Arsenic

II

Once Gretilde and Drystan got off the train, they started walking towards the direction of the farm owned by her fellow Resistance members.
The farmhouse was painted white- although it resembled more of a light beige color due to the dirt that accumulated over time. The roof was wooden and dark brown; its dark color contrasting with the bottom exterior of the farmhouse. However, three bikes laid upon a wall on the farm messily- bringing some disorder to the farmhouse's design.
As the two drew closer to the farm, its quaint, simple features were more distinct. The small, asymmetrical placement of windows and the color of the doors being similar to the roof brought a sense of modesty within the architecture.
On the right, few cattle were fenced in while on the left- was an adequate quantity of crops that grew a variety of vegetables. On the crops, three people could be seen working in its fields.
Gretilde excitedly ushered Drystan to follow her quickly towards the group of people. Drystan complied and he quickened his pace of walking with her.
The expressions of the three can be seen lighting up as Gretilde came into their view. They stood up and quickly hurried towards the two. A woman with short, light brown hair could be seen amongst them.
"Klara, what a joy to see you here! And who would this be?" the woman from the fields curiously asked.
"Oh, this is Drystan- an agent for the SOE." she answered as she looked towards his direction.
"An agent like you should be quite helpful." she claimed before offering her hand out to Drystan for a handshake. "My codename is Yvonne, it's certainly nice to meet you."
Drystan stared at Yvonne's hand before looking at everyone else staring at him. He hesitantly took her hand and shook it.
"François." a teenage boy spoke, offering his hand to Drystan.
Drystan shook his hand.
"You can call me Lucien." a middle-aged man inquired, his hand out to Drystan.
The agent shook another hand.
"How did you exactly find him?" Yvonne questioned as she eyed the agent.
"Well, I just happened to run into him in an alleyway and we eventually were informed of each other's true roles!" Gretilde absurdly oversimplified.
Drystan looked over to Gretilde.
"Although it's an unusual introduction- it's normal fashion for you at least, Klara." Yvonne settled, before switching her gaze onto Drystan. "Drystan, is there any supplies that the SOE can lend us to aid us to dismantling the fascists?"
Drystan took out his notepad from his pocket and turned to the nearest blank page. His action left the three confused but quickly deduced why the situation was so.
He took out a pen, removed the cap before putting it on the opposite tip of the pen, and starts writing on the notepad. After he is finished writing, he shows the writing on the notepad to them.
My network will be able to supply you once I inform a fellow agent named Eloise. After that, she will be able to train you using the tools used for sabotage.
Suddenly, a faint sound of a motor engine could be heard. The five of them turned their heads towards the direction of the noise. They saw a grey truck driving towards their farm. Caution immediately arose within Yvonne.
"Hurry into the farmhouse! The Germans are here to take away our crops!" Yvonne urged Gretilde and Drystan.
The both of them quickly took her warning into account and ran quickly into the farmhouse before the truck arrived close enough to see them. The repetitive noise of the engine increased the sickening feeling of anxiety within Gretilde. The two panted out of exhaustion and the stress of the Germans seeing them.
We would certainly arouse suspicion if they saw us. We aren't natives and regular residents on this farm.
They did not dare to peek out of the window and concealed themselves inside the farmhouse.

Eventually, the truck had arrived at the farm and the tedious sound of the engine stopped.
The driver's door of the vehicle opened up and a familiar man in uniform could be seen stepping out. His boots crushed the blades of grass beneath him when he exited out of the truck. He stared at the farmers with an unsettling, ominous aura that surrounded him.
He had a fair complexion with brown hair. Seemingly, he was older than the average soldier.
Another soldier exited out of the truck from the other door of the car. The first soldier walked towards Yvonne.
"As usual, we are here to take away a portion from your crops." he stated sternly.
Yvonne looked at him upright. "Of course, we have them ready- retrieval is only needed."
The three walked back into the fields to collect the usual, requested amount wheat intended for the Germans.
The soldier with the fair complexion watched them intently and observed the area around himself. He stared at the farmhouse, paying close attention to the windows. He turned back to look at the farmers. He retracted his gaze and directed it towards the blades of grass beneath him.
The farmers retrieved some of the wheat in a basket and walked towards the truck. The other soldier opened up the back of the track to allow storage for the wheat. The three placed the wheat into the truck before going back to retrieve the remaining portion of wheat with their baskets.
Once they were finished storing the necessary amount of wheat into the truck; the other soldier closed the back of the truck. He walked towards the front of the truck, opened the door, and returned back inside before closing the door.
The other soldier slowly made his way to the truck.
"That's all for this week, I believe?" Yvonne questioned.
"Yes." he stated after his gaze was fixated onto the farmers. "Good day to you."
"I wish the same to you as well." Yvonne lied.
He stared at the cattle fenced inside nearby the farmhouse. The cows were roaming inside the vicinity of the fence, ignorant to the ongoing war. It seemed pleasant, although he could not enjoy that luxury as duty was his priority.
He walked into the truck after opening the door. The soldier closed the door, started up the engine, and drove off.
Yvonne gritted her teeth before quickly walking towards the farmhouse. The other two farmers followed after her.
"Damned soldiers, who they think they are?" François condemned.
"Heldt and all the other Germans can go rot in hell!" Yvonne snapped harshly. "Murderers and thieves, all of them! Stealing our food while we barely have anything to eat nowadays!"
Lucien gently looked towards the both of them. "Calm yourselves, getting angry won't help. We have someone from the SOE, don't we?"
François and Yvonne nodded. The young farmers sighed to relieve the uncontrollable anger that was previously within them.
Lucien opened the door to the farmhouse, letting his fellow farmers enter first. The three saw Drystan and Gretilde still laying against the wall below the window. Lucien closed the door behind him after coming inside.
Gretilde quickly got up which convinced Drystan to stand up as well- only less hurriedly.
"Now that's over with, we should probably show you something." Yvonne said as she looked to Drystan.
Her statement caught the attention of the agent as she led him to the dining room. Yvonne pushed a table forward, while François and Gretilde moved the chairs away. The farmer pulled aside the carpet that was originally under the table. There, a trapdoor was revealed under the furniture and decorations.
Yvonne lifted the handle that laid flat initially and pulled it- opening the trapdoor. She proceeded to climb down the ladder that led to the basement. Shortly after, she turned on the light switch- illuminating the basement below.
She and the presence of light invited Drystan to climb down into the basement as well. Gretilde held the trapdoor open while François and Lucien watched over the two.
The basement had a variety of useful items placed on the shelves and tables. On one particular table, parts of firearms and bullets can be seen organized into cups. Sketched out blueprints and firearms were laid onto the table. Drystan observed the table and immediately linked the craftsmanship of the firearms to Gretilde.
A couple of bowls of produce and cans of food could be seen atop multiple shelves.
"We take an inconspicuous amount of the crops intended for the Germans and store them here for an emergency. If we ever need to hide here or hide someone else, this basement can be used as a shelter temporarily." Yvonne explained before glancing once more at the basement.
Drystan examined the basement once again before looking at Yvonne again.
"I assume you're ready to leave." she presumed.
The agent nodded his head.
Yvonne ushered him out of basement where he climbed up the ladder in consequence. Once she saw that he was outside of the basement, she turned off the lights and climbed up herself. Gretilde shut the trapdoor and laid the handle flat onto it.
Gretilde, François, and Lucien began to arrange the furniture and decorations back to their initial locations.
"That's all we need to show you." Yvonne stated. "Would you want to stay for lunch with us?"
Drystan shook his head. The agent took out his notepad and pen from his pocket. He quickly finished writing.
I am fine. I'll go inform Eloise so we may help you quickly. May I borrow a bike?
"Go ahead. Hopefully, we shall see you again." she inquired.
He nodded his head as a gesture of gratitude.
"You should have lunch with us next time." Gretilde invited.
Drystan simply glanced at her before leaving the farmhouse. He took out his notepad and quickly wrote a coded message onto one of the pages before tearing it out. He proceeded to fold the page into a miniscule size. He grabbed a spare pen from his pocket and took off the cap. He stored the folded page into the cap and closed the pen before returning it to his pocket.
He found the bikes laid onto one of the walls of the farmhouse and took one. He turned on the headlight as it was one of the regulations imposed by the Germans during the occupation; turning on your headlight even during the daytime. He sat on the seat of the bike and started cycling to his destination.