~Chapter4~
Georg and Max ran toward the edge of the village square, followed by Herr Zeller and a uniformed Nazi soldier.
"Stop or we will shoot!" yelled Herr Zeller, but Max and Georg were fast and dove into a narrow street.
Maria watched in horror from behind the wooden music pavilion. She motioned to the children to move further behind it, while she tried to see if there were any more Germans around, remembering that the car that had passed them in the road had had at least four people in it. She wondered where the other two were, and if they knew she and the children were there, too.
Georg and Max were still running along the alley, hearing the footsteps of Zeller and the soldier following them. Georg looked around, frantically searching for a way to escape. He noticed that they were running along the graveyard that surrounded the village church.
"Max!" he hissed, while pointing at the gate to the graveyard, a few meters down the alley.
Max quickly got the hint and to his relief, the gate was not locked. They ran onto the graveyard, trying to cover as much ground as possible.
Georg heard the gate clanging as Zeller and the soldier opened it. He could hear them whispering urgently. Glancing around, he saw Max close to the church, motioning for him to run over.
The grass of the graveyard rushed as Georg ran to the cover of another headstone, trying to hide in the shadows of the old trees.
Zeller peered in the direction of the sound. "It's no use, Captain," came Herr Zeller's voice. "We know you are here. If you come out now, your family might remain safe."
Georg hesitated when he heard these words. He hoped Zeller was just bluffing - it was possible that he didn't know Maria and the children were out here with them. But what if. .. he didn't dare think further. He noticed Max motioning wildly for him to run on. Sending a quick prayer upwards for his family's safety, he sprinted over to him, deciding he needed to try and get to Maria and the children. Max disappeared around the corner of the church. Georg shot a glance over his shoulder before following him, and saw the two shapes of their pursuers moving slowly across the graveyard, checking behind all the headstones and trees.
"The front of this churchyard borders on the village square," Max whispered as he heard Georg come up behind him. Bending over as deep as they could, the two men ran around the church. Indeed, when they came to the front, they could see the square in front of them. Carefully, staying in the shadows as much as possible, Georg scanned the empty space. The Nazi car stood deserted, with its doors open and the headlights still on.
A plan formed in Georg's head. Hoping that Maria would still be hiding behind the pavilion with the children, he motioned to Max. They crept to the hedge that separated the church grounds from the square. Peeking through the leaves, Georg whispered: "Maria?"
"Georg!" Her voice sounded tense, but close. He could see some movement in the darkness behind the pavilion. Georg stood up and edged toward an opening in the bushes. He pointed at the German car, praying that Maria would understand his intention. She nodded quickly and disappeared back into the shadows.
When he saw Friedrich's head peeking around the other side of the small wooden building, he motioned toward the car again.
"Max?" Georg looked around to see his friend standing close to him. Exchanging a glance, they ran from the cover of the hedge, as Friedrich ran from behind the pavilion. They reached the car at the same time. Max ran around it to the passenger's side, Friedrich jumped into the back seat, and Georg waited by the driver's door, helping the rest of the children in as quickly as he could as they came running. As Maria closed their ranks, dragging Gretl along by the arm, Georg jumped behind the wheel and drove off.
Alarmed by the clatter of running feet, Herr Zeller and the Nazi soldier came sprinting around the corner, and could hardly avoid being run over by Georg as he sped the car away from the village as fast as he could.
"Damn!" Zeller swore and pulled out his gun, shooting two or three rounds after the disappearing car in vain. "Damn!!"
He turned to the soldier who stood panting next to him. "Carl, where are the others?" he demanded, eyes shooting fire.
"They were checking the other side of the station," he answered. As he spoke, a car sped onto the square from the direction of the station, and pulled up behind them. Three soldiers got out.
"What happened? We heard shots," one of them inquired.
Zeller wasted no time on explanations. "Everybody, get in that car and follow them! I will not let him get away this time," and he ran toward the car, getting in the passenger's seat. The soldiers quickly followed him, and soon, they were in pursuit of the Von Trapps.
*** For a while, Georg drove as fast as he could, while the whole family sat in tense silence. Maria kept looking over her shoulder, trying to determine if they were being followed. Her heart was beating in her throat. Also, the running had aggravated the pain in her ribs, and it was only made worse by holding Gretl in her lap. She tried not to pay attention.
As they drove away from the village further, they met a few cars coming from the opposite direction. They overtook a bus, but she couldn't see a car coming after them. Shifting Gretl slightly, Maria bent forward between the front seats and turned to Georg.
"Now what do we do?" she asked.
He didn't answer her right away. Maria looked at the silhouette of his face in the dark and recognised the cold expression that she had seen so often only a few weeks ago. Vivid memories of that night flashed through her mind and a shiver crept down her spine. She knew his mind was racing and she remained silent while waiting for his answer.
Finally, Georg seemed to form an idea.
"We'll drive to Milan. It's only 20 miles, and I still want us to get on that train to Genua," he said.
Maria nodded. "They will come after us," she said, knowing it was obvious, but it worried her all the same. Georg shot her a sideways stare that silenced her right away.
"I know that. We'll have to remain ahead of them," he snapped.
He glanced at her over his shoulder, and saw the hurt in her eyes at his cold retort. He felt behind him for her hand, and she hesitantly took his hand in hers.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, squeezing her hand.
They drove on, as a tense silence settled over them again. The children stared ahead into the darkness and Maria silently repeated a prayer, her eyes cast upwards.
Max was turned around for most of the time, peering behind them into the darkness. After about five minutes, he nudged Georg.
"There's a car closing in on us."
Georg looked into the rear view mirror. It was impossible to make out what type of car it was, and who was in it. Georg considered turning the lights of the car off. It would make them harder to follow, but he would have to slow down as well, as the road would be pitch black without the car's headlights. He hit the gas even harder, deciding that he'd first try to see if the car behind them tried to stay close.
Maria looked from her husband to the car behind them and back. They were speeding along the dark country road as fast as they could, but the distance between the two cars only seemed to get smaller.
Georg saw a bend in the road coming up, but did not slow down. He hoped to create more distance between them and their pursuers by taking the bend at full speed. As he jerked the wheel to the right, the car skidded, only missing a tree by inches. The children gasped, and Maria winced in pain as Gretl grabbed her tightly, trying not to fall off her lap. "Damn," Georg mumbled, angry that he had miscalculated the bend. He grabbed the wheel tighter and tried to peer as far ahead of him as he could.
"Are they still behind us?" he asked Max, not taking his eyes off the road and overtaking another car.
As Max looked behind, he saw the pursuing car rounding the bend as well. By the look of it, it wasn't slowing down much, either. Max's eyes met Maria's before he turned back to tell Georg that the other car was still following.
"How much further, Father?" asked Kurt, his voice trembling.
"Not far, Kurt," answered Max, noting that Georg was too busy to answer his son. "We're already entering the outskirts of town, see?"
Indeed, there were houses on each side of the road, Maria noticed as she looked outside. As they neared a crossroads, Georg had to slow down a little, but he was relieved to see some more cars coming from the road to their left. Hopefully they would be able to blend into the city traffic, confusing Zeller and his soldiers.
Georg had only been to Milan once, when he arrived in Italy with Nikolas and Maria, but he trusted his sense of direction and logic to lead him to the city centre, where the station was. More or less following what seemed to be the main traffic flow, he made a few turns right and left, hoping to shake off the Germans completely. He still thought he was going in the right general direction. When he recognized the large cathedral, he suddenly realized they were at the back of the train station. He glanced at his watch, noting that the train for Genua would leave in fifteen minutes. If they hurried, they would just be able to make it.
He turned the car sharply into an alley and turned the motor off. Not prepared for the sudden movement, the children bumped into each other and the front seats, causing a few exclamations and cries. Maria winced as Brigitta's elbow nudged her in the ribs. Georg didn't notice, as he was scanning the street to see if it was safe. Nodding his head at them, he indicated that they should get out of the car.
As everybody piled out into the dark Milan alley, Georg mentioned for his family to follow him. They ran as fast as they could, Max carrying Gretl, to the back entrance of the large station. As they crossed the street, Georg looked around, and to his alarm saw a car approaching at high speed, disregarding all other traffic.
"Hurry!" he hissed, and they sprinted up the stairs to the entrance. Georg heard the car screeching to a halt outside, the doors opening, and shouting which he could not make out.
They ran into the large station hall and to Georg's enormous relief, it was crowded with people.
"Platform 11," he said, looking up at the notice boards. "Max, you take Liesl and the little ones and walk ahead. Maria and I will take the others and lag behind a bit. That way we won't stand out as such a large group. Now go!"
He turned to Maria as Max and Liesl both grabbed a hand of one of the younger girls, and pulled them along the crowded hall as fast as they could. He noticed that Maria was pale. As he placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her gently along the other side of the hall, he looked at her.
"Your ribs?" he asked, looking worried. She nodded silently, biting her lip.
"Don't worry, I'll manage, " she mumbled, placing her hands on the backs of Kurt and Louisa in front of her, urging them to move on.
Georg gave her a searching glance, not quite convinced at her answer. He hated feeling so powerless to help her. Knowing there was nothing he could do to relieve her pain, he forced himself to focus on their situation. As they walked on, he glanced around quickly, and noticed Herr Zeller through a mass of people. He was standing atop the stairs which lead to the station hall. Zeller was peering around intently, but there were so many people, often with their backs turned to them, all wearing travel clothes and most of them carrying some sort of luggage, that he couldn't spot the Von Trapp family right away. Behind Zeller, two uniformed soldiers were looking around as well.
Looking forward again, Georg saw Max and Liesl walking up the steps toward platform 11. Just as he and Maria reached those same steps, he heard Zeller's voice over the general hubbub.
"There! Near the stairs!"
Knowing they'd been spotted, Georg grabbed Maria's hand in his right hand, taking Brigitta's hand in the other. "Run!" he yelled at them, and they sprinted up the stairs to the platform. They reached Liesl and Max, who looked at them in horror, quickly grasping the situation. The train stood at the end of the platform, ready to leave. All the doors but one were already closed, and a train conductor stood on the platform, whistle in his hand.
Georg and Max ran toward the edge of the village square, followed by Herr Zeller and a uniformed Nazi soldier.
"Stop or we will shoot!" yelled Herr Zeller, but Max and Georg were fast and dove into a narrow street.
Maria watched in horror from behind the wooden music pavilion. She motioned to the children to move further behind it, while she tried to see if there were any more Germans around, remembering that the car that had passed them in the road had had at least four people in it. She wondered where the other two were, and if they knew she and the children were there, too.
Georg and Max were still running along the alley, hearing the footsteps of Zeller and the soldier following them. Georg looked around, frantically searching for a way to escape. He noticed that they were running along the graveyard that surrounded the village church.
"Max!" he hissed, while pointing at the gate to the graveyard, a few meters down the alley.
Max quickly got the hint and to his relief, the gate was not locked. They ran onto the graveyard, trying to cover as much ground as possible.
Georg heard the gate clanging as Zeller and the soldier opened it. He could hear them whispering urgently. Glancing around, he saw Max close to the church, motioning for him to run over.
The grass of the graveyard rushed as Georg ran to the cover of another headstone, trying to hide in the shadows of the old trees.
Zeller peered in the direction of the sound. "It's no use, Captain," came Herr Zeller's voice. "We know you are here. If you come out now, your family might remain safe."
Georg hesitated when he heard these words. He hoped Zeller was just bluffing - it was possible that he didn't know Maria and the children were out here with them. But what if. .. he didn't dare think further. He noticed Max motioning wildly for him to run on. Sending a quick prayer upwards for his family's safety, he sprinted over to him, deciding he needed to try and get to Maria and the children. Max disappeared around the corner of the church. Georg shot a glance over his shoulder before following him, and saw the two shapes of their pursuers moving slowly across the graveyard, checking behind all the headstones and trees.
"The front of this churchyard borders on the village square," Max whispered as he heard Georg come up behind him. Bending over as deep as they could, the two men ran around the church. Indeed, when they came to the front, they could see the square in front of them. Carefully, staying in the shadows as much as possible, Georg scanned the empty space. The Nazi car stood deserted, with its doors open and the headlights still on.
A plan formed in Georg's head. Hoping that Maria would still be hiding behind the pavilion with the children, he motioned to Max. They crept to the hedge that separated the church grounds from the square. Peeking through the leaves, Georg whispered: "Maria?"
"Georg!" Her voice sounded tense, but close. He could see some movement in the darkness behind the pavilion. Georg stood up and edged toward an opening in the bushes. He pointed at the German car, praying that Maria would understand his intention. She nodded quickly and disappeared back into the shadows.
When he saw Friedrich's head peeking around the other side of the small wooden building, he motioned toward the car again.
"Max?" Georg looked around to see his friend standing close to him. Exchanging a glance, they ran from the cover of the hedge, as Friedrich ran from behind the pavilion. They reached the car at the same time. Max ran around it to the passenger's side, Friedrich jumped into the back seat, and Georg waited by the driver's door, helping the rest of the children in as quickly as he could as they came running. As Maria closed their ranks, dragging Gretl along by the arm, Georg jumped behind the wheel and drove off.
Alarmed by the clatter of running feet, Herr Zeller and the Nazi soldier came sprinting around the corner, and could hardly avoid being run over by Georg as he sped the car away from the village as fast as he could.
"Damn!" Zeller swore and pulled out his gun, shooting two or three rounds after the disappearing car in vain. "Damn!!"
He turned to the soldier who stood panting next to him. "Carl, where are the others?" he demanded, eyes shooting fire.
"They were checking the other side of the station," he answered. As he spoke, a car sped onto the square from the direction of the station, and pulled up behind them. Three soldiers got out.
"What happened? We heard shots," one of them inquired.
Zeller wasted no time on explanations. "Everybody, get in that car and follow them! I will not let him get away this time," and he ran toward the car, getting in the passenger's seat. The soldiers quickly followed him, and soon, they were in pursuit of the Von Trapps.
*** For a while, Georg drove as fast as he could, while the whole family sat in tense silence. Maria kept looking over her shoulder, trying to determine if they were being followed. Her heart was beating in her throat. Also, the running had aggravated the pain in her ribs, and it was only made worse by holding Gretl in her lap. She tried not to pay attention.
As they drove away from the village further, they met a few cars coming from the opposite direction. They overtook a bus, but she couldn't see a car coming after them. Shifting Gretl slightly, Maria bent forward between the front seats and turned to Georg.
"Now what do we do?" she asked.
He didn't answer her right away. Maria looked at the silhouette of his face in the dark and recognised the cold expression that she had seen so often only a few weeks ago. Vivid memories of that night flashed through her mind and a shiver crept down her spine. She knew his mind was racing and she remained silent while waiting for his answer.
Finally, Georg seemed to form an idea.
"We'll drive to Milan. It's only 20 miles, and I still want us to get on that train to Genua," he said.
Maria nodded. "They will come after us," she said, knowing it was obvious, but it worried her all the same. Georg shot her a sideways stare that silenced her right away.
"I know that. We'll have to remain ahead of them," he snapped.
He glanced at her over his shoulder, and saw the hurt in her eyes at his cold retort. He felt behind him for her hand, and she hesitantly took his hand in hers.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, squeezing her hand.
They drove on, as a tense silence settled over them again. The children stared ahead into the darkness and Maria silently repeated a prayer, her eyes cast upwards.
Max was turned around for most of the time, peering behind them into the darkness. After about five minutes, he nudged Georg.
"There's a car closing in on us."
Georg looked into the rear view mirror. It was impossible to make out what type of car it was, and who was in it. Georg considered turning the lights of the car off. It would make them harder to follow, but he would have to slow down as well, as the road would be pitch black without the car's headlights. He hit the gas even harder, deciding that he'd first try to see if the car behind them tried to stay close.
Maria looked from her husband to the car behind them and back. They were speeding along the dark country road as fast as they could, but the distance between the two cars only seemed to get smaller.
Georg saw a bend in the road coming up, but did not slow down. He hoped to create more distance between them and their pursuers by taking the bend at full speed. As he jerked the wheel to the right, the car skidded, only missing a tree by inches. The children gasped, and Maria winced in pain as Gretl grabbed her tightly, trying not to fall off her lap. "Damn," Georg mumbled, angry that he had miscalculated the bend. He grabbed the wheel tighter and tried to peer as far ahead of him as he could.
"Are they still behind us?" he asked Max, not taking his eyes off the road and overtaking another car.
As Max looked behind, he saw the pursuing car rounding the bend as well. By the look of it, it wasn't slowing down much, either. Max's eyes met Maria's before he turned back to tell Georg that the other car was still following.
"How much further, Father?" asked Kurt, his voice trembling.
"Not far, Kurt," answered Max, noting that Georg was too busy to answer his son. "We're already entering the outskirts of town, see?"
Indeed, there were houses on each side of the road, Maria noticed as she looked outside. As they neared a crossroads, Georg had to slow down a little, but he was relieved to see some more cars coming from the road to their left. Hopefully they would be able to blend into the city traffic, confusing Zeller and his soldiers.
Georg had only been to Milan once, when he arrived in Italy with Nikolas and Maria, but he trusted his sense of direction and logic to lead him to the city centre, where the station was. More or less following what seemed to be the main traffic flow, he made a few turns right and left, hoping to shake off the Germans completely. He still thought he was going in the right general direction. When he recognized the large cathedral, he suddenly realized they were at the back of the train station. He glanced at his watch, noting that the train for Genua would leave in fifteen minutes. If they hurried, they would just be able to make it.
He turned the car sharply into an alley and turned the motor off. Not prepared for the sudden movement, the children bumped into each other and the front seats, causing a few exclamations and cries. Maria winced as Brigitta's elbow nudged her in the ribs. Georg didn't notice, as he was scanning the street to see if it was safe. Nodding his head at them, he indicated that they should get out of the car.
As everybody piled out into the dark Milan alley, Georg mentioned for his family to follow him. They ran as fast as they could, Max carrying Gretl, to the back entrance of the large station. As they crossed the street, Georg looked around, and to his alarm saw a car approaching at high speed, disregarding all other traffic.
"Hurry!" he hissed, and they sprinted up the stairs to the entrance. Georg heard the car screeching to a halt outside, the doors opening, and shouting which he could not make out.
They ran into the large station hall and to Georg's enormous relief, it was crowded with people.
"Platform 11," he said, looking up at the notice boards. "Max, you take Liesl and the little ones and walk ahead. Maria and I will take the others and lag behind a bit. That way we won't stand out as such a large group. Now go!"
He turned to Maria as Max and Liesl both grabbed a hand of one of the younger girls, and pulled them along the crowded hall as fast as they could. He noticed that Maria was pale. As he placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her gently along the other side of the hall, he looked at her.
"Your ribs?" he asked, looking worried. She nodded silently, biting her lip.
"Don't worry, I'll manage, " she mumbled, placing her hands on the backs of Kurt and Louisa in front of her, urging them to move on.
Georg gave her a searching glance, not quite convinced at her answer. He hated feeling so powerless to help her. Knowing there was nothing he could do to relieve her pain, he forced himself to focus on their situation. As they walked on, he glanced around quickly, and noticed Herr Zeller through a mass of people. He was standing atop the stairs which lead to the station hall. Zeller was peering around intently, but there were so many people, often with their backs turned to them, all wearing travel clothes and most of them carrying some sort of luggage, that he couldn't spot the Von Trapp family right away. Behind Zeller, two uniformed soldiers were looking around as well.
Looking forward again, Georg saw Max and Liesl walking up the steps toward platform 11. Just as he and Maria reached those same steps, he heard Zeller's voice over the general hubbub.
"There! Near the stairs!"
Knowing they'd been spotted, Georg grabbed Maria's hand in his right hand, taking Brigitta's hand in the other. "Run!" he yelled at them, and they sprinted up the stairs to the platform. They reached Liesl and Max, who looked at them in horror, quickly grasping the situation. The train stood at the end of the platform, ready to leave. All the doors but one were already closed, and a train conductor stood on the platform, whistle in his hand.