I'm Coming Home

Escape From Hell

He was free. Free from work and death. Free from fear and shame. 

BOOM! BOOM!

Whats going on? Ben thought. An ear shattering blast split through the screams and gunshots. Benjamin sat in the corner of the chambers, quaking with fear. His striped clothing gave no protection from the bitter cold. Footsteps echoed through the night, scaring him. A gun poked through the "door". A man stepped into the "doorway". 

"Are any survivors in here?"

Benjamin stepped away from his corner. His clothes hung off him. 

He didn't understand this man. Maybe he was being punished.

"Bist du hier um mich zu bestrafen?"

"Joe, what did the kid say?" asked one of the men.

"He asked if we are here to punish him. Poor guy, lets help him," said Joe. He was tall and has a chiseled jawline. his nose was bent, as it had been broken but never set properly. 

"Willst du frei sein? Weg von diesem Ort?" asked Joe.

Benjamin wanted to get away from this place. He wanted to be free. He nodded slowly.

" Wie heißt du Kind?"

He wanted to know his name, "Benjamin".

"Benjamin, Bist du ein Überlebender des Holocaust?" Joe asked anxiously.

"Holocaust? Was ist ein Holocaust?" Benjamin did't know what a holocaust was. Maybe a terrible disease?

Joe sighed and leaned on the door post. He began talking in a foreign language to the other men. He heard his name a few times. 

"Benjamin, wir sind hier, um dich vor den Nazis zu retten. Wir wollen, dass du nach Amerika kommst," offered Joe.

Go to America! These men wanted him to go to America! "Amerika?" Ben gasped then coughed from his sharp intake. His frail body shook and Joe had to hold him steady. 

"Benjamin, ist da noch jemand hier?" 

"Nein," Benjamin replied. No one was here.

"Hey Brett, go see if you can find food for the kid. Leff, you check for anymore people, I'm going to watch Ben," ordered Joe. 

Leff and Brett slid their guns out of the holsters and left the cabin. Joe glanced at the kid and his thin body.

"Ben, Ist deine Familie tot?" 

He didn't know. The Nazis just came barging in. Ma, was probably dead, he had seen Nazis kill a bunch of women, and Pa was dead, Ben had to watch it. Margarit and Jesse were probably dead also. 

"Ich kenne Mister nicht, Ich-ich denke Ma und Pa sind tot von den Nazis und Margarit und Jesse wurden vermisst. Kannst du mir helfen sie zu finden Mister?" 

Benjamin started to quake. Joe dropped his gun and hugged the boy, feeling his ribs through his shirt. 

Ben couldn't have been more than thirteen years old...to think he had to suffer through this made Joe angry. It wasn't right. 

Brett returned about a half hour later holding what looked like a few brown bricks. He gave one to Joe who ate it. Were these bricks safe to eat?

"Sind diese sicher?"

Joe nodded and devoured another one. Benjamin smelled it and almost passed out. The smell was heavenly. It smelled sweet but not overloaded with sugar. Under the coat of sugar it smelled bitter like herbs. Ben gingerly took a bite out of the corner and gasped in utter confusion. How did people make this heavenly food? Ben shoved he bar into his mouth, savoring the flavor. He had to know what this was called.

 "Wie heißt dieses Stück Himmel?"

"Chocolate, es heißt chocolate," replied Joe.

Chocolate. He played with the word in his mind. Benjamin could still feel the taste linger in his mouth.

"Hey Joe, no one is left, the place is vacant. Lets go back to the trucks and get out of here." Said Leff. Benjamin jumped. Leff had appeared out of no where. This reminded him of something.

Memories flashed in Ben's brain, causing him to cry out. His Ma and Pa were hugging him. It was his tenth birthday, the last birthday he had until Adolf Hitler took control. The cake had been chocolaty and gooey. Then the next day, the Nazis came. 

Their stiff suits and boots were very scary. The swastika arm band was terrifying. The Nazis had grabbed Pa and Ma and took them away. He was sent on a scary train to a place called Mauthausen, where he and his dad had to work. His dad, was forced to lift rocks and carry them up and down stairs for no reason. Then, on Ben's twelfth birthday, his dad was singing happy birthday when he was murdered. His body was dragged from the chamber into a pit. His Ma was gassed. Ben didn't know where is brother or sister was. The memories were painful and he had to sit down.  

"Komm, lass uns diesen Todesort verlassen. Gehen wir nach Hause,"said Joe. Finally, Ben was leaving! He was free!