Chapter 68 Section 68

In an instant, I had already rushed to her side, held her head gently, and leaned against my body, tears of grief flooded me, and a series of questions came out of my mouth, but I couldn't even hear them clearly.I should have been happy to be reunited with my best friend, but here she was, lying on the floor dying, and it was a sad image I will never forget. Nikolai also recognized Raisa, knelt down beside us, and took her hand.Ilo joined us, and although she didn't know Raisa, she sensed the bond between us and her. Raisa, physically and mentally weakened, seemed refreshed by this reunion, and we sat talking on the cold floor until she looked tired again.

Despite her weakness, Raisa told us what she knew.As I guessed before, the Red Army was approaching here, so the Nazis had to abandon their camp and flee, destroying all the evidence that could be destroyed, and trekking westward with thousands of workers who were still valuable, heading towards Germany. Other concentration camps on the border.And those who were weak, sick, too old or too young, were abandoned in Auschwitz because they could not make the long journey. Fend for itself. She asked about her father, Maxim.I told her that I had only met him not long ago and that he had helped us, and Raisa brightened at my words.I wanted to ask her about my mother, but thinking that her mother had died in Auschwitz, I couldn't open my mouth.

I remembered the cafeteria I had been to before, and I assured Raisa that we would bring back something to eat, and then I was ready to go to find the food that I might have missed last time.Raisa still clutches my hand, her sunken eyes begging me to stay, but I know she won't make it through the night without something to eat. We left with tears in our eyes, retracing the way we had come, past corpses and dying people, toward where we had found food. I was surrounded by hungry people, but all I could think about was Raisa. We found a can of beef, no doubt the last one.There is nothing else left.

Clutching the can tightly in my hand, I looked at Nikolai, then at Ilo, and then thought of Raisa, who was dying. Yiluo held my hand and said, "This must be given to Raisa, Anka. We will find something else to eat, trust me." I said, "This is for the three of you. You, Nikolai, and Raisa." Yiluo didn't answer, just took Nicholas' hand and led him back.I quickly opened the can, followed them, and hid the food in my pocket, for fear that the hungry people on the road would come and snatch it. When we returned to Raisa, it was already dark and the temperature dropped rapidly.I divided the can into thirds and shared among Nicola, Ilo and Raisa.Yiluo immediately divided his share into two halves and handed them to Nicholas and Raisa.

I can't express how I feel in my heart, I can only hold her in my arms.Brother and Raisa ate the food gratefully. Raisa was too weak to walk on her own, and we couldn't carry her through the dead bodies and dying people, so we could only stay with her overnight, exposed to the snow and ice, and use our bodies to protect her from the cold wind , if she doesn't do this, she won't be able to live. We huddled around her, Raisa's head in my lap, shivering in the night.In the end, I abandoned my principles and pulled clothes from the dead around me to keep warm, but the chill still penetrated my bones.

Nikolai fell asleep at last, and Raisa soon after.Yiluo stayed up all night like me. It was her strong will that supported me, and I was not crushed by the cold. We talked about the past and the future, but kept silent about the whereabouts of our loved ones.Together we imagined what we would do after the war, where we would live, who we would marry.Our chatter was rambling and moot, but we were able to stay awake so we could better protect our sleeping partners. But eventually I fell asleep and woke up at the crack of dawn. The season of the day comes again, illuminating the devastation around us and highlighting our solitude.There were many more cold corpses in the square, and even fewer people could stand up, even sit up.

Yiluo held my hand tightly, and I examined her face in the twilight of dawn, and found tears in her eyes.I immediately became nervous, not knowing why she was like this. "Ilo, what's wrong?" She didn't look at me, but said quietly, "I'm sorry, Anka. Your friend is gone." It took me a while to react, and I threw myself on Raisa's body and burst into tears.Yiluo comforted Nicholas, and I hugged Raisa's cold body tightly in my arms until I exhausted my emotions, finally accepted the facts and compromised with the cruel reality. She used to be my best friend, and now, I've lost her forever.

I know I still have Nicholas and Ilo, but now all I can think about is Raisa. Yiluo took off the amulet around his neck and handed it to me silently without words.I took the amulet, placed it on Raisa's lifeless head, and pulled her tunic over her head. I burst into tears again.