And The Heavens Fell Silent by Maria Louise (beach read TXT) 📖

saw in disgust that there was a smear of blood across the ground leading up to a dead man. His lifeless expression forever molded into one of fear. His eyes were wide and his mouth agape. A meaty whole through his body where his heart should have been. I thought back to the naked man, with the heart in his hand. All the signs led to him being the murderer of the heartless man, but somehow I could not believe that he would kill someone, though I did not even know him. I was beginning to think nothing in this mad world made sense.

      My shabby clothing offered no warmth as I gazed up at the inky sky and beheld the bloodied moon. It looked like a heart that was torn out out a living body and suspended within the depths of a dark soul, or a eye watching knowingly over the lands. Oh, but it was beautiful! It held a great contrast to the dark sky and the washed out, gray earth. It was hard not to stare at it like a moth to a flame.

    I whistled. A bright clear sound that rang throughout the city. Faintly, I heard Hosanna nay in answer to my call.

     That was when I noticed I was not feeling any of the agony that I should have been from being dragged throughout town. Actually, I felt no pain at all. I looked down at my body in awe.

Where my leather pants were ripped and crusted with my own blood, my skin was not. It was as smooth as a newborn child's. I held my arm before me and examined my wrist. Even the long white scar that I had gotten as a child, had vanished. The ghost children must have healed me!

    Out of the blue, the naked man appeared silently beside me. I shrieked, startled, and wondered how long he had been there without me knowing.

    I noticed with heated cheeks that his skin was too without blemishes. Tearing my gaze from his unclothed body I pulled my eyes to his face. Moist tears on his cheeks were not yet dry, he did not bother to wipe them away. He bore them without shame.

     “Did you kill him?” I asked without emotion, looking down at the blood soaked man.

     “No.” he said. A pained and sickened look crossed his face.

     He still clutched the heart, not minding that the blood was dripping through his fingers.

    “I am going with you.” he told me bluntly while looking without falter into my eyes. No one had ever held my eyes for so long! Not even my own mother. I had eyes like the devil. Ever since I was a child, people would quickly divert their eyes from mine and act as though I was not even there. But not this man. He saw me without fear nor anger. I was the one who diverted my eyes to the ground, but then realized I could see his naked body in my peripheral vision and looked quickly back to his eyes that held me captured. Well, almost captured... Don't look down. Do not look down. Don't look down. I chided myself. What could I say? I had never seen a naked man before.

     Ahem, until now.

     “N-no you are not. Trust me you do not want to tag along. I am most likely going to be hunted down by a demon.” I paused then added, “And I don’t know you. You're just some strange naked man who randomly saved me.” I let out a short humorless laugh as I lied to him and myself. Though, he was strange and naked, I did know him. Somehow, something deep inside of me, knew him well.

   I just need to get away from him. I reminded myself. Far, far away.

    “That is why I am coming with you. To protect you. I do not understand anything in this world. Nor do I know who I am! but I do know that you are my purpose and I am meant to save you.” he insisted.This man kept getting stranger and stranger by the moment. What was next? Was he going to sprout wings and fly? I would not have been surprised in the slightest. A thought came to me.

    “Wait. What do you mean you don’t know who you are?” I asked incredulous.

    “I mean,” he told me. “that I do not know whom I am. I do not understand what part of this statement that you are confused about.”        

    Curiosity overpowered me.

     “Okay then, what is your name?” I wondered.

     He seemed to ponder my question before he replied, “I have been called a great many of things since I woke up in the ash forest.”

    I knew it! He had been following me in the forest! That is where the feeling of dread came from!

    “Well,” I asked. “what have you been called?”

     “Bastard! Insane man! Get out of my yard you filthy scumbag! Hey, watch where you’re

stepping ass whole.Take your pick because those are the names I have been called.” he said humorously mocking the voices of the people whom called him the profound names. I could not tell if he was being serious or not. He just stood there, naked, looking expectantly at me.

     “I am not sure how to respond to that.” I told him honestly. I did not know how to respond to anything about this man. He looked confused as he asked, “You do not like my names?”  Either he was very good at being sarcastic, or he actually did not know his name or that people were using profanity at him.

    “Well, then.” he said a little grumpily. “What would you wish to call me?”

    Instantly, I knew what I would call him. I remembered a folklore that mother had told me. She was great at story telling. The story was about a bird that was born out of ash. It was a strange unique bird that could make fire appear instantly. I remembered how the naked man told me the last thing he remembered was waking up in the ashen forest. He was quite strange and unique and I could still feel the fire he brought to my face, heating my cheeks.

    “Phoenix.” I told him automatically. I then remembered that It was no use to help him pick a name when I would probably never see him again.

    “Phoenix.” he repeated testing the name on his tongue. “Yes, it definitely sounds better then bastard.”

    “I don’t know. I kind of think insane man fit you best.” I told him suppressing a smile. He cocked his head to the side eyeing me. His brow furrowed and a curious smile formed on his lips as if he sensed my sarcasm but did not understand it.

    “What is it you are called?” he asked me abruptly. I did not want to tell my name to a stranger, but I guessed it would be rude not to.

    “Yram.”

     “Yram, where are we headed?”

     How could I make this man understand?! “There is no we. I am going to-” I broke off mid sentence. I did not want him knowing my destination.

       Unexpectedly the ma-Phoenix- gasped and started to run towards the house. I looked around trying to see what started him off. Without warning I met the desperate eyes of a child. Her face was pushed up against the glass of the basement window, watching me.

    I ran into the house with Phoenix. As we sprinted through the threshold of the house I noticed that his muscles tensed and his eyes squinted as if he was pained.

    “What’s the matter?” I asked while coming to a stop. He stopped beside me.

    “This house. It feels as though bugs are crawling over my skin and the smell gives me a headache.” he looked over at me then asked, “Do not you smell the sulfur?”

    The smell was exquisite and continued to make my mouth water.

    “Yes.” I mumbled in disgust. “I smell it.”

    I watched Phoenix as he made his way through the house looking for a passage that led to the basement. He still held the heart in his hand, like he was attached to the grotesque thing. When my eyes pulled away from the heart, I noticed how his muscles flexed as he walked and how the torch light played majestically with his pale skin. My eyes sneaked a heated look at his buttocks, I forced my gaze away from him. I was much, much too aware that he was unclothed. My eyes betrayed me again by sneaking another glance. He caught me looking at him and I blushed fiercely.

With a smile pulling at his lips he walked over to me. I ducked my head sheepishly.    

      Ashamed at myself, I felt his warm hand touch my cheek sending a spark flying through my body.

    “I do not understand. Is something wrong?” he asked curiously.

    “N-no. I’m perfectly fine, thank you.” I mumbled flustered. I definitely needed to get away from him.

    “Do not lie. Your face keeps turning as red as your hair. Why does it do that?”

    The fact that he noticed me blushing made me go even more red.

    “Why are you carrying a heart?!” I shouted because I did not want to explain to him why I was blushing and the hearts was seriously starting to freak me out. He looked down at the heart then, a dark shadow falling across his face.

     “Only the heart of the wicked can enter the house of the Devil.” Phoenix told me. I was too stunned to react.

    Abruptly, I notice a dark hall in the corner of the room that looked as though it was slanting downward.

    Grateful at the excuse to get away from him, I walked through the house and down the slanting hall. I could faintly hear Phoenix following too close behind me. I stopped in front of a large metal door with a bolted lock. It looked like a jail cell. I did not want to see what was behind the door, but Phoenix was already fumbling with the lock.

    “Here.” I said pulling his hand from the clasp. “Let me try.” I easily opened the lock.

    “I do not know why I cannot do the simplest of things.” he told me desperately. “I know that these are your lips.” he lifted his hand and brushed my lips as he said so, “But I do not know how I know the word. I know that your smile was the first I had seen. That your sweet laugh was the first I had heard. That you in my arms, was the first body I had felt against me, but I do not know how I know that. I know that that is a lock, but I do not understand how to work it.”

    I blushed and my heart stuttered as Phoenix spoke so honestly while looking into my eyes.

    This man had no modesty in his body nor words. But now I understood why. He had never been taught to be ashamed of his body. To not speak his mind so fluently. He was a child in almost every aspect. Almost.

    The first thing I noticed when I opened the door was the freezing basement air seeping into my bones.Then I noticed the horrendous rank smell of feces. Last but definitely not least, I saw a pile of about five small children curled together, trying to soak up as much warmth as they could on the cold cement floor. The oldest child could be no older than seven and the youngest at least two. The girl I had seen through the window was cradling the youngest child in her arms, slowly rocking