Centurion: Mark's Gospel as a Thriller by Ryan Casey Waller Page B
Authors: Ryan Casey Waller
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"Before I change my mind and throw you both to the wolves."
Maria moves quickly around Legion, and I follow after her, but he strikes me hard on the chest, stopping me in my tracks. "Boy," he says slowly, "the next time we meet will be the last day of your life."
I slowly back away from him and allow Maria to lead the way to the tunnel. When we arrive, it appears to be better lit than Legion's cave and similar to the first space we entered. A line for a railway track cuts down the center.
As we make our way through the tunnel, Legion's threat echoes in my head. If another man had uttered those words, I'd have attacked him right there and then. But Legion possesses dark powers. I've come home for a fight—make no mistake about it—but I want no part of that. I came here to fight men...not monsters.
Maria hurries me along for another hundred yards before she slows down. "I'm sorry for what happened in there," she says. "Are you OK?"
"It'll take more than a giant freak with anger issues to stop me."
Maria laughs, and her voice is throaty and full. It's a laugh I want to hear many more times, a laugh I'll work hard to earn.
She intertwines her fingers with mine. "Alejandro was always a jealous man," she says, "even before he became as he is now. He'd fly off the handle if a man so much as looked at me sideways. He was always crazy like that. But I've never seen him show that kind of aggression so quickly. And his powers are clearly growing. He detested you the moment you entered the cave."
"I tend to have that effect on people."
She laughs again. It's even better the second time.
Maria grins. "Not on me."
This time I laugh. "Just give me time. I'll drive you all kinds of crazy."
Maria smiles widely, gazing at me in a way I never dreamed a beautiful woman would. Looking at her is like having bright electricity course through my veins. It's the cardinal energy of men who topple empires, liberate slaves, and move mountains. She's a drug so potent that I already know I'll stop at nothing to get it. It's taken no more than an hour to find myself irrevocably hooked on Maria.
In fact I've been so enmeshed in our conversation that I haven't paid any attention to our walk, making the waiting train seem as if it's materialized from thin air. A man stands on the back deck of the caboose with his arms folded, watching us grimly as we approach. He wears the cap of an engineer, the black bill listing far to the left. His mustache is thick and covers the entirety of his mouth; I wonder how he manages to eat.
The caboose is attached to a single compartment, and the engineer motions for us to climb aboard. We ascend the short ladder and crawl into anempty shipping container that smells of ammonia and bleach. We slide across the floor until our backs are flat against the wall. There are no seats inside.
"You've done this before?" I say.
Maria laughs as our train heaves and lurches forward. "Relax," she says. "We made it. You're safe now."
Without asking, she takes my aching hands into hers and blows gently on them. Her touch is simple yet intimate in ways I've never known. My mother's touch carried with it the magic of solace, but this is different—
very
different. It's both calming and exhilarating. Somewhere deep in my soul—too deep for me to draw fully into the light—I'm aware that my life is changing. Instinctively I know I'll look back on this moment and think,
There. Right there.
Maria licks her thumb and rubs dried blood from my chin. "This needs to be stitched up."
"I don't mind a scar."
"Do you have many?"
"Scars?"
She nods.
I nod.
"Where?" she says, sliding her body closer to mine, our hipbones touching each other.
"They're the kind you can't see."
She nods again.
The train gathers speed, and I feel a sense of peace knowing we're moving out of this dark place. I peer out the open door of the container and spot small pairs of lights running along the walls. I point to them. "What are those lights
Maria moves quickly around Legion, and I follow after her, but he strikes me hard on the chest, stopping me in my tracks. "Boy," he says slowly, "the next time we meet will be the last day of your life."
I slowly back away from him and allow Maria to lead the way to the tunnel. When we arrive, it appears to be better lit than Legion's cave and similar to the first space we entered. A line for a railway track cuts down the center.
As we make our way through the tunnel, Legion's threat echoes in my head. If another man had uttered those words, I'd have attacked him right there and then. But Legion possesses dark powers. I've come home for a fight—make no mistake about it—but I want no part of that. I came here to fight men...not monsters.
Maria hurries me along for another hundred yards before she slows down. "I'm sorry for what happened in there," she says. "Are you OK?"
"It'll take more than a giant freak with anger issues to stop me."
Maria laughs, and her voice is throaty and full. It's a laugh I want to hear many more times, a laugh I'll work hard to earn.
She intertwines her fingers with mine. "Alejandro was always a jealous man," she says, "even before he became as he is now. He'd fly off the handle if a man so much as looked at me sideways. He was always crazy like that. But I've never seen him show that kind of aggression so quickly. And his powers are clearly growing. He detested you the moment you entered the cave."
"I tend to have that effect on people."
She laughs again. It's even better the second time.
Maria grins. "Not on me."
This time I laugh. "Just give me time. I'll drive you all kinds of crazy."
Maria smiles widely, gazing at me in a way I never dreamed a beautiful woman would. Looking at her is like having bright electricity course through my veins. It's the cardinal energy of men who topple empires, liberate slaves, and move mountains. She's a drug so potent that I already know I'll stop at nothing to get it. It's taken no more than an hour to find myself irrevocably hooked on Maria.
In fact I've been so enmeshed in our conversation that I haven't paid any attention to our walk, making the waiting train seem as if it's materialized from thin air. A man stands on the back deck of the caboose with his arms folded, watching us grimly as we approach. He wears the cap of an engineer, the black bill listing far to the left. His mustache is thick and covers the entirety of his mouth; I wonder how he manages to eat.
The caboose is attached to a single compartment, and the engineer motions for us to climb aboard. We ascend the short ladder and crawl into anempty shipping container that smells of ammonia and bleach. We slide across the floor until our backs are flat against the wall. There are no seats inside.
"You've done this before?" I say.
Maria laughs as our train heaves and lurches forward. "Relax," she says. "We made it. You're safe now."
Without asking, she takes my aching hands into hers and blows gently on them. Her touch is simple yet intimate in ways I've never known. My mother's touch carried with it the magic of solace, but this is different—
very
different. It's both calming and exhilarating. Somewhere deep in my soul—too deep for me to draw fully into the light—I'm aware that my life is changing. Instinctively I know I'll look back on this moment and think,
There. Right there.
Maria licks her thumb and rubs dried blood from my chin. "This needs to be stitched up."
"I don't mind a scar."
"Do you have many?"
"Scars?"
She nods.
I nod.
"Where?" she says, sliding her body closer to mine, our hipbones touching each other.
"They're the kind you can't see."
She nods again.
The train gathers speed, and I feel a sense of peace knowing we're moving out of this dark place. I peer out the open door of the container and spot small pairs of lights running along the walls. I point to them. "What are those lights
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