Red of Berlin

Chapter Four: Caught in Sight

Michael's point of view:

The last house of the week was a few miles away from us as we drove in the car. Hans and I were comfortably silent on our way there. My superior was kind enough to allow me the weekend off after this. I was glad for it, because I was exhausted from all the raids I had been doing this week. The numbers seemed to have tripled this week and the one before. It was nice to have some time off.

"This place is quite far out of town. Why are we here?" I asked. It wasn't like us to travel this far. Most likely, a different group of SS men were closer and could do the raid themselves.

"Our superior ordered us to inspect the town. Don't worry, it's small. Only a few homes worthwhile," Hans replied. I supposed that was better than a city. A few houses wouldn't kill me.

"Then let's get started. I want to get the day over with," I said. He nodded and we quieted down again. Hopefully this would be easy, I wasn't in the mood to deal with trouble.

We dealt with about five houses, none of them containing any fugitives. Just when it seemed like it was be an easy, somewhat unnecessary day, we came to the sixth and final house. It was an old farmhouse that seemed to be about two storeys. Clothes hung on a line outside the front door, a spacious porch before it. The yard was vast with greens of the spring grasses of France, and the wind blew the long blades across the ground like a fantastic dance of nature. If I didn't know better, I would say no one was home. But that only made the job easier, seeing as there were no owners to deal with and we could just look in the house ourselves.

Hans and I told the men to wait for our signal and we entered the home together. I knocked on the door loudly a few times, waiting to see if anyone would answer. After a few stalled seconds, Hans knocked and demanded to be let inside. We waited another minute or two, and then we decided it was time to take matters into our own hands. I kicked the door open, greeted by complete silence.

"Bonjour?!" Hans shouted through the home. No one answered, we were left to our own devices. With our guns pointed ahead of us, we began to walk through the home. It was so quiet that I knew something was going on. That was the reason we kept on rather then leaving.

"Where do you think we should look?" He asked me. I thought for a moment, wondering where the best place to hide Jews would be in a place like this. The home was large, it may take a while to complete this task.

"Have the men come in, tell them to search the basement first. My guess is that's where they would be. If not, then get them to check the cellar outside," I instructed. Hans nodded and went to the porch, calling for his men. Three of his soldiers were in quickly, going down into the basement.

As Hans and I waited for the return of his men, the ceiling began to creak above me. My eyes traveled up to the white ceiling, watching for any irregularities. I began to feel dust fall down onto my face, and I knew that this house wasn't holding well, and that there was someone up there. I needed to get upstairs, before they got away.

"Hans, let's make our way upstairs. The ceiling is creaking and dust is falling," I said. Hans nodded and I followed him to the stairs adjacent to us. Just when my foot hit the first step, the ceiling caved in and came crashing to the floor. But it wasn't just ceiling and insulation that fell through, no, there was a person there. I pointed my gun at the fugitive with Hans, but stopped when I saw the enemy.

The first thing I saw was her lying on the floor, cowering below us as she lay there. Red hair covered in white dust cascaded along her beautifully freckled face. Her slate coloured eyes told a story of fear, but her expression was defiant enough to symbolize courage and strength. She was the most lovely woman I had seen, pure magnificence. If humanity were an art form, she would be an example, a Mona Lisa, only with fiery red hair and smoothly pale skin like a porcelain doll. What a sight to see, a girl like that only came every thousand years.