Landslide - Band of Brothers

86 | My Tears Ricochet

"I could have clasped the red walls to my bosom as a garment of eternal peace. "Death," I said, "any death but that of the pit!" Fool! might I have not known that into the pit it was the object of the burning iron to urge me?"

— Edgar Allan Poe (The Pit and the Pendulum) 

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(A/N): Edgar Allan Poe was always fascinating to me in high school, just with how dark his writing was and so this quote I feel was very fitting, in the perspective of Natia. Also, slight TW just for this chapter, though many of you may know what the context of Episode 9 deals with, just for anyone who may not be in the right headspace. Enjoy! (Also no gif, simply for respect to the serious topics that occur in this chapter)

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Landsberg, Germany 

March 26th, 1945 

1530

Numbness pushed her inside the bakery on the main street of Landsberg, listening to the shouting of the German baker, his cheeks a bright and exasperated pink, as he lifted his arms in defiance as American soldiers in American uniforms stormed his bakery, taking loaves of bread, blocks of cheese and anything else anyone could get their hands on. 

David Webster had walked by her side the entire walk back from the camp, keeping close to her side, but not close enough where it was persistent or annoying. And so when she had reemerged from the basement with a few replacements, loaves of bread shoved in their arms and a baskets of little loaves in her own arms, she tried not to act surprised at seeing Webster with a gun at the throat of the baker, bent back over the counter, sweating profusely; Natia was almost positive she'd never seen Webster in the current state of anger he appeared to be in now. In her blind battle to cross the threshold into the gate, she hadn't noticed the anger and resentment building on each mans' face there in the camp. Joe Lisnewski stood at the door, attempting to persuade Webster to back off, who refused to pull the sidearm from the baker's neck. Natia slowly approached Webster with hardened and cold features and met the baker's eyes.

" Back off, Webster." Natia said quietly, holding the gaze of the baker who watched her," Even if he says he is not a Nazi, yet he still is, he is not worth our time. It's better he live with that instead...knowing." And with that, Natia stepped past Webster and outside again, picking up her pace as she handed the basket of bread loaves up to Johnny in the back compartment of the truck.

" That most of it?" Johnny asked as Natia pulled her helmet onto her head and pulled herself up into the truck bed and met his gaze

" Most." she answered as Johnny gave the nod, situating himself down beside Natia who sat ridged. Webster slid into the seat across from her, sidearm still withdrawn in front of himself as he sat there, his jaw clenched tightly as he stared back towards where the baker stood in the doorway of his workplace.

" He acted like he didn't know what I was talking about." Webster managed out, meeting Natia's eyes as she sat there, attempting to contain the fumes that forced themselves against the barricades she had brought up," He acted like he never smelled any of it, saw any of it."

" It's not worth our time." muttered Natia," They'll be the ones to clean it all up, dressed in their fancy suits and furs. Away from their warm beds and homes with fires and plenty of food. They'll be the ones to clean it all up." Webster watched Natia, as the truck bumped along on its trek.