Alongside those who are sinful.

Chapter 8

"You were at Nanking, and many other places in China I would assume. Nothing more needs to be said. We two men have done horrible things in the war." Said Dietrich. He looked over, alongside Hiroshi and Katya, when Hudson scoffed and kicked a boot into the dirt.

"The three of us, actually. I've been a flame trooper for my entire time in the Corps. Surely, torching people to death has to count as evil." Said Hudson. Dietrich shrugged, more-so being in agreement with the statement than not knowing. However, as he mulled over the revelation, he looked to Katya.

"What about you, Katya? What are the heinous deeds that you have performed?" He asked. Katya looked at him with a twist in her face.

"I've...shot planes down?" Said Katya. "I haven't done anything else besides that." She said. Dietrich raised a brow. He looked over at Kasma and noticed that he had eaten the entirety of the piece of the meat. Katya grabbed an apple from her bag and handed it to him.

"We are all monsters here, Katya. You have nothing to hide." Said Dietrich. He watched as Kasma greedily ate the apple this time, biting huge chunks out of it and rapidly chewing.

"But...I don't have anything to hide! I am not like you all. I was an anti-aircraft gunner after I volunteered and was just pressed into service as a markswoman before coming here. I didn't get any chances to do anything up close." She said. Dietrich furrowed his brow, bringing a gloved hand to his chin.

"Perhaps we are in purgatory? Maybe, even hell itself? Our crimes would have warranted it." Said Dietrich. Hudson walked over to the group and sat down opposite of them. Hiroshi squatted down, resting the stock of his sub machinegun between his legs.

"Sure seems like a completely different hell than from what I've learned. The New Testament describes fire, suffering, and the gnashing of teeth." Said Hudson. Dietrich listened to the American.

"Fire." He looked to the flamethrower strapped to the marine's back.

"Suffering." He looked to Katya, remembering that she carried the weight of her lost family. He then looked to Kasma, who was the epitome of suffering with his damaged leg and apparent malnourishment.

"Gnashing of teeth." Dietrich thought of the time in which they would have to reveal themselves to the world at large. Once they cleared the bandits out, there was nothing else for them to do.

There will be turmoil.

There will be conflict.

Hudson's words made Dietrich truly consider the possibility that all of them might actually be in hell, serving punishment for their actions that go against God.

Dietrich wouldn't have known because he believed God didn't exist.

"He would not have created man in his image and then let him do exactly what we all have done." Thought Dietrich. He was so sure of himself for a small fraction of a minute.

"But then again, maybe we are being punished." He thought. Dietrich shook his head to clear his mind of the deep philosophical mood he had set himself into.

"The reasons for our arrival here do not matter. Whether or not we are in an afterlife is disregarded at all levels. What does matter is the fact that there is a bandit leader-"

"In that village down there who you seek to part from her skin. We know. You are off your rocker, Kraut." Hudson's interruption brought Dietrich's voice to a halt. As usual, he shrugged. Katya opened her bag of food and offered various items to everyone, who happily accepted.

Dietrich was handed the last apple he had stolen from the camp. He was about to take a bite out of it, but he had a pretty unique idea.

Taking a hand, he gently placed it on Kasma's shoulder. The feline froze and stared intensely at the ground.

"Kasma. This is an apple." He said. He softly lifted the shell shocked cats head up by his chin, making sure that he could see the apple. Dietrich pointed a finger to it.

"Apple." He said. Kasma looked to him and then to the apple.

"Chootn'a." Said Kasma. Dietrich made a clicking noise with his tongue, then he repeated Kasma's word. Kasma blinked in surprise and then repeated the word "apple" to Dietrich.

The man felt accomplished and looked around the humans of the group to recurves looks of approval.

"It will be a long process but we shall learn. Together." He said. Everyone nodded and Dietrich looked back to Kasma, gesturing to everyone in the group.

"Human." He said. Kasma cocked his head and Dietrich repeated the actions. After the second time, Kasma looked as if he had an epiphany. He placed a hand upon his own chest and spoke what Dietrich assumed was the name for the species.

"Thrask." Said Kasma. Dietrich pumped a fist in celebration.

"They're called Thrask. Kasma...Thrask!" He said. Kasma made a weird motion with his head, moving it in a circle before waving a hand like Dietrich had done to the group.

"Hu..man." He said, struggling a bit with the 'm.' Dietrich nodded excitedly, giving a smile. Kasma's eyelids fluttered, an obvious nervous tic caused by his smile.

"Smiling must be a threat in their culture." Remarked Hiroshi. Dietrich was genuinely too happy to care.

"Yes, it is! Oh! This is going to be so great! What a unique opportunity to learn about them!" He said. Katya smiled and Dietrich took notice.

"What?" He asked. Katya shrugged, clearing her throat and dropping the smile.

"Nothing. You just reminded me a little of my daughter. She was always so curious and so eager to learn new things. She loved to read books." Said Katya. Dietrich slowly felt the happy mood sour, and he took a bite of his apple. As he chewed, he spoke up.

"Katya. Do not let me stop you from remembering better times. Please." He said. He offered the apple to Kasma as he spoke, urging the feline to take a bite.

He heard Katya grumble something quietly as Kasma leaned forward and gingerly bit a piece off, and then the group sat in silence for quite a while.