Author's Note: I don't own any Marvel characters. Also, thanks to all of you that reviewed. Just keep them coming.

Auschwitz – Early 1945

Silently light blue eyes observed the destructive seen before him. He had killed. He had shed the blood of another man. No, he silently corrected himself, not another man, a monster. He had killed this monster to keep Magda safe. He had promised to keep her safe, and that is what he had done. Still, it was rather a shock to see the blood on his hands, and to know it was there because he had just killed someone. Erik was not a cold blood killer like the monsters that ran this death camp.

The S.S. soldier had been about to kill Magda, for no other reason except for the fact that she was a prisoner and he could get away with it. The prisoners had no worth to the Nazi dogs, and another one dead would not matter to them. The man had had the gun poised, ready to fire at his poor little Magda. A rage and fear that he had never known before had rose up in him, and without giving it any thought, he'd called out to the man to stop. The soldier had turned to look at him, and then laugh. What a novel concept that this young man thought that he could stop a soldier from killing whomever he wanted to. The laughter was cut short though when was practically upon him.

The two had ended up grappling against each other, each trying to gain possession of the gun and have the upper hand. The soldier was surprised at the strength this young man possessed. Maybe it was thanks to the surprise of the attack, as well as the surprising amount of strength that the young prisoner had, but whatever the case, Erik managed to gain control of the gun. Without even thinking about it, he fired the gun off at the soldier, the bullet burrowing its way into the man's head and instantly killing him. The blood splattered unto Erik and the ground surrounding them, and the dead man's body fell to the ground.

The gun instantly slipped from his hands as he stared in shock at what he had just done. May God forgive him for such a crime. He had just killed. It was a crime that happened around him everyday, and yet, he was surprised that he had just done so. He had killed another man, for reasons much better than the Nazis killed them, and yet, he was appalled.

His mind was drawn from such thoughts by the sobs of Magda. His eyes moved from the horrid sight of the S.S. man and to Magda, who lay curled up in the snow. Quickly he made his way over to her, kneeling next to her and then gently scooping her up into his arms. Such a familiar gesture this had become now. A few months before he had promised that he would protect her, and he had done just that for the last few months. He had watched over her and kept her safe. He had given her some of his own rations and even stolen food for himself and her when he could. He had comforted her and held her like this when she was frightened and scared.

"Shh, my little Magda. Everything is going to be alright," he said, gently holding her against him and deliberately shielding her from the bloody sight that was behind him. Hopefully she would not notice the blood that was splattered on him now.

Tears continued to wrack her little body as she clung to him. She started to shake her head and murmur something through her tears. Silently he continued to hold her and waited until her tears subsided somewhat so that he could understand what she was saying.

"No…everything won't be alright, Erik."

"Yes, it will. I promise."

"You killed a guard. And they'll kill you for it," she managed to say before bursting into tears again.

Silence fell between them, only broken by Magda's sobs. She was right, he had killed and they most certainly would kill him for this. And if they killed him, no one would be left to protect Magda. In fact, they would most likely kill her as well. He could not allow that to happen. He would not allow that to happen. They had to escape. They had to get out of this hell on earth.

Slowly he stood up, still cradling her in his arms. He'd get them out of here. He'd keep them both safe, just like he had promised he would.

He had to hurry. Other soldiers would make there way over here soon, and then they would find the body of the S.S. man. They were lucky no one had stumbled upon them yet. The only reason that luck was holding for them as probably because the sounds of death and the tools in which it was carried out were so common in this place. The guards probably thought it was just another prisoner that had been killed. No need to investigate that right away. There was no need to push their luck though. Erik knew that.

"Magda, we have to get out of here. We're going to escape," he said, whispering it so that his voice would not carry and it would only be her that heard his words. No need to draw attention here by their voices carrying.

The only response he received was a small nod of the girl's head against his chest.

"Stay here just for a moment. I'll be back soon," he promised. Gently he sat her down and then made his way back over to the body of the S.S. man. The gun, they would need that. Just in case they ran in to more trouble. Hopefully they wouldn't though. Carefully he picked up the weapon and slid it into the pocket of his tattered pants. Then he made his way back over to Magda.

"Alright, follow me Magda," he said, trying to keep his voice gentle so that she would not panic. Silently he offered his hand to her. Gratefully she accepted it, an ever so small smile crossing her pale lips.

The pair quickly made their way towards the outer fence, moving as quietly and quickly as they could. When they reached the fence, Erik reached out towards it, trying to figure out a way to get past it. As he reached towards the fence, a hole began to appear, due to the fact that some of the metal links were being pushed back and scrunching against other metal links. For a moment the man simply stood and stared, not quite sure what to make of such an event. However, he soon realized it was not wise to simply stand around and ponder things. They did not have time to waste in doing such trivial things.

When the hole was at least a good foot wide, it stopped its growth. Slowly Erik reached out once against towards the hole, though this time nothing occurred. Glancing back at Magda, who watched him with wide eyes, he began to pull at the edges of the hole in the fence, slowly widening. It just had to be big enough for them to squeeze through it. It was not easy work to get it to that size, but it was work that he was capable of doing. After several minutes of strenuous pulling and stretching, he had widened the hole just enough so that they would be able to get through it.

"You first," he said, turning to Magda, a serious expression his face.

A small amount of sweat was beginning to trickle down his forehead and his hands were red from the work he had just done. The metal had not been all that soft and easy to work with, but it had been movable and the task was now done. That was what mattered.

Silently Magda climbed through the hole that her protector and friend had made. Her tattered clothing caught slightly on one of the links and a small piece tore off, but she ignored this. Once she was through, Erik quickly went through the hole. Well as quickly as someone of his size could anyways. He was a rather tall young man after all, considerably taller than Magda to be sure. It took a little more effort than it had her, but after a few scrapes, he found himself on the other side of the fence and free. For a moment the pair stood there, looking back at the death camp that they had just made it out of. They were free.

After a few moments of just staring in astonishment, Erik shook his head. They couldn't just stand here and stare. They weren't out of trouble just yet. They had to get far away from this hell on earth. And they had to survive the harsh winter and whatever else awaited them out there.

"We can't waste time Magda. Come on," he said as gently as he could, gently taking her elbow and guiding her away from the fence and towards the woods that stood nearby. Without saying another word, the two took off at a jog, Erik slowing his stride a little so that Magda could keep up.

They were going to make it.

Author's Note: Next part, Into the Woods. I'll be at camp most of next week, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to post that.