Vampyr

Chapter 1: Monster

"Adonai, may it be Your will that I lie down in peace and rise up in peace. Let not my thoughts, my dreams, or my daydreams disturb me. Watch over Papa, and Mama, and Vladislav, and those I love."

"Hey!" A voice hissed from the bunk next to her. "Quit that racket! They'll hear you!"

Branka lurched away from the person, hands beginning to tremble from the venom in those words. Her one moment of peace came crashing down as she reminded just how alone she really was. They had all been crowded into the same box like they were all one big family, but she didn't know any of these people, and they certainly didn't want to know her. Every day was stuffed the vicious sneers or menacing scowls that shoved her aside or forced her along. Here in the camp, crammed side to side and buried in the same box, she never felt more alone.

But still, she prayed.

She listened to the wind for a moment, waiting for marching boots to interrupt the cold breath. When nothing came, she dug down into the sheets and resumed her mutterings, "O Guardian of Israel, who neither slumbers nor sleeps, I entrust my spirit to You. Thus as I go to sleep, I put myself in Your safekeeping."

"Stop it!"

"She's doing it again!"

"Shut her up!"

"Silence, child! Kill yourself some other time!"

They came from all over this time, fearful demands from those brave enough to break the quiet. None lasted long, but they used their time well. Branka shrunk away from all sides and clamped her mouth shut. Her eyes raced around, waiting to see viperous stares sniping at her from the dark only to find unmoving bodies stacked in every row. She was glad there weren't any glares this time, but apart her heart sank when she saw none. Someone had to care enough. Anymore.

She didn't blame them, though. It's what happened to everyone. After all the work, she just wanted some sleep. Then there were the Germans...she didn't like to think about what they did. She didn't want them to hurt her, and the adults weren't any different. They only wanted to survive, and maybe she wasn't helping in that regard. Sleep sounded much better than prayer anyways.

BRAM!

BRAM!!

BRAM!!!!

The alarm cut through the air and wrenched Branka's mind back from its drifting. She shuddered in place at the sound and felt the urge to leap from her bed, but no one was about to make that mistake. Like the rest, she stayed firmly rooted in place and waited for some to come barging inside. If they were lucky, the guard would just leave them locked in. If not-

"AH-RAAAAH!!"

It wasn't until that moment that Branka realized how long it had been since she heard a scream. Everything the Germans had gone was meet with a whimper, croak, or some sound she didn't have a name for. The point was, they never had time to be loud.

There wasn't even a gunshot either. That terrible cry and yet no crack of a rifle. Branka wasn't the only one who noticed that either. A few heads peeked up from their beds, giving Branka the courage to do the same. There wasn't much to see, but the communal sense of confusion was something she had to share.

"CHA-GLAAAH!"

That scream made Branka jolt, and she was joined in her shock by a handful of others. The other could have been dismissed, a guard stubbing their toe or maybe one of their dogs getting a bit too curious. This one, on the other hand, was wet. A cry working its way through blood, and it wasn't alone.

A similar cry rose in the distance, joined by another and another and another. Each scream was followed by two, and soon, the blaring alarm had faded into obscurity. A frightened fervor began to stir in the barracks as more and more bodies rose from the bunks, and soon, muddled whispers even started echoing around the space.