It was now or never. Nikandros stood up, and noiselessly leaped on top of the wall while contemplating his next move. The slave began to turn around. Nikandros gasped and as he dropped behind the wall again, the slave froze.

“Who’s there!” he cried out.

Nikandros crouched motionless, fear flooding through him. He couldn’t make a wrong move now. It was all or nothing.

In one fluid motion, Nikandros sprung up from behind the wall, leaped at the slave, and tackled him to the ground. Before the slave could cry out, he clamped one hand over his mouth, and the other grabbed his throat. The slave kicked and flung his arms, but Nikandros held firm. In a desperate attempt to free himself, the slave took hold of a stick beside him, and shoved it hard into Nikandros’ ear.

Nikandros let out a cry of pain as his hands flew away from the slave, who immediately screamed at the top of his lungs. Nikandros grabbed the slave, threw him to the ground, and punched him in the throat as a light flickered in the building. The slave’s eyes rolled back as he gasped like a fish out of water. Nikandros grabbed a stone from the ground and prepared to smash it into the slave’s head. He pulled his arm back, and looked into the slave’s eyes, which were wide with terror. Nikandros closed his own eyes and swung his arm forward.

The force was enough to shatter the skull as if it were glass. Nikandros surveyed the courtyard as he heard footsteps coming from inside the building. He grabbed the slave by the hair and dragged him out of the courtyard with the bleeding side of his head facing up. Once outside the vicinity, Nikandros started running while carrying the slave on his shoulders as he heard screams and yells behind him as people entered the courtyard.

He heard the sound of footsteps pursuing him. Nikandros turned at the next corner and entered a dark side street. He heard his pursuer follow him for a short distance, and then stop. Breathing hard, Nikandros followed the alley until he reached another road that would lead him back to the Barracks. More than once he had to set the body down and rest. The whole time the same thought kept running through his head. He had finally done it. He had killed a man.

Nikandros heard voices behind him, and as he moved into the shadows he saw two soldiers walking by and conversing with one another in hushed tones. The topic was something about a General’s son being kidnapped or something. Nikandros looked at the body next to him, then at the soldiers, then back at the body. A feeling of dread swept through him. He had a feeling he knew who the General’s son was.