The Romanov Diary

Chapter thirty three

July 17, 1918

"Lay the bodies in a row here so we can take off their clothes." Yurovsky says as he jumps out of the truck.

After Milo and Theo left, the soldiers drove off into the Koptyaki forest where they earlier had found a good place to bury the bodies. The bodies have already begun to smell. After 12 miles of driving, the two trucks came to a stop. The tall trees tower above them, preventing the moon from slipping through the thick branches and leaves. The many bushes and rocks gives them protection from outsiders. It's quiet and dark, not a single animal or wind from the mountains interrupts their work. It's almost as if the entire Siberia has fallen asleep, or hides from the bloodthirsty bolsheviks.

The soldiers pick up the remains of the Romanov family and their servants and lay them down on the muddy ground. Theyall begin to sweat terribly, for the summer night is warm and sultry. They rip off the bloody sheets to reveal the corpses staring into nothing. Maria's mouth is still open. The only ones who have closed their eyes are Tatiana and Olga. Blood, pus and brain parts are still running out from the wounds.

"Disgusting!" One soldier complains as he begins to undress one of the bodies.

The soldiers take one each to undress. They barely know which one they're dealing with, some of the faces are so ruined and distorted that they are impossible to recognise.

"Hey! Look at this!" Another soldier laughs and holds up Olga's corset, revealing her jewelries and gemstones.

The other soldiers quickly gather around the other female bodies and rip off their corsets as well. They begin to fight over the treasures, to the point where Yurovsky has to use his gun to get their attention.

"Stop acting like children and get back to work!" He shouts and shoots three shots into the sky above him.

The soldiers split the riches among them and put them in their pockets. They throw the clothes, accessories and boots into a fire to get rid of the evidence. The heat finally brings some light upon them, making it easier to work.

But also easier to get caught.

As one soldier is taking off Tatiana's jewelry, he misses the bracelet around her wrist. It's so covered in blood that it almost melts into her arm. It doesn't even reflect in the silver moonlight. And Yurovsky doesn't notice it either when he counts the dead.

"... seven, eight, nine... nine?" Yurovsky counts the bodies, realising that nine should be eleven. "Two bodies are missing."

He looks around confused and angry. His soldiers, just as confused as their commandant, stand still in the darkness. Their faces light up due to the fire, showing how terrified they are. What if they failed their mission? Vikor scratches the back of his head and looks down to the ground.

"Where are Johnson and Wilson?" Yurovsky then asks after counting his men.

"They were guarding the trucks while we were cleaning up in the basement, but we haven't seen them since we left the house." One of the guards says.

"Anastasia and Alexei are missing, sir." Another soldier calls after somewhat trying to identify the remains.

"So, they must have taken their bodies. Or maybe even saved them." Yurovsky whispers to himself and walks around. "Let's finish the job here and then go after them, they can't have gone far."

One set of men starts to dig a grave. The ground is full of mud and easy to work with. not a single root comes in their way. When the grave is big enough, the drunk and adrenaline filled men start to brutally beat the bodies, making them completely unrecognisable. They use their guns, crowbars from the trucks and kick them with their feet. The imperial family, the richest and most elegant family in the world, now lay naked on the ground, shot, beaten and exposed. The children - 22, 21 and 19 years old - never got to live their dreams and hopes.