Schatzi

33

After a day of torture, Breugennheimer had given up and sent him back to his cell. He'd slept for god knows how long, but when he woke up, he was immediately taken back to work. But not in his usual block. This was even worse, even more exhausting and a lot more lonely as well. If divisions between the gay prisoners were bad, it was even worse in a mixed group of them from all the different groups of people in the camp.

He'd felt like giving in and just letting himself be shot every single day when they were forced to carry back the bodies of the prisoners who'd been murdered or just dropped dead from sheer exhaustion throughout the day. But he didn't want to die just yet. He had to get back and do something about Jens and Friedrich.

What he'd seen on the night before they took him had haunted him the whole time he was in block 8. He couldn't stand by and watch while that was happening to his best friend.

And now he was back. And he was alive. And he could do something about it.

"Anyway," Jens sighed, going to stand up. "I should get back to Friedrich. Give me five minutes and I'll come back with some food for you. I think he has a lot of bread that he's been hiding away and not giving to me out of spite. I'll make sure he gives it to you."

He let go of Peter's hand just in time for Peter to grab it again to stop him from leaving.
"Please don't go to him," he whispered, shaking his head. "I saw what he did to you. I can't...I don't want that to happen to you again."

"Peter..." Jens started, red creeping across his cheeks.

"Don't try and argue with me, I'm not letting you see him. He'll hurt you again and I'll feel terrible if I know it's happening and don't try to stop it."

"He'll hurt me worse if I don't show up tonight, Peter," Jens mumbled, trying to pull his hand away but Peter wouldn't let him. "He'll hurt you too. He has a knife. He showed me two nights ago. He'll kill you if you interfere."

That was enough to finally get Peter to loosen his grip. Jens smiled weakly and brought Peter's hand to his lips, kissing his knuckles softly before dropping his hand and walking away, wrapping his arms around himself. He didn't want to deny Peter's help, because he really did want to get away from Friedrich, but he couldn't endanger Peter's life when he'd already been through so much in block 8.

So he went to the kapo's room and opened the door, walking in and keeping his eyes trained on the floor, avoiding Friedrich's eyes.

"Do you have any food, I'm absolutely star-" he was cut off as he felt a sharp, blinding pain in his lower abdomen that shot across his whole body, stealing the words from his lips and taking the air from his lungs. Everything in the room spun like a top, and he couldn't get his eyes to focus on anything. He stumbled back until he hit the wall.

His eyes finally focused on the person standing in front of him.

Friedrich.

If he'd looked at him when he walked into his room, he would have seen him sitting on the bed with the knife he'd shown Jens before clutched in his hand while he waited patiently for him to come in, like a lion stalking its prey.

Jens looked down, seeing the knife still in Friedrich's hand, held so tightly his knuckles were turning white. But now it was also lodged deep into his skin. A little scared and pained yelp escaped his lips before his eyes rolled back into his head and he sank to the floor. Friedrich went down with him, letting go of the knife so he could catch him before he hit his head on the hard floor. That would make noise and attract attention.