Twilight Of The Gods

"Prayer won't help! Dinner time for me!"

The two Roman guards roared with the cheering crowd watching the hapless Christians run from the ravenous lions. They pointed and mocked at the horror and agony of the gaping wounds of exposed flesh as the human bodies lurched in their death throes, struggling for life even after any chance for it had passed. All too soon, the fun was over and the chewed bodies lay limp and limbless on the ground. Slaves were forced to clean up.

"Hey, you ever feel bad helping send them Christians to death like that?" asked one guard of the other.

"Nah. I figure if their God doesn't care, why should we?"

"Haha! Good point!"

"We're on our own here, this is all there is. Survival of the meanest. It's like Senator Crassius says: it's the man willing to poison the well that rules the village."

"Yes, yes. Weakness is death."

"Do you know what the Christians say? They say anyone who lives by the sword dies by the sword."

"Hahahaha! Yes, I've heard that! Too funny! Someone needs to tell them anyone who doesn't live by the sword dies by the sword!"

"Or by the lion!" This brought a hardy laugh.

In the Senate continued the comedy of whores. Clever speeches were made of Rome, the glory of Rome, the future of Rome, the sanctity of Rome and all that Rome should do. Then the orgies started. The role model of the great Caesar was voraciously followed. For Caesar was every woman's man and every man's woman. Games were made of buttfucking the inferior servants. The more they bemoaned their plight the more their masters guffawed in delight.

"Squeal, boy! Not a soul in the universe can save you. Zeus himself is powerless! Give your ass to me! It's the price you must pay if you want to stay alive, loser. Hahahaha!"

No matter the eventual fate of the world, the servants' fucking was in the now - and this moment could not be escaped. From birth to death without hope of freedom. Just work, anguish, humiliation and despair. What was the point of anything? Nobody knew.

Two dignitaries pulled out their pricks long enough to converse.

"Did you hear of the accident at the building of the new temple yesterday? Three walls collapsed, killing 38 slaves."

"Ah, well. Plenty more where they came from."

"Oh, not that! The walls! All that work lost. It makes it look like we don't know what we're doing."

"With the riches our wars have brought in the sheep will always be too bribed to care."

"So true! And any ethical ones we can slaughter in the arena!" This brought a hardy laugh.

Average Romans citizens living hand to mouth were nevertheless thrilled to be a part of the great Roman empire. Living in the most powerful country in the world didn't fill their bellies but did fill their pride. The great monuments and buildings, the conquered people paraded through the streets, the clear superiority of their war machine gave them license to lose.

"Did you see the Senator's new house? A masterpiece of masonry!"

"We live in the best country in the world! Never should we change a single thing we do."

"I love it how we’re fucking all the shitty countries and making them our bitches. I got two captured Ethiopians mowing my lawn."

"If only those damn Senators weren’t fucking us, keeping all the money and power for themselves while we live like dogs day-to-day."

"All those Senators are whores and charlatans! Used to be they were honest and ethical but now we got these scoundrels in there who'd sell their mother for a shekel!"

"That Senator’s house was like a palace! I can't imagine how wonderful it would be to live there. I'd do anything for the chance to be a corrupt Senator."

"Me too!" This brought a hardy laugh.

Godless, heedless, aimless times where men drink from the cup of the blood of both sinners and saints. Unstoppable in her belief life could be no other way, Rome preyed on a planet less dedicated to war than she. For that, those countries did pay. Women raped, children enslaved, men gutted like pigs as families watched. But no matter how great the misery, vengeance remained a silent Lord's.