Amid The Ruins

Part 10: Agreement

I was still on the floor, and pushed the ring into my pocket. I tried to fight the soldier, but he was overly to strong for me. The corridor we were in was freezing. At least cold. I could feel the cold floor tiles against my arms. Cold. Now I was practically shivering?

It was either out of fear or being genuinely cold. Maybe both. The soldier remained, and didn't move. The soldier moved. Barely. I felt his hand shift to my waist. Fear returned with more dictation this time. I could barely control my emotions.

   I heard footsteps again. Kalina?

  I was confused. Was it Kalina, Eva, and Ilse? I honestly doubted they would come. Especially now. Maybe I was hallucinating. No, I wasn't. The soldier heard the footsteps himself, and got off me.

  I slightly gasped, sitting up. He pushed me down again but remained off me. As the footsteps got louder he stood. He glanced at me and said something I couldn't understand. I probaly was barely paying attention..

  The soldier moved out of the dark corridor and exited the apartment. I sat against the wall, my hands fumbling. I held both hands together to prevent their shaking, and warm them.

    Then I heard a voice. One I recognized.

"Kalina..?" I whispered to myself, standing. I walked shakily out of the corridor into the main area of the apartment complex. There, I saw Kalina.

   I smiled at her. She ran towards me and hugged me. Together, we walked back up to the apartment. "Where's Ilse, and Eva..?" 

   "They told me not to come, it wasn't safe.." That made me slightly mad. A part of me also understood, but the other was clearly not willing to walk about it. I had just been violated by a soldier and they wouldn't dare help.

   I made a promise to myself, that it wouldn't happen to Kalina. I was wrong about thinking our apartment block as merely escaped the soldiers attention. Once at the apartment, when Ilse and Eva saw us they had wide eyes. They both rushed to me. ''I'm fine.." I spoke, walking past them. I wasn't.

  I looked out the window. It was still raining and was dark now. How much time had passed..? I didn't care. I was exhausted and wanted to sleep.

  In the night I still felt cold, and I woke up hearing quiet sobs. It wasn't Kalina. It was me. I didn't exactly understand, but I cried, and I let myself. In my eyes I had full right, no matter what time. I woke up about every two, to three hours, looking around, or checking if Kalina was still there. I clutched the thing blanket to my chin, finding comfort in just holding onto something.

||May 8th, 1945||

   I finally fell asleep, but woke up hearing the floor boards creaking heading towards our room. I instantly panicked, getting up. It was just Ilse. I sighed. Before sitting at the desk. The journal. I hadn't wrote in it in a while. I looked at Eva.

   "Do you need help with breakfast..?" She shook her head. I stood, moving towards the door. Kalina was awake now as well. Eva moved out of the doorway and spoke. "Emilia, dear, may I ask, when you left earlier before the second time yesterday.." She paused before continuing. "What did you see?"

  "Not much, just debris and soldiers." My voice was stoic.

  Eva nodded before disappearing back into the hallway. Kalina got up behind me, and walked down the hall as well. I followed behind her.

   Everyone was quite for a while, but we were speaking and confusing on with things after a bit. Even after my last experience I wanted to go outside. Kalina stopped me though, and Ilse warned not to. I sat on the sofa, and stared at the wall thinking.