Pompeii: A Novel

Pliny continues to dictate his observations about the volcano, which he refers to as the "manifestation" (321). Whole towns in the distance seem to have gone dark. When the storm seems to weaken, Attilius makes a decision. He tells Pliny that he is "leaving" (323), much to Pliny's outrage. Despite his protests, Attilius leaves the camp and sets out toward Pompeii.

The road to Pompeii is difficult. A normal journey might take an hour, but Attilius spends many more hours wandering through the falling pumice and the thick clouds. He passes dead bodies and abandoned carts. He hears a child calling in the dark and then fall silent. With the journey becoming impossible, he feels as though he can "accept" (326) death. He drifts off to sleep for a moment and then is awoken by the smell of burning. During his brief nap, he has been almost buried by pumice. Heaving himself free, he feels his own hair singing "as the sulfurous dawn raced across the sky toward him" (327). Then, he spots Pompeii and walks toward the city.