Lucilla--NaNoWriMo2014

Chapter Twenty-Eight

With ease the German SS Officer advanced toward the truck.  Lucilla put her hand on Mark's knee.

"Be ready, my dear."

Herr Oberst tapped on the back of the truck's cab at the soldiers and partisans in the rear.  They were quiet as they emerged from the truck.  Herr Oberst left the door open for Lucilla to slip unnoticed in the dark with her bag and weapon.  She joined those waiting behind the truck.  Mark stood ready to exit the truck while Herr Oberst approached the SS Officer.

Herr Oberst showed the SS Officer his paperwork with General Kesselring's signature on it.  He looked at it for a while and then allowed the column to proceed.

Lucilla then joined the others, who climbed back in the truck.  After a few minutes the convoy resumed its slow, risky journey in the direction of Salerno.

The moon played peakaboo with the convoy as they forged on.  Roads narrowed and widened as they passed through sleepy villages. Lights flickered in bedrooms, now and the weight of the passing trucks caused such a vibration that ceramic tiles, new or a thousand years old, fell from attic roofs. Water fountains had gone silent, animals were safe in their barns.

Another check point.  The column began again.

Twelve midnight another SS Officer stood before the column.

This time there was a muffled cry of a baby.  The child grew silent but then cried all the louder.  Herr Oberst began to speak louder so that the SS Officer would not notice.  But as he handed the papers back to Herr Oberst, the baby's cry was unmistakable.

"Was habben Sie im Wagen dort?"

"Enschuldigen. Es ist Nichts, Mein Oberreichsfuerher."

As the SS Officer began to move in the direction of the crying baby, the German soldiers and the Partisans had dismounted from the last truck and was moving online toward the SS Officer.

Without warning, the Partisans and Germans began firing on the SS men.

Mark then stepped on the gas and the SS men in front of the vehicle shot up the truck's radiator. The Germans and Partisans in the back had dismounted and began to overwhelm the SS men. Mark moved to the next truck and urged the other drivers to run the German SS blockade while the German soldiers and Partisans were continuing to fire.

Then the shooting had stopped.  They had overwhelmed the SS men's roadblock. They carried the wounded away but left the bodies of the dead Germans only.  They carried away the bodies of two Partisans and all of the wounded. This would confuse the SS men into thinking that they were attacked by Germans.

Herr Oberst was not sure how many check points there were, but they at length reached the small town where Lucilla had confronted Petronius.  It was there that there was a last check point.  Unfortunately it was manned by German SS forces.  Herr Oberst again showed his papers to the SS Officer.

"Komen Sie mit, Herr Oberst.  Sie tragen Jueden im jeden wagen."

"No!" Herr Oberst shouted.

Almost on cue, Mark and Lucilla joined the Germans and Partisans as they dismounted and began to fire on the SS men.  The lead driver was killed.  Mark and Lucilla made a move for the vehicle.  Mark restarted the truck engine while Lucilla motioned for the next truck to follow.  The trucks began to move forward fast while the SS men were busy with the German SS.

"Go on, my love. If you stay for me, they will stop you.  Move.  Now!" Lucilla shouted while she rejoined the Germans and Partisans in the fire fight.  Mark moved on out of town.  After a few minutes the firing in the town had ceased.

"Oh, Lucy!" Mark cried out.  But he had to maintain his composure.

He stopped the convoy and ordered them to display their white flags before moving forward.  They had to risk another blockade by SS men, but the regular German Army woud allow them to pass through their ring of defenses around the Salerno beaches.

They forged on until they reached the German soldiers themselves.  Again the convoy passed narrow roads and were surprised to find their road blocked by the same Partisans that Mark had spoken with some weeks before.  Once they were convinced they allowed the convoy to continue.

They made their way past two more German Army positions.  Mark looked up and for the first time nocticed the the guns on both the German and the American side of the battlefield had grown silent.

Now the convoy began to pass through American Army checkpoints.  They had an incredulous look when they saw Germans and Partisans working together.

"Now I have seen everything," an American sergeant said aloud as Mark drove past.

Down and down toward Salerno they drove.  Another American check point.  This time they stopped and examined their papers.

"This looks like a trick.  Everybody out of the trucks," a Captain shouted.

Mark jumped out and approached the Captain. "Look, Mac, we got a convoy of Jews that we are evacuating because the SS men will merely ship them off to Dachau and the gas chambers.  You want innocent blood on your hands?"

"Why are armed Germans here with you?"

"They volunteered to work with the Italian Resistance on a humanitarian mission. Once we off load, they will return to their units.  Today we are all working together against the SS men.  After today, they will be enemies again."

The captain said, "I got a question.'

"Who's the Sultan of Swat, who plays for the Yankees?"

"That's easy. it was Babe Ruth, but he retired."

"Can you tell me anything else that will convince me that you are American?"

"Kilroy was here," Mark said.

With that the captain smiled and motioned to his soldiers to allow the convoy to proceed.

Once they reached Salerno, Mark jumped out where Nonno was waiting.

"Oh, my grandson.  you have done a noble thing to bring us the innocent Jews for evacuation."  Mark's grandfather looked around.  "Where is your wife?"

"I don't know, Nonno.  She joined the fight back there some miles away, and I pray that I find her on my return."

Mark and his grandfather directed the Rabbi to the American commander, who provided his refugees to the awaiting American ships for evacuation.

"Mark, I know you cannot remain here in Salerno.  The German artillery has not damaged us too much.  I have most of our family safely away from here."  Nonno gave Mark a hug and kiss on his cheeks.  "Go and find the woman that you love."

"Thanks, Nonno."

Within two hours Mark had taken the empty convoy off to the place where he had last seen Lucilla. Stopping the convoy, the Germans and Partisans looked around for friends and comrads.  They loaded their wounded and dead onto the trucks.

"My love."  Mark looked around to see Lucilla standing with open arms.

They ran to each other and shared a long kiss.

"Oh, Lucy, how did you ever survive?"

"Funny, but my companions had all been killed.  I heard footsteps approaching and closed my eyes, expecting to be killed.  Whoever it was merely stood over me.  After I opened my eyes, I saw that it was Petronius.  He took one look and moved on without calling to the SS men."

"Oh, Lucy, my love, you have redeemed yourself.  You are no longer the selfish woman who whored around.  You are loving.  Unselfish."

"Am I, Mark?"

"You are mine, Lucy."