An Eternity of Change

Chapter 28

August 28, 1945

The Red Army had finally liberated the concentration camp like they had done to others before it. Jaylyn knew they would've been freed sooner if the Nazis hadn't started moving everyone once again, that had scared her; she would've had to choose between Abe and Adam if they had separated the people. She was surprised the baby had even made it; then again Marie was still there to watch him. As she looked at the burning camp however, she felt worry creeping up again. What if they died in the attack? She shrugged off the thought.

Flames lit up the sky as she got closer to the camp and Jaylyn heard various cries of fear, pain, and a few that sounded like anger. The soldiers were still fighting off the few remaining Nazi guards and scientists that had survived the initial attack. She rubbed some mud over her stolen Nazi uniform, which had been replaced multiple times during the marches to this camp, and continued to search the smoldering buildings for Adam. Around her, soldiers ran around everywhere trying to get people to the doctors and put out the fires that were spreading, she ignored them at the moment and continued looking, hoping no one would notice the uniform she wore.

"Adam?" Jaylyn finally found the building he had been kept in burned to the ground.

A dying figure limped over to her and she quickly ran to meet him. "Find my family... Jay... Save my son...I'll meet you at the hill."

"Adam, what have they done to you...?" Jaylyn helped him as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed, she laid him gently on the ground before checking to make sure no one was looking as he disappeared.

She stood up a moment later and ran, or rather limped as her leg wound protested at the strain, off to the side of the camp where women and a few children were running around, as soldiers tried to help them as they tried to find loved ones through the flames. Jaylyn wasn't sure exactly where Marie and her child were located now but she did recognize the general area. Soldiers glanced at her as they saw the symbols on her outfit and she quickly ducked into a burned down building where she could hide in the smoke. She coughed and heard shouting as she ran towards a building that looked ready to collapse at any moment, she ran inside and found Marie's eyes fill with relief as she recognized Jaylyn's face.

"Is Adam safe, where is he?" Marie looked around as she ran towards Jaylyn, ignoring the uniform she wore.

"Y-yeah, he's fine, come on we're going to meet him at the hill." She glanced around. "Where's your son?"

"He's over there." Marie started to run back towards a bed where there was a small bundle under the covers.

Flames sent embers showering down as the wood started to split; Jaylyn felt a rush of panic and ran towards Marie as it broke completely, she couldn't just let her die even if Adam wouldn't care. She coughed and helped Marie to her feet, the woman let out a cry as she saw the path to her son blocked by flames and Jaylyn forced her to walk away.

"Get to safety, I'll get him don't worry." Jaylyn promised her, shoving her towards a safe exit path.

"Hurry." Marie replied pleadingly as she ran off.

Jaylyn turned back and began looking for a path through the flames; if she could just get a running start then perhaps she could jump through the flames with minimal burns. She backed up to get a running start as another groan sounded through the structure, more panic flooded through her and she ran towards the burning beams that were already on the ground, the flames scorched her legs as she jumped through, using her arms as a shield for her face. Some flames caught on her outfit, leaving some burns on her skin but otherwise she managed to pat out the flames and walked over to Abraham, who had started to cry. Jaylyn picked him up and put part of a blanket over his mouth to prevent him from inhaling too much smoke before looking for another way out. This time however, a loud crack and shouts from outside alerted her too late as the wooden structure collapsed, she let out a startled scream and felt flames burn her back as she curled up to protect Adam's child.

The good thing that came from that however was that now there was a path she could go through that would lead to safety, the bad thing, as she ran back out of the collapsing building, she found Marie's body buried under the rubble. Marie hadn't left, or if she had, she had turned back to look for them. Quickly Jaylyn searched for someone to help and found a blonde nurse guiding others to doctors as she helped them through the smoking remains. The nurse saw her in the Nazi uniform, despite the ash and mud covering it, and froze as she approached, though she did have to admit the woman was brave for standing her ground silently. Jaylyn held up one hand to signal she wasn't armed or a threat while the other one cradled Abraham.

"I'm not going to hurt you." She told the nurse calmly, moving closer slowly. "Just take the child, the parents are dead... make sure he doesn't share their fate... his name is Abraham."

"Wait, where are you going?" The nurse called out as Jaylyn handed her the child and ran off back into the rubble. "You need help!"

She ignored the woman's shouts and went back to the nearly collapsed building, the flames finally starting to sputter out to be replaced by more smoke. Jaylyn shoved the rubble off Marie; though her body protested as her wounds screamed and wanted to give out. She started to half drag her towards the exit, her wounds hurt more and more by the second and she new she would most likely die from them soon, but at the moment she didn't care. She had to get Marie out and to the meeting place... for Adam, even if he didn't love the woman she still needed a proper burial. However, she did look back one last time to watch the nurse walk over to a dark haired man, the smoke and dark sky blocking a better view. At least she knew he was taken care of now.

It was noon the next day by the time she'd gotten to the meeting place, which would have taken longer if she hadn't stolen a Nazi vehicle that had attracted an unfortunate amount of attention once she'd gotten near town and had to be left behind while she carried Marie's body the rest of the way. Now she was on the hill, completely exhausted and still needed to bury her, she could wait for Adam to show up and help, but she didn't want him to see her, to remember her, like this... not that he would care much. So she started the laborious task of digging a hole and performing a burial and marking the spot with all the rocks she could find. By the time it was finished it nearly resembled a smaller, older, grave beside it where the twins had been buried. Hopefully Adam wouldn't question what they were, this might be a meeting place, but only because it was close to their home before they'd been taken.

She collapsed limply on the ground nearby, her wounds feeling worse by the second as blood ran freely from them, and realized what she'd have to tell Adam: that his son had been killed before she got to him. She closed her eyes, he was going to hate her even more than before now.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered, wishing she didn't have to say Abraham was dead to Adam, who had never even been able to hold him.