𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐀 𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍 | | 1917

14. DEFEATED

" You save everyone, but who saves you? "

-

(Flashback nr 6)

IT WAS QUIET, it was dead, and it hadn't taken long for Jo to get out of the building. Grabbing her things and rushing towards the door.

She almost tripped over something. The German soldier lying dead on the ground, his back against the cracked wall and head leaning back, over his shoulder. His heartbeat was silent as ever and his body now cold. She was for some reason surprised to see him there like he would have left.
But no.

She stared at his head. That horrific thing that was barely was a face anymore. She noticed the pistol laying on the floor, the same as earlier. She picked it up hesitantly and stared at it for a couple of seconds with an empty gaze. She soon took it in her other hand to wipe off the excess blood from the gun onto her apron. Putting the weapon into her pocket she drew the hair that had fallen into her face behind her ears and sighed.

Her shaky hand had reached the doorknob, but she had yet to open it. She couldn't look out of the window, only imagine.

She hoped with all she could do that the men were out there.
They were her only chance out.

Stumbling out the door frame, she frantically stared around. The sky was black and there was no one there that she could see.
Her ears were still ringing, causing her to constantly lose focus even though her attempts to find a way out. She finally let go of her thoughts once she figured they weren't making sense.

She quickly started walk-running, trying her best to not make any sound. When arriving at a crossroad she looked around, noticing lights in one direction. She knew that was probably where the Germans were, so she went the other way.

The only thing that stopped her from collapsing was the thought of the soldiers still being out there. So she continued.
For a long time.

Running away was a powerful instinct. She used it often. But her knees were started to weaken as her heart beated faster. Blinking hard, Jo noticed how extremely tired she was. Still, she knew that she had to keep going. Forever and maybe after that too.

-

A whisper. A voice.

It took some time before she could hear it and when she did she turned her blurry glance around, having a hard time finding the source. She couldn't make out words, still, it sounded so clear. Like those dreams, you had when your fever was high. Your twisted perspective stopped you from knowing what was real or fake.

She didn't know if it was the fact that she hadn't slept in days or that she just simply didn't care that caused her to walk towards the sound.
It became louder.

When she finally could make out the german voices, it was too late.

"Hallo?!"

She stopped. This wasn't right.
Quickly, she stumbled backward, noticing how her hand fell onto the pocket with the pistol in it.

Footsteps. Many footsteps.

"Ist jemand da?"

Oh no.

Forcing herself to go faster, she gets around the corner of another ruin. Holding her hands over her mouth as she watched the lights from a flashlight travel right past her on the street. Mumbled voices, speaking to each other for what seemed to be forever.