3: Keep Your Secrets
The camp was at its most quiet late at night. As much as Westworth appreciated the feelings of everyone's energy and emotions around him, it would occasionally be a bit too much. Earlier that day, Colonel Hogan and his men staged a riot for one of their assignments. The flow of emotion and heightened energy roused Westworth from his place of rest in the ground where Barracks One used to stand, and as it continued, he felt like he was being struck with a hundred hammers. He could sense Corporal Langenscheidt's distress as he and the other guards tried to maintain order.
Westworth moved through the crowd. No one would be able to sense him unless they were paying attention. Even Langenscheidt was unaware of him. People were pushing and shoving each other right through Westworth. He remained where he was, monitoring a prisoner who had set his sights on the skinny and distressed corporal. Westworth got between them, making himself visible when the prisoner looked like he was about to push Langenscheidt away. The man stepped back, and Westworth vanished. Langenscheidt looked on in shock, and the confrontation ended there.
The staged riot lasted for some time. Westworth continued watching Langenscheidt, now from on top of the roof of Colonel Klink's porch. He noticed off in the distance, several of Hogan's men getting out of camp through the barbed wire. He wasn't sure what they were doing this time, and couldn't help them. He was bound by his agreement several months earlier to protect Langenscheidt.
Terror and uncertainty were running off Langenscheidt in waves. He was begging people to stop and just return to their day. He wasn't all that good at projecting his voice, and nervousness about getting hurt was choking him. Abruptly, his stream of thoughts and fears stopped, and Langenscheidt's expression changed from one of fear to confusion.
What did he lose? Westworth moved closer to the edge of the roof.
"Erich? What happened?" Langenscheidt asked. "Why are the prisoners rioting?"
"Karl, they have been agitated for the last several minutes!" Kielholz shouted. "Wake up!"
"We were just over by the barracks! How did I get here?!"
He's forgotten almost the entire riot. A pang of sympathy pulsed in Westworth's chest. Langenscheidt's confusion and terror was now stronger than ever as he tried to process what was going on.
Eventually, the prisoners dispersed thanks to a signal from Hogan. Whatever their mission was, it had been accomplished and they could return to their daily routines. In the meantime, Kielholz was walking a shaky Langenscheidt back to the guard barracks, talking to him in a hushed tone. Westworth followed, invisible at first, then becoming visible once the barracks door was closed behind them.
"W-We were just by the barracks," Langenscheidt sobbed. "Suddenly, I-I was p-pushing back prisoners. What… What were they even upset about?"
Kielholz shrugged. "I wish I knew. Are you going to be alright?"
"I h-have no idea, Erich." Langenscheidt hiccupped. "It-It happened… so f-fast."
"Just relax. You will be okay." Kielholz squeezed Langenscheidt's shoulders.
Langenscheidt looked past Kielholz for a moment. "What is Westworth doing here?"
"I came to make sure you're alright," Westworth said. He looked at Kielholz. "I can take care of him so you can return to your duties."
Kielholz gave him a concerned look. "Are you sure?"
Westworth nodded. "Go. Before you get in trouble."
"Alright, alright." Kielholz left the barracks.
Westworth was quiet for a moment, then he turned to face Langenscheidt. He could sense all of the memories Langenscheidt had lost over the last two years. They were there, but locked away where Langenscheidt couldn't see them. Westworth had mentioned a couple of times before that he could see those memories, but Langenscheidt, feeling it would be unnatural, disingenuous, and leave him more confused, said he didn't want to know what they were, especially since his accident was one of them.
"Are you sure you don't want to know everything that you've forgotten?" Westworth asked.
"Positive," Langenscheidt replied. "And I have told you why before. It would feel fake, because I would not actually remember those events happening."
"Perhaps telling you would prompt you to remember."
"No." Langenscheidt shook his head. "I highly doubt that would work. I think it is very creepy that you have seen all of those memories."
"I haven't seen all of them, but I did locate the memories of your accident some time ago."
"That is one I definitely do not want to see."
Westworth had to respect that, and chose not to bring it up for the rest of the day.
In the silence of night, he revisited that conversation as he stood over Langenscheidt's sleeping form. Here it was easiest to unlock all of those blocked memories. Langenscheidt's mind was at its most vulnerable, and Westworth had taken advantage of a similar vulnerability before, one that had lasting consequences for both of them.
In truth, Westworth had no idea if showing Langenscheidt any of his missing memories would actually help. He knew he could get in a lot of trouble if he did something Langenscheidt really didn't like. Pranks and jokes were one thing, but messing around with Langenscheidt's memories and fears and traumas were another, one that could get him permanently banished to another plane of existence, likely the one that he had roamed for two years before his monster side decided it wanted revenge. He didn't want to be stuck there forever, especially since he had grown to appreciate Langenscheidt and Kielholz's company. He didn't want to admit it, but he would miss them.
He wandered around the camp for a bit, observing the guards and prisoners. When he came to Barracks Two, he watched over Corporal Newkirk for a few moments. The friendship they once had while Westworth was still living had been completely tarnished, all thanks to Westworth falling in with a bad crowd, a crowd he once thought would help him grow powerful enough to help his fellow POWs get through their seemingly hopeless situation, maybe even help them all escape. Newkirk had been right to try and tell him that what Westworth was doing was wrong and crossing a moral line. At the time, Westworth refused to listen, and he continued down his increasingly dark path.
He kept watching Newkirk for a moment longer, and then continued floating around the camp. He returned to the guard barracks, hovering over Langenscheidt, and peering into his mind once more. Langenscheidt had described his memory as a giant puzzle with a lot of pieces missing. Westworth was capable of seeing those pieces, and although it was tempting to put them back where they belonged, he didn't. Langenscheidt's right—he won't truly remember them if I just show him. He'll still think they didn't happen, and it'll just upset him even more than it already does. I'll have to just keep my secrets.