“A beam from the barn came down straight on my leg, pinning me to the ground and breaking my leg. I was able to squirm my way out from underneath of it, but passed out shortly after. When I woke up, I was in a hospital, run by members of the resistance. They nursed me back to health, and here I am now, the handsome man you see before you. Now the question is, how did you get away?” Hans told him the story of how he was beaten and left for dead in the train car. Then he told him how I rescued him, dragged him to a random cabin, and brought him back to health. Aldo was looking at me with such amazement. I couldn’t help but beam with pride. I guess what I had done was no easy feat, but I would do it again a million times to save my brother.
Aldo came over and shook my hand, “I have always wanted to shake the hand of a hero,” he said. I smiled even more. I didn’t think of myself as a hero, I was just doing what I needed to, but it felt really good to have someone else think of me as one. Then we introduced Aldo to Viktor, and the other Polish men, although he had already been communicating with them, he didn’t really know them.
“It is so good to finally meet you gentleman. Now we can do some damage to the Nazis,” Aldo said. Viktor had a big smile on his face. “Of course we will do heavy damage to them. I will crush them all with my bare hands.” Then he let out his big hearty chuckle. We all laughed at that and then sat down to relax in the comfort of a real home for the first time in a long time.
Chapter 8
1942
It is now January of 1942. The Americans declared war on Germany in December of 1941, giving new hope to everyone that the Nazis may finally be stopped. We have been back in Berlin and working with Aldo for almost a year now and things have been going very well so far. We have stolen more documents than I could count, rescued, a few handfuls of soon to be labor camp workers and destroyed a couple of military barrack buildings.
We have done it all with the help of Viktor and his friends. They were ruthless, and sometimes a bit reckless. One time we were going to break into the home of a Wehrmacht general. Our plan was to sneak to his house during the day when he was out busy giving orders. We were going to sneak through a back window, make our way into his office, and steal documents, and replace them with fake ones. Instead of doing that Viktor and his friends kicked the door in while the general was there, shot the general straight in the head, and took all of his papers. They had to hide for a very long time after that, but they somehow did not get caught. They were like this on every mission. They had done a lot, but they were starting to become increasingly risky to do anything with, because they draw so much attention to themselves, and they have almost gotten caught so many times.
Aldo has become the orchestrator of everything, and he comes up with all of the plans, and today he has devised a plan that he believes could totally bring down the Nazi army. The most daring thing we have done to date, and something that could risk all of our lives.
The Nazis were having a parade through the city today because Hitler wanted to show the army was still strong and could defeat anyone, even the Americans. There would be thousands of German soldiers and Hitler himself in this parade, and it was the perfect opportunity to strike against them, and if we were able to successfully take out Hitler we could potentially, single handedly stop the war.
We decided we were going to leave Viktor and his friends out of this mission because it was too big a job for them to be going in wildly and risking everything, so Aldo sent them to do a simple job, and take out a few German soldiers that were guarding a factory. They had no idea they were being left out of our most important mission yet, but we decided that if they knew they might mess it up. We figured dealing with their anger afterwards was better.
The plan was for Hans and I to sneak into some military Barracks and steal a couple uniforms. We would then use those uniforms to gain access to two main buildings that lined the street that the parade was taking place on. Hans and I were to be on opposite sides of the street, in order to ensure that one of us would have the perfect shot. Then whichever one had the shot, would take it and hopefully take out Hitler himself.
The plan seemed fairly simple and easy. Hitler was so arrogant he was putting himself out there in front of everyone. We were going to use it against him and end his reign of tyranny once and for all.
It was almost time for the parade to start so we got ready to go. I asked Hans, “Are you ready for this? We could be caught.” Hans, looked at me, more determined than I had ever seen him, “Definitely.” We left the apartment and made our way across town. The streets were already lined with people waiting to see the parade. I had a feeling they were more likely coerced into watching it than they were actually excited to see the evil mastermind behind the downfall of millions.
They were people of all ages; babies, elderly, teenagers. There was something missing though. I noticed a severe lack of adult men. I guessed that they were all fighting in the war somewhere. The German army had become increasingly desperate for soldiers, and not many families had their fathers, or brothers left. The farther we got across town, the more soldiers I saw. There were thousands. Each street became a sea of grey, from the uniforms of soldiers. Hans, and I seemed to blend in well enough though.
We made it across town to the makeshift army barracks the military made out of an old boxing gym. We thought we would have to sneak our way in, but there were no soldiers around. They must have all been getting ready for the parade.
We went in and started sifting through the soldiers’ things until we each found uniforms that fit pretty well. Then we went into the armory and found a couple of rifles. We left the barracks and fell in line with a group of soldiers that were walking in the direction we needed to go. They did not notice our arrival to the group and kept marching.
I was trying to figure out how to fall in step with them and blend in as much as possible, but I couldn’t seem to get it right. The way they kicked their feet into the air and swung their arms in perfect order just didn’t seem right to me. After a while I decided to give up. I was not going to be marching with them in the parade anyway, so I did not need to know how they marched.
I was so focused on their marching that I didn’t even realize Hans had broken off from the group and was heading to his position, at the top floor of the building across the street. As discreetly as possible I broke away from them as well, and they did not even give me a second glance.
When I got out of sight I sprinted to my spot in the building across from Hans. Aldo had picked the two perfect sniper positions. I sat off in the corner with nothing to be seen from the street, except for the barrel of my gun. If someone from down on the street were to look up they wouldn’t be able to see me at all. I had the perfect vantage point. I could view the whole street and beyond.
With nothing to do but wait, I started to feel a little queasy. This was the most important thing I had probably ever done at this point in my life. Either Hans or I would have the opportunity to single-handedly take down the evilest person in the world, and save millions of lives.
Thinking about the vast importance of it, I got even more nervous and felt it hard to catch my breath. I was freaking out more every second that passed and I wished the parade would just come this way already.
I tried to concentrate on my gun, making sure it was all ready to fire the shot, in order to distract myself from my nerves. However, it was not very effective. Then I thought back to something Viktor had said to me when I asked him how he never got nervous or afraid. He said, “Anytime I feel the nerves, I think about my family. I think about how they were killed and all nerves, all fear goes away. Then the only thing I know is anger.” Being angry would be way better than feeling nervous or scared so I tried it.
I thought of Eliza. I thought of the last time we went out together, and she told me she was scared. People’s hatred for Jews had grown exponentially and Eliza was worried, something bad was going to happen to her and her family. I remember telling her not to worry at all. I said
her father was a doctor, and nobody would hurt him or his family. I was completely wrong. She was ripped from the comfort of her home, thrown into a train, and taken to who knows where. I pictured her family eating dinner, as a group of SS soldiers stormed into their home and yanked them out of their seats. I could see it so vividly in my mind, I could see the fear in her eyes. I could feel the anguish in her heart. It was exactly the fuel I needed. Fury bubbled inside of me. Hatred for the Nazis filled my brain. All I could see was red. I was ready to find Hitler in the sights of my rifle, and remove him from existence.
I looked out the window, but unfortunately, the parade had yet to make it this far down the street. At that moment I could hear someone coming up the stairs behind me.
I turned and locked my eyes on the stairwell, waiting for someone’s head to pop up into view. I started to see the top of a helmet, the same kind I was wearing. A German soldier was making his way up to me! His head came into full view, and his eyes locked onto mine. He looked startled for a moment. “What are you doing up here?” I had no idea what to say back to him so I said the first thing that came to mind, “What are you doing up here?” He was taken aback by the question, fired right back at him, after having asked it himself. “Uh, I was supposed to check the buildings for snipers, before the fuhrer made it to this block.”
“Well, that is exactly what I am doing,” I responded.
“Then why are you just standing up here, with a gun in the window?” He asked, with his eyebrow raised, in a questioning manner. I was still filled with anger and thoughts of Eliza , and I was starting to get annoyed with this soldier, so I said, “Do not worry about what I am doing. Do your job and check the next building.” He didn’t move an inch.
“It’s strange. You have on a uniform, but you do not hold yourself as a soldier. Your pant legs are not even tucked in your boots properly.” Dang, this guy was good. He started to reach for the gun that was hanging down at his hip. I had no idea what to say, and I was angry so I ran at him full speed, and slammed into his chest, sending him tumbling down the stairs. He rolled all the way down to the landing.
Once he came to a stop he started trying to get up, so I ran down the stairs after him. As I was about to pounce on him and knock him out for good, he surprised me by whipping around and swinging the butt of his rifle straight into my face. It connected with my cheek, and I felt an explosion in my teeth. I fell back into the stairs behind me, stunned. He stood over me and pointed a rifle at my forehead. “You are a traitor, and now you will die like a traitor. All alone, and a failure,” he said, his voice quivering with anger.
Just before he pulled the trigger, I swung my arm up and knocked the rifle out of the way. The shot fired into the ceiling, spraying us with dust and chunks of debris. Then, as I was still laying on my back, I kicked my foot forward and drove the bottom of my boot into the front of his knee. It bent backward unnaturally and he fell to the ground, grabbing at his now injured knee, wincing from the pain. I didn’t want him to surprise me again so I immediately jumped on top of him. He was fighting me off with all his strength, but my hand still found his throat. I squeezed with all I had. His face started turning purple, and he started to gurgle out some words. He was resilient though, and did not give up.
He put his arms against my elbow and locked them out. Then he shifted his weight underneath me until his hip was seated firmly on my ankle. I started to feel a little off-balance, and he easily rolled me off of him and onto my back. Then he jumped onto my stomach and started choking me.
He had my hips locked firmly into place, with his knees so I could not pull off the same maneuver he did. His hand tightened around my throat, not allowing any air to get through. My eyesight started to go wonkey and my brain started to feel fuzzy. My hands started to grab at anything, everything, just trying to find something to get me out of this situation.
It felt strangely familiar, as I had almost the same thing happen to me in the forest, the night I rescued Hans. I guess someone felt that I really needed to go out this way. I started to lose focus and things started to go dark. The time I had left was down to a few seconds. My energy started to fade away and my hands were no longer flailing about, they had fallen to the sides.
While my hands were down along my side I felt something. It was the dagger soldiers carried on their uniforms! Just as I had done in the forest that night, I found my saving grace. I pulled the dagger out of it’s sheath and thrust it upwards. It sunk into the belly of the soldier easily. His eyes widened in shock and he jolted at the pain. His eyes looked down to me and they were filled with pure hatred and evil. He found it in himself to squeeze my throat harder.
I pulled the dagger out of his stomach and then thrust it into his abdomen again. He jerked at the pain again, but still refused to release my throat from the clutches of his hands. I pulled the dagger out of his stomach one last time. I was done with this fight. It needed to be over. I thrust the dagger higher than before. It pierced his throat and sprayed blood all over my face. His hands dropped from my throat and clenched on to his, trying to ease the blood flow from his wound.
I rolled over to the side and threw up. I yanked off the military jacket I was wearing and used it to frantically wipe the blood off of my face. My hands were shaking, and I felt sick to my stomach, but I got up because I had a job to do. I looked down at the soldier who was now lifeless. I wish it hadn’t come to that. Enough people had died already, but I had no choice. I walked over to the window, where my gun was still perched and looked at the street. I could see the groups of soldiers, coming into view. It was almost time.
Chapter 9
1942
The soldiers continued to march past one after another, thousands after thousands, for an eternity. I was perched in the window, rifle aimed and ready, with my finger on the trigger. I glanced across the street and saw the barrel of Hans’ rifle peeking out. He was probably tired of waiting just as I was. At last, I saw the grand float coming our way. The float that Hitler was on, setting him high above the crowd to further prove his dominance over them. It crept along so slowly. Hitler was just out of view. I could feel his presence in the air. I was ready. I double checked to make sure my gun was loaded. I aimed, put my finger on the trigger, and watched. I felt like a lion, ready to pounce on it’s prey at any moment. I was the one with the power now. Finally, Hitler would know the feeling of helplessness. The giant crowd around him, unable to save him from taking his last breath. No matter how many of them there are, it was inevitable. The float was getting closer.
His legs were now coming into view. My anticipation was building up. It was finally going to be over. The war, the hate, it could all be over if his float would continue forward a few more feet. It would only be seconds, now. A few seconds and I would free Eliza. A few seconds and Hans and I could live a normal life again. A few seconds and I would be an international hero.
The float stopped moving. Why would the float stop? It was just slightly too far, I couldn’t get a shot. The end of the war was literally five feet too far back. I begged for the float to come just a little bit closer but it didn’t. The soldiers left formation, and I heard them barking orders to one another. I had no idea what was going on. The crowd became frantic. I heard screams and cries. People started running every which way, trampling over one another, with no regard for each other's well being. Something was seriously wrong.
I started to hear a swarm of gunfire, off in the distance. Then I heard the explosions of grenades. Someone was on the attack. Hitler and the generals aboard the float had hopped off of it and were quickly escorted to safety. Surely by now they were in the safety of a fortress. I ran to the stairwell and went upward to the roof, so I could get a better view of what was going on.
A few blocks away from where the float had stopped I saw a truck with a gun mounted on the top, barreling through the swarm of soldiers. The people in it were firing upon the soldiers, knocking them down like dominoes. The truck continued at full speed, runni
ng over a mass of soldiers. As the truck got closer I started to make out the people in it. To my complete surprise, the driver of the vehicle was Jakub. In the passenger seat, it looked like Eryk, and the one controlling the gun was Viktor. That complete idiot! He ruined everything. He took away the only chance we have had to get to Hitler, and now we would probably never get another chance at Hitler. He accidentally saved Hitler’s life, all for the sake of his ego.
There was nothing to be done now but watch the destruction. I watched as Eryk was hit by a Nazi bullet. I saw his head hang down lifeless. This did not slow down Jakub and Viktor though. Jakub kept driving through the crowd, as bullets sprayed the windshield. Viktor kept firing as many bullets as possible at the German soldiers that were surrounding them. I could see his eyes gleaming with joy. He had been waiting for this moment for years. Just then a bullet sliced through the windshield and hit Jakub square in the chest. He no longer had control over the vehicle and it swerved all over, back and forth across the street, until it’s momentum no longer carried it forward and it halted in the street.
Viktor still refused to give up, and kept firing off as many rounds as his gun would allow. A bullet finally connected with Viktor. It dove into his arm and buried itself in his flesh. He didn’t even flinch. Another one flew straight into his leg, through one side and out of the other. He still didn’t stop. He was a man possessed with anger, and a love for a family he would never see again.
I heard the rumbling before I saw it. A Panzer came rolling around the corner. It’s tracks rolling over everything, crushing anything that dared get in it’s way. I heard the clinking of metal on metal as it positioned itself. It’s giant menacing barrel, turned right towards Viktor and the truck. He had to get out of there. I tried yelling to him, “Viktor! Viktor, a tank!” There was no way he was going to hear me. I was too far away, and there was too much noise drowning out any hope that my voice would be heard by him.
The Soul of the Unbroken Page 7
