Chapter Nineteen
The Day They'd Never Forget
(Authors Note: WARNING! This chapter is going to be darker than the other ones, due to the fact it has some graphic depictions of the Nazi concentration camps and the horrific events that took place at these camps. I ask that you please read the authors note at the end of the chapter as well, for a less watered down description of the horrific events that part of this chapter is based off of. Thank you.)
Early April, 1945
It had only been three days since Ami had liberated her teammates from the POW camp, since that time Ami and her team had laid low at Annas house so Ami could start to recover from some of her injuries. The other soldiers that had escaped with them had since moved on and linked up with another unit that had passed through the town. "Morning Rei!" Miniko chirped as she rolled over and gave Rei a hug.
"Good morning Mina, how'd you sleep?" Rei asked in a groggy tone as she sat up and stretched.
"Not bad, and your self?" Miniko asked in reply as she stood up and stretched.
"I've had worse nights." Rei answered as Miniko helped her to her feet. "You know if anyone else is up yet?" Rei asked with a small yawn.
"I don't think so, we should go check on Ami and see how her and Mako are doing." Miniko suggested as she began walking towards the room Ami and Mako were in.
"Wait for me." Rei said as she ran after Miniko. They approached the room Ami and Mako were sleeping in and Miniko gently knocked on the door.
"Anyone up?" Miniko whispered as she poked her head in the door.
"Yes ma'am, good morning." Mako quietly replied.
"What about her?" Rei quietly asked, while Miniko opened the door the rest of the way and let herself and Rei into the room.
"Not yet, so we should try to stay kind of quiet." Mako whispered in response.
"It's been almost ten hours, who the hell sleeps that long?" Rei quietly asked.
"Someone who broke more than eighty percent of their ribs and has been physically, mentally, and spiritually traumatized." Mako quietly answered.
"When you put it like that ten hours of sleep seems like nothing." Rei quietly replied with a grin.
"Mako." Ami quietly mumbled as her eyes slowly fluttered open.
"About time you woke up, how are you feeling?" Mako quietly asked as she brushed a few strands of hair out of Amis eyes.
"Stiff as a board and I ache all over." Ami answered with a small groan as she tried to sit up.
"Careful Ami, here let me help you." Mako said as she slowly helped Ami into a sitting position.
"Thanks Mako." Ami groaned as she lightly held her aching ribs.
"Are you sure you're gonna be okay to travel today, we can wait a couple more days if you need?" Miniko asked in a concerned tone.
"I'm okay ma'am, but thank you for your concern. I think I'm just a little stiff from being stagnant for so long." Ami replied with a smile.
"Alright Ami, but let us know if you need to rest at any point along the way." Miniko said as she turned to leave the room.
"Yes ma'am." Ami replied as Mako helped her out of bed.
"Oh, and don't worry about your bag, one of us will carry it for you." Miniko said as an afterthought, as she disappeared down the hallway.
"Speaking of your bag, do you have more bandage wrap in it? We should change out the dressings around your injuries." Mako suggested, as she lifted Amis shirt and looked at the raggedy wrappings currently covering her wounds.
"I should have some in the front left pouch of my bag." Ami quietly replied with a light blush, noticing Makos hand gently run down her bandages to her stomach.
"Does anything around here hurt?" Mako asked as she gently poked Amis stomach.
"No, it tickles." Ami giggled.
"What about this?" Mako asked as she playfully tickled Amis stomach.
"Haha! Mako, stop, that tickles. Haha." Ami laughed as Mako lightly tickled her stomach for a few seconds then stopped.
"Did I ever tell you how much I love your laugh, it's been a long time since I've heard it. I'm glad you're laughing again Ami, I don't think I've heard you laugh like this since before we shipped out." Mako said with a dreamy smile.
"I'm sorry, there just hasn't been any reason to laugh since we shipped out. There's been almost nothing but pain, misery, and death. No one in their right mind would find any of that funny." Ami quietly replied.
"If no one in their right mind would laugh during any of this, does that mean I'm crazy?" Mako asked, suddenly becoming very serious and somewhat glum.
"What would make you think that?" Ami asked in response, concerned about what Mako might be thinking.
"Do you remember during operation cobra when we were in that tank?" Mako asked in a sad tone.
"Don't, don't even go there Mako. Laughing with joy and laughing with darkness are two very different things. Looking back, I know you weren't laughing out of joy when I, you know. Ran those guys down with the tank, you were just upset about what happened to your dad, and you felt like you had somehow avenged him. That doesn't make you a monster Mako, it makes you human." Ami quietly said as she gently placed a hand on Makos shoulder.
"Thanks Ami, you always know just what to say to make me feel better." Mako replied as she gently hugged Ami.
"Hey love birds, sorry to break things up, but we need to eat some breakfast and head out." Miniko said as she barged into the room.
"Oh right, sorry ma'am." Mako replied with an embarrassed blush, as she cut the old wrappings from Amis chest and began applying the new ones. Miniko just smiled at the two, rolled her eyes playfully, and walked away. A few minutes later everyone was sitting in a circle on the living room floor eating some rations from the crate they found in the truck they stole a few days ago.
"Nothing like dry crackers and cold beans to start the day, right guys?" Miniko asked as she shoveled another spoon full of beans in her mouth.
"You said it Minna! However, I find that if you put the sauce from the beans on the crackers, they aren't so dry then." Rei answered as she scooped some sauce on her cracker and devoured it.
"Not a bad idea ma'am." Mako said as she did the same.
"Mako! Are you alright?!" Ami yelled as Mako started choking on the dry cracker. She took a quick sip of water from her canteen and was fine.
"You lied to me ma'am, that tasted awful; and it was still as dry as the Sahara." Mako choked out.
"You probably just didn't have the right bean to cracker ratio." Rei replied as she finished her last cracker.
"Is everyone ready to move out?" Miniko asked as she stood up.
"All good here Mina, what about you two?" Rei asked as she stood up next to Miniko.
"What do you think, we ready to go Ami?" Mako asked as she took a knee next to Ami.
"Yeah, but would you mind helping me up please? I'm still a little sore." Ami asked as she gently rubbed her ribs.
"No problem Ami." Mako answered with a smile, as she draped Amis arm across her shoulder and carefully stood the two of them up.
"You're sure you're ready to travel Ami? I'm not gonna lie, we have a decent distance to cover. Unless we can find a team to link up with, we'll have to go all the way back to field command; and for all we know they may have packed up and moved on. So there's no telling where we'll end up or how far we'll have to travel." Miniko warned everyone.
"Don't worry ma'am, I think I'll be okay." Ami replied with a smile.
"Alright, just promise you'll tell us if you have to slow down or stop to rest." Miniko demanded.
"I will ma'am, I promise." Ami replied.
"Then what are we waiting for, let's pack up and get moving." Rei said as she cleaned up the garbage from their breakfast.
"You're leaving?" Anna asked as she walked into the living room.
"I'm afraid so, thank you for everything you've done for us Anna. Meeting you was one of the best things to happen to us in all of this, and we'll miss you very much." Ami answered as she hugged Anna.
"You're welcome Ami, it was a pleasure to meet all of you, and your always welcome back here." Anna replied as she wrapped a gentle arm around her new friend.
"Good bye Anna, thanks for taking care of my little blueberry in my absence." Mako said as she hugged Anna goodbye. Ami translated what Mako said to Anna and Anna gave Mako a smile.
"Good bye Anna, if there's anything we can do to repay you for what you've done for us, please ask." Miniko said as she hugged Anna while Ami translated her request to Anna.
"You've done more for me than you realize Miniko. You kept me company and brought a small sense of normalcy back into my life, and I'll always be grateful for that." Anna softy replied as she hugged Miniko a little closer and Ami translated Annas thanks back to Miniko.
"Goodbye Anna, it was a pleasure to meet you. We'll never forget the kindness you've shown us, if you ever need anything, here's my mailing address." Rei said as Ami translated and she wrote her address on a piece of paper from Amis bag.
"Thank you Rei, but like I told Miniko, you've all done more for me than you realize. But I'll be sure to write you when you get back home." Anna replied as she hugged Rei goodbye and Ami translated for Rei. Everyone waved goodbye to Anna one last time then left and began making their way down the quiet street.
"Does anyone know where we're going?" Rei asked as she continuously scanned the buildings for any signs of movement.
"When that other unit came through town, they said they were trying to push into Berlin, but that's a long ways off from here. So I guess we'll just head in that direction and see where the road takes us, maybe we'll get lucky and be able to link up with another unit along the way." Miniko answered as she led her squad down what seemed like an endless road.
"You doing okay Ami?" Mako asked, noticing Ami was lagging behind a bit.
"Yeah, just a little sore, but I'm okay." Ami replied with a smile.
"Okay, but remember if you need us to slow down or you need to rest you have to tell us." Mako reminded Ami.
"I will, thanks Mako." Ami replied as she moved a little faster to walk next to Mako.
"Hey Ami, do you happen to have a map in your bag?" Miniko asked, feeling lost and confused by the towns compact layout and roads blocked by rubble and abandoned checkpoints.
"We'll take a look ma'am." Mako replied as she stopped walking, took Amis bag off her back and helped Ami rummage through it.
"Sorry ma'am, I don't have one." Ami replied as she stuffed some things back inside and Mako once again slung it on her back.
"Let's just follow the road then and see where it takes us." Rei said as they continued walking. They walked down the road for about a half hour when Miniko noticed something odd.
"Hey guys, I think there's a trail that splits off from the main road." Miniko said as she pointed out a thin dirt road leading into a forest.
"Where do you think it goes?" Rei asked as she stared down the trail.
"I don't know ma'am, but I think the better question is, do we really want to know?" Mako asked as she levied her gun at the trail.
"Good question. What do you think Ami, you're the one with the brains?" Miniko asked with an encouraging smile. Ami carefully kneeled down and studied the trail.
"It's pretty flat for a normal forest trail, which suggests it's used frequently and by a decent number of people." Ami pointed out, noticing that the trail was almost completely level from excessive use.
"What do you think Minna, should we check it out." Rei asked in an intrigued tone.
"I don't know, we don't know where it leads to." Miniko cautioned.
"What if it leads us to one of our other units?" Mako asked with optimism.
"What if it leads to half to the German army?" Miniko asked in reply. Everyone stood in silence pondering the two options and wether the risk was worth taking or not.
"How about we put it to a vote ma'am, raise your hand if you think we should check it out." Ami said as she, Rei, and Mako put their hands up.
"All opposed." Rei asked. Miniko slowly raised her hand, even knowing she'd been out numbered in favor of following it.
"It looks like you're all braver than I am, so let's get going everyone." Miniko ordered as she began leading her team down the trail. It had been almost an hour and they still hadn't found the end of the trail.
"Damn, what ever the hell is at the end of this trail, the krauts sure didn't want anyone knowing about." Rei said with a few breaths.
"That worries me, why would they go to so much trouble to hide whatever is at the end of this trail unless it was something really bad." Miniko replied.
"You doing okay Ami?" Mako asked as she looked behind her to find Ami was trailing way behind everyone else.
"I'm...okay...Mako." Ami replied between several heavy breaths. Even though Ami didn't say anything, Mako could tell Ami was in a decent amount of pain.
"Hold up everyone, we need to take a break." Mako said as she stopped walking and watched Ami slowly make her way to the rest of the group.
"Not now Mako, we have to find the end of this trail first." Miniko quickly replied as she continued pressing forward.
"Come on Mako, if Ami can do it you can do it." Rei said as she continued following Miniko.
"That's the problem ma'am, Ami can't keep up, she's just to stubborn to say anything." Mako informed her superiors, as she glared at her stubborn girlfriend.
"Is that true Ami?" Miniko asked as she stopped walking and turned to face Ami.
"I'm sorry ma'am, I know I was supposed to say something, but I didn't want to drag any of you down." Ami answered with a frown.
"Come here Ami." Miniko said as she walked back towards Ami.
"Okay." Ami nervously replied as she took two small steps and suddenly found herself being pulled into a gentle hug.
"You could never drag us down Ami. In fact you keep us up." Miniko said with a smile.
"Really ma'am?" Ami quietly asked.
"Yes Ami, if it weren't for you we never could have made it this far. You helped secure that pillbox during the D-Day invasion and saved Mikasas life while doing so. You stepped up during operation cobra and took out those snipers, saved Hotarus life, and drove her tank with so much skill it was like your own. Then you saved our lives in that attic when you climbed out that window, found Bella and her resistance fighters, and brought them back to help us." Miniko said with a proud smile.
"Don't forget how she saved us from that POW camp despite all her injuries." Mako said with a big grin.
"See Ami, you're not a drag on this team, you're the engine that keeps us going. So if you need to rest, then you let us know. Because you've more than earned it." Rei said with a smile as she placed a gentle hand on Amis shoulder. Tears of joy flowed from Amis eyes as she realized how important she was to her teammates.
"Thank you so much everyone, you don't know how good it makes me feel to hear those things." Ami said as she wiped her tears away.
"We love you Ami, and no matter what, you'll always be a valued member of our team. Now let's rest for a bit, I've still got some of those dry ass crackers if anyone wants any." Miniko said with a laugh.
"Right here." Rei quickly said and Miniko tossed her a few crackers. "Dry and stale, just the way I like it." Rei said as she took a bite of the dry crackers.
"Anyone else want some?" Miniko asked as she looked at Ami and Mako.
"Yes please ma'am. You eat some to Ami, you need the nutrients more than any of us." Mako ordered as Miniko tossed her a package of crackers and she handed a few to Ami.
"You sound like my mother." Ami laughed as she took a bite of her cracker. After about a half hour everyone was ready to continue their journey down the trail.
"Everyone ready to keep going?" Rei asked as she stood up and looked at her group.
"I'm ready, what about you two?" Miniko asked as she stood up next to Rei.
"All good ma'am, what about you Ami? You okay to move now or do you need a little bit more time?" Mako asked as she knelt by Amis side.
"I'm okay Mako, thanks for taking the time to let me rest everyone. I really appreciate it." Ami replied as she draped her arm over Makos shoulder and waited for Mako to help her up.
"Up you go then Ami." Mako said as she slowly stood the two of them up. Ami let out a small wince as Mako lifted her from her sitting position to a straight stance.
"You okay Ami?" Mako asked with some slight concern, as she continued supporting Ami.
"Yeah, just stiff from sitting for so long." Ami quietly answered as she removed her arm from Makos shoulder and stood on her own.
"You sure you're okay Ami?" Miniko asked with the same concern.
"Yes ma'am, thank you ma'am." Ami replied with a quick breath.
"Alright, then let's start to move out. Take point Rei." Miniko ordered as she began walking down the trail again.
"It's a good thing you had me take point Minna, because you're going the wrong way." Rei said with a laugh.
"Oh right, thanks Rei." Miniko laughed as she quickly turned around and began following Rei.
"That's my Minna." Rei said as she rolled her eyes playfully at her girlfriend. Another half hour passed and they could finally see something at the end of the trail. "There's some kind of structure up ahead." Rei quietly informed her teammates.
"There's more than a structure ma'am, it looks like a whole camp." Mako quietly replied.
"Everyone stay together, fingers on triggers, we have no idea what could be waiting for us in there." Miniko quietly ordered her team.
"Yes ma'am." Mako quietly replied as she levied her gun at the entrance to the camp.
"It looks deserted." Ami said as she looked at the empty area around her.
"I think you might be right Private, what do you want us to do ma'am?" Rei asked as she looked to Miniko for guidance.
"Everyone split up and look around. I don't want a single inch of this place unchecked, I wanna know what happened here and I wanna know now!" Miniko forcefully ordered her squad.
"Yes ma'am." Everyone simultaneously replied as they all split up and began searching the camp for any clues as to what may have happened. Rei walked towards the back of the camp and slowly made her way to the left corner of camps boarder, when she felt there was no ground under her foot with her next step and she fell into a large hole. Meanwhile, Ami found what looked like some kind of underground bunker and slowly began to descend into it.
"Agh!" Someone let out a blood curdling scream instantly getting everyones attention.
"Rei!" Miniko yelled as her and Mako began running towards the direction of the scream.
"Agh!" Another scream came from the opposite direction.
"Go get Ami, I'll get Rei!" Miniko ordered Mako as the two of them split up and began running as fast as they could towards their teammates.
"Minna! Minna!" Rei screamed as she desperately tried to climb out of the hole.
"Hold on Rei!" Miniko yelled as she reached into the hole and pulled Rei out of it.
"Minna!" Rei screamed as she clung to Miniko like her life depended on it.
"Rei, Rei calm down. It's just a hole." Miniko said as she tried to pull Rei off of her.
"No it's not Minna! It's not!" Rei screamed and cried.
"What do you mean Rei?" Miniko asked as she continued to hold Rei.
"It's a mass grave!" Rei yelled as she buried her face in Minikos chest.
"What?!" Miniko asked in a shocked tone.
"The damn thing is filled with bodies Minna! Men, women, even children and infants!" Rei cried.
"That can't be, why would anyone do that, are you sure they weren't captured soldiers?" Miniko asked as she tried to comfort Rei.
"I'm sure Minna! I can tell the difference between a full grown man and a child!" Rei screamed at Miniko.
"Shh, try and calm down Rei, you're gonna be okay. Rei? Rei?!" Miniko yelled as she shook Rei and received no reply or reaction of any kind. "AMI! I need a medic!" Miniko yelled.
"Ma'am, you need to see this!" Mako yelled as she ran up to Miniko.
"Not now Mako, there's something wrong with Rei. Where's Ami, I need a medic over here right now!" Miniko yelled at Mako.
"That's the problem ma'am! Ami's not responding to me at all, she's just sitting in a corner rocking back and forth and talking to herself!" Mako yelled in reply.
"SHIT! What are we gonna do now?!" Miniko yelled as she looked at Rei with a worried expression.
"I think she's in shock ma'am." Mako informed, as she lightly patted Rei on the cheek.
"Shock? From what?" Miniko asked as she held Rei close to her.
"I don't know ma'am, but please, I need you to go by Ami ma'am; you have to see what she found." Mako begged Miniko.
"I'll check on Ami, just promise me you'll watch Rei." Miniko said as she reluctantly handed Rei over to Mako and started running towards Ami.
"I won't take my eyes off of her ma'am." Mako replied as she wrapped her arms around Rei and held her close.
"Ami?!" Miniko yelled as she slowly descended the stairs into the bunker. "Ami?" Miniko asked as she caught sight of Ami. Ami had her knees pulled up to her chest as she slowly rocked back and forth and mumbled incoherently to herself. "What happened Ami, what's wrong?" Miniko asked as she slowly approached Ami.
"Box." Was all Ami said in response.
"Box? What are you..." Miniko stopped mid sentence as she caught sight of what Ami was talking about. At the back of the room was a large metal box with pipes running into it, she followed the pipes up the wall, across the ceiling, and back down another wall until they all connected into a single pipe with a wheel attached to it. "What do these words say Ami?" Miniko asked as she noticed three words written on the wheel.
"The one on the left says on, the one on the right says off, and the one on top says gas!" Ami yelled in a frightened tone.
"What does that mean Ami?!" Miniko yelled back in a panicked tone.
"What do you think it means?! It's a giant fucking gas chamber Mina!" Ami screamed back in horror.
"Did you look inside?" Miniko quietly asked, as she kneeled by Amis side.
"Yes! It was horrible, I've never seen such cruelty in my life! It's filled with bodies Mina, civilian bodies! Men, women, even children and infants!" Ami screamed as she began to cry and hyperventilate.
"I know you're panicked Ami, but you need to calm down and slow your breathing." Miniko said as she gently took Ami by the hand and tried to pull her to her feet. "Come on, we're getting out of here. Let's go private." Miniko ordered as she slowly lead Ami back up the stairs and away from the horrific scene. "Mako, grab Rei. We're leaving right now so we can inform HQ about what we found here." Miniko ordered.
"We can't leave ma'am, the Lieutenant's in shock and we still haven't cleared out those cabins ma'am." Mako replied as she pointed to row of wooden cabins.
"They look like the ones at the POW camp we were in." Miniko quietly said as she set Ami on the ground next to Rei.
"I'll check out the cabins, you wait here with them." Miniko ordered as she slowly began walking towards the cabins.
"Yes ma'am." Mako replied as she stood defensively in front of Ami and Rei.
"Oh dear god." Miniko said to herself as she opened the door to one of the cabins and was instantly assaulted by the smell of death. "I don't even want to look." Miniko said to herself as she slowly made her way through the cabin. There were eight triple stacked bunk beds on both sides of the cabin, and almost every one of them had a body in it. Miniko began crying at the sight of one of the beds, a child no older than three was laying in it. She didn't appear to be alive, but out of instinct Miniko checked her for a pulse, and was beyond shocked when she felt something. Though it was weak, it was a clear pulse and sign of life. Miniko quickly scooped the child into her arms and ran her back to the others. "Ami! I need a medic, we've got a live one here!" Miniko yelled as she quickly laid the child in front of Ami. Ami immediately scrambled to the child's side and began examining her.
"She needs fluids, Mako get the IV kit out of my bag now!" Ami ordered.
"On it!" Mako yelled back as she dug through Amis bag until she found a bag of water with a tube and a needle attached to it. Ami quickly and carefully inserted the needle into the child's arm to start getting her some water.
"Hold it just above my head Mako." Ami ordered as she continued to monitor the child's condition.
"Like this Ami?" Mako asked as she raised the bag a little higher.
"Perfect, just like that Mako." Ami replied.
"We can hang it on this." Miniko said as she grabbed a long board with a nail on the end of it.
"If we can find a place to set it up." Ami replied.
"I have an idea ma'am, trade you." Mako said as she gave Miniko the bag and took the board from her. Mako pulled out her knife and used the serrated side to cut the bottom into a point, then she drove it deep into the muddy ground. "Try this ma'am." Mako instructed. Miniko hung the bag from the nail and to everyones delight it stayed in place.
"Mama." The little girl very quietly said.
"What is it little one?" Ami asked as she took the child's hand.
"Mama." The girl said as she pointed to a trail.
"They took the rest of the survivors down the trail! Ami stay here with her, everyone else with me!" Miniko ordered as her and Mako stood to leave. "Rei, let's go!" Miniko yelled, but Rei didn't respond.
"She's still in shock ma'am, she won't be going anywhere any time soon." Ami informed Miniko.
"Damn it, I guess it's just you and me Mako. Let's go, hurry the others may not have much time!" Miniko yelled as she led Mako towards the trail the little girl pointed to. Almost a half hour had passed and neither Mako nor Miniko had returned.
'I hope everything's going okay.' Ami thought to herself as she continued to tend to the little girl.
"Agh!" The girl screamed as she began pointing behind Ami.
"What's wrong?!" Ami yelled as she turned around and was greeted by a fist. "Agh!" Ami yelled as she slammed into the ground, she rolled over and saw the German soldier staring back at her. Ami quickly reached for her knife, but the soldier slammed his foot down on top of her hand and pinned it to the ground.
"Now you die." The soldier said in German as he took his other foot and slammed it on top of Amis chest with excruciating force.
"Agh!" Ami screamed in pain as the soldiers foot slammed down on her already injured ribs.
"Die." The soldier said as he dropped his knee on Ami and began savagely beating her. "Die." The soldier repeated as he punched Ami in her jaw, then grabbed her and lifted her off the ground. He had a sadistic smile spread across his face as he threw Ami on the ground as hard as he could. Ami let out a painful gasp as the wind was knocked from her lungs. He kicked her a few more times then dropped down on top of her, slowly unsheathing his knife afterwards. "Auf Wiedersehen, American scum." The soldier coldly said, as he held the knife in front of Amis neck. "Agh!" The soldier yelled as something slammed into him and forced him to the ground.
"DIE YOU MOTHER FUCKER!" Rei screamed as she began beating the soldier to death, she grabbed her helmet off her head and repeatedly slammed it into his face as hard as she could. "Ami!" Rei yelled as she delivered the killing blow and ran to Amis side. "Are you okay, can you hear me?" Rei asked as she tried to sit Ami up.
"Please don't move me, it hurts so bad!" Ami screamed in agony as she laid across the ground.
"You're gonna be okay Ami, I'm here." Rei quietly said as she took Amis hand.
"The girl? Where's the girl?!" Ami yelled as she tried to sit up.
"Don't move Ami, you're too hurt. I'll find her, just stay here." Rei ordered as she got up to search for the child, thankfully she didn't have to look long. "There you are, come here sweetie." Rei quietly said as she found the girl hiding under one of the cabins. The child nodded and crawled over to Rei. "That a girl, come here sweetie." Rei cooed as she picked the child up and carried her back by Ami. "I found her Ami." Rei said as she set the little girl next to Ami.
"Thank...you...Rei." Ami quietly gasped out.
"Try not to talk so much Ami, just rest. I can't imagine what Makos gonna say when she gets back here." Rei said as she sat down next to Ami and the little girl crawled into her lap.
"She's...gonna be...pissed." Ami lightly laughed.
"Hundred bucks says she kicks his body." Rei said with a chuckle.
"Two hundred...says she...spits on it." Ami replied between breaths.
"Who are we kidding, three hundred says she does both, and maybe more." Rei laughed.
"That's...my...Mako." Ami quietly said as she slowly closed her eyes.
"How much farther do you think they are?" Mako asked as she continued following Miniko.
"Hopefully not much." Miniko replied as she continued running.
"Quiet!" Mako yelled suddenly.
"What is it private?" Miniko whispered.
"Voices, and they're getting closer." Mako answered as she quickly got off the trail and hid behind a tree.
"We'll attack on your signal Mako." Miniko said as she hid behind a tree on the opposite side of the trail. Several soldiers came down the trail with a group of civilians, Mako waited until the soldiers had almost passed, then quietly snuck out of the bush. Miniko followed her lead as her and Mako each went up behind a soldier at the very back of the group and silently killed them. By some combination of skill and miracle the other soldiers hadn't noticed. Mako and Miniko repeated the process, but weren't so lucky the second time.
"Ambush!" One of the soldiers yelled in German. Mako quickly slammed the soldier to the ground and stabbed him in the neck, while Miniko shot the last two soldiers in the head.
"We clear?" Miniko asked as she looked around.
"I think so ma'am." Mako replied as she stood up and put her knife away.
"Good, let's get everyone back to the camp so Ami can asses them." Miniko ordered.
"I don't know ma'am, maybe we should bring Ami here, I think these people have been worked enough." Mako said as she looked at the starved and tortured people in front of her.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Go get Ami, I'll wait here for you." Miniko replied.
"Yes ma'am." Mako said as she began running back to the camp. Mako quickly arrived at the camp and began yelling for Ami. "Ami! Ami where are you, we need you!" Mako yelled as she looked around.
"We're over here Mako, but Amis not going anywhere." Rei replied as she waved to Mako. "Damn kraut came out of nowhere and beat the hell out of her." Rei said as Mako came running to Amis side.
"Ami, oh my god!" Mako yelled as she knelt down by Ami and looked at her swollen and bloody face. "Don't...worry Mako. It's not...as bad...as it looks." Ami replied between painful breaths.
"Where is he?!" Mako angrily asked.
"He's dead Mako." Rei answered.
"That's not what I asked." Mako bit back. Rei just pointed to the soldiers body and waited to see who was about to make a hundred bucks or more.
"Damn kraut, beat my little blueberry like that?! Dead or not I'm beating the piss out of you!" Mako yelled as she began kicking the soldiers body and slammed her foot on his face, after a few minutes of beating the dead soldier she spit on the body and walked back over by Ami.
"Do you...want your...three hundred in...large bills, or small ones?" Ami asked between breaths.
"How about a combination." Rei laughed in reply.
"What are you two laughing about?" Mako asked as she sat down by Ami and Rei.
"Just how well we know you." Rei replied with a smirk.
"Speaking of knowing people, we'd better get going. Knowing the captain, if we don't get back soon, she's gonna be mad." Mako said as she carefully tried to pick Ami up.
"You can't move her right now Mako, she's to hurt." Rei said in an light tone.
"We don't have a choice ma'am, it'll be easier to bring her to everyone rather than bringing everyone to her." Mako replied as she continued trying to pick Ami up.
"AGH!" Ami screamed in pain as Mako lifted her off the ground.
"I'm sorry Ami, I don't mean to hurt you. But the others are counting on us." Mako said as she held Ami and began walking towards the trail.
"Wait for us Mako." Rei said as she took the little girl in her arms and began following Mako. A few minutes later they arrived back by Miniko.
"About time you..." Miniko stopped mid sentence when she caught sight of Ami. "Oh. My. God! What the hell happened to you?!" Miniko asked as she ran up to Mako and Ami.
"Damn kraut ambushed her and Rei. He beat the shit out of her." Mako replied as she hugged Ami a little closer.
"Is she gonna be okay?" Miniko asked as she gently dabbed at Amis split lip with her sleeve.
"I don't know Minna, it was bad. I was still in shock during most of it, but Ami told me he tossed her around like a rag doll and beat her like a punching bag. When I snapped out of my shock he was on top of her, beating the living hell out of her. Thank god I came to my senses when I did, or he would killed her for sure." Rei answered as she bounced the little girl in her arms.
"This is all my fault, I never should have left you two on your own, I'm so sorry." Miniko quietly apologized.
"It's not...your...fault...ma'am. We all thought...the camp...was...deserted." Ami choked out. Before Miniko could say anything else, the little girl quietly spoke.
"Mama." The girl said as she reached for a woman in the group.
"My baby!" The woman yelled in German as she ran to her daughter and took her from Rei. "Danke! Vielen Dank!" The woman yelled as she held her child.
"What did she say Ami?" Rei asked as she watched the mother cuddle her child.
"She...says...thank...you. Thank you...very...much." Ami choked out as she let out a few wheezy breaths as her eyes slowly began to close.
"Are you okay Ami? Do you want me to set you down?" Mako asked with some concern. There was no answer. Instead Amis head slumped over Makos shoulder. "Ami?! Ami say something!" Mako yelled as she quickly set Ami on the ground and checked her pulse. "Her pulse is dropping!" Mako yelled.
"What?!" Miniko yelled back as she rushed to Amis side.
"She feels cold!" Rei yelled as she took Amis hand.
"Get her uniform off!" Mako ordered as she ripped Amis jacket off and cut open her shirt.
"What are you doing Mako?!" Miniko yelled as she watched Mako begin stripping Ami.
"I think she's bleeding internally, she's showing a few symptoms of heavy blood loss!" Mako yelled as she quickly found the source of the problem.
"What is that?!" Rei yelled as she stared at a large dark bluish purple mark by Amis abdomen.
"It's blood! She's bleeding internally!" Mako yelled back.
"We have to get her to a Field Hospital!" Miniko yelled.
"There's no time ma'am, we have to do something now or she's gonna go into hemorrhagic shock. If that happens, I don't even wanna say it!" Mako yelled as she dug through Amis bag. An older man from the group of newly freed prisoners tapped Rei on the shoulder.
"I'm sorry but I'm a little busy right now!" Rei yelled.
"Doctor." The man said in reply.
"What?" Rei asked as she turned around to face the man.
"I'm doctor." The man replied in broken English.
"Can you help her?!" Rei yelled.
"Yes." The man replied.
"Minna, Mako, back up. This man's a doctor, if anyone can help it's him." Rei ordered as she quickly stepped aside.
"Please save her. She's about the only family I have left, and the only love I've ever had." Mako begged through her tears.
"Come on Mako, let's give him some space." Miniko said as she slowly pulled Mako away from Ami. The man made an incision with a scalpel from Amis bag and got to work, and after almost three and half hours the man had finished.
"Is she...?" Mako asked a partial question before trailing off.
"Not dead. Need hospital." The man answered.
"We'll see if we can find help, you stay here Mako. Rei with me, on the double!" Miniko ordered as she began running down the trail.
"I hope we find help soon, she didn't look to good." Rei said as she ran alongside Miniko.
"I hope so to Rei." Miniko replied as they continued running. After what felt like an eternity they reached the end of the trail and began moving through the empty streets yelling for any of their forces that may be nearby. "Is anyone around here!" Miniko yelled.
"Please, we need help!" Rei yelled. The sound of an engine got their attention.
"Look Rei, a truck!" Miniko yelled as she pointed to the truck and waved to it. The truck didn't slowdown, instead it sped up.
"Look out Minna!" Rei yelled as she pushed Miniko to the side just before the truck hit her. "Agh!" Rei screamed in pain as the truck rolled over her leg and broke it like a twig.
"Rei!" Miniko screamed as she ran to Reis side. "I'm here Rei, it's okay, I've got you." Miniko said as she held Rei and looked at her twisted and broken leg. The truck came to a screeching halt, two German soldiers got out and aimed their guns at Rei and Miniko. "I think this is it Rei, I love you." Miniko said through some tears as she held Rei and buried her face into Reis chest.
"I love you too Minna." Rei cried as she pulled Miniko close and prepared for the end. 'Bang! Bang!' The two shots rang throughout the street.
"Are you two okay?!" A man yelled as he quickly ran to Rei and Minikos side.
"Who are you?!" Miniko yelled as she looked up to see a tall man with short black hair.
"I'm admiral Mamoru Chiba of the Navy." The man answered as he knelt down by Rei and Miniko.
"What are you doing all the way out here sir?" Miniko asked.
"A civilian told us about a group of soldiers who were separated from everyone else, and I was ordered to help look for them." Mamoru answered with a smile.
"You're an admiral, who could give you orders sir?" Miniko asked in response.
"That would be me!" A woman cheerfully answered as she walked up behind Mamoru.
"Hey Usako, I was wondering where you were. Allow me to introduce you two to my better half. This is my wife, general Usagi Tsukino of the U.S Army." Mamoru introduced his wife with a smile.
"Ma'am!" Miniko yelled as she saluted Usagi, Rei tried to as well.
"At ease you two. Where are the others, that civilian said there were four of you?" Usagi asked as she looked around a little bit.
"Yes ma'am, please we need help! Our teammates bleeding internally and we need to get her to a Field Hospital before she dies!" Miniko yelled in response.
"We'll take care of it captain, Mamo stay with them, I'll get the other two." Usagi ordered as her and another soldier climbed into the truck that hit Rei.
"Please hurry ma'am, I don't think Ami has a lot of time left." Miniko begged Usagi.
"We'll do all we can captain." Usagi replied as she and the driver sped off down the trail. A few minutes later the truck came to a stop.
"Come on corporal, let's move." Usagi ordered as she and the corporal exited the truck.
"Don't move!" Mako yelled as she levied her gun at the two unfamiliar people.
"It's alright Mako, you can lower the gun. We're here to help." The woman said as she slowly raised her hands and stepped in front of Usagi.
"SETSUNA!" Mako yelled in surprise as she quickly lowered her gun.
"It's nice to see you again Mako, where's Ami? You two are always together." Setsuna asked as she looked around a little.
"She's here ma'am." Mako answered with a few tears as she stepped aside so Usagi and Setsuna could see Ami.
"Ami!" Setsuna gasped at the sight of Amis beaten and bloody form.
"What happened to her?!" Usagi yelled in horror of Amis beaten and broken body.
"Miniko and I went to find the other survivors from the camp, while she stayed behind and took care of a child we found. We found some other survivors and Miniko stayed with them when I went to go get Ami so she could assess them. When I got back I saw she had been savagely beaten, but I thought she was okay. She was breathing normal for the most part and I picked her up and carried her here, but at some point she passed out and we found a large bruise on her abdomen. It turned out to be internal bleeding." Mako quietly explained.
"She's not, dead is she?" Setsuna asked with concern.
"No ma'am, this gentleman performed an emergency surgery on her. She's just unconscious now, but alive." Mako replied with a smile.
"How are you doing Mako, do you have any injuries?" Setsuna asked as she kneeled down by Mako.
"I'm okay ma'am, what about the captain and the lieutenant?" Mako asked as she took Amis hand in her own.
"The captain's okay, but the lieutenant got her leg broke when a truck tried to run her and Miniko over." Setsuna answered.
"Oh my god, is she going to be okay?!" Mako asked in a worried tone.
"She'll be okay private. Now let's get you two home, or you any way, we'll get her to a hospital back home."
Setsuna replied as she held Amis other hand.
"Mako?" Ami quietly asked as she slowly began to wake up.
"Ami! Oh thank god you're awake! I was so worried!" Mako yelled as she started crying tears of joy.
"I wanna go home Mako. I wanna go home!" Ami yelled as she began crying into Makos sleeve.
"Shh, it's okay Ami, it's okay. We're going home sweetie, we're going home." Mako quietly said as she comforted Ami.
"Let's get her in the truck." Usagi ordered.
"Yes ma'am." Setsuna replied as she grabbed a stretcher out of the truck and set it next to Ami.
"Lift on three. Ready? One, two, three!" Usagi ordered as she and Setsuna lifted Ami on to the stretcher.
"AGH!" Ami let out a blood curdling scream as she was lifted off the ground.
"It's okay Ami, you're okay. Just try and breathe Ami, we're almost done." Setsuna encouraged as her and Usagi gently placed Ami in the truck. "Everyone else in, let's go!" Setsuna yelled as her and Mako began helping the rest of the people from the camp into the truck.
"Take us back to the others." Usagi ordered as she climbed in the passenger seat.
"Right away ma'am." Setsuna replied, as she jumped into the drivers seat and began driving back towards the others.
"You owe me big time Minna, my leg hurts hell!" Rei whined as she looked at her wrapped leg.
"I held your hand when they reset it." Miniko replied with a smile.
"Yeah, but now you have to take care of me when we get back home." Rei said with a smirk.
"I'm at your service your majesty." Miniko sarcastically replied.
"Damn right you are." Rei laughed.
"They're back." Miniko quickly said in a serious tone as the truck pulled up. "How's Ami?!" Miniko loudly asked as she ran up to the truck.
"She's okay for now, but we're gonna get her to a hospital back home as soon as we can." Setsuna replied as she got out of the truck.
"Not just her, you're all going home. Now let's go, everyone on the truck, we're moving out!" Usagi ordered.
"Yes ma'am!" Miniko yelled back as she helped Rei hobble to the truck and climb in it. "We're finally going home Rei, I can't believe after all this time, we're finally going home." Miniko quietly said as the truck began moving again.
"How are you doing Mako?" Rei asked as she looked at Mako.
"I'm scared ma'am. She's in so much pain, and I'm worried wether she's gonna make or not. What am I supposed to tell her mother when we get home?! She's gonna hate me for letting this happen!" Mako screamed and cried as she held Amis hand.
"Don't say that Mako, if she's anything like Ami she'll be happy to see you." Miniko said as she put a comforting arm around Mako.
"Mother...will never...hate you." Ami quietly said between breaths.
"Is the pain coming back Ami?" Usagi asked from the passenger seat.
"It never left ma'am, it hurts so bad!" Ami loudly cried.
"You're gonna be okay private, we're gonna get you home safe and sound. I promise." Usagi said with a kind smile. Ami didn't respond, instead she just closed her eyes as she released Makos hand and her arm fell to her side.
"Ami! Ami please wake up!" Mako began panicking after seeing Amis arm go limp and fall from her hand.
"Calm down private, she's just unconscious not dead. See her chest moving?" Usagi asked in a sweet tone as she pointed out the rhythmic rise and fall of Amis chest.
"Oh thank god. I need a nap ma'am, I can't handle anymore of this stress." Mako replied with a quiet breath and a few tears.
"Don't worry private, soon you'll be able to rest as long as you want." Usagi said as she gave Mako a light pat on the back. After a short drive the truck came to a stop, Usagi and Setsuna exited the truck and began helping everyone out.
"Let me help you lieutenant." Usagi said as she carefully helped Rei out of the truck.
"Thank you ma'am." Rei replied with a light groan.
"Grab the other end Mako, I've got this one." Setsuna ordered as she grabbed the front of the stretcher Ami was on.
"Yes ma'am." Mako quietly replied as she carefully helped Setsuna lift the stretcher.
"Bring her over this way." Setsuna ordered as she walked over to a large tent with a red cross on it. Ami slowly opened her eyes and quickly tried to sit up in a panic of the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Where am I!" Ami screamed, immediately regretting her actions as she flopped back down on the bed in excruciating pain.
"It's okay Ami, you're safe. We're in a med tent with Setsuna and the others." Mako calmly replied as she took Amis hand and gently squeezed it.
"Where's the Lieutenant, is she okay?" Ami quietly asked.
"She's fine Ami. You're so funny, laying on a bed beat to hell and you're more worried about the Lieutenants broken leg." Mako laughed.
"That's just who she is." Rei said with a grin as Miniko helped her limp into the tent.
"How are you feeling Ami?" Miniko asked as she helped Rei sit down on the bed next to Ami.
"I feel like shit ma'am, the pain is so bad that I think I'm gonna puke." Ami answered as she put her arm over her eyes to block out some of the light.
"This should help with the pain." Setsuna said as she walked up to Ami and stuck a small needle in her thigh.
"Is that morphine ma'am?" Ami asked as she quickly rolled over and hung her head over the side of her bed.
"Here Ami!" Miniko yelled as she quickly removed her helmet and held it under Amis mouth. Ami immediately threw up into the helmet and cried out in pain.
"Feeling better?" Miniko joked as she walked outside the tent and found a place to empty the vomit from her helmet.
"Not at all, that hurt so bad!" Ami yelled as she rolled back onto the bed and clutched her ribs in agony.
"Don't worry private, by this time next week you'll feel great. In fact, you all will." Usagi said as her and Mamoru walked into the tent.
"Why is that ma'am?" Ami asked through gritted teeth.
"Because you'll all be back home." Usagi answered with a smile, as she gently took hold of Amis arm. Ami slowly relaxed with Usagis touch, as if the young woman had some how expelled the pain she was feeling. Ami closed her eyes and lightly breathed.
"Home."
(Authors Note: I know this chapter may have been a little darker than some of the other ones, but I felt it was important to put this information somewhere in this story. As horrible as some of the things in this chapter may have been, the worst part about them is that they were based on real historical events. When the Nazis first invaded Poland in the beginning of the war, for reasons that to this day are still unknown Hittler wanted to wipe out the Jewish population, as well as other groups and races. From 1941 to May 8, 1945 the Nazis committed a mass genocide that resulted in the deaths of more than six million innocent men, women, and children for nothing more than their religion, skin color, sexual orientation, and or disability. Contrary to the part about the mother and the child in this chapter, families were often separated and sent to different camps in different locations across Europe; very few families were ever completely reunited when the Holocaust ended. Just so you can truly understand how enormous the number of lives lost during these events were, it would be the equivalent of executing every single resident in Wisconsin and then some. The reason I decided to put these horrible events into this chapter was because I believe it is important for people to learn about these tragic events so they are not forgotten and lost to history. Because as the saying goes, history forgotten is history repeated, and we can never allow these events to be forgotten or repeated. Thank you for taking the time to read this.)