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Post by John Bohannon on Jul 7, 2015 22:18:10 GMT
nightingales.
5:15 A.M.
Brrrrrraaaa! Brrrrrraaaa! Brrrrraaaa!
Blindly his outstretched hand reached for his bedside table, smacking off the
alarm with familiar ease. He took a deep breath in, inhaling the scent of a somewhat
recently washed pillowcase. It smelled oaky, musky, much like the scent of the fire
when he extinguished it each night. He lay there for several minutes after he pulled
his arm back to his side. The sheets were cool from the dank coldness of the rest of
the room. The stone walls chilled the building to great extent during the nighttime
if the fires weren't lit. The apartments on the upper floor had small fireplaces,
just large enough to warm the one-room apartments. Finally he was able to
force his eyes open. A dim light was sifting through the curtains hung across the
windows in his room. John slowly sat up on the edge of his bed, his bare arms and
chest pricked with gooseflesh from the cold. He crossed the room to his small bathroom
and looked into his reflection in the mirror that hung above his white porcelain sink.
He ran his thick hands through his hair and over his day-old beard stuble. He was lucky
that his hair was light brown and not dark as grey began to infiltrate his soft locks.
What a damn day. Ugh. Even his beard was graying.
Once he freshed up and was dressed for the day he locked up his apartment and took
the stairs down to the ground floor. The large bay windows lining the street side of
the building were hung with thick curtains that kept any light from coming through.
He crossed the room, opening each of the curtains as he passed, permitting the gray
light to fill the room. The two long wooden tables that ran the length of the building
were dusty from the settled fire ash from the night before. He built a small fire in the
fireplace closest to the line/counter where he would be cooking breakfast. Speaking of
breakfast, he looked toward the front door and the corner of his mouth turned up into
the edge of a smile. There it was, all he needed. Two large wooden crates sat just inside
the door stacked one on top of the other. The Delunds who owned a bakery just around the
corner would drop off things they could no longer sell or any extras they had because
they knew John held an open kitchen for those who couldn't feed themselves.
He hoisted the boxes with ease and carried them behind the counter. Inthe bottom box were
several bags of bread-croissant rolls, several large pots of vegetable stew that were at least
a week old, not good enough to be sold in their store but still very edible. The top box was
a gift from Mrs. Delund, he recognized it immediately. A crate of fresh eggs, several glass jars
of milk from their cow, and an assortment of cheeses. It's gonna be a long day.He thought
to himself as he rubbed the back of his neck, staring down at the crated goods before him.
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Post by Anton Nikolay Vladovich on Jul 7, 2015 23:06:22 GMT
It was 5:51 a.m. when Anton's eyes shot open. He lay still, his pulse pounding as he tried to recollect himself. It was mornings like these that brought the war back to him. So young, just 24, yet already 'shell-shocked' as they'd called it. The gunfire in his ears subsided and his muscles relaxed, allowing Anton the strength to pull himself upright. With a stretch, he rubbed his neck and put his feet beneath him. Another day, he thought, at least I'm alive. After a quick shower and a moment to get dressed for the day, Anton made his way to the first floor.
As he made his way to the kitchen, he saw the 'trail' that John had left, always bringing light into the Hall and cheering the place up. Anton quickly found his way to John's side, a familiar smile beaming from his face. "Tell me, why you always so happy? Just tone it down, you make me look bad." He smiled, knowing his broken English made the fool laugh. Quickly, he got to work, the morning rush soon to arrive. The city came to life early, refugees would pour in as soon as 6 a.m. on a particularly warm morning.
The static noise of the crowded dining hall soon filled the kitchen with life, speeding the men along their work. Quickly, they began to set up the Line, hungry refugees thanking quietly and moving along. Anton felt his heart swell, partially from sadness and partially from hope. Turning to John, he spoke, "I am so happy to help here, I thank you still for this. Most people, they are starving. These, are not." He patted his only friend on the back, a wistful smile remaining.
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Post by Marly Kit on Jul 8, 2015 0:24:32 GMT
The trek from Dresden had been a merciless one from the first day, and almost a year later Marly was finally out of theenemy territory, though she made frequent stops. She had grown to love the refugees of Germany, the many humble people who took care of their own and offered her food and shelter. It was here that she heard reports of other happenings since the war began, little families gathered around small fires swapping tales of 'ghost men'. She had kept her own encounter to herself, finding it better not to cause alarm among the homeless and starving. Some older Germans blamed the Jewish population for the 'infestation', their national pride blinding and arrogant, however many teens believe the corpses were Hitler's fault, though it was harder to obtain information and even harder to find a young person willing to talk at all. Marly had gone under the radar for nearly three weeks before another run in with the undead. No one would believe her, hell she didn't even believe it.
Marly had been following the smell of food for what felt like a mile before crossing through brush and trees to find an expansive city. Her map was given to an older couple yesterday for their long journey north into Russia. She had to be somewhere south, but apart from that she didn't recognize the buildings. She sniffed the air and followed her nose, she hadn't eaten anything in days and was starting to feel an unfamiliar chill in her bones. She tiptoed through the streets, most were like everyone else, running from something. She smiled at a young family with a baby, his clothes black with soot, probably from a bombed town nearby.
"Excuse me, uh, is there a soup kitchen near by?" She asked them, gaining smiles in return. "John's Hall is down a few blocks, but you'd better hurry, food runs out fast." She nodded and headed in the direction they pointed, her nose catching whiffs of soup and bread. She smiled to herself, wondering if they had any rooms avalible, she still had a small amount of pocket change with her from Dresden. Most people were so lost and money was so tight, most never asked for a nickel.
Finally, she found the source of the smell, a large hall with a line out of the door. She grinned wide and did a little dance, her many bags and weapons clanging against each other. Suddenly a terrible chill rushed through her, her vision of the crowd blurring into a big blob. Her breathing hiked and before she knew someone gasped and she blacked out.
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Post by John Bohannon on Jul 8, 2015 0:43:48 GMT
sudden changes. It wasn't long before the morning silence was broken by the presence of another. Usually one or two would come down to help, but after the mass exodus from his building-many of his tenants had been listening to radios and reading newspapers that warned of a rapid infection, a sort of virus spreading across the country and decided to leave before it took over their small city. After the evening before John was left with but one tenant-Anton. Anton hadn't been there long, but he had grown quite fond of John and had stuck around for almost a month now. Anton was never shy to help with anything John needed, probably because of his time in the military. From the sounds of it the young man had moved upward rather quickly in the Russian army, but disagreements set him on his way.
When the stairs creaked and signaled that he was no longer alone it was no surprise to John that it was Anton. "Mornin there, sleep alright?" Though his English wasn't the best the boy always had something to pick on John for, and this morning it happened to be his chipper mood. By the time the young fellow had decided to come downstairs he'd already begun cracking the eggs into a large bowl. "I'm happy, son, because today is destined to be a good day. I can just feel it, you know?" He began to whisk the eggs as Anton came around the back side of the line where the food was prepared. "Look here, if you mix a splash of milk into the eggs, it will fluff them up and make them go farther." He made a clicking noise with his mouth before soluting his friend. "Wartime Lessons to Live By-John Bohannon' I think I should write a book, what do you think?" He joked as he pulled a large cast iron skillet from below the stove and placed it over a lit burner. The eggs began to bubble up and cook beautifully just as the first few began to wander in. John cast a glance over his shoulder, it was always the women who showed up first, the women and their babies. John motioned for Anton to speak to the young woman standing patiently across the counter holding her daughter's hand.
It was a steady morning. On the stove was a large pot of oatmeal that John was slicing random fruits into, strawberries, bananas, apples. He couldn't manage to give whole fruits out, he'd never have enough. So he found as many clever ways as he could to stretch out the things that he had. This was one of them. The oatmeal was good for small children and it warmed the chilled bones of the adults. In another cast iron skillet he was cooking bacon and sausage links. The second batch of doctored eggs was nearing completion as Anton was behind him providing the people with a warm "good morning" and plates of food. He preferred it this way, John did, he was good at dealing with people but he was afraid of accepting the thanks he would receive from the people who he served. Plus he felt that it was good for Anton to get to know the people, it made him feel welcome. It chased away his feelings of loneliness that the young man possessed.
"John! John! Hey!" A semi-familiar voice called out across the low rumble of the line of people as well as those poring over the food they had received. Two young men, no older than twenty, who came in almost every day were pushing their way through the door and seemed to be struggling with something. His crystal blue eyes widened once the boys made it far enough through the crowd for him to see what it was they were struggling with. "Shit!" He muttered before coming out from behind the counter. "Anton, bring me some cold water and a hand towl, please." He hurried through the crowd of people who all gawked at him with open mouths, they rarely saw him speaking and he was sure it had shocked them all. "We'll be serving you folks all in a few moments, something has happened, I'm sorry, we will be right back. I promise." There was a soft groan from the line but what could they complain about, he was feeding them for free after all. They laid the young blonde woman they had been carrying onto an empty space at one of the tables. He was no doctor by any means but he knew enough. It wasn't hard to see that her chest wsa rising and falling, which settled his nerves a great deal. After feeling her forehead it was easy to determine she had a small fever.
Once Anton returned with the glass of water and small towel he asked him to hold her head up. He dipped the towel into the cold water and placed it on her forehead before opening her mouth gently and helping her drink. It seemed as though the young woman was slowly beginning to come back around.
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Post by Anton Nikolay Vladovich on Jul 8, 2015 19:37:14 GMT
Anton was busy working away, giving out food for thanks and warm smiles. He loved those moments, he felt closer to the town that way. He wouldn't normally speak to these people, but the Hall forced him to not be a loner and to actually speak up for once. He was chatting away with a teenager, Lucinda - a regular - when the shouting broke through the crowd. The confusion and yelling and chaos for a moment had Anton flashing back to his military career before John called out to him. The orders he was given rose to priority in his mind and he found himself following blindly to where the huddled mass of people were crowding a small blonde woman.
Anton observed, watching John apply the cool water. The girl was thin, worse off than most of the refugees that frequented their Hall. "Bo, this one, she needs food. Look, she is not nourished." Flustered, he jogged back to the counter and fetched a roll, a small dish of oatmeal, and a glass of cold milk. He nodded to the waiting customers, a look of regret on his face. "Izvinite, I am sorry, my friends. There is a matter we need to.. uh.. attend to." Anton was beside the girl in seconds, though it seemed she was beginning to come to. He set the food on the table, worry scrunching his facial features. "Miss, are you.. all right?"
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Post by Marly Kit on Jul 9, 2015 2:01:36 GMT
The commotion in the Hall caused Marly's eyes to flutter open. her vision was blurred, but she could see figures around her, black silhouettes making noises.... Suddenly Marly's eyes widen, trying to drink in the faces around her, immediately moving her head to her side, her knife slipping into her fingers with ease. She pulled it, holding it upto her face, dragging her leg around the leg of her assumed attacker, and in one fluid motion she had pulled the figure down and was on top of it, knife to neck. "Are you human?!" She shouted, her sight coming back to her. Before they could answer or attack, she regained sight and recoiled in horror. She had nearly killed a man, no older than herself. Immediately she dropped the knife and covered her mouth with her hands, gasping. "I'm...i'm so sorry! I...couldn't see and I don't..." She looked closely at her victim, he was tall, his body stretching among the tile flooring, and his hair was jet black, unlike majority of people she was use to. Is he jewish? She hadn't seen a Jewish civilian since the bombing of Dresden, and the allegations against them at this point in the war had to be the reason many were rumored to be in 'hiding'. She smiled at him weakly, attempting to keep everyone from lynching her, or turning her into the SS. She glanced to the side and another man came into view, even among the chaos, he seemed composed and gentle, obviously a dominant presence to the crowd. Many whispered to him, asking questions and shaking their heads. She grimaced and began to rise to her feet, though she hardly made it before collapsing into the chair. "I really apologize, sir. I just haven't eaten... I've heard strange stories lately, my head is full of...of.." She didn't want to give away the information just yet, as far as she knew, the rumors and stories hadn't reached here yet. And where exactly was she? She glanced around the room she was in, past the sea of people eating and gossiping. The smell of fresh food wafted toward her again and she smiled, I made it!
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Post by John Bohannon on Jul 9, 2015 20:28:32 GMT
stories. In the blink of an eye the woman's faint hints of liveliness turned violent. She had pulled a knife, presumably from her side and taken the thin Anton to the ground, screaming harsh accusations in his face-some of which weren't quite sane. He grimaced at his lack of forethought to checking her for weapons, his brow furrowing as she retreated from her attack and fell back onto the bench. Her explanation was reasonable, she wasn't the first to come through those doors in a bad state, most were far worse off than her. "Don't worry, we have plenty to eat. You're quite lucky it was these upstanding lads that found you and not.....well, not anyone else." John knelt in front of her, his large figure becoming more level with her. He gave half of a smile in hopes of reassuring her of her outstanding luck. A rough hand from carpentry work took the wet rag from the table, "May I?" He asked before reaching up and wiping her forehead to find that she was still rather warm. "I'll be back, don't move, please."
He pulled Anton who still appeared to be rather shaken by the sudden attack back behind the counter and whispered simple instructions for him to proceed serving the line until everyone was fed and then to package all of the leftover food. War or no war Anton just wasn't the type to expect things like that when he was in a safe place. He was a good kid though, had a great heart and John could see that more than most people. He took the flight of stairs up to his apartment and returned several minutes later with a handful of pills, once more knealing before the young woman. "What is your name?' He asked as he opened his palm and fingered the pills into different piles. "Now these two little white ones here are asprins, the three pink ones are antibiotics, and the other one is a relaxer-it seems as though you could use one." John rose to his feet after handing her the pills and put one of his hands beneath his chin as he stared at her with a perplexed look on his face. "You should probably eat more than that roll with those, unless you enjoy vomiting, then by all means take them on an empty stomach."
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Post by Anton Nikolay Vladovich on Jul 9, 2015 21:16:41 GMT
Militarily trained or not, Anton was shaken up. He hadn't been attacked since that horrible night he watched his friends and brothers turn, and never by a woman. With a ragged breath and a staggered heart beat, he rose to his feet. "I.. I apologize miss. I am sorry if I frighten you." As Bo led him to the line, he looked down at his shaking hands, a bubble of anger forcing it's way up his throat. His eyes burned, but he soon let it pass. "John... be careful. The girl, she is not right in her head." The shaking subsided a bit, his nerves no longer alive with static.
Anton went back to serving the hungry line, a less-than-genuine smile greeting his neighbours. He quickly fell back into routine, trying to keep himself distracted from the pretty woman with deadly intent. However, he couldn't help but think about what she said. It had to have been about the monsters. His eyes wandered back to the table in the back, where John was just getting back to her. Anton needed to ask her about it, that much he knew.
Before too long, the line was through and Anton had received his last thank you and grateful smile. He went about the tedious clean up work, packaging up the food and putting it away, sweeping up the floor, cleaning all of the counters, and locking everything up. They would never think a citizen would steal anything, but John would be so crushed if it ever did happen. Once everything was done, Anton approached the table where everyone sat, a small crowd still sticking around trying to figure out who the mysterious young woman was.
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Post by Marly Kit on Jul 10, 2015 4:06:12 GMT
A crowd had gathered around the bench where she sat, a cold rag on her forehead. "You should be ashamed of yourself." An older woman scoffed at her, holding her shawl around her shoulders tightly. "Excuse me?" Marly's eyes rolled over to meet the woman's while the rest took seats near by and listened closely. "These boys have been a saving grace to this town, and some floosie comes in and starts wrecking it. Those boys are blessed, ya hear? Leave them alone." The woman turned away and marched out the door, many others sticking their noses high in the air and following her out. Marly rolled her eyes and listened as the older man hurried down the stairs. It wasn't her fault she fainted and nearly killed a man. These were crazy times, and if they knew half of the horror she knew... Marly's brain shut down as he approached, handing her a handful of little pills. As he explained them, she smiled. At this point in her day, she didn't care what they were. "Thank you." She said as mild as she could, not wanting to give them any reason to kick her out. It was the first building she'd been in in miles, and she was going to soak it up, her psyche depended on it.
After chugging a glass full of water, throwing back a few pills and getting a decent meal in her belly, Marly began to feel like herself again. She hadn't spoken since the first sight of the plate that was given to her, and now the two men were staring at her for answers. "Are you German? Are you Nazi? How long have you been here? Have you heard news from Berlin?" Questions rattled out of her brain, wanting to know any information she could. The image of her beautiful mother sitting in a pile of rubble was enough to bring tears to her eyes, but she never let them fall. "Do you have a room? I can pay you, I have money." She reached out her hand to touch the older man's, desperate not to sleep in the cold tonight. She had camped and gone on three day hunts before, but that was luxury compared to the harsh unforgiving woods that Marly and many others had fled to after the bombings. And those things, they haunted her dreams and no one would believe her. Something was coming out of the black smoky skies, God's wrath among the living. The Nazi's were only the distraction. A flea. Something much bigger was approaching. She had to tell someone, anyone, who would listen.
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Post by John Bohannon on Jul 10, 2015 4:32:44 GMT
strange times. John's brow furrowed as the girl began to rattle off question after question. He gave her a perplexed look, somewhat wondering what she was talking about but part of him knew already. "I'm German, my friend here is Russian. What did you say about Berlin, miss?"
When she reached for his hand he tensed, his arm staying frozen on the table as she touched his hand and asked for a room. He thought hard for a few moments before replying. John cleared his throat and pulled his hand away from hers, placing his hand on his chin as he looked from her to Anton. "We can work something out. No need for panic, miss-uhh, I didn't catch your name?"
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Post by Anton Nikolay Vladovich on Jul 10, 2015 4:47:20 GMT
Anton was enthralled by the girl, her rapid succession of questions making him laugh. He listened intently, and after the onslaught was over, finally spoke. "John is good man. He will work it out, there is not much he spares for good people." Anton grinned at his friend, casually tapping his fingers. He was glad that the chaos was over, for now. Once the business details were out of the way, he made his move. He needed answers as well.
"Miss, I am Anton. I come from Russia, I have a long story to me." He paused, his wistful smile fading. "I served for country. I fought, much like many other men. But now, no. Now I run far from that. I think you and I have a common thing together." Anton's mood changed. He knew he needed to step lightly here, in case this girl really was as crazy as he'd once thought. After all, she looked like she'd been in the woods for a long time.
With much hesitation, he began. "When you attack me, and thank you by the way-" He shot her a quick smile in jest, then resumed darkly. "When you attack me, you ask me if I'm human. Why is this? I need to know... have you seen what I have seen? I lost many men to something.... I cannot explain." Figuring that was more than he should give, Anton quieted and looked on at the young woman.
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Post by Marly Kit on Jul 19, 2015 23:56:32 GMT
Marly thought about how to word her response. She could easily rattle off her various theories and opinions, but lately even to her it sounded insane. Thye could be undercover Nazi's. From what she understood about the expansive power and influence of the Third Reich she couldn't trust even the kindest soul. She looked him up and down, though his hair was jet black, his eyes were bright blue, obviously a west European gene pool. His accent bled Russian and his mouth was held in a hard line of grief and the unknown.
"I've heard things from travelers, they talk of hunters, in the woods. These hunters, i've seen them." She stumbled a bit, trying not to show any emotion as the memories of walking corpses, bodies with shredded limbs and exposed entrails. This could be her last chance at survival. "People say they bite, and whatever they bite... becomes one of them." The image of a small girl blue from the freezing forest floor flashed behind her eyes, and she shut them quickly. "They are demons. Possessing human corpses and feeding on flesh... They could be anyone... even your own blood." Tears rolled from her eyes and she finally allowed herself to weep. She had finally released the information she felt in her heart, something she felt so burdened by. Now it was their turn, their burden to bear and to manage however they saw fit. A wide smile spread over her face, the tears flowing freely. After months of living silent and unknown in the woods, all the horrors she'd seen since the bombing of her home town, she had finally reached the end of her journey, her quest. Something told her her father was proud, Cleverness didn't just come from books and school, it came from experience and will power.
"Please tell me you've seen them..." She plead to the tall one, wanting nothing more than to swap stories, theories....anything. Her mind was free to finally assess and not retain.
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Post by John Bohannon on Jul 22, 2015 2:22:04 GMT
the dead. John's brows continued to grow closer and closer together as she began to sob in front of them. He'd very much so heard of the things that she was speaking of, but he had not seen them himself. Because of the constant influx of residents he was always hearing new tales from travelers or those who had simply been out on their own for a while. Of all the tales he'd heard Anton's stories had been the hardest to sit through. Anton had trusted him so much and become such a close friend that he'd even watched the man sob before him, much like Marly was doing.
He knelt down before her and placed her hand on her knee as he thought of a reply. He shook his head and gave a conjoling frown. "I have not, but Anton has." He looked around at the small families that had gathered in awe, some that were entire families with children present. John cleared his throat before looking from Anton back to Marly. "I don't think now is the time, Miss." He nodded toward a small girl who was hiding behind her father's leg while clinging to his trousers. "You can stay here until you....find whatever it is that you need, hmm?" A gentle smile formed on his face as he gently patted her warm hands. "We can discuss more of this later, after everyone has gone."
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Post by Anton Nikolay Vladovich on Jul 27, 2015 19:32:18 GMT
"John is right, we talk when the hall is clear. Not many stick around once the food is gone." Anton collected himself, his mind reeling with the stories he had for the girl. There was something about her, something genuine and almost sweet buried underneath the frightened, disheveled mess in front of him. "Miss, we did not get your name, who are you? All your stories, I would like to hear them." He smiled reassuringly.
Anton sat there, a growl beginning in his stomach. Usually the pair of friends would eat once the crowd had died down and the line was through, and his stomach was telling him it was time. "Bo, if you do not mind, why don't we invite the nice girl upstairs. I think we need to feed our own hungry mouths too." He let out a chuckle, his blue eyes gleaming. He had never known much happiness before John brought him in, but he could imagine this is what it was like to be surrounded by it. That was, until he had to bring up the geyser of stories and thoughts in his mind.
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Post by Marly Kit on Aug 8, 2015 19:18:52 GMT
Marly nodded and remained quiet for quite sometime, looking at her dirty fingernails and picking at them with her knife. Soon, more people moved along leaving the overly curious and elderly. The guys stayed silent but near her as the crowd emptied out, only saying their goodbyes to the people they knew best. Soon the only people besides the obvious were the overly curious still waiting on broken stories and gossip, and the elderly who hadn't even glanced when Marly was originally brought into the Hall unconscious.
With the last of the crowd moved out, the Hall was completely silent and Marly grinned as she dipped her head to look at her fists on the table. She had been sleeping in the woods among the birds and howling predators for so long she had forgotten the sound of true silence only walls could bring. She drew a breath, breaking the now uncomfortable and unfamiliar silence around them. She drew a line with her nose to the party before her, her blue-green eyes meeting the two serious pair in front of her.
Is there any way we can go upstairs? This hall.....it echoes." Hearing her voice bounce back to her was different now, she didn't sound like the same innocent scholar's daughter that she once recognized. Her voice was serious and more mature, drawing attention rather than affection. She had experienced a lot in the last few months and weeks, and she was forced to grow tremendously, or die. During her employment with the Third Reich, she had been the executioner of thousands of souls throughout the German speaking world. This thought drove a wedge of pain down the middle of her forehead, how dumb and naive could she have been back then? Over a thousand files landed on her desk, but only one opened her eyes to the evil she was apart of. The file was of a family of six, a mother and father and three small boys, the smallest three years old. She remembered the officers handing it to her, betting on if they were harbored Jews or 'legal citizens'. Their passports checked out, however their appearance posed questions too numerous for the officers to ignore. She remembered asking them why this work was so important to them, and one replied, Because, German blood will be cleansed with the blood-letting of the toxic Jews." He smiled at her and they turned to leave. As they did Marly's heart sank to her stomach and she felt vomit rising in her throat. How many people did she sentence to death by exposing them? How many children did she punish before this? She only believed she was helping her countrymen, but human life was human life.....She couldn't cut the thread of fate for people, it wasn't her place. She hoped with the information she now carried with her, she could save those around her, though nothing would fix what she had done to hundreds of others. The only thing Marly wanted was peace, and she was willing to go as far as she had to to find it.
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