A/N: So I've seen Inglourious Basterds too many times to count because its such an amazing movie. I didn't want to write a story based around it because I didn't think I would do it justice, the movie is just a masterpiece and gets better every time I watch it, but I gave in. I've been working on this story for awhile now and I'm actually proud of it. So yeah...I already have most of it written, to be honest, but I'm going to post it slowly instead of all at once. Anyway, please just let me know what you think of it. Please! I would really really appreciate it!
Also, there is some DonnyxOC in this but its not really in the beginning of the story. Okie dokie?
Zeeva Hornstein never expected to find herself in the exact position she was in.
When she was a child she dreamed of the perfect life she would lead and she always knew that's how her life would end up because she was lucky. She had grown up in with a very wealthy family. She was the youngest girl, with 4 older brothers. She never feared anything because her brothers were always there to protect her from anything and everything. Her parents were always careful about where Zeeva went and always made sure she was safe. They wanted to make sure their little girl grew up to be perfect.
When Zeeva was only 14 her parents sent her to the United States to learn English and more about the American cultural. They wanted her to stay there because America was the place for dreams. America was where everyone was successful, and that was what they wanted for her. However America was something Zeeva never learned to care for. She didn't care for baseball, football, Hollywood stars, or anything else that was American. Every person she met while living in New York, Hollywood, Boston, and Chicago seemed to only care for themselves. So when Zeeva was 18 she was very excited to return back home to Germany, however, that happiness soon ended.
When Hitler began rounding up Jewish families and sending them off, Zeeva and her family were lucky. With their wealth they were able to escape and retreated to France. However, this luck didn't last long. Zeeva watched as slowly her brothers disappeared one by one. She knew they were either taken captive or killed but she did her best to push those thoughts from her mind. She focused on finding a way for her and her parents to escape to America. Zeeva had an living in New York who was more than willing to help them escape but his help came too late.
Zeeva and her parents were carted off with all the other Jewish families in France. While on the train being transported something went wrong with the railroad. The train had to stop and the prisoners needed to be transferred to another train. It was during this time Zeeva managed her own escape. She couldn't remember how it happened or why she was the only lucky one in her family but she was grateful. Zeeva accepted the fact that her parents were most likely dead and she was the only living member of her family now.
However many months had passed since then and her life was completely different than she expected it to be. She had managed to hide herself deep in the forest and stayed out of sight of all the Nazi soldiers she saw. Zeeva wondered through the forest, eating whenever she found food, stealing with she passed a house or a family. Zeeva was slowly learning to survive on her own and not need anyone in her life, not anymore. Caring for people only caused pain.
Zeeva walked slowly. She strained her ears listening for any sign or clue of noise that would suggest she wasn't alone here. She couldn't relax, ever. She always needed to be on guard and be ready. She wrapped her fingers around the knife that was attached to her hip. It made her feel safer knowing she had it so close to her body. Her eyes moved quickly every time she saw movement, even if it was just small rodent or bird. She was prepared to attack if anything came too close to her. She heard the leaves crunching under her worn out shoes, well they weren't really her shoes. She had stolen the black boots from a dead Nazi she happened to pass while walking. They were too big on her feet but they were better than the shoes she had worn when she escaped from the train cart.
She stopped walking when she heard voices. It sounded like shouting and laughing but she wasn't sure of the words they spoke. She couldn't be sure of who it was. She walked further and noticed a few men standing. She quickly hid behind a tree. She peaked from around and watched. They were perfectly still, staring at something. She squinted trying to see what type of uniforms they were wearing. Zeeva was fine hiding in the forest but, deep down, she was hoping to run into British or American soldiers. She was certain they weren't Nazi soldiers but she needed to be on the safe side.
Zeeva turned her back towards them and sat on the ground. She knew the tree hid her from their sight. She looked around. She eyed how many trees there were and if there was a chance she could get closer by dodging between them. She stood back up. The men were silent again. Zeeva moved closer but she still couldn't see who they were. She did notice there were more of them now, that worried her. If they were Nazi soldiers in disguise she would certainly be killed, or worse. If they weren't Nazi soldiers, well they were still a group of men and she didn't trust them either.
Zeeva moved closer and she was now able to make out their voices. She crouched on the ground waiting to hear their words, hoping this could help her determine if she should show herself to them. One was talking about Nazis. He had an accent she'd never heard before but his words were English. She heard another man speak, he had a different accent this time. His was German. There was no doubt about it. He was a German but he spoke English almost perfect. Zeeva strained her ears doing her best to make out his English words. "I respectfully refuse." He said.
Suddenly a banging noise echoed from one of the tunnels. Zeeva turned her head sharply. She wasn't close to the tunnel but the noise scared her. She listened as the two men spoke further. "Here that? That's Sgt. Donny Donowitz. But you might know him better by his nickname. The Bear Jew. Now, if you heard of Aldo the Apache, you gotta have heard of the Bear Jew." Zeeva felt a smirk come to her lips. She had heard plenty of times about the Bear Jew. Even though Zeeva hid in the forest she occasionally ran into other Jews in hiding. They spoke of the Bear Jew with such admiration.
Zeeva stood up slowly from her spot. She looked over, watching the men now. Zeeva had only imagined what the Bear Jew looked like. She had never thought she would see him in person. Zeeva knew then this men had to be American. They wouldn't kill her if they saw her but they were still men. She didn't know how long they'd been in the forest killing Nazis. She didn't know what sort of morals they had. All Zeeva knew was that they were men and she was a woman. She couldn't trust a whole group of men, even if they were the Inglourious Basterds she had heard so much about.
Zeeva watched, silently. The pounding of a bat was heard in the tunnel again and it got louder slowly. Zeeva felt her heart slowly speeding up in her chest in anticipation.