One Cold Day in Hell

Inspiration

He proceeds to look at me as if some big actor just presented himself and I'm supposed to instantly know their name. I look at him for a minute in silence and eventually break the silence.

"Am I... supposed to know you?"

"No, if you did, that would have been very bad. For you. But maybe for me too, I'm not quite sure."

His manner of speech seemed a little erratic. He talked quickly, as if at any point he might just drop dead and not be able to finish his sentence. As if any second he spent talking could have been better used doing something else. He quickly moved from the window and went back to his files, shifting through them, searching for whatever it was he wanted to find.

"Then what was with that introduction? And what do you mean it would have been bad if I knew you? What are you, some kind of death angel or something?"

He quickly turned around with the same quick and sporadic movements, scaring me a little.

"Not 'some kind of death angel', woman. I am the Angel of Death. The one and only."

"What? Is that really a good name for someone who is supposed to be a doctor?"

"Relax, that's what the Untermensch call me, your friend is safe if that is what you're wondering."

"Well, would you relax if your friend's doctor was nicknamed 'the Angel of Death'?"

"I suppose not. Point noted. Don't worry, I won't be here long. And neither will you. I'm just waiting for the 20th SS Division to come and help me with my research."

"That... would be us. Well, not just me and him, but that is our division."

His eyes go wide and he starts moving them between Eevi and me in an almost curious manner, as if wondering if I was actually serious. After a bit his eyes once again rest on me and a sadistic smile creeps across his face. I wish I wouldn't have said that now.

"Well then it is fate! I knew there was a reason I gave you my name. You also seem to be quite close with Miss Asta, which means I will see you around quite a lot too."

"How so?"

"Well, you'll be helping Asta... help me. There's nothing more to it than that."

"I see. Help you with what?"

"Well, I'd rather not say. I'm sure Asta will discus everything with you at a later date. For now, please let your friend rest some more and come back later, ok? He needs the silence to rest. And I need it to work."

Against my better judgment I put my pistol back in it's holster and slowly move towards the door. I look back at Eevi once more and see him sound asleep. My eyes then dart to the creepy doctor, but he's already back in his work, looking through the stack of papers on his desk as if he might discover some sort of treasure. I finally take my leave and wonder what I'm going to be doing the whole damn day. No training, no Eevi, no Asta. I'm not even sure we can go out and take a walk in Tartu. Though I doubt there would be much to see either way. Soon I find my way back to my room, and with nothing else to do I go inside, locking the door behind me. I try to sit down on one of the beds to try and collect all my thoughts but a sudden banging on my door stops me in my tracks. I slowly get up and walk towards the door and as soon as I unlock it Asta bursts through it almost falling down on her face from her rush.

"Hello to you too Asta. Please, come in."

She looks up at me, clearly unamused by my sarcastic tone but then slowly gets up, straightening her own uniform and coughing a bit to get my attention, I imagine.