A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Forty

He hadn't expected to hear word of Mina, but Aldrik couldn't help but not shake the desire to have heard at least something. The day had ticked along slowly. He'd done things that he wasn't proud of. Things that would make anyone cringe.

He'd done well in the avoidance of hurting people too badly, but today had been the exception. There was always an exception. There'd been an older man defiantly refusing to put together a weapon to use against the enemy. The man was stubborn.

He'd yelled at him. Swore at him even, but it hadn't made a difference. It didn't take long for his peers to be watching and the other prisoners to start getting edgy. He'd been forced to make an example. At first he just smacked him around a little with his gun. Not enough to do any permanent damage, but enough for the man to perhaps second-guess his defiance. That was rough enough, but when the man stubbornly stood up and destroyed the weapon in front of him — it had been the last straw.

He'd raised his gun and fired. Killing him was probably a kindness, but it had left a mark on his soul. A mark that wouldn't ever be washed clean. His hands were dirty and he'd taken on the role that he had never intended on taking. He'd killed an innocent man. A life that still had decades left to live. Things were changing. Priorities were changing. He was changing.

As soon as his shift was over, he was out of that camp. The fresh air felt good. He'd been stashed in that tunnel much too long. He jumped in the truck of a fellow guard. Schmitt wasn't the best man to keep company with. A man full of violence and prone to sassy remarks, but he was still a means to an end. He'd bring Aldrik back to meet up with Markus. The camps weren't far from each other, but far enough for it not to be safe to walk.

The vehicle was silent, except for the growl of the engine and the sound of Schmitt all too emphatically sucking on a cigarette. He frequently tried to offer the disease-ridden nicotine sticks to Aldrik, but he was not interested in destroying his lungs. He'd seen what it'd done to some of the guards. They were always winded, short of breath. If he needed to get away fast, he needed to have clear lungs and fast legs.

They were quickly approaching the lights of another truck parked on the side of the dirt road. Aldrik recognized his truck. The headlights were too bright to see Markus sitting in it, but that didn't matter much to him. "Thanks, Schmitt. Same time, same place tomorrow."

"Yep." He grunted, braking the truck and waiting for Aldrik to get out. Clearly he had places to be, as soon as Aldrik shut the door the truck sped away down a road heading away from them.

Letting out a deep breath, Aldrik stretched, wearily walking toward the truck. He paused when the passenger door flung open and someone jumped out. Oh great. What did he do now? Aldrik couldn't help but silently moan to himself. He was far from being in the mood to clean up some mess that Markus concocted. The boy was starting to get a little bit too bold for his taste.

Not moving an inch, he just stood there, waiting for the person to come out further and into the light. He wasn't going to start walking to the truck and to a possible trap until he knew it was safe. He couldn't make out much of the being yet, but he could tell the person was small. Whoever it was looked much more fragile then he thought should be possible.

The figure moved slowly toward him with a purpose. A word wasn't breathed. The body moved in front of one of the headlights, blocking it enough to allow for the ability to be seen.

Aldrik took a step back. He could feel tears filling his eyes like he had no control over them. His heart felt like it was attempting to stop. Her hair was a little longer and messier than he remembered. She was thin, much too thin. The bones in her face were much more accented and her eyes... her eyes looked tired and older. He couldn't deny the spark still in them. Or the sparkle that twinkled as a smile filled her face. She paused for a moment, waiting for the acceptance to fill his face.

Like hell he wouldn't accept her. He dropped his gun to the ground, taking a step forward. He opened up his arms, ready to welcome her back into his embrace. Within a moment she had run the distance between them and jumped in his arms. She felt like nothing, taking hardly any effort to hold her against himself. He couldn't let go. Wouldn't let go. If he did she might be gone, and that was a burden he wouldn't allow to happen. Another scar that he wasn't ready to take on.

"Please tell me you are real. Tell me you are here right now and I am not just imagining it." He could feel the warm tears dripping down his face. The relief felt like it was rushing into him faster than he knew what to do with.

She let herself fall to the ground. Reaching up, her hand found its way to his face. "I am real, Aldrik. I am here, my love." Her voice had already broken.

Reaching down he kissed her hard. He couldn't pull his mouth away from hers. It was filled with passion and longing. Desire. All of the emotion of losing her and missing her, of thinking he'd never see her again and now standing in front of her, face to face. It was all there. All in that kiss. All in that grasp as he held her close.

She pulled away from him. "Aldrik, we must go. We cannot stay here in the road. Someone will see us. Someone will question what we are doing."

She was right. She was always right. He nodded, grabbing his gun and letting her pull him back to the truck. He'd let her pull him anywhere. As long as she was with him.

"Surprise." Markus smiled as they got in the truck.

Aldrik couldn't keep the grin off of his face. "If I was not so happy to see Lotte, I would kill you right now for taking a risk that big."

Markus rolled his eyes and put the truck in drive.

"And I could kiss you right now for ignoring what I would have told you." Aldrik continued to let the words ramble out of his mouth.

"All you have to say is thank you. Or maybe that I did good. Or something along those lines." Markus glanced over briefly.

"He might be slow to say it, but we are very grateful for what you did, Markus. You did good." Lotte was beaming. Her guard was down and she looked happier than could ever be imagined.

"I cannot believe that you found her." Was all Aldrik managed to say. He might have been smiling, but that didn't stop the shock of the moment to still be lingering. It felt surreal. He had new responsibilities now. He had to be safer. Do things smarter. For the sake of all of them. There was more of a reason to live now. More of a reason to be better. He had Lotte back. That was all that he had wanted.