"Get moving, shnell, SHNELL!"
Alfred stumbled along in front of his captors, two German soldiers that were holding guns to his back. His leg throbbed from where a bullet had gone in, and he couldn't feel his fingers or toes. The winter wind whipped through his torn pants like they weren't even there. As he moved along as fast as he could he began to wondered if perhaps he wouldn't be in the stupid predicament that he was in now if he hadn't stopped by one of fallen comrades to see if he was still alive.
He wasn't.
As he hobbled along the empty path he felt the initial fear that he had felt when he was captured began to worsen.
"Where are they taking me?" he wondered silently, the terrain had long ago become unfamiliar to him, and the sun was starting to set; on top of all that the pain from the bullet wound was starting to kill him. Just when he thought he couldn't go any farther they rounded a bend in the path and a large German truck came sharply into view. The soldiers ordered him to halt, and in broken English one of them yelled at him to stand completely still while the other one undid the back of the truck, as soon as this was done they proceeded to shove him up and into the truck, slamming the back up behind him.
Inside the back of the truck there were two German guards and another prisoner, and if he had been his usual happy go lucky self he would have tried to figure out who he was and what he knew; but he wasn't his happy go lucky self, in fact he was in so much pain at the moment he was beginning to wonder if perhaps it wouldn't be kinder to have one of the guards, that at the moment looked so formidable, take their gun and put a bullet through his heart, to die would be better than to live through this agony and uncertinty.
"Shut up you ninny" he thought to himself as he felt a soft groan escape his lips, the last thing he wanted to do was to show the guards in how much pain and suffering he really was, slumping onto the floor of the truck he listened to it roar to life and he grabbed onto the side of the truck as it jerked forward, starting on a journey to who knew where.
At the moment Alfred didn't care where they took him, he was in too exhausted and in too much pain to care about much of anything right now. He leaned back against the wall of the truck and tried to rest, but that was imposable as they bumped along the frozen terrain, each hump causing the truck to lurch and his head to go slamming back against the wall. After what seemed like an eternity Alfred heard the tucks engine idle down and the road became smoother, and then the truck stopped. Alfred tried to push himself up so he could see out the back but as he did he felt the cold end of a rifle shoved in his face and he quickly went back to where he had been half laying half sitting. Looking out the back as the truck started again Alfred felt his heart sink. He could tell by the barbed wire and fences, along with more than half a dozen German guards that they were passing that they had just entered some kind of prison facility. He counted the guards as they shut and locked the gate, there were eight of them, after the gate was locked four of the eight headed back to what Alfred guessed was patrolling the camp, while the other four stood watch at the gate.
The truck slowly pulled to a stop and the engines were shut off and Alfred heard the doors of the cab open and slam shut. After a split second the two German guards who had captured him appeared at the back of the truck and opened the door. The other guards who had been riding in the back with them stood up and began to prod at him and the other prisoner with their guns as they yelled at them to "schnell!"
Pulling himself up Alfred stumbled out of the truck after the other prisoner, the guards prodded and poked them as they walked to a small building that contained a set of bunk beds and a sink. Other than that it was bare. As soon as they were both inside the guards shut the door and Alfred listened to yell orders at another one, he guessed he was telling him to stand guard. Limping over to the bunks Alfred sank down onto the bottom one and clenched his teeth, taking a shaking breath he looked up at the other man Alfred smiled a grimacing smile "So, here we are."
The other man shrugged "It would appear that way wouldn't it." He looked up at Alfred.
"What do you think they are going to do to us?"
"Question us probably, and then ship us off to a prison camp, or shoot us; never can tell with the Germans."
"Both sound equally as merciful right now." Muttered Alfred "Which bunk do you want?"
"I'll take the top. You go ahead and get some rest, morning comes soon enough, and who knows when they will wake us up."
"Thanks" Alfred said wearily as he lay back against the hard mattress, in moments his eyes were shut and he fell into a fretful sleep.