A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Markus wasn't sure what to expect going to work. Today was the day that integration was going to begin in the camp he was at. He'd heard some of the other guards talking about it. It seemed weird that they were going to mix women in with men, but he supposed other camps were running out of room. That theory surprised him given the amount of kills they had daily. A number that rapidly grew.

He watched the women get shoved off the truck bed and pushed into the camp. Most of them were already brutally thin and weak. He still could pick up a spark in their eyes though. They hadn't completely given up. That would be important.

"Stick close, Lotte." A tall, harsh looking woman quietly snapped at a much younger woman. The younger woman's murky brown eyes caught Markus's gaze for a brief moment before snapping away.

He recognized the name. Neither Aldrik nor Mina had shown him any pictures of her, but how many Lotte's could there possibly be around here? The name wasn't common in these parts. He memorized her face. Her features. He'd get his time alone with her eventually and he'd find out who she really was.

Cautiously, he worked his way behind her group. A female guard would be instructed to take them away soon enough, but he could listen in at least and get some ideas. Anything was better than nothing. Gently, shoving some of the slackers, he made sure not to use too much force. He had no desire to hurt any of the women. He had no desire to hurt any of these people.

"Beweg dich!" Telling them to get moving at least wasn't violent. He'd sooner yell at them — scream if necessary — rather than push them around or beat them like many of the other guards would do.

To his surprise, nobody interceded in taking the group. He brought them to their barrack. His breath quickened as he checked behind to see if anyone was watching him. Nobody was. Another thing unusual. There was no way it was a trap at this point. He'd done nothing to give away the mission. Nothing to compromise himself.

Lotte was hanging toward the back of the group as they entered the barrack. As soon as all the women were in, he grabbed her by the arm. "Je dois te demander quelque chose." His French was sloppy, but he knew she understood his need to ask her something the second she gave him a sharp nod. There was obvious surprise in her eyes, but she obeyed without question. He slipped her out of the bunker and behind some bushes. They'd be out of view and far enough away from life where they wouldn't be bothered too quickly.

"How do you know French?" Her words were crisp and clear.

"That doesn't matter. Answer me honestly." He glanced out to make sure nobody was around. "Do you know Aldrik Baumann?"

A slight widening of her eyes proved she did, but she played it off like she had no idea what he was talking about. "What is it to you?"

He could have laughed at her spunk. Nobody talked to a guard that defiantly unless they wanted to be hurt. "With that attitude I'm surprised you're still alive."

She rolled her eyes at him, beginning to maneuver away from the safety of the bushes.

"Hey, I'm not done talking to you." He snapped and pulled her back, eliciting her fast reflexes and a slap to the face. "Ow!" He yelped. "Why'd you do that?"

"Do not grab me. Ever." Her low voice proved her warning.

"You can trust me, Lotte!" He rubbed the sore spot from her slap.

"You better fix your accent. Someone might decipher that English hint and American charm." There was no denying she was smart. Too smart.

"How do you..."

"Both of my parents were language professors. I know accents and dialects better than my own name. Why do you bring up Aldrik?" Her eyes were narrowed, but at least she was cooperating.

"We have been looking for you. They haven't stopped looking for you." Swallowing hard, Markus watched for any form of violence coming back his way. He couldn't help but be on guard with her aggressive personality.

"They?" She repeated, still refusing to let down her guard.

"Yes, both Aldrik and Mina."

"He found her? She is alright?" Her guard dropped and concern dripped from her voice.

"I truly hope so." His answer was short and lacked the information she clearly was after. "We do not have much time. I'm going to get you out of here."

She laughed. "No, you are not. It is impossible. Even for a guard."

"I told you that you can trust me. I can get you out of here." He reiterated. Perhaps she was right to laugh at him, but with all that had been happening Aldrik deserved a little happiness. People died far too often here, he wasn't about to let chance take its toll by leaving her here to see what would happen.

The smile still hadn't wiped its way off her face. "Okay, tell me what your grand plan is to get me out of here."

Peaking out of the bush again, Markus shrugged. "Not sure yet."

"The way I see it I have two options." She stared at her hand holding two fingers up.

"Yeah, what are those options?" He barely glanced back at her, trying to align his thoughts in the way that they needed to be aligned. He didn't have much time to decide what to do, but he had to try something.

"Either I let you try to get me out of here and I risk dying sooner, or I wait until you have a real plan and risk dying at the hands of whatever guard chooses not to like me. They are not grand options, but they sound like my only choices."

Ignoring her negative response, Markus turned abruptly to face her. "Do you love him?"

"What?" She looked startled. Confusion blossomed in her eyes as if she hadn't heard him the first time.

"Do you love him?" He wanted the truth. It was the only thing that had any purpose at this point. He wasn't going to risk his cover and his life for a false love. A spur of the moment romance. It had to be true. "Because if you don't then I don't know why I'm risking everything to help you."

"With all my heart." The emotion welling up in her eyes wasn't a lie. She meant it. As soon as the weakness had been revealed, it was swiped away and covered by a much harder exterior. "But I do not know how that helps either of us if we are both dead by the end of the day."

"I haven't been here long, but long enough to get to know the people and some of the exit strategies. Right now nobody knows for sure how many people were on that truck. You're under the radar, making it easier to get you out of here. By staying around longer more people see you. They get to know you. If you disappear later, questions are asked."

"What are you proposing?" She was clearly curious, but she still held onto that wariness which was understandably obvious.

"Do you trust me?" He looked back at her, a sparkle lit up his eyes. A plan had been formulated. One that had little to be desired, yet everything to be gained. If this was his only opportunity to make a difference it'd be worth it.