Swirl

The End of The Beginning. (Prologue Pt. 2)

Following Weber's death, confusion ensued in the bunker as panic set in. This panic led to negotiations as the officials were dead set in denial, trying to convince themselves that they would come out of this alive, that they deserved mercy.

A meeting was called to place in the central living room by an army general who became the self-imposed leader. Raking his hands through his balding scalp, he asked the secretary to write down notes on the conversation they were about to have to see whether a consensus could be reached. He took it upon himself to ask what everyone had been thinking but was too scared to mention ever since Gerhards body was discovered. 

"So comrades, do we take our own lives or nein?" They needed to make a decision quickly.

"I dont know about you general, but I personally have hope that they will have mercy on us."

Cynical and bitter laughter followed that comment and it echoed through the walls of the bunker. "You are a damned fool if you honestly believe that." More laughter. It came from a trooper who was clearly intoxicated. "General, please tell him how stupid he looks right now," he said as he adjusted himself on the couch, making himself comfortable, and then taking a big sip of his beer. Clearly, he'd have never spoken like this to someone above his rank if it werent for the liquid courage.

The general huffed in annoyance, drawing his hands down his face in frustration. "I suppose you want to die troop? This is not a laughing matter!"

"It is! I find it funny how you people think we have a chance at surviving," he responded as he sat upright and made eye contact with each one of the officials. "I would much rather die at my own hands than see the buffet of death that the allies are so graciously preparing for us," note the hint of sarcasm in the trooper's voice. "Come friends, let us have one last drink. A toast, to our miserable lives!"

The troopers proposal caused another argument about how he had the audacity to be thinking about alcohol at that moment.

"Watch your mouth, boy. You report to me. Therefore, you have to respect me," said the general.

The trooper now stood up to his full height which towered above and beyond that of the general. "Nein! Not anymore, he took a step towards him menacingly, In case you havent noticed, we are all about to die. I watched you people kill so many innocents. I am a man of mein honor, so when I pledged my loyalty to Der Fuhrer, I stood by my word, even though I didn't know exactly what that meant."

"But no one forced you to do that!"

"Nein? Nein general?" again, the trooper giggled but it wasnt mirthful. "Germany's policy for men is kill or be killed. I am a father and a husband. My family needed me. I did everything I could to make sure I stayed around. But now I cant. And its all because of you savages." He spat the last word out with so much venom. His eyes were red with unshed tears. It was as clear as day that he loved his family and the thought of not being able to grow old with his wife and watch his children have their own children was his own form of hell. "Do me a favor and put an end to my misery. I already said my farewells before we came to this godforsaken bunker."

With that he pulled out a pistol from the back of his trousers and offered it to anyone and everyone in the room to see who would be willing to pull the trigger for him. When no one came forward, he shrugged and aimed it at his own head.

"Auf Wiedersehen, comrad-," he was cut short.

"STOP!" The general frantically tried to stop the trooper, even going as far as grabbing the troopers fist.

"No! I cant continue to live like this. Im tired of the never ending nightmares! How do you live with yourselves? All of you?!" his eyes glistened with fresh tears threatening to spill over and his face was stained with vivid emotions that he no longer tried to hide.