come from. Behind him, he could see some of the city’s inhabitants—a man, a woman, and a young boy—being dragged into the street by some Crusaders who had entered a building. The young woman was screaming and kicking as she was dragged by her hair, and the man and boy were thrown to the ground.

Rodrigo grimaced, and his grip on his sword tightened as anger and revulsion gripped him at the heartlessness of their actions. “What are you doing? These people are civilians!” he yelled as he began to move toward the men. Suddenly, his eyes went wide as he froze in his tracks. “No!” he cried out in horror as the Crusaders raised their swords and axes. The screams and cries abruptly ceased, replaced by the dull thud of metal cleaving flesh as the Crusaders ruthlessly butchered the helpless victims in front of him.

Several more Crusaders were coming down the street and stopped by the men where they stood, the blood still dripping from their weapons. Leaving the bodies behind, all the men began running toward Rodrigo, who stood motionless, stunned by the savage brutality he had just witnessed. More cries and screams of the city’s helpless inhabitants began to ring out from all directions. “What are you waiting for? The city is ours!” one of the Crusaders yelled at Rodrigo as the group ran by him down the street. Rodrigo said nothing, but stared at the faces of the Crusaders as they ran by. Their wild eyes and elated expressions revealed a perverse sense of satisfaction with what they had done. It was obvious that they were hungry for more.

Rodrigo looked at the lifeless bodies behind him for a moment, then turned to follow the group down the street toward the next gate. He began to feel sick to his stomach as he ran, and the revelation of what was occurring all around him began to sink in. The entire population of this city is going to be massacred! Outrage and a sense of helplessness began to well up inside him as he continued to move down the street. He knew there was nothing he could do to stop the slaughter that was now taking place within the city.

Screams of terror and the cries of the dying began to fill the city as the night went on. Doors were kicked in, and soldiers rushed inside the houses and other buildings, searching for loot and killing whomever they found.

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