The Book Thief Sequel- The Past's Bridge

Chapter Eleven- Finding Max

Liesel's Perspective

Our home had been reduced to a pandemonium of glass and rubble. Memories came rushing back, both good and bad, weighing down my spirit.

Max wasn't here.

My feet brushed up against the fragments of my books, torn and shredded to pieces. They must have been looking for something.

I looked across to the the hateful words written across the walls. Words that had no purpose. Words that they didn't understand.

How could they have done this to my Max? The war was over. It was won. We were safe. We were happy.

As I peered into the feather covered remains of the bedroom, I heard rustling behind me.

"Liesel? Oh my God Liesel."

I found comfort in seeing Alwin, my boss. My friend.

I ran into his arms, and started to sob uncontrollably. His apparent discomfort didn't stop me as he started to comfort and calm me down. As he pulled away, I could see that I left a patch of blood on his pristinely white shirt. My head must have started bleeding again.

"What's happened? You haven't turned up to work for the past couple of days. Where's Max?" His eyes twitched in concern. He surveyed the room and then back to me.

"Max. He was taken by...oh God, I don't know what they're going to do with him. Alwin. You have to help me, please. I can't lose him."

I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes again, making Alwin react with his familiar awkward glance to the floor.

"We need to go to the police Liesel. Now. Do you know who has taken him?"

I passed the letter I had found by the riverside to him.

He read it, his eyes widening in knowledge.

"Liesel, I know who wrote this letter. I know this handwriting. This is Ormand Dietzer, a well known Nazi supporter in Munich. He used to come in the bookshop all the time during the war. He would check that all the books were suitable for public purchase."

"Do you know where he would have taken Max?"

"Well, yes, well I know where he lives, that could be a start."

"Well then, let's go!" I grabbed his hand and hauled him out of the door.

I will find you my darling. Just stay safe. Just stay safe.

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We had been standing outside of the front door of Ormand Dietzer for an hour. Waiting for something. Anything. I had explained to Alwin exactly what had happened, and why I needed to get him back.

Something familiar then caught my eye. Something unsettling. It was two of the captors from the apartment. I recognised them from them from that day. I spat in the smaller one's eye right before they knocked me out.

"Alwin. I recognise those men from the break in. We're following them."

"Are you sure? I mean, don't you think it'd be a lot safer if we just went to Dietzer's house, or the police? And besides, it's getting darker."

"Alwin, it's 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Anyway, the police won't do anything. You know that! We're following them."

As I led Alwin through the streets of Munich, rushing to follow the two men, relief hit me as I realised I'd soon be seeing Max. I would save him.

The two men came to a hault at the remains of a large old building, half-destroyed by the war. It's dusty remains left everything but the outline of some rooms, and piles of bricks surrounding it. After they had entered through a guarded wooden door, I approached the building after them, only to be pulled back at the collar by Alwin.

"Are you stupid? They'll spot you in an instant. Look, if you're really serious about doing this, then I say we climb up the rubble and on to the roof. Then we can find a way in."

I smirked at Alwin's new found bravery.

We did as he said, slowly and steadily, trying not to slip on any of the unsupported ground beneath us.

As we climbed on to the top of the roof, there was a large hole in the middle, barely creating a roof at all. It must have been where the bomb was dropped.

"Alwin, I think our best bet is to climb in through the hole. The drop isn't that long, and I think we'll end up in the middle of a corridor, it'll be fine."

Without waiting for his response, without thinking, I held my breath and jumped. I immediately regretted it as a result of the large thunk I made and the masses of splintered wood and glass I landed on.

As I crawled out of the way, I heard the noise of Alwin landing behind me, his breaths short and panicked.

As I motioned for him to be quiet and follow me, we walked down the wide corridor on to a wooden balcony, over looking a large room in the shape of a circle. The balcony wrapped around this space, enclosing the people inside it. Around about 15 men in uniform sat around a table, shouting ferociously at each other.

Nazis.

A man stood up and shouted across the table, "We can't keep him here. He's not like the others. He has the girl! She'll come looking for him."

Another man, the apparent leader, silenced the fighting by raising his hand and slamming it hard on to the table."

"How could you let this happen. You told us he had no family left?"

"I..I'm very sorry. I did not take her into consideration, she seemed insignificant," one young man said.

There was silence in the room as it dawned on me that they were probably talking about me and Max.

Then and there, I signalled for Alwin to keep look out, as I went to search for Max.