Untouchable | Hans Landa

Epilogue

Boots strode over the slightly damp moss as Landa approached the body and knelt beside it. She was speechless where she stood, she had not dared to move since he had left her. The cold air of the evening embraced her and caused the hair on her back to stand on its end in her shallow dress which was intended for film premieres and not for nightly visits to the woods.

"Tell me what the plan was, Florence," his voice was gentle, yet demanding enough to cause her to doubt that she would dare disobey him. He struggled to get the heavy radio off of the lifeless body. Once it was free of Raine's back he turned it over in order for the antenna to point upwards. When he received no answer, he glanced up at her from the ground. He was not required to repeat the question again.

"We were going to blow up the cinema" she replied ever so quietly, yet it appeared Landa had heard for he nodded shortly and for a second Florence believed she witnessed shock upon his otherwise plain features. He tilted his chin down towards the radio before he placed the headphones over his ears. Florence watched him in silence and did not dare to ask what he was doing, instead she waited patiently for him to address her.

"How?"

"Um," she breathed and her fingers landed over her lips as she received an impatient glare from him. "Donowitz and Ulmer have bombs tied to their legs," she explained hesitantly. "They would go off right after the movie started"

He paused in his work and pulled up the sleeve of his teel uniform to give his wristwatch a brief eye. "That leaves up exactly...a quarter of an hour before the whole cinema blows up," he lifted the microphone to his mouth yet in the manner he casually proceeded it was evident he spoke to no one on the other line just yet. "Now, by that time, or a minute after or so I would think, Hitler would be dead, Goebbels would be dead, in fact most of the German high command would be dead, or the significant ones anyhow." he shrugged as he inspected the front of the radio. "A fine plan, all things considered" he admitted and held out his hand, "You would have ended the war, tonight." he gestured at Florence, who watched him in a cautious anticipation. She did not thank him for his praise, did not even give him a smile yet that merely encouraged him to proceed. "However, I suspect that required my death, or more precisely my death at your hands, did it not?" he raised his brows and watched her, and she forced herself to nod. "Of course Raine could have easily done it by himself, but he would not, for the sake of dramatics, and now look who's very much alive and who's in fact rather dead" he demonstrated a wide, slightly crooked smile and deep visible dimples appeared on his cheeks.

"It seems like you chastise me for it"

"Oh, no, I owe you my life no doubt" he crackled before he wandered his eyes across the ground as if he listened closely to the radio which merely he could hear. "Herrman" he addressed and his tone was now stern and tenable. "There are two men in tuxedos, sitting in seats double zero 23 and double zero 24, with heavy explosives around their ankles. I am located somewhere in Allied Territory along with Fräulein De Simone, we were both kidnapped by Lieutenant Aldo Raine but we have managed to vanquish him." There was a brief pause, "Affirmative" he nodded and ran a hand through his hair as he shifted his weight from one knee to the other, as the position must certainly had become somewhat uncomfortable. Yet the radio itself weighed far too much for the rather small man to lift up from the ground, instead he remained hovered above it with one hand around the microphone and the other on the ground as support. "Over" he crackled before he removed the headphones to indicate that the brief conversation was, indeed, over.

Florence did not require much knowledge of German to understand what it was, a death sentence. Landa rose, wiped his trousers clean of moss and needles before he straightened his uniform. "It might take some time for them to reach us" he explained and took a step over the body beneath him. He attempted to approach her, yet stopped with his head tilted to the side when he noticed that Florence rapidly took a step backwards when he came closer. As if her sudden fear had amused him, he tilted his chin up and lifted his brows in practiced shock. "Is something the matter, Fräulein?"