From Dusk Till Dawn

Chapter 15: Unending nightmares-Joseph's pov

"So what you're telling me, boy is that we're being transported to some kind of a prison on a train that was used in the First World War?" Pa stands up with his usual intimidating face on.

"To my knowledge, yes." Squeaks our Hansen. The young soldier seems nervous and at ease as pa talks to him.

"Pa just sit down." I plead not wanting to start any more violence. A couple soldiers gather around to watch what happens next. Maybe they think pa is going to start a fight with him. Pa is one to start and finish many fights on his own.

"Alright," Pa crosses his arms. "You seem like the kind of man to enlighten us on where the hell we're actually going?" Glancing at the few soldiers standing by the compartment door, I notice that they're leaning in further to listen in. They must get a real kick out of these kinds of things.

"Which prison are we being transported to?" Pa asks simply. "If you'd stop delaying us and shut your trap for once we'd get there and you'd see." One of the soldiers says with no expression.

He almost reminds me of the boy who used to bully me when I first moved to America. They'd make fun of my curly hair, and strange accent. I picked up the language quicker than I'd expected but my accent always remained. People would always ask where I was from and then after telling them they'd ask if I was a poor olive farmer back home or just plain out tell me to go back to where I belonged.

My accent isn't so bothersome to me anymore but it used to make me feel a bit insecure. I'm aware of the thousand immigrants living in the city but it still made me feel different. Ma has told me that my accent is what makes me special compared to all of the other boys and girls at grade school.

Although, George doesn't have a strong accent since he was very young when we moved here. I was very envious of him when I was younger. I suppose it doesn't matter anymore.
It turns out the prison that we're headed to is an internment camp for immigrants.

Pa said our family should be headed to a real prison not some internment camp. This internment camp could be better than a regular prison. What am I thinking? We're going to an internment camp.

A day later we arrived at Fort Missoula Internment Camp. We all peered out the train window at the camp. There were all men there working outside with several small buildings with barbed wire surrounding the camp. They were going to send us to work? I thought we were being arrested.

"Alright, there's been a change in plan." A soldier comes up in front of us. "Women and children will be sent back home. Only under high surveillance," says a U.S. soldier.

My body freezes in place. "What the hell do you mean?" Pa stands up tall from his cushion. "Make no mistake your whole family will remain alien enemies. We just need the adult men at this camp. No need for the women and children." As he turns to leave rushes forward ready to throw a punch. He ends up being successful. The punch is so hard that it knocks the soldier to the floor.

He's dead. Pa is dead, I just know they'll kill him for that. Maybe even the rest of our family.

A few soldiers run to the front containing him. The rest of the men run down the aisle backing up pa. Pa gets out of their grasps and it's absolute mayhem. "Joseph, come!" Pa motions for me to help fight.

No matter how much I hate them, I don't join. My body shakes from fear. Like the coward I am, my feet remain planted on the ground. Ma's hand clamps down on my left arm, pulling me closer to her.

Punches are thrown at the few officers on the train. After they make a run past them, they rush off the train leaving the children and woman on board. Rushing to the right side of the train where Viola and her mom are peering out I see about thirty American soldiers surrounding them with their guns cocked at them.
I swallow hard as I see one of the officers has a gun resting at pa's enlarged skull.