Auschwitz - COMPLETE

Today is the 62nd Annervisery of the Soviet liberation of Auschwitz. As you read this chpater, please remeber those who died there, those who died after liberation, and those who lived with the memories of the camp for the rest of their lives.
Bam
A small piece of bread and a bit of jam. That's it. That is all these prisoners live on per day. Everyday the portions get smaller as more prisoners arrive. Yet the population of the camp does not increase. The death toll of both the gas chambers and the working conditions keeps the population even.
I spot the green eyed man again as the rations are given out. He is muttering to a fellow inmate in English. Interesting... He stops as the rations come his was and he stares at the bread and jam in shock. His face clearly reads,
"Is that all?" But he gulps it down in no time. He'll regret that later. That was meant to last him 24 hours. But maybe...maybe I could do something. It would cost me my job if I was caught. But I know the other guards. I know when they will be keeping a sharp eye on the prisoners. And when they won't be.

Again I had to work the selection process. Again, I worked as quickly as possible to detach myself from what I was really doing. But that didn't prepare me for what was to come. The last eight approached me.

"Right, right, right, straight ahead, left, right, right...Jess?"

I couldn't believe it, stood before me, was my brother Jess.

"What...how...but....why?" I asked him, unable to believe that my brother, my Jess, was here. April, my mother, will be heartbroken.

"I was handing out Anti-Nazi propaganda...I know I have to go to the gas chambers for that Brandon...don't pity me...I don't want to live with the pain I've caused mom," He didn't even look me in the eye.

"Look at me Jess, in the eye's," I asked. He refused, so I grabbed his chin and forced his eyes onto mine. "Listen to me, Mom will be proud of you for being who you are. She'll be more hurt if you die! I'm going to send you to work," I muttered in English. So few of the guards knew the language, I was safe talking to him.

"NO! I want to die, they took my wife...and Ava too, they took my little girl! I can't live with myself knowing I've sent them to their deaths. So let me die Brandon. Its all I deserve!" He cried back.

"Ava..? And Kate..? Surely not!" He nodded. "I'm going to miss you bro..." I said, holding back the tears. Again he nodded, and, before I had a chance to tell him left, he went right, to the gas chambers, to his death.

I knew I had to wait to let out my grief, and supervising his death would be no help. As a result, I was angry, so angry. I approached the prisoners waiting to die, thy were all naked, waiting. I spotted Jess immediately, but he wouldn't look at me.

"LISTEN! You are going to be cleaned. Don't be afraid of the gas, breath it in deeply, it will help all the sickness!" I cried out to them, not taking my eye's off my doomed sibling. Like these before them, they knew what was really to come. But they went nevertheless, quietly, as if in shock. Some children were crying but other than that the eire silence was sickening. It was as they had come to terms with the horrible fate that awaited them.
Jess was the last to force himself into the tiny room, I saw the look on his face as the door closed. There was no fear, no pain, no..anything. It scared me at just how prepared he was for his fate.

Again all I had to do was supervise. As the Zyklon B pellets were tipped into the vents, and the smell of cyanide filled the air, I heard his screams. Louder than any other. I felt my heartbreaking as his screams died down and the gas took effect. Within less than half an hour, everyone was gone, and, as they opened the door, his naked corpse fell to the floor. His body was limp, his skin coated in sweat and waste and yet, unlike the others, the expression on his face was the same as before. Yes he had been screaming in pain, yet in death, his face held...nothing. I felt a tear run down my face as his body was taken to the furnaces.

Like yesterday, the furnaces became full before even half the bodies had been removed from the chambers. They, like the day before, were carted to the mass graves behind the furnaces. However, unlike my first day on duty, the furnaces broke down before the bodies could burn. So I had to order that they be moved to the mass graves outside. It took an hour longer. By the time the last body has been loaded onto the heap, the sun had set, and an eirie red glow flooded the camp. Jess's body lay on the top of the heap, the glow of the sun given his features a sinister nature.

I walked away as the fire was lit, knowing my day's duties were over. Well...almost, I still had to sneak the green eyed prisoner some food. I looked behind me as the smell of burning flesh replaced that of cyanide. Smoke arose from the back of the building, and, as it spread, I was sure that I saw Jess's face. The face I saw in the smoke bore such a resemblance to the face he'd held in death, that I could honestly say I was scared, more than I have ever been or probably ever will be. And the guilt I felt towards his death had such a firm grip on my heart, that I couldn't help but let the tears in my eye's fall. But I wiped them away. I had to be strong. For me, for my mother, and for the green eyed prisoner I was determined to save.

Even though I didn't have to, I helped make sure the prisoners returned to the barracks for bed. I claimed that I as suspicious of their behavior. The other guards believed me. In my pocket was a small ham and cheese sandwich. I had to keep it small so it wouldn't be seen. I was going to slip it to the green eyed man after I caused a distraction. I could only hope it would work.

As I approached his barrack I saw him. He looked so much thinner, I knew I had to do something.

"Get in the barracks, now, MOVE IT, I DO NOT HAVE ALL NIGHT!" I cried They whimpered and moved, forcing those in front of them inside quicker. Before anyone could see, I tripped the green man up. He was at the back, so it was easy. I pretended to kick him in punishment, as if it had been his fault. Then I bent down to his fallen level. With one had, I held on to his face, with the other, I slipped the sandwich into his hand.

"Take it. Eat it!" I muttered in English, knowing he would understand. He blinked in thanks and I let him go. He pretended to rub his face as if it were in pain. He walked off, and I returned home. I, despite my grief, slept soundly that night, knowing that I'd started to gain the green eyed prisoners mans trust.

Ville
After washing, we were sent to get our rations, and I saw him again. The blue eyed guard. I watched him as he supervised the proceedings. I couldn't take my eyes off him...

"Ville Valo?" someone muttered to me. I glanced to my side and spotted Mikko Inberg stood to my left, I smiled at the sight of him. He worked with my father. It was good to see a familiar face. A healthy familiar face.

"Mikko! They got you too!" I muttered in English, hoping the guards wouldn't understand...or hear. He grinned.

"I called Hitler a dirty Bastard!" he said with a laugh. Good old Mikko - he was never one to be down. I grinned,

"Should of known! How's my father? Did you see him before you left? And my mother? Is she well?" I asked frantically. I wanted, no, NEEDED, to know of my parents. Mikkos face fell.

"They were taken Ville, long before me...to Treblinka..." I gulped, and yet again held back tears. Treblinka was worse than here, most were gassed, or shot, on arrival.

"Treblinka..?" I asked, my voice thick with emotion. He nodded. "Are they...do you think they are...dead?"

"I think they may well be...I'm sorry Ville, I really am..." But the rest of his words were drowned out. My mother...my father...dead? Oh god, how could it be true? But something inside told me it was. Call it a sixth sense or something, but the second Mikko uttered the word Treblinka, I knew...and I felt my heart breaking. I forced back a few tears and drew in a deep breath. But what about Jesse..?

"My brother? Little Jesse?" I asked frantically. He smiled this time, and I knew, my brother was alive...at least for now.

"He's in hiding Ville, far from anywhere under Nazi rule. He's in England," I smiled. My brother was safe. I had him to live for. I was determined to live for Jesse, so that he didn't lose all his family. And to mourn my parents. I needed to survive.

As a guard approached us with our rations, we kept quite. He handed us each a small piece of bread with some jam on top. Was this it? I ate it quickly, I was so Hungary, I could barely taste it. I soon regretted it as Mikko told me the food was to last 24 hours. I was going to starve here if I was not careful.

It wasn't long before I was sent to work. Most of the inmates would be producing synthetic rubber, but I was one of may selected to expand the mass graves behind the three crematoria. The stench was unbearable. A cross of burning flesh, rotting corpses and cyanide was with me all day.

But that wasn't as bad as the sites i was forced to see. Hundreds of naked, sweat and waste, dumped like rubbish in an ever growing pile. I worked for almost 12 hours with no chance of a break. My arms ached and my body was so tired, all I wanted to do was lay down and sleep. I knew what would happen if I did. 25 whips for stopping. Or however many a guard felt necessary. I had watched many receive these harsh punishment. They bleed for hours afterwards and the prisoners were forced to work on, despite their pain.

Finally, we were taken to bed. Thank god! We were pushed, shoved and yelled at, but I didn't care. Finally I could rest my aching body, despite the cramped conditions. I was at the back of those in my barrack, it meant a bad sleeping place, but a sleeping place nonetheless.

It was then that I saw the blue eyed guard again. He stood near us as we shuffled into the room. I tried not to stare at him. Suddenly, I fell over something. I tumbled helplessly to the ground. The blue eyed guard raised his foot and brought it down towards my stomach. But he didn't hit me. I understood what to and cried out in pain.

He bent down to my level and gently took my face, I sucked in my cheeks to give the impression that he was hurting me. As I did so, I felt his hand slip something under my top. It was food!

"Take it. Eat it." he muttered in English. I blinked to thank him and quickly moved the sandwich to the waste band of my pants to hold it in place. He let me go and I pretended to rub my face in pain. It worked. No one suspected a thing. That night, I waiting until those around me slept before I ate. Cheese and ham. Not much, but I didn't care. I ate it slowly, savoring it, while silently thanking the beautiful blue eyed guard. He was trying to help me. I slept soundly that night, despite the news of my parents, despite the smell of death and the sounds of my fellow prisoners agony.


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