UPDATED 05/14/2022. Did some major revisions here, which I am quite proud of. Despite the tragedy that occurs in this chapter, I hope you guys enjoy it. This was a difficult chapter to write and read, and I always have to step away from it.
Reminder that I decided to get read of the German text dialogue so when Madison or any other character is speaking German, it's italicized in the quotations. (I can never remember if I put a reminder in the notes, I am so bad lmao.)
* * * * *
In early April, Easy Company officially entered Germany.
Madison wasn't sure what to expect when they had entered the country that her grandparents had immigrated from. On one hand, they had praised Germany, yet they moved to the states for better opportunities. On the other hand, all of her comrades insulted the country. She couldn't blame them, the Germans did invade Poland and brought the entire world into a huge mess.
Madison didn't let her inner conflict bother her too much. She had a job to do, and she couldn't let her feelings get in the way. After all, she wasn't born in Germany, she was just the second generation of Kleins born in the United States. She was an American girl who could speak fluent German, amongst other things.
The 101st Airborne weren't given much to do in the meantime. Their current orders were basically made of patrols and venturing about. A lot of the men took to looting, especially Speirs. Madison didn't really agree with the looting bit. She never had, and perhaps never will steal something for "souvenir purposes" or whatever the men were in it for. It just felt wrong to steal, especially when you had no true purpose for it. Just take what you need to survive, and move on.
The Germans weren't the friendliest, either. Many of the civilians that Madison encountered with sure did love Hitler. She felt extremely uncomfortable. This feeling would be amplified with Austrians when Easy Company entered Austria.
"Why shouldn't we be good to Hitler when he gives us all this?" a farmer had asked in English, gesturing to the land. Madison had to admit, the place was beautiful and there was no doubt that the Germans were well off. However, there was a reason for that. There were others paying a price for it. The people from France, Belgium, Holland, and Norway and many more were paying the expenses. It wasn't right.
"Because others are suffering for your pleasures," Madison had responded. The Führer may treat him well, but what about the others? It just wasn't right. Madison wanted that man to know just how bad things are but if they were anything like, she knew it would be futile. Little did she know, she would have more of these disagreements once she was in Austria, the true home of Hitler and his affiliates.
Madison found herself going on patrol a lot while in Germany, in case they needed a medic or translator. Madison was one of the few in Easy Company who could speak German fluently. Madison, Guth, Liebgott, and Webster were some of the fluent German speakers in the unit, so they were all often used by their comrades and superiors. It also appeared that the native German speakers trusted her more than the others. It was strange, to say the least. Why were they willing to talk to her more than the others?
When Madison wasn't on patrol, she was often stuck in town. A non-fraternization policy was put in place, but Madison wasn't going to be cruel to the younger children and preteens who flocked her way. While their mothers tried to shun them away, their children often wandered around looking at the soldiers in awe. None—okay, most—of the men weren't as brash to the children as they were to the adults. Children were innocent, and they should not be punished for what their families have done. It wasn't the child's fault that everyone was stuck in current events. They didn't know the horrors of war. They were sweet; innocent.
So, when the young children flocked around Madison, she made sure to give them candy—those kids were lucky, seeing that Madison had a huge sweet tooth. It was worth it, though, seeing the smile on their little faces before they ran off.
* * * * *
Being in Germany and having no current or frequent orders meant that more replacements came in. Madison was never hard on the new kids like some of the others were, but she didn't make her way out to become best friends with them, either. Let them come to her. Like how most of the veterans felt, she didn't want to become friends with them in case they got hit. It was always the replacements that got wounded or killed the most. They weren't as properly trained or experienced as the veterans.
Madison and other members of Easy were sitting and lounging around, listening to Nixon rattle off the war time news. As she semi-listened to Nixon, she couldn't help but think that he was getting worse. Just yesterday, he rejoined the company and looked quite stricken. Apparently, he was jumping with a different Airborne Division and by judging Nixon's demeanor, it didn't end well. She heard that his drinking was getting heavy; worse, and that was never a good sign. It wouldn't come as a shock if he had been demoted. According to rumor, that has already happened.
Madison sighed, as she stared up at Nixon through her aviator sunglasses. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. She liked Nixon, he was always informative and helpful to her when she needed it.
"I'm sure you'll all be happy to know that Oklahoma! is still playing on Broadway," Nixon read off from his clipboard, reeling Madison back into reality. She wasn't a big Oklahoma! fan, but she was sure that her friends back home would enjoy it. She knew Matt would enjoy it, as he liked to sing as one of his hobbies. He wasn't the best, but she always loved hearing her brother and father sing together, albeit off-key.
"Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain," Luz, Christenson, Babe, and a few more men started singing. "Where the waving wheat can sure smell sweet, when the wind comes—" Luz effectively cut everyone else off just in time for Patrick O'Keefe, a replacement, to finish it off in his high pitched, off key singing voice.
"—right behind the rain!"
Everyone started to laugh. They laughed even harder when Christenson asked, "O'Keefe, are you sitting on your bayonet? Why don't you leave the singing to Luz?"
"Unless you wanna do, like, 'Surrey with the Fringe on Top', O'Keefe," Luz added as he and the rest of the men cackled.
"You guys are so mean," Madison couldn't help but keep that grin on her face as she said it. What she said was true, but she couldn't help but be amused by their antics. Poor O'Keefe, but the men needed something to laugh at after enduring months of hell in the French region.
"Hey, you chose to be friends with us," Luz said.
"Not true," Madison denied.
"Aww, Rita Hayworth is getting married," Nixon informed the group.
"Oh, Rita, say it isn't true," Luz lamented.
"Like she would ever go for you," Madison remarked, rolling her eyes behind her sunglasses. The men laughed again.
"War time news," Nixon started up again, and everyone quieted down. "Resistance in the Ruhr's crumbling. It looks like there might be a breakout in Remagen. Apparently, the Krauts forgot to blow up one of their bridges when they headed back over the line. I guess the boys in the 17th Airborne did okay after all."
"Ah, forget it. We'd be in Berlin by now, sir, if it was us instead of them, huh?" Luz questioned.
Everyone around agreed to Luz's claim. Everyone knew that the 101st Airborne, specifically Easy Company, Second Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment, were the best around.
"Hey, Nixon? Do we have any news about the pacific?" Madison called out to him.
"Who gives a damn about what they're doing over there?" someone from the back shouted.
"Shouldn't we worry about Europe instead?" O'Keefe asked in genuine curiosity.
"I care because I like to keep up with current events," Madison said, lowering her sunglasses so she could glare at the men. The veterans knew not to say anything negative about the pacific theater when Madison was around or to ask questions about it, either.
"Let me look, Klein," Nixon broke the tension. He glanced through his sheet. The pacific, the pacific...
"Ah, looks like the Okinawa campaign started at the beginning of the month," Nixon read. "Before that, our American boys secured Iwo Jima, capturing the South and Central Airfields. Looks like our Marines are holding out against the Japanese. Tell your brother that we say hi, Klein."
"Will do sir, thank you," Madison grinned at him. She knew it must be hard for him to read that, but she appreciated that he was willing to provide her information.
What Madison didn't appreciate, however, was Easy's general lack of interest with what was happening in the pacific. She knew that their priority was the war they were fighting in and while she respected that, she knew that there were others fighting the battle, too.
Besides the letters she wrote to her brother, Madison couldn't help but wonder if he tried to get official news from his superiors, too. Although, she had a feeling that it was hard to keep up with information as fighting in the pacific sounded brutal and exhaustive.
She hoped that Matt and his comrades were okay; surviving whatever they were thrown into.
* * * * *
A few days later, Madison ran into Roe as she headed to her post. He told her some pretty big news: over three hundred thousand German soldiers surrendered.
"Ah!" Madison squeaked, covering her mouth quickly before throwing her hands back out in the air. She had no idea how to respond. "You're yanking my chain. Get out of town!"
"Believe it or not, but we got an hour until we're moving out, so let's get going," Roe told her as he began to walk away. "I'll see you later." Madison could only stare at him retreating for what felt like eternity. At least she didn't have to go to her assigned post, now!
It looked like the war in Europe would be over soon. There has been talk about it since Haguenau. No one was sure when, but if three hundred thousand soldiers were surrendering....
"Oh, shit."
"Move it, Klein! We're shipping out!"
Madison shook her head, getting rid of her trance and helped the men pack up and move out. She heard from Welsh that they were heading to the Alps, as Hitler ordered the Waffen SS to barricade themselves in the mountains, attacking any enemy that tried to play offense.
A last ditch effort, Madison thought. Then she tsked. No drop in Berlin. Damn it.
After being informed of her current orders, retrieving Nixon's helmet for him (he had thrown it in a fit when he found out that his wife was divorcing him. Tough luck.), and making sure that the others were all set, Madison went off to find an empty space in one of the trucks that would take them to the Alps.
"Hey, Klein! Over here!" Madison looked over and saw that Liebgott was yelling for her. She sprinted towards his truck and just in time, too, for the engines were starting up and she sure as hell wasn't going to be left behind.
"Hey guys," Madison greeted, as she noted that Webster, Perconte, and O'Keefe were some of the men that were in the truck. She threw her bag over the tailgate before addressing O'Keefe.
"Help me up, would you, O'Keefe?" Madison asked. O'Keefe grabbed her hand as she halted herself up via the bumper. As soon as Madison climbed over the tailgate, safely secured, she let out a "thanks" to the replacement, sitting in between him and Perconte. Perconte looked grateful that Madison did that.
The men started to sing "Blood on the Risers" as they were leaving the town, waving goodbye to all of the citizens and started to head out of the small town. It was one of the more relaxing trips that Madison had since officially entering the field.
"The risers swung around his neck, connectors cracked his dome,
Suspension lines were tied in knots around his skinny bones;
The canopy became his shroud; he hurtled to the ground.
And he ain't gonna jump no more."
Madison sang loud and clear along with her comrades. She swung her left pointer finger as she sang, her voice raising higher and higher along with Luz and a few others in her truck. Overall, Easy Company had high morale on their way to their next location.
"Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die,
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die,
Gory, gory, what a helluva way to die,
He ain't gonna jump no more!
"He hit the ground, the sound was "Splat," his blood went spurting high,
His comrades, they were heard to say: "A helluva way to die!"
He lay there rolling round in the welter of his gore,
And he ain't gonna jump no more!"
After Easy finished their unified singing fest, everyone broke out into small conversations with each other, or they minded their own business. While Liebgott and Webster were talking about what they were going to do when they got home and Luz was picking on Janovec, Madison was leafing through the letters she had received. She had received letters from Bill and Toye, who were recovering well. Her mother, brother, and sister wrote as well. Additionally, Faye Tanner, and Alex's eldest sister, Irene, had responded to her letters that she wrote.
Madison was able to write to the families of her deceased friends. Madison and Faye have corresponded a little bit since February, and Irene sent a response not too long ago, as Vest gave it to her shortly before they left for the Alps.
Madison's letters with Faye can be summarized as: Hi, I'm one of Skip's friends. I feel like I know you because all he did was talk about you. I'm so sorry that you lost him. Faye had responded with: It's devastating knowing he's gone. Your other friend, Don Malarkey, has written too. It's good to know that Skip had such good friends.
Faye, through her writing, was one of the sweetest people Madison knew, and she didn't even know her officially. Madison could see why Skip loved her so much. His family has yet to write back. She wondered if they'd received the letters yet, or if it was too soon for them. Madison couldn't blame them if it was the latter. If she had received a letter about Matt (and she prayed that she never will), she wouldn't know how to respond at all.
Madison read the letter Irene had sent her, telling her how the Penkala family were handling Alex's death. They were upset, especially the younger ones. Irene had appreciated that Madison took the time to write to them. It's better than the official telegram, she wrote. Madison couldn't help but agree. She knew that the official notification must be vague and not as heartfelt.
As she read through her letters—all of them—Madison hoped that her family would never have to go through what her deceased friends' families had to. If she or Matt were to die...well, Madison didn't want to finish those thoughts.
Please let us live through the war and bring us home, Madison prayed.
* * * * *
As they made their way to the Alps, Easy Company passed by the surrendering German army.
It was a sight to see. There they all were, all in uniform. They were all in line after line after line. The rows of marching soldiers went as far as the eye could see and beyond. The average enlisted men marched while the officers and wounded were carried on carts pulled by their horses. Madison had to admit, even in defeat they still had pride. She could respect that.
Madison simply observed the surrendering men. She couldn't help but think that her family could have been fighting on the Axis side of the war. Her brother would have been the enemy Easy would have fought against. She thought about that POW she encountered with Malarkey; how he lived in Oregon but then returned to fight for Germany. It was a strange thought, but it could have been a reality for the Kleins. She's glad that her family were on the Allied side. As much as they were proud of their heritage, they were even more proud of their American identity.
"Hey! Hey, you!" Webster had broken Madison out of her thoughts. She watched as he stood up, yelling at one of the German officers. They all turned to look at him.
"That's right! You stupid, Kraut bastards!" Webster continued. "That's right! Say hello to Ford, and General-fucking-Motors! You stupid, Fascist pigs! Look at you. You have horses! What were you thinking?"
"That's enough, Webster," Garcia said as Madison said "Hey, calm the fuck down." She pulled Webster back down to his seat, roughly, by his hand. She thought it would have popped out the wrist. It's happened before with other men.
Webster had calmed down a little by Garcia and Madison's words.
"Dragging our asses half away across the world, interrupting our lives," the Company Scholar growled before pausing. Madison could tell that he was heated again. He stood back up and began to shout at the Germans again.
"For what? You ignorant, servile scum! What the fuck are we doing here? Huh?"
They continued on, passing by the retreating Germans. No one said anything else. Part of the reason, Madison thought, was that they were afraid Webster might get fired up. She couldn't blame them. As much as Webster's anger was justified, and many agreed with his attitude (Madison included), no one wanted to poke the bear.
They passed by all sorts of the German military surrendering. They all watched as the French executed three of the SS. Most of the guys didn't flinch, except for O'Keefe and Janovec. They were still too new for all of this.
"They deserve it," Madison stated coolly to no one in particular. "Those are the true Nazis. They live, breathe, and die for Hitler. The French are doing us all a favor."
The men in the truck were surprised that Madison had said something like that. It was no secret that she was of German descent, but they knew that she knew what she was talking about. They never admitted it, but they learned a lot about Germany and its people thanks to her even though she was mostly defending the German immigrants and their contributions to the United States.
That being said, if Madison said the men executed deserved it, then she was right.
"I now understand Webster's anger," Madison commented, as her own anger rose by the second. "Fucking SS."
* * * * *
As soon as Madison stepped foot on the ground, something didn't feel right about Landsberg. Not one citizen was out and about. It was quiet and unsettling. Something was up.
"I don't have a good feeling about this place," Madison was telling Shifty as the two watched as their comrades were getting ready to patrol the woods (Easy Company) or the town (Dog and Fox companies). "I don't like being here."
"I know what you mean," Shifty agreed. "Something's funny about this town. I hope we get out of it soon."
Madison didn't say a word for a minute. She stared into the horizon before she had said anything else.
"I think I'm going to walk around, it might help me calm my nerves," Madison said. She had been ordered to stay behind. She looked up towards Shifty. "Good luck with the patrol."
"Thank you, Maddie. See you soon," Shifty said, waving a hand at her.
The walk, as it turned out, did not help her at all. It didn't take away that burning fear of something being wrong. If anything, Madison became more anxious.
Madison looked around as she walked about the small town. She saw a few soldiers from Fox and Dog, but she didn't see many of them as she went past the few blocks where everything was stationed. She wondered if the men could feel the same thing she was.
There was some life in the town, the more Madison ventured in. She noted a few people walking about, but they ignored her as they went about their daily routines. That was fine with her, she supposed if the German soldiers were in her city, she would not want to associate with them either.
Ignoring the fact that some of the people were out, the town was mostly quiet. The atmosphere reminded Madison of a thriller she once saw with her brother and sister; a dangerous one. She did not like it one bit. The more she looked around, the more Madison could feel the anxiety in her burn. Landsberg was too quiet and eerie for her liking. She hoped that they didn't stay here for the night, as she needed to get the hell out of this town.
Madison turned on her heel sharply, heading back towards headquarters. She first walked at a normal pace, then decided to speed it up. She would deny that she started to sprint, but Frank Perconte would tell you otherwise.
"Maddie!" he called out, running up to her. He grabbed her by the arm, scaring the daylight out of her.
"Jesus, Frank! What is it?" Madison snapped, glaring. However, she noticed how out of breath he was, and how intense his eyes looked. She didn't like it one bit. She turned softer. "What is it, Frank??"
"I don't know, I—have you seen Winters around?" Frank's voice wavered, and Madison found herself getting scared. That was something Madison would not admit so easily, either.
"He's back at HQ. Why? Frank, what's going on?"
"I'll explain on the way, but we gotta get going, and fast."
Together, the two shortest members of Easy Company began to sprint back towards headquarters. On the way, Frank was explaining how he, Luz, Bull, Christenson, and O'Keefe were out patrolling in the woods when they discovered something. Frank was having a hard time explaining what it was, so Madison told him that he did not need to say anything. They would find out soon enough.
The two soldiers made it back to HQ. The men were everywhere. Madison saw Skinny Sisk first.
"Skinny! Have you seen Winters or any officers around?"
"No, why?"
Madison shrugged as she gestured to Frank, who was frantically speaking to Alton More. "I don't know, but Frank needs to see someone, and bad."
Skinny looked over her. "Well, I see Winters walking out now."
Madison looked over her shoulder and spotted Winters walking out of the building. Her head snapped back forward towards where Perconte was at.
"Hey, Frank! Winters is walking out now!" she shouted. Frank saw him and zoomed past everyone in or near his path and was at Winters' side in an instant.
"Major Winters, sir! We found something," Frank started, breathless. "We were on patrol, and we came across this—"
"What, what, what?" Winters was repetitive in his response. He could sense that something was wrong. "Frank, Frank, what is it?"
Frank was at loss for words. "I don't know, sir."
* * * * *
In less than two minutes Easy packed up into the trucks and started their way into the woods. The farther they went in, the more Madison felt like she was about to become ill. Her brain was screaming at her: something is wrong.
It felt like an eternity when they reached their destination. It was the smell that hit her first. No other words besides pure death could describe the scent. God, what was going on?
Madison stood up and held onto one of the bars of the truck, not bothering to wait when the vehicle was stopped. She had to know what was going on.
Madison had terrible eyesight. She knew this, so she had an idea that she wasn't about to see the whole picture. What she was able to spy out, however, was already making her stomach twist and turn. There was a fence with wooden posts and barbed wire. She saw people, men, lining up against said wire, or leaning against it, she wasn't too sure. They all wore the same striped clothing and had blotches of a dirty color (a badge?) on their chest. If she looked past them, she could see a watch tower and huts lined up, similar to the barracks at Camp Toccoa. However, this was a different place; a different type of camp. This place is far more sinister.
What is this place?
Everyone was confused, unsure, and nauseated at the sight they were seeing. These men were being held against their will for something. They were prisoners. But for what? Why were they here?
Why were they here? A question that many enlisted men wondered about themselves, but now it's extended to these people.
Why are they here?
Madison was determined to find out.
Two men had broken the lock and chains to the place, and a few men started to enter the camp, while many of these mysterious men kept a slow, weak pace towards them.
These men needed aid, stat.
As Madison shoved her way up, determined to help the imprisoned, she tore off her helmet, dropping it to the ground. It felt too heavy. As she got closer, she was able to take in more detail of her surroundings.
It was absolutely sickening.
These men. While they all had different characteristics, the two things they all had in common was that they were pale and literally just...skin and bones. They looked like skeletons. These men were starved, sick, and dressed up as a common prisoner.
But why? Madison's mind was screaming, knowing this was all very wrong but she didn't know why, and that was killing her.
Should I ask?
She barely registered Lipton's orders for everyone to give their rations to these men. To her, it was a no-brainer that these men needed help. But where could she start?
The prisoners had made it somewhat easy for her and Easy. They were all coming up to her. Many of them were touching her hair and caressing it, pulling her close and hugging her tight, kissing her all over her face, crying in her hold as she tried her best to soothe them.
Danke, danke; Dziękuję, Dziękuję, she heard them cry in German, and what she believed to be Polish. Thank you, thank you.
These men, who were breaking down in her arms and thanking her with all their strength...Madison knows she's right. These men weren't criminals, how could they be?
Why are you here? Madison's thoughts screamed. What did you do to deserve such brutality?
Madison couldn't ask her questions, refusing to let her emotions overwhelm her. Her priority was to take care of these men; she could ask questions later. Based on her logic, the young medix took out her canteen—full of water, Hail Mary—and popped open the cap. She handed it to one of the men closest to her.
"Take a sip and pass it around," she ordered in German, mimicking the action in case she spoke to those who didn't understand. She passed her canteen to the man closest to her. He said "thank you" before he took a huge gulp from the canteen. He passed the canteen to another man, who repeated his actions. Then he passed the canteen onto the next man.
While the men were drinking, Madison began to dig in her bag for her rations. She was surprised at how much she still had left, considering that she was snacking constantly. She made sure those were passed around too.
"Eat, but not too much," Madison advised. "If you eat too much, you'll get sick."
As swift and careful as she could, Madison began to walk around the camp, aiding these men while observing their surroundings. This place was the worst and most terrifying place she's ever been to. There was smoke in the air—no way it was fog, not when she could tell that some of the huts and bodies of the deceased showed signs of burning. Madison gulped heavily as she noted the bodies of the deceased in various conditions: nude, burnt, and in various stages of rigor mortis. It was sick.
Madison saw one man who held a steady and slow pace, cradling a body in his arms. She speculated that the man who was being held was dead, and she was correct, as the man who carried the body fell to his knees in front of her, crying.
"My father! My father, please!" he cried. She took a look at his face, trying not to cry while trying to determine how old he was. Due to the state of these men, they could easily look any age. They were so horrifically abused, and it was showing. She took a long, watchful look at the man and saw that his eyes held both tragedy and youth. She guessed that he was roughly sixteen to twenty years old. He was too young to lose his father.
"I'm so sorry," Madison said, as she knelt down, joining him. Her tears wanted to escape so bad. She tried her best to blink them back, but she felt the heat as they escaped. She softly placed her hand on the deceased man's chest. "He's gone."
The man had let go of his father, who promptly fell into Madison's lap. She had to bite back her scream. She couldn't do that in front of his grieving son. As the man cried in despair, desperately wanting his family back, Madison gathered him into her arms and held him close. At this point, she had both father and son in her grasp.
"It will be okay," she found herself saying, as she moved one hand up and down the son's back in a soothing manner. "We will never let this happen again. I will never let this happen again."
* * * * *
These men were Jewish.
They were Jewish, Polish, and everything else that the Nazis hated. They were here because they were undesirable and not part of the Aryan race. That's what one of the men told her as she was disinfecting an ugly gash of a wound.
Madison had stopped what she was doing, staring at the man. The man was staring her down, hard.
"We are Jewish, Polish, everything," the man repeated as he saw Madison's look of shock. He was telling her his life story. He was in his later fifties. He was a factory worker before he was sent here, and had a wife, children, and a few grandchildren. One grandson, around Madison's age, had died a few weeks before the liberation of this work camp.
Speaking of his wife and grandchildren struck a chord in Madison. As she had walked around and aided the men, she had noted that no women or young children were here. She had a bad feeling about what was of them, but she had to ask.
"Where are the women? The children?" she asked. "I do not want to upset you, but I have to know."
The man answered in English. "There is a women's camp down the road."
Madison gulped. If the men were treated like this, then how were the women treated? Thinking back to her own experiences in the world and the stories she's heard...
Madison felt her body temperature raise at the thought of what women in the other camp must have gone through.
She was now downright frightened.
* * * * *
Madison found herself outside of the death camp a little later, having a conversation with Babe and Malarkey.
Everyone was having a difficult time with the discovery. Some of the men, like Liebgott, Eddie Stein, and Lieutenant Shames were taking it the hardest. They were Jewish. No one was going to give them a hard time over it. Everyone was shaken to the core over this discovery, especially when Speirs and a few other men discovered the railway cars that had piles and piles of the dead inside. It was sickening.
As Madison, Malarkey, and Babe conversed, Madison heard a voice loud and clear:
"KLEIN!" Major Winters yelled out for her. "I need Sergeant Klein right now! Where is she?"
Madison looked to where Winters was shouting from, but she couldn't see him due to the mass of bodies of both soldiers and civilians all around her.
"Where is he?" Madison asked, to herself or to her friends she wasn't sure, but she had an idea for what Winters wanted her for. She was gathering up the courage to ask him about it, anyway.
"He's over there," Malarkey pointed over everyone. "He's at the jeep with the colonel and someone else."
"Alright," Madison said. "I guess I'll see you two later."
Madison began to move her way through the crowd, careful of who she would bump into. If she knocked over one of the imprisoned men she would have felt like a monster; her friends would live if they got shoved around too hard.
Madison found that she didn't need to make her way through the crowd, for Nixon found her. He grabbed her by the arm and started to pull her towards Winters. He was able to steer them through the crowd effectively.
The two finally made it to Winters, Sink, and the other man. Madison would later find out he's the regimental surgeon.
"Major Winters, sir, you requested to see me?" Madison greeted Winters in the proper manner. She didn't want to look at Sink.
"Yes. Klein, do you know about the other camp with the women and the children?"
Madison nodded. "Yes, sir. I was wondering if that's what you wanted me for. Do you wish for me to go?"
"Colonel Sink suggested it would be wise. I'll only allow it if you want to. You don't have to—"
"With all due respect, sir, I wish to go. Am I to go by myself?" Madison interrupted.
"No, take as many of the men you want. Dog Company will be there as well. When you're ready to go, report back here and one of the drivers will take you. Be sure to report to headquarters by 1900 hours. Good luck, Klein. "
"I don't need it," Madison retorted automatically. She turned around and started walking away, thinking of the men she could take. She definitely won't take Liebgott or Stein. She debated on Babe, maybe Malarkey and/or Luz, should she take another medic? She wasn't—
"Sergeant Klein?" someone called out Madison's name. She turned to find O'Keefe standing behind her.
"O'Keefe," Madison greeted, looking up at the taller man. "What is it?"
"I-I overheard where you're going, and I-I-I want to go."
Madison studied the boy. She could see he was spooked up over all this but hell, who wasn't? His eyes were rimmed red, a telltale sign that he was crying, but she could hear the dedication and want in his voice. She gave him a careful, soft look.
"You want to help?"
O'Keefe nodded vigorously.
"Yes, ma'am. I mean—"
She waved it off. "Don't worry about it. Okay, you can help. Meet up at Winters in five and we'll get going."
* * * * *
It was Madison, O'Keefe, Guth, Bull, Luz, Christenson, and a few others that decided to go to the next camp. When they were ready, they were driven down to the women's camp, where Dog Company was waiting for orders.
Madison didn't bother for the jeep to stop. When they were close enough the young medic jumped right out, heading towards the gates.
"Move, move. Out of the way! Please, get out of my way!" She was yelling as she pushed some of the men out of her way. Some of the men parted for her. When she got to the front, she saw one of Dog Company's lieutenants. She headed towards him.
"Hi, I don't believe we've met. I'm Sergeant Madison Klein, one of the medics with Easy," she saluted before sticking out her right hand. The lieutenant returned the salute before shaking Madison's hand.
"I know who you are. You're practically the only woman in this entire regiment," the lieutenant said. "Can you brief the men, let us know what we're in for?"
Madison nodded. First, she turned towards the inside of the camp. Unlike the men, it appeared that the women and the children were far more cautious of the men. Some of them look like they were in better condition, compared to the last camp she had been at just minutes earlier. Some of the women were in better and decent clothing and didn't have their hair shaved off. Madison swallowed, having an idea on exactly why that was. She forced herself to keep her bile down.
One of the women at the front gate was staring at her, wondering what she was doing. Why were they all there, really. Madison gave her a nod of acknowledgement before turning back to the men of Dog Company.
"Alright, men, listen up!" Madison began, yelling as loud as they could. "These women and their children need our help! Help them. Give them your rations, basic medical care that you know, a piece of cloth, anything. They will be cautious of you, giving their predicament so please, be careful and gentle with them," Madison paused. She had to tell the men of their restrictions of the mission, which was difficult. She sighed before continuing.
"When you give them food, be sure it's in small amounts so that they don't get ill. We also have orders from the regimental surgeon that all displaced persons must stay in the camp until we can relocate them. Understood?"
The men were silent. Madison found her patience was thinning.
"I said: understood?"
"Is that clear, boys?" the lieutenant barked.
"Yes, sir!" the men responded.
"Men," Madison muttered in German, shaking her head. She heard one woman snicker weakly. She turned to look not at the woman, but at the heavy lock and chain that this camp had—it was just like the men's camp. Madison scowled at the lock and chain.
"We need to break that lock," Madison said. She looked towards the lieutenant. "Sir?"
"You got it," the man said.
In under a minute, Madison, the Easy volunteers, and Dog Company were able to enter the camp. It would be the second camp that Madison and the Easy volunteers would enter that day.
"Stand back," she advised the women who were clinging to the gate, then switched back to English for the men opening the gate. "Be careful."
The gate was now wide open, and entering the camp was like Deja vu. More and more women came out of their huts in that slow, steady pace that the men at the other camp had done. There were bodies of the dead everywhere in various states, naked or not but always thin and pale. Madison wondered if this camp had a train car piled with bodies of the dead too.
Before Madison could venture further into the camp, one of the women grabbed her arm. Madison looked up. This woman was around her mother's age. Her brown eyes were steely. She appeared to be one of the stronger ones in the camp.
"You speak...German well," the woman said in English. Madison couldn't help but stare at her for a moment.
"Your English is good," Madison finally said after a moment, not knowing what else to say. She mentally hit herself for saying that. God, she can be so stupid at times.
"Thank you," the woman said. "If you wish I may be able to help...give information to men? I am...one who can speak well."
Madison nodded. "Yeah, sure. Go ahead. Do you require any assistance?"
"No. The girl...children need it more."
* * * * *
Madison was right when she thought the women went through more horror than than imagined.
Madison was making as many rounds as she could as the women were telling her what they have been through. It had made her so ill thinking about it, but she was holding it down for the sake of these women.
The women were beaten, starved, and abused like the men down at the other camp. They had been separated from their spouses and sons. They had to watch as the men killed the ones who were deemed unfit to work. Many included the young children. Madison had noticed that no toddler or infant of sort was in the camp, at least alive. She had the unfortunate luck of seeing some of their little bodies in rigor mortis. That would be one of subjects that would haunt Madison for years after the war. They were children.
Some of the women, especially the ones who looked well taken care of compared to the others, were the favorites to the officers. One of those women refused to be looked at by any of the other men, so Madison had to take care of her. As Madison assessed her, the woman suddenly yelled out, squeezing Madison's arm so hard she thought blood had stopped flowing.
"Ma'am? Are you alright?" Madison asked, worried. The woman responded in between breaths.
"My...My..."
My what? Madison was looking everywhere, feeling up and down and then...oh, she was wet. Uh oh.
"Oh my God," Madison whispered, in more fear than she would ever know. This woman was in labor, out of all things. She was about to give birth.
The woman was crying out. Madison made sure she was in a comfortable position. Now, Madison knew how birthing worked, seeing as she had a younger brother and many young cousins, but she has never given birth or assisted in birth or anything of the sort. She looked around frantically, and the first man she spotted was Luz.
"George!" she screamed. Luz whipped around, startled by how raw and desperate she sounded. Oh my God. "George, this woman is in labor!"
"Holy shit," Luz scrambled over towards her. Some of the women began to crowd around the scene.
"Midwife?" someone asked. Madison had to think about the word for a moment. They were asking: midwife?
"Yes, yes! I mean, Yes! Is there a midwife here?"
With the help of Luz and the English-speaking woman she had encountered earlier, the three were able to aid this woman in giving birth to a tiny, tiny little girl. The woman giving birth, Elaine, had unfortunately died shortly after from loss of blood and from other conditions she had due to the camp. As much as Madison was upset over it, she was devoting her life to Elaine's newborn. Madison refused to let anyone hold her, save for the midwife, who she now knew as Esther.
Madison had taken off her jacket and shirts and tank, holding the newborn close to her. She needed as much body warmth and skin to skin contact as possible. When the little girl first came into the world, Madison had feared for the worst because she wasn't crying. However, Luz and Esther were able to confirm that the child was alive. Perhaps the newborn knew of the horror she was born in; maybe she was too scared to make a sound. Madison would never know.
Madison knew one thing, however. Typically, she thought the same thing about every single newborn she has seen: they were ugly. They just were, okay? This baby girl, however, was the exception. She was just a little miracle in the terrible world she was born into. For that, she was the most beautiful newborn in Madison's eyes—she was way cuter than Mikey when he was born.
And for the second time that day, as Madison cradled the young newborn, she made the promise that she had told the grieving son at the previous cmap.
"Never again."
* * * * *
It was a little after 2300 hours when Madison finally reported to Winters.
The others had reported back before 1900 like Winters had wanted, but Madison had refused. She had stayed, watching over that newborn while simultaneously helping out Dog Company, the women, and the children as much as she could. She left her jacket behind, letting the newborn use it as a blanket. Oh, how Madison did not want to leave her behind, but she knew that Esther would take care of her the best she could. She had miraculously found a way to feed the newborn, with the help of the other women and medics from Dog Company.
Since Madison had left the women's camp, she prayed for the child and her mother, and for the regiment to work fast to get those people into a safer location where they can be monitored and cared for. To leave them where they've been locked up and suffered...damn them.
Damn the Nazis. Fuck the Nazis, and fuck Hitler, was all Madison could think. They all have a special place in Hell. When I die, I will meet them there and beat the living hell out of them.
Madison was dropped off in front of the HQ building. Winters, Nixon, Welsh, Lipton, and Speirs were all waiting for her. She had noticed them before the driver had stopped but she did not acknowledge them. (She was in a state of shock.) When the driver had let her know that they were there, she got out. She thanked him. The driver nodded before he drove off down the road. She watched him go before he disappeared around the corner.
Madison's head turned back to where her superiors were at. They did not look happy. She took a deep breath before she walked over to them, saluting when she was close enough.
"Sirs."
"You were supposed to report back here by 1900," Winters began to scold her. Madison felt like she was being scolded by a parent, with the other one standing beside and the elder relatives being there. "You disobeyed my orders."
"I know and with all due respect sir, I don't regret it." Madison stated. She blinked heavily. She felt dead on her feet, and it was apparent to the others.
"Where's your jacket, Klein?" Nixon was the first to notice that she only had her undershirts on.
Madison shrugged. "Not here."
"Answer the question," Speirs ordered. Madison stared at him hard.
"I just did."
Lipton gave her a warning look. "Klein—"
"Alright, fine. You wanna know what happened to it? I gave it up. I gave it to a newborn baby, who I had to help deliver and watch her mother die, all next to a pile of corpses. Is that what you want to hear?"
The five men stared at her.
"Jesus," Welsh muttered. They didn't think about how extreme it must have been in the women's camp.
"Yeah, you're right. Jesus," Madison said. She shut her eyes for a moment. She needed to stop being so irritated.
"I'm sorry," Madison breathed out. "I'm just really shaken over all of this. Those women—they had it worse than the men. You have—we have no idea what the hell they've been through. Has anything been said about all this?"
"Starting tomorrow the citizens will go to the camps and clean up. Martial law," Nixon answered.
Madison nodded. So, she wouldn't need to go back to the camps. Good. "Alright. And what about all those people?"
"We're going to get them out, don't worry," Winters told her. He placed a hand on one of her shoulders. "Don't tear yourself up over this, you hear me?" he asked in a gentle tone. "Go get some rest. You're sharing a room with Powers, Heffron, and Roe. Speirs will take you there. You're all down the road. Try to rest up."
"I'll try," Madison nodded. "Goodnight, sirs."
"Goodnight, Klein."
Speirs led her to the building that she was to room in. It took them about five minutes to get there.
"They're right inside. I'm not sure which room they're in, but I heard that they were going to be on the second level. Get some rest. That's an order," Speirs commanded. Madison nodded.
"Yes, sir. You get some rest, too."
Speirs nodded. She went inside, leaving him there. She numbly went up the stairs, almost falling down a few times, but she was able to pull herself up and get to the second level.
Madison studied the hallway. The doors were all closed. She decided to play it safe and listen to the conversations that were coming from each room. She was able to locate her roommates this way. She didn't bother to knock on the door as she entered the room unannounced.
The men were sitting on the beds, all dressed in new uniforms and waiting for her. They all looked up when she had entered.
"Where the hell have you been? We've been worried sick," Babe was the first to speak up. Madison stared at him, not answering at first. She had to think about what she was going to say.
"I was with the women. I...I don't want to talk about it," she said, as she felt the breaking point nearing. Repressing and burying her emotions could only work for so long.
"We understand," Roe said. "We got new uniforms. We put yours in the bathroom. We thought you'd want to take a shower."
A shower. That'll do her some good.
"A shower, yeah," Madison mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "That'll do me some good. Thanks, guys. I'll hop in now. You don't need to wait up for me. Get some rest."
She didn't wait for their responses as she walked into the bathroom, slowly closing the door behind her. She saw her new uniform laying on the rack. A small smile found a way on her face. She was lucky to have such thoughtful, caring brothers-in-arms.
Madison turned the water on before she began to strip her clothing. It felt so good taking that uniform off. She wondered if she should burn it but thought against it and threw it in the wastebasket.
She stepped into the shower. The water was warm; welcoming. For a few minutes, she just stood, basking it all in. This was similar to what Malarkey did in the showers at Haguenau. Her mind was blank as her muscles relaxed in the hot, scalding water. It took a few minutes for Madison to break out of her trance, grabbing the bar of soap and beginning to cleanse herself.
As Madison scrubbed the soap over her body, all of what had happened that day came flashing before her eyes. She dropped the soap, yelping in shock. She stood there, trying to figure out what was happening. She could feel herself trembling, hands tingling, and felt pain in her cest. However, she did nothing more as she decided to wash her long hair. As soon as she rinsed her hair, she declared to herself that she was finished and shut the water off. She stopped shaking then. For a minute, at least.
Maybe it's just the water, Madison thought numbly as she exited the shower. She was still shaking as she dried off, and still was as she put on her new tank, shirt, and scratchy boxers on. This is what she'll wear to bed. She would put the rest of her uniform on tomorrow.
Madison finished getting herself dressed. She stood there, and before she knew it, the memories came flooding back again. Harder this time. The smell. The dead. The cries. The birth. The numbers tattooed on their arms. Their eyes. The signs of rape. Murder.
It was all too much.
Madison found herself falling to her knees, grasping on to the floor as she began to wheeze. The chest pain became apparent as her wheezing turned into desperate gasps for air, which turned into straight up bawling. She was heaving badly and felt as if she was burning up. Her heart pounded and she could not calm herself down.
Good God, Madison realized. I'm having a panic attack!
There was rapid knocking on the door. Her friends must have heard her fall.
"Maddie? Are you okay?"
"Go away!" Madison yelled, as she drew her hands to her face, covering up. She felt like she was going to get sick.
There was no reply. Instead, her three roommates barged into the bathroom, breaking the lock. They hovered around her and she hated it.
"I said go away!" Madison screamed, as she pushed herself away from them. She felt her back hit against the tub. She wouldn't feel the pain until the next morning.
Madison continued to freak out as one of the men dared to get close to her again. She ignored it and continued to let the tears stream down her face. She sensed someone inching near her, placing a hand on her thigh. It felt cool against her hot skin.
"It's hard, I know. It's been hard on all of us," came the sweet drawl of Shifty's voice. "But we won't leave until you're alright."
Madison didn't say anything. She was too afraid to. She started to hiccup.
"You need to calm down, Maddie. You'll get sick," Roe said. Madison shook her head. "Madison, breathe."
No one was sure how long Madison's meltdown was. To Madison, it felt like an hour before she finally was able to ride it out. She didn't stop until she cried herself dry.
"I'm sorry," Madison's voice cracked. She didn't dare to look at any of them. She felt embarrassed. "Today was just too much."
No one replied. They all understood. Shifty rose to his feet, helping Madison up as well. Madison nodded in thanks as she started to walk. She almost tumbled back down to the ground, if it weren't for Babe catching her.
"You need to lay down," Babe said. Madison didn't say anything as he half led, half dragged her to one of the beds. When she was in range, she tore the blanket off before burying herself in it on the mattress. She turned her head to the wall, ignoring everyone for the rest of the night, barely catching any shuteye.
Humanity is cruel.
* * * * *
A/N (6/16/2019): I don't know if it was because I was watching callmekevin play Harry Potter all weekend, but you know how Shifty and Madison had their first conversation in Landsberg before she took a walk? Tell my why I thought of Shifty as an NPC (Non-Playable Character) and Maddie as the Main, omg. (Maybe my writing skills are so impressive that I felt like I could be moving in that town, searching for coins or whatever games have you do.) IDK, I just thought that was funny enough to share :D
Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. New readers to this series: I am sorry you had to go through this. It'll get better.