Chapter Four

The aftermath of the execution.

The roar of the crowd assaulted Amy and James’ ears as they slowly climbed down the side of the building. The vines cut into their hands as they almost slipped with every step yet they paid them no mind. When they were a story off of the ground, James jumped off of the wall, landing on the cobblestone street with a thud that was just barely audible above the din of the crowd.

Amy followed, landing next to James. She looked back at the stage and shuddered. The crack of trapdoors could still be heard if you listened closely. Immediately afterward, the crowd would roar in approval. She shook her head as fists raised into the air and looked at James. He wrapped an arm around her and walked away from the square.

Walking through the streets, he kept her close to him. She made no motion to move. Looking over at the sides of the streets, they saw more men in red coats. The men stared back at the couple, their faces blank. James shuddered.

Overhead, the sky darkened and rumbled. Whether it was a storm or an airship rolling in, neither knew nor looked up to check. Neither really cared.  They simply focused on their path and the sounds of the other as they tried to ignore the din of the crowd behind them.

The sky rumbled again as a bell rang out across the city. Echoing throughout the streets, it served to give a tempo to the crowd. With each ring, they would shout louder, as if in competition. After the fifth chime, the crowd and the bell fell silent. There was another clash from the sky before the rain began to fall.

Pulling Amy closer, James began to walk faster. The two walked closer to the sides of the street, ignoring the odd redcoat as they did. The redcoats continued to stare at them.

Someone said something behind them, but it was lost over the roar of another thunder clap. 

As the cold rain fell harder, Amy pressed herself closer to James. He felt her shiver against him. Looking at the buildings, he began to walk towards an awning in front of a shop. Once they were under it, he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her. She smiled weakly and held herself against him. He pulled her closer as he tried to ignore the cold.

“James...” she said after a few minutes, her face against his chest.

“What is it?” 

“Did you expect it to be...” she stopped for a moment before continuing, “so..cold?”

James looked down at her and kissed the top of her head. Wrapping both of his arms around her, he kissed her again. “Not really. When they said execution... I didn’t think they meant a mass one.”

“I... never saw that many bodies. Never... This is going to sound strange but...” she looked up at James, “be careful, okay?”

James wanted to laugh. What was he going to do? His father’s operation helped the Navy. There was nothing to be careful about. But the image of all those men being hung stuck with him. Nodding, he pushed Amy away from him. “Aims... I promise.” He smiled weakly, putting a finger under her chin. “I’ll be careful, long as you do the same.” 

She looked him in the eyes, then down at the street. Looking back up, she nodded, smiling weakly as well. Leaning in, he kissed her lightly.

Carriages began to drive past them as rain continued to fall. They sped past the awning despite the slick roads. Many of the carriages slid as they attempted to make a turn, but none of them slowed down. The redcoats now stared at these instead of the two under the awning.

They stood there for awhile, Amy still shivering against James. Taking off his scarf, he wrapped it around her. She rubbed her face against it before smiling. After a few more minutes, James sighed. 

“It doesn’t look like it’s stopping any time soon..”

Amy shook her head. “No...”

“I need to get you back... warm you up.”

Amy was silent for a moment before nodding. James had half expected her to make a joke about his choice of words. Pushing her away once more, he buttoned up his jacket around her. Tugging on it once, he nodded. Rolling down his own sleeves, he wrapped one arm around her once again, and ran back into the rain.

Horns blared as they ran across the street, but they ignored them. The carriages slowed to let them pass. A few people leaned out of them to yell at the two. Again they simply ignored them and continued to run.

The rain fell harder as they did, lightning continuously lighting up the sky. Street lamps flickered to life slowly as the clouds blotted out the sun completely. Water flowed to the side of the streets into the small gutters before overflowing back into the streets.

They sped up as they neared the shop. Throwing open the door, they entered. The door slammed behind them. Water dripped onto the floor as they shook. Looking up from the counter, Devon grinned. “You two...” he muttered before hoping off of the chair. Opening the door to the back, he ushered them both into it. They followed without a word. 

Inside, the furnace roared. “Be careful not to get close to the parts,” Devon shouted over them. Pulling two stools out from the workbench, he sat them close to the furnace. James nodded as Amy stripped off the coat and scarf, laying them on the floor near the furnace before sitting on the stool.

Devon stayed in the room for a moment, eying both of them. After a moment, he nodded to himself and left the room, closing the door softly behind him. Both James and Amy edged their stools closer to the fire. Still shaking, Amy took a bag off of her hip and reached inside. Apparently satisfied, she tossed the bag lightly to the other side of the room before hugging herself. 

The two simply sat in silence as the bell in the storefront rang.

Author's Note

Well, it's been a while. I'm hoping this is good. We'll see if it was even needed. Please review if you've read this, I need to know.

Thank you.