Baking in the sun on the side of a winding road, Dallin took off her jacket. She couldn't stand the heat and they had no protection from the glaring sun. On their way to Berchtesgaden, they came to a sudden stand-still, when met with large boulders and rocks blocking the rest of the road. While men tried to clear boulders away with grenades and mortars, the rest were left to wait. Dallin wasn't sure what to make of it all. A part of her felt sick at the thought of heading up there, where all the higher-up Nazis used to live. And then another part of her wanted to tear the place down and raise hell.
"This ain't working". McClung told her.
Dallin was lying down on the road.
And sat up when McClung came over to her.
Blocking the sun out with her eyes, she nodded;
"we will all burn before the roadblocks are clear, Earl".
"Me and a few others are 'gonna climb over the rocks and head up, you in?"
"Is Shifty coming?"
McClung shook his head;
"no, he's hanging from the beers last night".
"Okay. I will come". Dallin agreed.
Grinning, McClung grabbed her hand and helped her up;
"Popeye's coming".
She almost rolled her eyes;
"you are both very crazy together".
He chuckled;
"it'll be fun".
"Who else comes?"
McClung shrugged;
"so far, just the three of us". He told her, "think the fellas are a little weary that some Nazis are 'gonna be up there, waiting to shoot".
Nodding, Dallin mumbled;
"then I better take my rifle".
Getting permission to climb over the rocks wasn't as hard as they thought. Though, Winters took a little bit of convincing. The others watched, while the three of them scaled the rocks and disappeared on the other side. From there, it was one mile up to the top of the mountain. Already the view was breathtaking, with snowcapped mountains, blue streams and dark forests. Dallin hated to admit that she had never seen anything so beautiful in all her life. Inside the town, it was just as pretty. Houses looked like something plucked out of fairytales. It was like being back in Aldbourne, times one hundred. The streets were quiet, white sheets hung out of windows and most Nazi flags had been taken down. Dallin could spot a few faces in the houses, most of them were women. Young women. With a tiny sigh, she slung her rifle over her shoulder and mumbled;
"no Nazis here".
"Nope". Popeye agreed quietly, "it's a pretty place but…spooky, huh?"
"We're 'gonna get loaded here". McClung grinned, "think about all the booze".
But it was Popeye's eyes that caught sight of the cars;
"holy shit…is that a Mercedes?"
Curiously, the three of them walked over to a very shiny black car.
"Looks more expensive than my house". McClung snorted, "you see the keys, Popeye?"
Hopping into the driver's seat, Popeye checked the glove compartment.
Holding up a pair of keys, the young man grinned;
"well, you fancy a ride?"
"Yes". Dallin eagerly agreed, while jumping into the backseat, "take us to stars, Popeye".
Turning the key, the engine started.
"Oh, boy…she purrs like a damn cat". McClung said from the passenger's seat, "you know how to drive this thing, Pop?"
Popeye laughed and pressed down on the gas, jerking the car forward;
"nope!"
Full speed ahead, Popeye drove the powerful car through the streets of Berchtesgaden. They passed many beautiful houses and decided which house they'd stay in. It was retail shopping at it's finest. Popeye parked the car outside a very large and grand house. Hopping out, he smiled;
"this 'oughtta be good enough for us Sergeant's".
Kicking the door open, they heard a few yelps from inside. Dallin walked into the living room and saw an older woman and a younger one huddled up in the corner of the room. They almost went unnoticed behind the grand piano. Holding out her rifle, she told them;
"leave".
Shaking her head, the older woman babbled;
"this is…our home-"
"it's ours now". Dallin cut her off firmly, "leave".
Tears filling her eyes, the woman begged;
"bitte…we have…nowhere to go".
Snorting, Dallin shrugged;
"that is not my problem…you fucking Kraut. Leave".
Popeye whistled while stepping into the living room;
"holy Jesus…ain't this place nice looking. I reckon we'll be pretty comfy here, Dill".
"It's a fucking palace!" McClung exclaimed from the kitchen.
Taking off his helmet with a smile, Popeye sat down on the couch and put his rifle down;
"so…you 'gonna get rid of the Krauts, Dill?"
"If I shoot them…I blame it on self-defence". Dallin hissed, sending the two Germans a glare.
The younger woman cried and held onto the older German.
"Holy shit!" McClung yelled.
Popeye looked over the couch;
"what?!" He yelled back, sounding lazy.
McClung soon walked into the living room;
"there's a dead Nazi in the other sitting room".
Popeye pulled a face;
"how come they always do that, huh? It ain't fair on us. We're just trying to sleep in a house that ain't got a body in it".
Dallin grabbed a hold of the older woman's arm.
She let out a choked scream;
"bitte! Bitte!"
"Your husband, yes?" Dallin hissed, "he is Nazi, yes?"
"Nien! Nien!"
Dallin pinned her against the wall.
She slammed the woman against a painting and yelled;
"don't lie to me!"
"Bitte…we didn't know…we didn't know…". She begged, tears rolling down her cheeks.
McClung carefully walked over to Dallin;
"hey…". He murmured, "why don't you go and let her go, huh?"
"No!" Dallin snapped, "they always lie!"
Dallin's grip tightened around the woman;
"they are all guilty! All of them!"
"Just leave Dill, Earl". Popeye waved it off, "those Nazi Krauts deserve a bit of terror".
Shaking his head, McClung mumbled;
"she'll regret it…cause Dill knows what it's like to feel scared, ain't that right, Dill? And hell, you wouldn't want anyone else feeling like you did".
Letting go of the woman, Dallin took a step back.
Her eyes soon caught sight of the painting.
Rage bubbled up inside of her; it was a painting of Hitler.
Lifting her rifle, she aimed it towards the woman, who screamed out a sob. McClung's eyes widened;
"Dill, no!"
Before she pulled the trigger, at the last minute she changed her target. A bullet went through Hitler's head, instead of that woman's brain. With smoke still coming out of her rifle, Dallin dropped her weapon on the ground and left the room. She trusted her friends to get rid of the Germans inside the house before the rest arrived. It was wrong of her to lose her head at a civilian, but Dallin could only see them as Nazis now.
Staying in Berchtesgaden was going to be harder than she thought.
…
The party began when the rest made it up the mountain.
To help ease the tension, Dallin decided to drink. And they weren't short on booze. Grant brought up a case of gin, while Luz found bottles of whiskey and wine. Popping bottles open, they drank themselves silly. Dallin wasn't sure if the human body was made to hold down all the alcohol, they consumed in just two hours, but she was drunker than drunk.
Dallin ended up going on a small adventure with Grant, where they started a fire in a garden and burned Nazi uniforms and flags. Dallin poured gin over the fire and left it alone, while she and Grant walked back into the house. Music was playing, men were dancing on tables, playing cards or starting fights. Dallin ducked just in time when a wooden chair went flying her way. Grant led them into the kitchen and closed the door. Johnny Martin was passed out on the floor, sucking on an empty bottle of wine like a pacifier.
Searching the kitchen cabinets, Grant informed Dallin;
"we're 'gonna bake…I'm thinking some pie".
Nodding, Dallin took another sip of gin before placing the bottle on the kitchen table;
"yes…yes, pie is good. Let's make apple pie".
There were apples on the counter, very old apples. Grant found flower, eggs, butter and sugar. They couldn't make a pie, so, they decided to bake an apple cake. Grabbing her bayonet, Dallin started to peel and cut the apples. She didn't notice that they were soft and near enough brown.
"You know…I'm 'real good at this". Grant slurred.
"Yes…I believe you". Dallin said lightly.
He smiled;
"thanks, Dill…you're a good buddy".
Dallin wasn't very good at slicing apples while intoxicated. But Grant was very kind and deemed them good enough. She dumped the sliced apples into the cake mix, Grant stirred everything together, while Dallin turned on the old oven. Putting the cake mix into the warm over, Grant closed the door.
"What now?" He asked Dallin.
Shrugging, she said;
"Popeye has car now…let's drive".
"Yeah, alright".
"But I drive".
"Can you drive?" Grant asked.
But then grinned and told her;
"ah, who cares…hey, don't forget your gin, Dill".
Smiling, Dallin picked up her bottle of gin;
"thank you, Chuck…I am very drunk".
His grin widened;
"hey, me too, Dill".
Leaving the house, Dallin and Grant jumped into the car. Grabbing the keys out of the glove compartment, she first struggled to find where to put the key. But once the key was in place, she turned it and the engine came to life. Chuck cheered, Dallin barked out a laugh and as she was about to press on the gas, Popeye leapt out in front of the car.
Pointing at Dallin, he demanded;
"get the fuck 'oughtta my car, Dill".
"Popeye…it's fine, I drive, yes?" Dallin tried to assure him, "it's fine…calm down".
Popeye raised his eyebrows;
"Dill, I may be drunk but holy shit…I've still got a damn brain and you ain't driving my new car. One, you're fucking drunk and two, you can't drive – get the fuck out of my car".
Rolling her eyes, she mumbled;
"I was only going to crash it, Popeye…that's all".
Letting out a nervous laugh, Grant looked at her;
"what?"
Dallin looked back at him, telling Grant calmly;
"this is Nazi car Chuck…we drive it off mountain".
Letting out a laugh, Grant shook his head and left the vehicle;
"no, you're fucking crazy…Popeye, get her out of the car".
Without a car to drive off the mountain, Dallin and Grant walked back into the madhouse. Popeye decided to keep the car keys on him in case Dallin tried her luck again. Finding Shifty sitting on the couch, Dallin sat on his lap and pulled him in for a sloppy drunken kiss. He was just as drunk as Dallin. The pair were clueless and in love.
"I bake cake with Chuck". She whispered into his ear, "its very…sexy, yes?"
Shifty let out a small giggle;
"the cake ain't sexy but you are".
Softly biting on his ear, she mumbled;
"let's go upstairs…and make use of bed, yes?"
Before Shifty could answer, Dallin heard a few German voices. Pulling a face, she turned around and spotted a few young German women in the living room. One of them was kissing Talbert, while the other was flirting heavily with Grant. The third was staring at Dallin. Climbing off Shifty's lap, Dallin began walking over to the young German woman.
"Baby, don't…". Shifty slurred, "remember what happened last time".
Dallin wanted to give the German a piece of her mind but didn't get the chance because Shifty picked Dallin up and carried her up the stairs. The rage was soon forgotten about, Dallin was giggling into Shifty's shoulder. He kicked the bedroom door open and tossed Dallin on the bed before getting on top of her.
They kissed and undressed each other.
Grabbing him, Dallin decided to switch positions.
Pushing Shifty onto his back, she got on top of him.
With a smirk, she whispered;
"hold on…Shifty Powers".
Feeling confidence bubble away in her gut, Dallin felt like a Greek Goddess. For once, she was in total control. And for five minutes, everything was going great, Dallin felt fierce. But soon, that feeling in her gut turned sour. She stopped. Frowned. And heaved. Leaning over the bed, Dallin vomited up a large amount of alcohol. Eyes widening, Shifty sat up and rubbed her back.
"Oh my God…". He whispered, "baby…you're spewing up a lake, baby…".
Not even Dallin getting sick could sober Shifty up.
But despite him being extremely intoxicated, it didn't stop him from being a good man and fiancé. The large room started to smell, though Shifty stuck by her side until she stopped. He kissed the tears away on her cheeks and wiped her mouth with the edge of the blanket. Getting up, Shifty stepped over the vomit and almost stumbled once over the other side. Giving her a kind look, he told her softly;
"I'm 'gonna get you some water, baby…then I'll hold you 'till you fall asleep".
Shifty was butt-naked when he walked out of the room to fetch Dallin a glass of water. The men were either too drunk to care, or they didn't notice. However, McClung did notice his lack of clothes. He smirked;
"getting lucky tonight, pal?"
Shifty sighed;
"oh, Dill got 'real sick, Earl".
McClung frowned;
"she alright?"
"I reckon she spewed up the Atlantic…am 'gonna fetch her some water now".
"Okay, pal".
"Then I'll hold her 'till she sleeps, Earl". Shifty told his friend.
McClung snorted, though smiled small;
"you're a good fella, Shifty".
Filling up a glass of water in the kitchen, Shifty returned to the bedroom. Dallin was sitting up, scrubbing tears out of her eyes. Frowning, he sat down on the bed and handed her the glass;
"take some water, baby".
Sniffing, Dallin took a few sips of water before handing it back to Shifty.
In a hoarse and croaky voice, she whispered;
"Abba and Ima…they are both dead, I know it".
"Now, you don't know that". Shifty mumbled softly, "why, they could be trying to find you, baby".
Vey suddenly, Dallin buried her face into her hands and sobbed;
"I cannot stop…thinking…".
Shocked by the sudden tears, Shifty gathered her up in his arms;
"oh, baby…don't cry…what's got you crying, huh?"
"I am…sad…I do not want to live sometimes because…because of camps". She sobbed, "because that should be me too, Shifty…I should have suffered with them…".
Shaking his head, Shifty held her tighter;
"no". He mumbled tearfully, "you was meant to come to America and we was meant to fall in love, Dill. I know it, cause it was written in the stars, baby".
Choking out another sob, she cried;
"I should be…dead too…".
A tear rolled down Shifty's cheek.
Kissing the top of her head, he whispered;
"you 'hurtin, baby?"
Dallin nodded.
"Well, let's get lying down, huh?" Shifty murmured, "and I'll tell you a story 'bout that haunted road again, remember?"
Lying down, Dallin curled up into Shifty's side and rested her head on his chest.
"Well, lets see now…". He mumbled softly, "me and my buddy was driving along this old road…".
…
Bursting into the room in the morning, Grant made to wake Dallin up but soon saw the vomit on the ground. Pulling a face, he got onto the bed and gave Dallin's shoulders a shake. With a small groan, she opened her eyes and stared up at her friend, who seemed to have two heads.
"Rough night?" Grant teased.
Dallin shoved him;
"get off me…stupid shit".
He laughed and managed to stop himself from falling;
"hey…quit it, huh? There's puke on the floor".
"Chuck?" Shifty mumbled into his pillow, still half asleep, "there a reason you're here?"
"Yeah, Winters found Goering's secret cellar". Grant informed them.
Dallin frowned;
"so what?"
He grinned;
"the cellars full of liquor. I'm talking shelves of the stuff…Nixon got first dibs, but the rest is being shared out. We've got about six crates of champagne, wine and all the fine booze down the stairs".
Dallin groaned again;
"Chuck…I feel sick, I can't drink".
Grant smiled;
"you know what helps with a hangover, Dill? More booze".
Rolling onto her side, Dallin's eyes widened at the state of the floor.
"How am I still alive?" She whispered.
Shifty huffed out a laugh;
"you puked up a damn lake, baby".
Shaking her head, Dallin slowly sat up and mumbled;
"I do not drink today. I drink tomorrow".
Grant sighed;
"fair enough, Dill…I'll save you a few bottles if I can".
"Yes…now leave, Chuck".
Grant chuckled and jumped out of bed;
"see you two later".
When the door closed, Shifty rolled onto his side to face Dallin.
Smiling, he pressed his lips against her forehead;
"bath?"
Her lips twitched;
"yes, please".
"Don't worry 'bout the floor…I'll clean it up, baby".
Dallin frowned;
"no…it's okay, Shifty I-"
Smiling, he cut her off softly;
"already said I'd do it, baby. I'm 'gonna run you a bath. Love you".
"Love you too, Shifty".