A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Eighty-Six

READ THE NOTE AT THE BOTTOM!

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The atmosphere in the truck was the furthest from excitement. If anxiety and fear were bolts of lightening they all would have been struck down dead by now. Two men, three women, a boy, a baby, and a dog. Cramped didn't even begin to describe the lack of space. Hours of driving left them tired, hungry, easily irritable, and anxious to know their fate. Time had begun by going far too slowly, now it seemed their time had come too quickly.

"They will not let me through. They will know I am Jewish. I do not have papers." Israel's eyes widened as they approached a checkpoint. Armed guards and barbed wire fence separated them from the other side. The other side that led to freedom. Safety. Switzerland.

"I will protect you, Israel. Just trust me." Mina rubbed his shoulders, trying to reassure him in spite of her own doubts.

"Hate to agree with the boy, Mina, but he is right. Lotte and Penny are not exactly considered citizens of the country either. Not to mention there is absolutely no way they will not know who you are by now." Werner halted the truck, stretching his arms out in front of him.

Mina could feel all eyes on her. She rubbed her hands over her face, trying to think. She'd had hours to come up with a plan and nothing had sounded right. Looking over her shoulder, she stared at the road behind them. Twisting back around, she watched the guards eyeing them up.

"If we try to drive through, they will shoot us before we make it." Penny glanced up, taking in the situation in front of them. She'd been silent the entire trip, mumbling only words of encouragement to a still very unconscious Jyrgen. He'd lost a lot of blood and had paled considerably, but he still had a pulse. It was weak, but it still meant he had life running through him.

Mina remained quiet, listening only to the rumbling of the truck. The noise seemed to grow louder and more growly. Pinching her brows together, Mina glanced out the rearview mirror. Her eyes widened. Their way out was coming in quickly.

"Back up." She mumbled, staring at three planes coming in low.

"Mina, the guards are not looking at us." Lotte rocked Hans tightly to herself, taking it upon herself to keep the baby happy and safe on their journey. Mina had given up her right to hold her child to keep Lotte calm. She had needed the time to focus on their escape anyway and keep her from tearing herself up about the sacrifice their men had made. A sacrifice they hadn't deserved. A sacrifice that she'd brought upon them; one that was rightly hers to bear. Yet she'd been spared. For what? An escape that might not work?

Reaching next to the steering wheel, Mina jerked the truck into reverse. She was barely able to control her shaking, watching the plane inch down to their level at crazy speeds. "Back up, Werner!"

Seeing the danger coming their way, Werner slammed his foot to the gas pedal, screeching the vehicle out of the way of the incoming plane. "The crazy bastard is going to fly right into the checkpoint."

"We are not going to get out of the way in time!" Mina clamped her jaw tight, praying their truck moved faster. She began counting down the seconds it took for the situation to unfold. Trying to keep her sanity and not panic.

One...

The plane was nearly upon them.

Two...

"They are going to hit us!" Lotte screamed, tightening her hold on Hans. "Go faster, Werner!"

"The truck will not go any faster!" He grunted, his brows furrowed in concentration.