All were seated, huddled in a corner of the dark, damp basement. Dust from the outside leaked through a partially open window, though no sunlight shown through. The outside air was unhealthy, literally you breathed in the fowl powder. But, the bombings has ceased. That was something to be thankful for. The oldest of us girls, Adelina, cautiously stood and went over to the window to get some idea as to what was going on. She hurried back, telling us to be quiet.
"Die Russen kommen. Wir müssen still sein. Sie können nicht uns finden." She spoke in a voice so soft it was barely even considered a whisper.
Her brown eyes scanned our expressions. We had smeared coal onto our faces, just in case if they did find us, they might not be attracted to us. No one said a word but there was a silent mutual agreement amongst the group.
You could heard the soldiers' boots click on the pavement as they patrolled every house.
I couldn't make out what they were saying, but they were having some sort of conversation. One of the girls next to me whimpered quietly, and I held her to give her some comfort, and actually for our own sakes'.
There was no sound except for outside. We huddled even closer as the footsteps became louder and louder, trying to get as tight as possible to the wall. Maybe they wouldn't be able to find us then...
The footsteps suddenly stopped right near the house. Then, a dark figure leaned down to look into the window and we all held our breath that he couldn't see us considering how dark the cellar was.
I almost breathed a sigh of relief as the figure disappeared but that immediately turned to fear as they started to bang on the door leading to the basement.
They were actually shouting in German for us to open the door. A couple of the other women screamed.
I hoped to God that the lock on the door would hold.
That hope was shattered as the door flew open, and the Russian soldiers came in with weapons raised. Their leader smirked though as he stepped forward, and came towards us. He raised his hand then lowered it to signal his men they didn't need their firearms.
As he observed us, I wasn't sure what exactly he was saying in Russian, but the way he said it, and the look in his dark eyes gave me a clue.
It seemed as if he was sorting through a selection in order to pick the best one.
My heart almost stopped beating when his eyes settled and met my gaze.
He leaned in close, the other women moving away from him and I.
"Frau, komm." He spoke simply in a low pitched voice.
I was paralyzed with fear. This couldn't be happening...
"Tun Sie bitte nicht..." I pleaded quietly, tears welling up in my eyes and I was shaking my head.
He just gave an evil grin, ignoring my plea and grabbing my arm harshly to pull me up off the ground.
"Ivonne!" I heard a couple of the girls cry my name, but I couldn't do anything about it.
As he started to lead me away, he said something to his soldiers and that's when they advanced on the remaining women.
I tried to jerk away from his grasp but it was too strong and all he did was drag me faster behind him then.
He led me out of the basement, taking me up into the house where other soldiers were busy raiding for jewelry, money, possibly food, whatever they could get their hands on.
He went towards the stairs, and when I physically refused to go, he tossed me over his shoulder. I let out a cry, kicking my legs and punching his back, but to this, he just chuckled.
I couldn't see where exactly he was headed but soon enough, he kicked a door open and dropped me on a soft surface. I glanced around quickly. A bedroom, with me on the bed.
I scrambled to get away, only to have him tug me back up onto the bed.
"Frau..." He spoke, "Seien Sie gut, und ich werde Sie nicht verletzen."
It wasn't like I had an opportunity to get away as this point either. He was almost twice my weight and height. It would be like fighting a juggernaut.
He grabbed ahold of my wrists, pinning me down onto the mattress and laid on top of me so I couldn't move at all.
I wanted to scream, to fight, but knew if I did, I would surely end up dead. I heeded his previous warning...
Translations: *Some Are Loose Translations*
"Die Russen kommen. Wir müssen still sein. Sie können nicht uns finden." (The Russians are coming. We must be quiet. They cannot find us.)
"Frau, komm." (Woman, come.)
"Tun Sie bitte nicht..." (Please, don't.)
"Frau....seien Sie gut, und ich werde Sie nicht verletzen." (Woman, be good and I won't hurt you.)
