Red of Berlin

Chapter Thirty: The Good, the Bad, the Terrible and the Joyful

Adèle's point of view:
May 1st, 1945:

"Yesterday, at 3:30 pm, the bodies of Eva Braun and Adolf Hitler were found in his bunker in Berlin. The war is at an end. Liberation by the allies has been commenced," the radio said as Adèle and Michael listened. Cedric, Erik and Sylviane were in the room as well. I couldn't believe it. Hitler was dead, the war was over. Now was the time to get moving.

"Goebbles is dead as well. Him and his wife, they killed their children and then made an officer shoot them. I have to go and examine the bodies, make sure they're dead," Michael said to me. My eyes shot up at him.

"Why do you have to do that?" I asked. He sighed, running his hand through his hair as he held Sylviane in his arms.

"My cousin is the doctor that will be surveying them. He wants me to come and work through it with him," he said, "perhaps you should attend as well, if you like?"

"Maybe. I just want to get out of here. I want to go to England," I replied. He nodded and stood up, rocking Sylviane in his arms slowly and gently.

"We should go now. We have to leave tonight," Michael suggested. I nodded in agreement and left Charlotte with the children. I patiently waited in the car as we drove, pacing myself for what was to come. I didn't want to see some dead bodies, but I was prepared to do so. If Michael needed me there, then I would be by his side until the end of time.

When we arrived there, the sun was at the top of the sky and shining bright. I loved the weather, but the circumstances were grave. I followed Michael out of the car and to the back yard of the bunker Joseph Goebbles and his wife had shared with their six children. Now all of them were dead to avoid the trials and tribulations that they would no doubt endure. Now it was time for us to clean up their mess because the adults were to afraid to face their decrepit actions in front of the people they hated most. Heroes, the Aryan Germans said, cowards I said.

"Viktor," Michael said as we approach the back yard. A man stood as Michael called him. He was about six feet tall, with sea green eyes and greying hair for a man who was so young. He couldn't have been more than ten years older than me. Perhaps it was all the stress of being a doctor during this time that had him greying so early.

"Viktor, this is my wife, Adèle. Adèle, this is my cousin doctor Viktor Schmidt," Michael introduced. I shook hands with Viktor as he walked us back to the yard.

"I am very sorry to show you this, Adèle. However I'm sure since you've consensually agreed to be here you know what will be shown," he said as we followed him. I cleared my throat to sway the discomfort of that statement, Michael remained silent. I suppose he didn't really have much to say since we had a serious matter to attend to.

"Here are the bodies of the wife and Joseph. The children are inside," Viktor said, clearing his throat uncomfortably the same way I did before. I saw the two of them, laying down on the grass with blood surrounding them. I saw the bullet wounds in their heads and I had to gulp down the disgust. It was a little bearable though, I had seen worse than messy bullet remnants.

"You need anything?" Michael asked.

"If you don't mind would you speak to the mortician in the bunker? I need to know the cause of death of the children," Viktor replied. Michael nodded, and I held his hand as I walked with him. We walked inside the bunker and I was immediately greeted by the most vile thing I had ever seen. Six dead children, laid out on a white sheet. They were bloodless but deader than cold, white ice. It was the most disturbing thing I had ever seen. I had to turn away to keep from throwing up. Maybe it was because I was a mother to three young children, or maybe it was because I had a human conscious. I just couldn't deal with it.