Chapter 65 Section sixty-fifth

The first tangible change was probably that the haze from the burning of corpses in the camp began to dissipate, and we began to breathe fresh winter air. The sky gradually became clearer and we could see the clouds again. Then began the work of dismantling the camps, which became more urgent and more sloppy.I watched the chimney of the cremator being pushed down little by little, and every night I slipped out, I found more traces of demolition, so my long-suppressed heart was finally lit up with hope again. At that time, I had lost any concept of time, and my chaotic brain could only vaguely perceive the changes of seasons. I knew that autumn had long passed and winter had come.My biggest fear was the snow, not because of the cold, which we had accepted, but because I was afraid that the tracks left in the snow would reveal our whereabouts.

We've been in this makeshift shelter for so long, huddled with the deadly gas canisters, huddled in loose clothing for comfort and warmth, and surviving on scraps from Nazi officers' dumpsters, we've grown used to it On such days, I even believe that we can survive the winter, even until the end of the war. But that idea proved naive. It was an early morning, and the sun cast cold, dank rays, illuminating yet another cold day.The three of us huddled under a pile of coats and blouses to keep each other warm when we heard them coming.I immediately sat up, and under the control of fear, I reached out and covered the mouths of Nicholas and Yiluo, so as not to let them make a sound.They sat up too, eyes wide, panic blatantly written on their faces, and we heard the jars marked "ZyklonB" being loaded onto carts.

The only light opening in the warehouse was a small window behind us. I secretly pried it open and pushed Nicholas and Yilo out of the narrow opening one by one.Their thin bodies struggled to squeeze out of the window, and I worried whether I could get by. Both children got outside safely, and when I climbed onto the ledge and forced my way through the narrow opening, my worst fears happened.I was hung in the air, my coat was hooked by the window bolt, and I was hanging on the wall half a meter above the ground. "Anka! Anka!" The young brother saw that his sister was trapped, forgetting all the dangers, and shouted for me to join them.

Yi Luo grabbed him and silenced him, but it was too late. I heard German shouts of anger, the sound of cans being pushed aside, and a Nazi soldier approaching from behind me. A heavy hand grabbed my shoulder, and I screamed, "Nikola! Ilo! Run! Run!" The thick arm wrapped around my neck and dragged me back to the warehouse , I struggled fiercely, swung my limbs, and tried my best to move forward, but my efforts were negligible. Only the narrow opening of the window prevented me from being dragged in backwards.I saw my brother down below, watching all this in horror and helplessness, and it dawned on me that if I lost this battle, I would not be the only one suffering.

Suddenly, the hand that had gripped my neck slipped from my chin and covered my face, and I seized the opportunity to bite his wrist, an animal ferocity born of desperation With such power, I slammed my teeth into the flesh of the enemy. The soldier let out a wail and retracted his arms, and I fell back to the hanging position, hanging on my coat.Angry shouts came from the window above, and below, Iro supported my weight with her small body, making me pull my arms out of the sleeves of my coat.I fell to the cold ground and freed myself from my restraints, leaving the dress still hanging by the window.

I picked up the children one by one in each hand, and led them across the square with incredible speed, hiding under another building.We had barely reached the house when a hail of bullets swept the ground behind us. We pause to catch our breath, get our bearings, and wait in dread for the worst.But I only heard the cold laugh of the soldier, who seemed to think that our desperate escape was very interesting.He yelled at us across the square, and I only understood the words "kinda" and "kid" and wished our adventures had been dismissed as a harmless child's prank.