Through My Wandering Eyes

Chapter 3: Katie's End

The bombing started not long after that. Our school was one of the first buildings to be destroyed with the menacing shells. Soldiers appeared- almost out of nowhere- and we were forced to live under very strict rules (In short, you break a rule you die). People began disappearing, the soldier's would come and break into someone's house at night or day, take that family or resident away and we would never see them again. I was told by Father- when he eventually calmed- that it was because they were Jews or had a Jewish history. I didn't understand why being a Jew was so bad, so I asked him and he told me that it wasn't for me to know, (sometimes my Father can be really annoying,)

They never actually asked me what my race time was. To tell the truth I actually forgot about it because I had more important things on my mind. My best friend for life, Katie, was terrified that her family was going to be next to be taken away because, she panicked saying that her family was Jewish. I kept telling her that she was being stupid no-one here knew of her families' religion so how would the Nazis find out? As time went on people were being taken here, there and everywhere I began to feel that feeling of uncertainty, not knowing who was next. It was a feeling I never wish to feel again.

All of a sudden, on a brisk winter morning I awoke to the sound of screaming, shouting and violent swearing. Pulling on my clothes I rushed to the scene and to the realisation that Katie's worst fear had indeed come true... Nazis were everywhere! Tearing at the door and windows like wild, hungry animals. Her Father was dragged from the house first, then her Mother and two brothers. Eventually Katie was dragged from the building, kicking and screaming. The Nazi holding her swore every time she kicked him. My protective instincts erupted from my soul. I sprinted at the solider ramming into his stomach; we fell into a heap. He started punching me multiple times in the face whilst Katie screamed her head off once again, I heard my nose crack, my vision blocked with all the blood, my mouth was flooded with the stuff. I kicked up as hard as I could and kneed him in the face. The brute's head back. A moment's hesitation, that's all I needed. I grabbed hold of his hair and forced him off me. I snatched Katie's hand and we ran! We darted left and right. There were four soldiers behind us, hot on our heels. Gun shots rang out from behind us, bullets whizzed past our heads like extremely dangerous wasps. One shot stopped short. I heard a soft thud and Katie's weight shifted. I grabbed hold of her waist, not daring to think about what might have just happened. I took a sharp right into a black alleyway and the gun firing soldiers ran past.

Katie was struggling to breath; her breath came in wheezy rasps, tears dripping from her crystal blue eyes. I glanced at the terrifying truth of her wound. The bullet had torn right through her gut. Her heart was doing gravities work empting her blood from her veins, I pushed my hand down onto the bleeding hole trying desperately to reduce the blood flow but the warm liquid seeped through my fingers. Our eyes met, I started shaking as her eyes lost their colour and beauty, they held no anger, no blame, no sadness. They held nothing. "...Thank you..." she gasped "Thank you for being my friend..." she smiled her final smile, took her last raspy breath and her head lolled back. The tears came ferociously then, falling from my cheeks like rain as I held her limp body in my arms. I cried and cried and cried, I remembered her laugh and how her teeth shone like diamonds in the summer sun when she smiled. I had tried to save her and failed.

A different soldier came for me. He held me tight by the waist and dragged me away from Katie's body I was so exhausted that I didn't have the energy to fight him, all the while I just cried and screamed. I was escorted to an unforgiving looking truck. On hearing my Mothers yells behind me I turned sharply watching her as she barged herself through a trio of Nazis threatening them that if they didn't let me go she would... But her speech stopped short, a shot echoed around the street, smoke rose from a pistol held by the same man I had kicked. A red hole appeared in Mother's stomach, the edges curled like little rose petals. Father came charging round the corner to the scene as Mother slumped to the ground. "No!" screamed two voices, myself and my Father's. He lunged himself at the killer and in full swing he began beating the Nazi in pure hatred. It was a mixture of blood, gore and violent screams, blood soaked the stone slabbed road, flowing through all the gaps like a raging river until a fellow Nazi came rushing over, wrapping his arms against Fathers throat, choking the life out of him. The Nazi twisted Fathers throat so hard I heard a snap. The punching stopped.

I wept waterfalls and cried out at the top of my lung capacity as the wicked men surrounded me pushing and pulling my reluctant body inside the truck. All the while I couldn't take my eyes away from the horrific sight that lay before me, I wanted to look away but I couldn't. I cried and cried and cried I didn't stop until I my eyes were dry.