There was no music here.
There was no music in neighborhoods beyond the concrete wall and the silence was deafening to behold. And yet, life existed in the smallest forms.
When the wind was right, you could hear the hushed murmur of the dead neighborhood's inhabitants or the dying wail of an insect crushed under marching feet.
So, it came as a surprise in this sterile ghetto to hear singing.
The SS officer in question belted out a rambunctious tune he had heard once and occasionally getting words wrong. The strong man's deep voice was brimming with the confidence and happiness of a drunken fool.
Life was good for Ludwig.
The band of communists that attacked Gilbert were found and executed swiftly and on the war front the German army was proving unstoppable. Nothing could make him stop smiling.
He wanted to finish his job and get home quickly to his brother.
Ludwig ran towards his fellow officers when he saw them leading people onto trucks: men and women on one, children and the elderly on another.
One officer was having difficulties with a little girl that refused to leave her mother. Frustrated, the man reached into his coat, but Ludwig nudged him aside.
The blonde knelt to eye level with her and asked what was wrong. The curly-haired child said that she was afraid of being alone and Ludwig gave a kind smile. "Don't worry. You will be separated for only a little while, your mother-" Ludwig pointed to the other truck with a gloved finger "-she's going to work on a factory for a few days and then you and your mother and father are going home. I'm sure a nice woman will be happy to be your grandmother until your mother gets back." With that the girl let Ludwig help her onto the truck and they waved goodbye as the crude engine started.
As Germany turned to leave, a recently promoted officer went to him and asked nervously "Is it really such a good idea to lie like that?"
Ludwig was confused "I wasn't lying, it was true."
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Gilbert scowled at the newspaper he held tightly, crinkling the paper. He wished it would burst into flame for two reasons; the first was that the new cartoonist was extremely unfunny, after all there are only so many Jew jokes in the world and most of them were stale to begin with.
The second was that his brother was doing far too well in the war. Poland had fallen almost instantly and now it looks like France would be next, with the rest of the world trying not to collapse into ruin. At this rate, the Thousand Year Empire was going to be a reality and Ludwig would be goose-stepping until hell froze over.
The German crushed the paper into a ball and flung it across the room in frustration. Gilbert grabbed another book off the table and tried to read. He didn't know what to do and then Gilbert spontaneously went blind.
After a brief panic attack, the elder German discovered it was Ludwig's hat and not some sudden, tragic illness.
Ludwig leaned over to warmly embrace his brother on the couch and notice the book he was reading. "Karl Marx? ...I swear if you weren't my brother, I would report you to the police."
Not doubting him for a minute, Gilbert responded "Well, you're my brother and I'm considering shipping you off to Austria if you don't remember to take your lunch when you leave." The albino huffed "What do you do at the office anyway? I've never heard you talk about it."
Ludwig flinched and was glad his brother couldn't see it "Nothing, just shuffling papers." He spoke too quickly, Gilbert was sure to notice something was wrong.
The elder German turned his head to face him with no sign of suspicion on his face "Need any help there? I was reading Mein Kampf today and…"
Ludwig was suddenly very interested in what he had to say. Gilbert never liked to talk about anything related to the party before… "...I was wondering what I have to do to get one of those sexy armbands like yours." He smaller man grinned and his brother was dumbfounded. "You mean you…?"
He nodded "I want to join the Nazi party." As soon as the words left his mouth he was pulled into a bone-crushing hug that threatened to break already battered ribs.