Auschwitz

Chapter 5 whipped

When I went to sleep today I had a skeleton on top of me. All of us were skeletons now, I pushed myself out of the bunk and almost fell down, my head spun as I tried to steady myself on the bunk. Mostly everyone did. We walked through the door and got our food rations, a slice of bread. I put it in my pocket and started walking to the hospital. While walking in I saw that one of the nurses were crying.

My mothers rule. 'Care about no one.' It was scary, what if her loved one died, what if she got in trouble?

"Are you alright?" I asked softly walking to the nurse slowly, she shook her head.

"It'll be cold tonight, and we have no wood for the fire." she sniffled, then wiped her nose slowly. Her hands went to her eyes covering her dirty face. Is that all?

"All the sick will die if they're not warm. Well all be reassigned to the hard labor area. Some of the nurses are almost older than us all. They'll get gassed." her sobs said how much she cared about the sick and the other nurses.

"I can get us firewood." I said bravely. I can, there are some logs by block 10 that no one uses, maybe that will heat the block in the night. Maybe I could save all of those poor souls. There is always an SS officer guarding block 10, that is where the hard labor workers are, so the SS officers wake them earlier than the rest for roll call. 

"Child, its impossible to get firewood. you'd have to steal it, if they caught you, you'd get lashed. I could never ask you."

"Ill do it for the patients, for my friend Elizabeth." I said slowly, wait, Elizabeth! I ran to the bunk, she was gone. Gone.M y friend is gone the only one I had. I fell to my knees and stood there for a while. My hands went to the ground feeling the cold cement. my mother was right, care about no one and I wouldn't feel so much pain, Elizabeth was gone, my friend is dead. 

"Elizabeth. Shes gone?"  I asked and she walked to me, her old legs trembling.

 "They came in and she was getting up. They decided she was well enough for hard labor." The nurse said moving her hand into her pocket. Elizabeth must have fell to the floor.

"But, shes still so weak." I said and placed both my hands on the ground pushing myself up. Shes not dead! I cant believe it they could've shot her. "Ill get you the fire wood." 

I walked outside not drawing attention to myself. the walk was short, the hospital block was across a field through some blocks. there was block twenty five I knew it was block twenty five because there were bars over the windows. peoples hands shown through them, they were calling water, or food. these people were going to the gas chambers and you couldn't help them, or you'd get thrown in there as well. pas that was the toilet block, then blocks 1-10. The fire wood was guarded by an SS officer at block ten and he turned around for ten minutes every hour. I just had to time it right.

I saw the officer and hid behind a wall of barrack nine. Tonight the patients will be warm, and they will live to see another day. I took a look and saw that he was turned. I slowly reached for one of the logs and gripped it. When I pulled I saw that if I did it would make a noise louder than I needed it to be. I pulled my hand away and sat thinking of how I could get that log and how I could get it without making a noise. I looked back and saw that the guard was standing like normal. Another hour.

Another hour of thinking. I could take the long on the other side where he cant hear as well. I walked to the other side a string of dead bodies on the ground. Some of them had extra rations.

The didn't need them they didn't even need their clothes.
What am I thinking! stealing from the dead, its the only way to live but it felt so wrong just thinking it. Right now I need that fire wood. I got to the other side and looked. he was turned yelling at a prisoner.
I took my chance and grabbed a log. It was no bigger them my arm, so it was light and a soft shade of brown, of course it made noise but he didn't hear over the yelling. I grabbed another as he shot in the air and as he did it again. I had now, five logs, enough would probably burn for hours. I had enough fire wood to last the night.  How am I going to get it back to the hospital barracks?

I started walking back the way  came and got to the hospital block. I had to act like I had an order to take it, I couldn't be nervous. Walking back I drew no attention to myself, and ignored the other woman's stares. I got wood for the fire, that was all that mattered. 

"befriend no one, tell no one your name. Care for no one." I whispered and shook my head, I had broken these rules.

The nurse I worked for cried with joy, the patients would live and we would not have to work hard labor.
"Oh bless you child, by god in heaven."
She hugged me and hugged me and kissed my cheeks. I nodded and trudged outside and took a seat, knowing there were no SS walking around right now, but then I got a shiver, of absolute fear down my back upon hearing a yell.

 "Wer hat Holzscheite genommen?" (who took wood logs?)
I stopped in my tracks, they knew, and maybe someone else will get the blame!
"I have to turn myself in." I said scared.
"No! they'll kill you, or punish you."
The nurse begged.
"I cant have them kill someone who didn't do it now could I?" I asked and walked out.
"I did!" I yelled and the SS looked at me, now ill be punished for something I did not do, steal.
"You are to be whipped for stealing!"