WW2(Old Version, Rewritten up!)

Chapter 20: Andrzej And Vera

It was like stepping on a slug it was. As the German soldier crushed his hand and then shot him in the head.

Andrzej could do nothing but watch, as the guard walked away unpunished. The mud kicked up at his feet. Andrzej stepped outside his sleeping quarters, the rest of the inmates watched but couldn't care to ask what he was about to do; they were busy eating the tails of a rat.

He walked over to the dead man and bent down picking up the item that lead to his death. A photograph of his wife. He put it into his pocket fully aware of the consequences. The guard walked to him but he grabbed his gun and-

Andrzej blinked out of his daydream. The body stayed there as the picture got soaked in muddy water. He stood up, careful not to bump his head, it was nearly time for his work shift. To clear up the 'rats'. To drag the poor soul to an incendiary and watch the flesh burn.

As he was walking, a moulding foot stopped him, it was from the top bunk from a woman, "Get a blade for me will ya."

"Of course Vera," He replied and gave a genuine smile before walking to the fresh corpse.

As he was moving the corpse, he imagined what they'll do to Vera if she can't walk. The trench foot was green, black and rotten like. Couldn't think to bear such a pain, let alone standing upon it for hours at a time.

He remembered when she saved his life:

5 weeks ago 

The smashing of bricks and stone synchronised. Creaking of wood repeated in an agony of shovels and concrete hardening as a foundation. 

"Du arbeitest noch 2 Stunden, dann ist dein Mittagessen fertig!" A guard yelled at the tens of workers building up a new building upon the research facility, dead next to the labour camp.

A young boy collapsed, unable to carry on the intense labour workload. A kick into the ribs ushered him on, the pain from the boot stung like a wasp.

"Kein Nachlassen!"

Andrzej finished propping up the wooden support beam, he took a breath to breathe when the forceful trudging of boots squelching the ground, glared its way to the workers. He picked up a stone and went back to work, as the man yelled out to everyone to stop what they were doing and to form before him.

Before the man, a sea of crippled bones with pale skins stood upright before him. Amid the eye of the Devil, Andrzej was distinguished amongst the crowd.

The man spoke loudly with 2 SS soldiers right beside him.

"If a man were to see a rat, he'd crush it under his boot. Because a man does not want a rat scurrying around in his house, rats are filled with diseases, they are poised with disgust and an inferior desire to survive."

One of the SS soldiers spotted a 'rat' behind a building, looking in dread at the group. He shot the girl dead. Her crippled bones gave way, dead in half a second. Her black hair was bleached in blood and dust.

The man smiled at the SS soldier before carrying on his speech, "If you were to see a rat, stealing your food, you'd kill is yes?"

Andrzej gulped foreseeing the impending doom that was about to be set before them.

"So imagine my dismay, when my fine cook reports some loafs of bread missing. And the only group of people that were close to the kitchen, was you fools. And like a rat, you shall meet the end of my boot, or I'll kill a random individual."

No one stepped forward, they stayed in silence. The cool air sent a small breeze over their heads causing a shiver.

"You must not know much English, well I don't speak Polish. I speak German and English and our translator died due to an infection. So I must use the only tool that translates into any and all languages I suppose."

He aimed his gun at a man at the back of the crowd, elderly and with not much life left in him, he fell. Skull and brains splattered the muddy ground.

The man stepped into the crowd towards Andrzej.

"FOOD! WHO STOLE IT!?"

He walked to Andrzej and kicked him so that he was laying backside to the floor. With his sturdy boot, he began choking the man underneath him.

"You have until this man dies," He proclaimed.

Not a peep from anyone.

Vera took a deep breath before speaking, "Stop."

The man took off his foot, Andrzej took in a giant gasp of air.

"Yes," He spoke so calmly like he was at a dinner party.

"Sir,-"

"Please, call me Wiktestian."

"Wiktestian, don't kill him. You said earlier, you want this building by next week. Don't kill him, I'm weak, I perform less than him." She said in broken English.

"I take English is not your tongue," he began walking towards her, "You little Soviet woman," He brushed his fingers against her hair before ripping a small portion out.

"I'd be tempted to end a Russian like you, but you are correct. Killing a man around his prime age would be a waste of a resource. But so would be killing a woman also around her prime age."

Wiktestian began walking back, "I made myself clear yes? Don't act like a rat, even if you are one!"