A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Thirty-Five

Brushing past someone, Mina glanced back. These meetings rarely had men. They were women who wanted to be free of an iron fist. Free of being told what to do. Free of being an icon in a society that thought they shouldn't have an opinion. With that being said, seeing a man staring back at her sent up a bit of a red flag.

He watched her, not breaking contact. His eyes drifted down to her belly. As if judging her for being there while being with child, he shook his head. It was all that was needed for him to break eye contact and look away from her.

Mina's jaw hardened, but she ignored him. Pushing past other women, she struggled to get to the front. She wanted to hear everything that Armina had to say. Her words were inspiring. They were fuel for her upcoming battle, and she needed any and all inspiration possible.

The woman spotted her and gave her an encouraging smile. She waved another woman over and whispered something in her ear, pointing at Mina the whole time. The other woman scurried away before pushing her way through the crowd to Mina. "Armina wants you to have this." She set a chair down next to her.

Shaking her head, Mina gently tried to push the chair away. "I am able to stand. Give this to someone who is unable."

"Sitting is not a sign of weakness. You need to reserve that fire — that strength. Please, accept her kindness." The woman pushed the chair back to Mina just as gently.

Swallowing her pride, Mina smiled and accepted the sweet token of generosity. "Thank you."

The woman nodded her head, smiling warmly. "It is about to start. Please, make yourself comfortable. Armina's words are purely inspirational this week. She has a gift."

"I will not argue with you there." Mina had no doubt that the leader's words would prove to be beautiful and well influenced. The exact thing that she needed. "Tell her much thanks."

"I will." The woman nodded and scurried away.

Mina got comfortable. It was nice to get off of her feet. She hadn't realized how much extra weight a baby added to her. It really took a toll on her body.

Armina took her place on a makeshift stage. She looked out at the at least fifty women that had gathered. "Ladies, welcome! As always it is a beautiful thing to see all of you. Your support is an encouraging sight. I know how hard it is for many of you to get away from home to come here. The risks that you have taken have not gone unnoticed. You, ladies, are the generation that will make things better for your children. We will not fail in making things fair for everyone. I will not rest until I see that you women are able to voice your opinion and make your own choices. We might be in a war, but we will not sit back and be the charming, desirable, baby-making housewives that we are told is our place. Are you with me?"

The cheers went up in the building. Mina was one of those cheering her support. She would not back down from what she believed was right. She would not be another victim. She was a woman and she had her own thoughts and dreams. She had her own agenda, and she would not have it crushed because some man told her it wasn't allowed.

"I understand that this is a very scary time for all of us. Many of us would be killed or sent to a camp if what we were trying to achieve was found out. I cannot caution you enough that your discretion is crucial. I welcome you to invite other women to this, but if we were ever found out... If we were ever found out, our mission could be destroyed. Nobody will keep me down. We intend on fighting back. Some of you may think that these are empty words, but believe me that time is on our side at this time. The moment we reveal ourselves, our struggles become more. We need to choose our target carefully. We need to take our time. I will not pretend to say that we are simply just sitting on the sidelines and having little revival meetings. Things have been beginning to take affect. We will strike back. We will have our glory. You will know when we strike and you will know that it is us making a statement."

Someone stepped up on the stage next to Armina and whispered something in her ear. Mina could see her uncertainty as she questioned the individual. "Ladies, I need you to remain calm."

Those words already had begun to start a bit of a panic. Whispers filled up the room. Mina glanced over her shoulder and noticed women already moving toward the exit. She waited. She wanted to hear what Armina had to say.

"There are military police checking buildings as we speak. I will not lie to you, they are looking for us." Those were the words needed to get the women to begin flooding out in a chaotic manner. There were screams as women flooded out and away.

Mina stood up from her seat. Her heart felt like it was banging loud enough for the world to hear. She had to get out of this building. She had to get away from the danger. If she got captured their mission was over. It took only a few seconds of turning to get an elbow to the face.

A gasp shot out of her mouth. She grabbed the chair to help steady herself. If she fell she'd be trampled, there was no doubt about that.

"Ladies, I need you to remain calm. Panicking will only get you hurt." Armina's voice echoed throughout the building.

Breathing heavily, Mina pulled off her shoes. She grasped the chair and pulled herself up onto it. She knew she couldn't possibly be steady enough to keep her balance with her slippery shoes on it. Rubbing her cheek, she glanced over at the panicking women crowding toward the door. Some of them were getting hurt; others were pushing their way past those that seemed to be going to slow.

"Listen to, Armina!" She yelled out. "Stay calm!"

She needed to have some form of leadership if she intended to make a difference. Now was just as good a time as any to prove that. "Everyone stay quiet! If the Polizei hears you they will come here faster. You need to be quiet."

A few of the women had heard her. They were listening and encouraging others to do the same. The panic began to slow down. It was what was needed. Many were filtering out much more cautiously and calmly. A far cry from just moments earlier.

A sharp pain in her belly almost pushed Mina down from the chair. She grasped herself with one hand, steadying herself with her other hand. She bit back a pained moan. She'd felt minor twinges throughout the evening, but this was so sharp and crippling. It was unexpected. There was no way she'd be able to get out of the building with the pain. Another sharp twinge sent a revolting scream from her lungs. Her breathing grew more intense. She couldn't focus to look up or yell for help. Her words were bit off by one sharp pain after the next.

A bang erupted through the back of the building as the police began trying to push through the locked door. More banging could be heard, pushing the last few women out of the building faster. Mina's strength was being pushed from her body at an alarmingly fast rate.

Hands grabbed her right above her belly. They pulled her from the chair roughly. Mina tried to fight back, but every move elicited another pained scream from her mouth. She felt crippled and unable to do anything. The will to fight was failing her. She was in the hands of whatever friend or foe had grabbed her. She couldn't help but think that the next stop could be being beaten on a concentration camp floor, being embarrassed and bruised in front of everyone. If that be her fate, she knew she wouldn't survive the next twenty-four hours. Only time would tell, though.