November 7th || Countryhumans Alternate History of WW2 || The Soviet Republics

A Distant Tune and Foggy Memories|| Chapter Sixteen

November 7th, 1944. 12:55pm.

The children continued to sit in silence. Only one of them occasionally getting up to get a drink of water or to do their business. 

Although AB had quickly got insane and joined NTRs side; there was one that they all could collectively agree deserved pain the most.

Kaukasus.

He had sold them out.

All for what?

AB wondered whether or not he had a second thought in the decision he made.

Ukraine tried to make up excuses that could possibly justify his action.

Perhaps he was blackmailed? Perhaps NTR had threatened to kill all of them if he ever found them himself?

Deep down, Ukraine knew Kaukasus had done it willingly. It was really down to his motive for doing such an act though. 

Was it for money? For the chance to live? For the chance of power?

Ukraine frowned to herself. 

Why was it all about power nowadays? It was like an infectious disease, anyone who got a hold of it, would be mesmerized by its prospect for the rest of their lives. 

Kind of what happened with Russia, in a way.

At least, that's what Ukraine hoped. Either that or the never-ending frost and hunger had gotten so much to him; it drove him to insanity. Which to be quite frank, she couldn't blame him. 

She wiped whatever remaining tears she had left in her eyes. Finally getting up; almost falling was she did so and making her way to the bucket of water. She clenched her nose, the smell coming from the bucket full of their excrements becoming overwhelming. It was truly disgusting that they be treated like pigs just because they happened to be the kids of the USSR; as if they had chosen to be so.

From the corner of her eyes, she noticed ABs eyes following her. She waved him off though, she was not in the mood for him and his utter foolishness. Instead, she crouched down beside Belarus.

She looked so pale, so sickly.

Ukraine brows furrowed in worry. Belarus was clearly not in the state to handle such a dehumanizing trip. It was especially worse because they were given so little water.

There was absolutely nothing Ukraine could do though. She felt just so-

Hopeless.

She held the bucket of water up to Belarus's mouth, pressing it against her lips. 

"Drink." She insisted. Belarus tried to gather up the strength to drink it, but she simply failed. Ukraine winced, with the way this was going and if things didn't change soon; 

Belarus wasn't going to make it.

They needed food desperately.  Anything would've helped, really.

It seemed like their whole lives, food was always lacking. 

Although their mother; USSR, worked around four jobs. Because she was a female and the poor never-growing Soviet economy, she barely made enough money to put food on the table. What made things worse was she had 16 mouths to feed. 

And now; in the barren Siberian wasteland, food seemed to run out even faster. They relied completely on Siberia hunting their food. Some days, they weren't lucky enough, and they ended up just having to eat wild berries and fruits; sometimes, nothing at all. 

During those harsh days though, one notable difference between USSR and Siberia was that Siberia always seemed to be able to keep their minds off of the starvation they faced.

A small smile formed on Ukraines face; memories that seemed so distant being brought back to her. She could vaguely remember when Siberia sat by the fire place in his rocking chair, humming a Siberian-folk tune to the children until they'd eventually fall asleep and forget about the hunger, the cold, and the threat of the nearing Germans.

If only Siberia were here now. Maybe then he'd provide her some comfort from this ruthless place and whatever fate awaited them.