The Shadow

Alternate Ending

   (Ok I got bored. I decided to create an alternate ending. I hope you guys will enjoy it)!

   We were hanging out in the woods, laughing and joking around, as we usually did. I laid on my back, playing with my knife. "Hey Frances! I'm gonna steal your knife!" Donny yelled. I sat up and looked at him. "Don't you dare Donny boy! I will beat your ass!" I shouted, pointing at him with my knife.

   "I love it dude! If you love me you'd let me have it!" Donny said. "Hell no! Get your own!" I giggled. Aldo and the rest chuckled at Donny and I's antics. All of a sudden, we heard footsteps. We all shut up instantly, grabbing our weapons. It was a fucking team of Nazis.

   "Freeze!" Aldo yelled. We grabbed our guns. I held my shotgun and aimed it at them. "We do not mean any harm! We just simply want to talk to you." The leading Nazi said, holding his hands up. "Speak then." Aldo spoke. The Nazi, who seemed to be a lieutenant, nodded. "We are here as an order from Colonel Hans Landa. He sent us here because he wants a deal." The Nazi began. "What kind of a deal?" Aldo asked. "He wants a trade. You give him the Shadow, he'll pardon all your crimes and will let you all go." The Nazi explained.

   I set my gun down a bit and looked at Aldo. "We don't have the Shadow." Aldo lied. "That's a lie, Lieutenant Raine. He knows you have her. Her name is Frances Mitchell, and she is standing right there." The Nazi said, pointing at me. I tried my hardest to conceal my fear. I could see how furious Aldo, Donny, and Hugo were. I was honestly scared for the Nazis when it came to them.

   "I don't give a shit what the Colonel offers us. We will never give up Frances. Never." Aldo seethed. The Nazi scoffed and smirked at his men. "Very well. We must do this the hard way." He said, cocking his gun. The Nazis and Basterds did the same. The next thing I knew, gunfire erupted.

   I didn't even know who was shooting who. I was just shooting wherever a Nazi was. I gazed at the lieutenant and shot him. He looked at his arm, unfazed. He grabbed his pistol and before I could react, he fired. Multiple times. The force caused me to get shoved backwards. A hot pain developed throughout my body. A red pool of blood decorated my white tank top. I looked around. The Basterds didn't notice. How could they? They were distracted with the others.

   I grabbed my shotgun, pain still searing through me. I cocked my shotgun and aimed it at him. He aimed his pistol at me. Simultaneously, we both fired. My bullet struck him on his heart, killing him instantly. His struck my leg. I threw down the gun, satisfied. The gunfire seazed when he fell. "WHOO!!! GREAT JOB PARIS!" Omar shouted, oblivious to what I was currently going through.

   Aldo looked in my direction and widened his eyes. The rest followed suite and gasps began to ensue. I couldn't even focus as much. I felt dizzy and weak. I began to feel myself fall, but the fall never came. Someone had grabbed me before I could collapse. I looked up. It was Aldo. He looked down at me with an emotion I couldn't quite place. Sadness? Fear? I couldn't tell.

   He laid me in his lap, arms around me. I looked up at him, my eyesight slowly getting blurry. I kept blinking to get rid of it. Donny sat beside Aldo, placing down his sawed off shotgun. He looked shocked. "Frances, oh my God." He whispered. I gave him a small smile. I looked around and saw the rest gazing at me with fear in their eyes. I looked straight into Hugo's. His eyes showed devastation.

   "Frankie, I am so sorry. You didn't deserve this." Aldo whispered. "It's ok Aldo. It's ok." I said. He wiped away strands of hair from my face. His clothes were being covered in my blood. "I'm getting blood on you." I gasped out. "I don't care." He said. My eyesight began getting more blurry. I knew I was gonna die.

   "Guys, I'm gonna die." I whispered out. "No. Frances don't say that." Donny replied, shaking his head. "I'm gonna die I know I am. I just want you guys to know that I love you all so much. The past three years were the greatest years of my life that I will never forget. Thank you all so much." I croaked out, tearing up a bit. I heard sniffles from some of the Basterds, most likely Hirschberg or Utivich. Maybe both. I looked over and to my surprise, it was Hugo that was crying. Wicki, who had a shocked look in his eye, was trying to comfort him.

   I gave him a small smile. He gave me a small smile back. He didn't smile much but he sometimes did. Especially with me. I admired him for smiling even though I knew he was in pain. I looked back at Donny, who had tears in his eyes. I thought back to our conversation before everything happened. I tried to look behind me to locate my knife. Wicki seemed to understand what I was looking for so he grabbed it for me. I passed it to Donny.

   "Donny, here. Take it." I said, holding it out. "Frances, I can't." Donny refused. "Please Donny, take it. I'll feel better that it's in your hands." I insisted. Donny took it, hesitatingly. I smiled, glad that my prized knife would be in his ownership. He definitely deserved it.

   I had a sudden urge to cough, so I did. I tasted something metallic in my mouth. As I coughed, a substance came out. By the looks on Aldo and Donny's faces and the metallic taste in my mouth, I knew it was blood. My time was coming to an end.

   "I guess they've finally caught the Shadow huh?" I chuckled. Nobody laughed. I began to slowly struggle with my breathing. I remembered the prayer I did when my aunt and uncle passed two years ago. The same one I recited after the murder of my family. The Mourner's Kaddish. I didn't do it last year when Amelie died. I had fully lost my faith then.

   "Yisgadal, veyiskadash, shmey raba." I whispered aloud. Considering all of us, minus Aldo and Hugo, were Jewish, they knew what I was saying. They didn't wanna hear it. It was all too much for them. I finished the prayer and looker to the sky. I didn't wanna say this out loud, because I knew nobody would be able to handle it.

   "I'm on my way Maman, Papa, Philippe, Oncle, Tante, and Amelie. I'm coming. Just wait for me." I thought to myself. "I love you guys. So much." I said in nearly a whisper. I looked into Aldo's eyes and smiled, becoming weaker. Eventually, darkness enveloped me. I knew death was inevitable. That's why I'm not afraid.

   Aldo's POV:

   Frances looked up and smiled at me before closing her eyes, her body becoming limp. I heard a sniffle come out of Donny. He turned away to cry. I heard cries and sniffles from around me. I couldn't do anything. I just sat there with Frances' body in my arms.

   There was a streak of blood that had left her mouth and went out the side of it. I wiped it away. I didn't care at this point. The girl that I vowed myself to protect was gone. The one we all vowed to protect. We promised. And now, because of that damn colonel, she was gone.

   It really hit me then. Frances would no longer be here. I'd no longer hear her laugh again. I'd no longer see her. I'll never see her hang out with the rest. I'll never receive her love again. She was always very lovable.

   Tears poured out of my eyes as sobs came out. I gazed down at her again. She didn't deserve this. She did not. Her biggest dream was getting revenge on Colonel Hans Landa. I'll get revenge on him. I promise I will.

   I placed my forehead on hers, sobs leaving me. I rocked her back and forth, trying to comfort her. She needs it, I know she does. "NO!!!" I shouted to the sky, cursing God for taking her away from me. I continued hugging her, refusing to let her go.

   Frances was gone, forever.

   (And there we go! I hope you guys enjoyed! I got bored so I decided to tear at your heartstrings a little. Sorry guys! Love y'all! Thank you all for reading this book though. It means so much to me. I have another fanfic in the works about another one of my favorite movies so look out for it! See you soon Rosalies! Jayden officially signing out)!