Auschwitz

Chapter 3 first day

Today has been the worst day of my life. My barracks were the only thing that I call home now. My barracks was Block C-12 but nobody called it that, we called it Mexico. We wanted to be anywhere but Birkenau now. This pit of hell was the only thing standing in the Jews way of rising up against the Nazis. Think about it there are maybe 200 Germans in this camp, and over 3 million Jews. We could take them we just need hope. Yet, if the Nazis knew we were planning to take over, we'd be shot. I don't care anymore, I don't care if I die, live, or get gassed.

They're just going to kill me anyway why bother. "The only way you'll leave this place is through the chimmenies." a SS solider told me. Ill show them. Tonight was going slow and the walk to Mexico was long and muddy. I wish I had grabbed shoes. Though the wooden clogs didn't fit me I had given them to a small child who was shivering in the cold. My feet were dirty I had only one layer of clothes on. They never give you another pair of clothes, never.

When I got to Block C-12 or Mexico if you'd call it that. I saw doors big enough for small heard of cows to walk through, this place was big enough for maybe 50 or 100 people. Not 1000. The small was a mixture of feces and death. This made me sick to my stomach, Although if I threw up i'd just ad to the filth on the floor I had to walk though.  "Maria. up here!" I heard hoarsely to the back of the barracks.

"Elizabeth?!" I looked around to see if I could find her. This is very hard considering we were bald and only had one type of clothing now.  My eyes scan the room as ladies climb into they're bunks meant for only four of five people but there were 10 maybe fifteen girls to a bunk.

"Elizabeth?" I call out in a whisper so the SS can not hear me from outside. I walk down the dirty barrack and see nothing as it gets darker. The room was pitch black but has a very faint light coming from the small windows. It was a very dark blue, almost florescent blue, cold and smelly. But its the only place we could sleep. When I get to a bunk that has less people I squeeze in and try to close my eyes. 

"Elizabeth ill find you in the morning." I close my eyes and let myself sleep, its going to be the only thing im good at.

"Maria!!" my mother yells as I jump into the lake and splash her, "be careful of Ariel." I nod and continue to swim. Oh water, sweet water. its nice and warm, and clean. The grass around us, grass! I cant believe it. "Maria its time to talk about this." I tilt my head in confusion.

"About this?" I ask and look to the nice warm water. 

"This camp."

"I don't want to." I look up seeing her frown. "Maria im dead, Ariel's dead. We need to speak about this."

"Fine, what?" She looks like she is relieved, "Well my darling. you need to be invisible do and say as little as possible. Work on your German, you'll need to speak it." The water dissapears slowly like a play ending with the curtains fall and its just mud at my feet. No, The water! where has it gone? Please no.

"You're no one now, if you want to survive don't tell anybody your name, age or show that you care about anybody."  This time the grass faded and my mother was gone. Mother? where have you gone? dead! I let it ring through my mind. Dead no she cant be dead she just cant.

"Remember this and I will always love you."

"No! mother!"

I wake in a cool sweat remembering everything that my mother had said. I am no one now, no one must know my name or where I came from. That means I cant be friends with Elizabeth I couldn't show any type of communication towards her. The night went on and I couldn't sleep anymore, no one slept. When the sun comes up an SS guard yells in the little barracks and hits the wall with such force I was afraid it would collapse. "roll-call!!"

Roll-call? what if i can find my mother. I hope to god shes not dead like she said in that dream. What has happened to this world im living its hell. Hell at its best. I cant give up, like so many people, they wouldn't believe what is happening in america.  Did they know? What could they do? They could take down Hitler like other people have tried to do.

Walking out into the light seeing the mud, the rain, which makes more mud, and smoke. I hate the smoke it smells like charred hair, and flesh. its so disgusting. I cant throw up in the mud, the SS would send me to the surgeon. I've heard bad things about him, you never come back. My cut on my hand was clogged with a scab and hurt when I pushed myself out of the bunk.

The scab was green with red, the type of green that would make you worry. I cant get sick. I must get out, I have to I must. this place, it death itself, its hell on earth. All these people from my bunk must stand in front of my barracks. this went on for two hours. Standing waiting watching people die.

"100989!" this scream its from another Jew.

"obecny!"I have to yell over all the bodies in front of me. 

"This concludes the roll-call, get to the stations in front of your barracks so you know what to do!." I look over all of the people in my camp some short some tall some can't even stand. I see Elizabeth, shes in front of a tall woman and can barely stand. I push my way through three people and try to help her stand.

She turns to me and her eyes glow like the bodies that touch the fence around us. Probably a bad metaphor but its the only thing that lights up. "Maria!" she grips onto me and shuffles to the tables with me. There's working on the rails, the hospital staff, or out in the burn fields cleaning ash.  To me being in the hospital sounds a lot better.

"Wie heißt du und wie alt bist du?" tilting my head I saw the woman look up at me and sighed. "What is your name and age, ill also need your number."

"Maria Greene, Eighteen, and my number is 100989."

"100989, you are working in the hospital. Next! I said. Next, Dummer Jude!"

Elizabeth looked up and trudged forward. She didn't look too good, im surprised they haven't just killed her yet. As she approached she nodded at the woman and spoke lightly.

"Elizabeth Vadoma, age 20 my number is 100834" she said and stood up straight, my poor friend, she was the only friend I had and she was probably going to be shot on the spot. 

"Hospital, now get out of my fucking face." the SS woman said and I watched as Elizabeth walked over to me in a hurry.