Flaneur ✅💋

7. Rue du Meurtre

April 3, 1942

It was infuriating to navigate the uneven roads in her heels and fashionable attire. It was a wonder that she had kept her speed while keeping her shoes from clacking loudly throughout the night, but she was a professional after all. At the very least of her skills was that of moving unheard in various terrains. Broken stone alleys and roads that had been bombed and torn up were just another task that she excelled at staying undetectable in.

She had walked a good three blocks without so much as a whisper to be heard. As the new laws declared, the French were to close their windows at night once curfew started, but some that had already turned in for the night had boarded up early. It allowed her to move inconspicuously all the better. She managed to slip down one more alley before she heard the sound of screams. Peeking around the corner, she saw four soldiers pulling a woman out of her house.

"S'il vous plaît!" The woman screamed, clutching a toddler in her arms. The child wailed as the soldier ripped it from her grasp. "Non!" She screamed out. Genevieve cupped her hand over her mouth to hold back from making a sound. She tore her eyes from the scene and found cover behind a pile of rubble where she could see the street in it's entirety.

Three military vehicles and one Mercedes. She recognized the Mercedes at once. Colonel Nicolas Roemheld stepped out, taking a breath as if he was just going for a walk in the night air. He stood with hands clasped behind his back as the soldiers spread out and banged on every other door, dragging its occupants out into the street. Men, women, and children, cried and begged for mercy as they were forced to their knees. The few civilians that managed to avoid being taken had gathered in their windows and doorways as the colonel began to walk circles around the hostages.

"Have we not been clear? The hiding of Jews and weapons is strictly forbidden!" He barked in French. The child that had been taken from the woman had been tossed back down, and they scrambled to reach each other. The mother cradled them and used her body as a shield, to keep the child safe from whatever would befall them.

"You all stand accused of conspiring against the führer! Two Jewish families have been discovered in your neighborhood. TWO!" The people cried helplessly. The onlookers were staring in horror. "We have confiscated three guns from these homes. These, I'm afraid, are crimes that cannot be overlooked." He signaled to his men and Genevieve was grateful that she had placed her hand over her mouth. They opened fire, slaughtering the people in one fell swoop.

Colonel Roemheld turned to the crowd and addressed them in a tone that demanded respect and attention. "We permit you to keep your homes! We've allowed you to continue your daily lives! And this is how you repay us! By sneaking vermin into your homes? Hiding weapons? Not one of you is above the laws! Not one! Consider this your only warning." He jerked his head to the side and signaled to the soldiers. A few stayed behind to throw the bodies into the back of a truck while the others dispersed, getting into their vehicles and driving away. She waited a while before crawling out from behind the rubble and went back the way she came.

She peeked around the corner of the alley, and sprinted across the street once she deemed it clear. Her body pressed against the walls to stay out of sight. The alley was surprisingly clean, which both shocked and scared her. There was no cover.

She made it halfway down before her heart dropped. She cursed under her breath as three soldiers came walking down the alley. They hadn't seen her yet, but they would any moment. There was nowhere for her to run so she mustered up as many tears that could fill her eyes and stumbled towards them. They snapped their attention to her and reached for their weapons, but halted when they saw it was just a girl.

"Please, help me. I was going for a walk, and I got turned around." She sniffled and let a sob take hold of her.

The men chuckled darkly. "A walk all alone? Do you need some company, fraulein?" One said and approached her, wasting no time in shoving her against the stone wall.