They had finally pushed far enough that Georg allowed them to stop for a while. They used the two picnic blankets they found in the trunk of the car and laid them side by side to make a large pallet on the ground. Maria couldn't decide if protecting themselves from the cold of the ground was better than protecting themselves from the cold of the air, but she was too exhausted to question anything at that point. The children huddled together, taking on the task of cuddling the little ones for warmth without question or prompt. She couldn't be more thrilled at the way they all were taking care of one another.
As the children settled in, Georg took Maria's hand and led her away so they could talk. Her head was so heavy, she wasn't sure she would comprehend anything he said, but she went along. She had no idea how he was still functioning and thinking so clearly.
"Are you alright, darling?" He placed his hands upon her cheeks, looking into her sunken eyes.
"Yes. We have to be." He kissed her; their first kiss in two days, she thought.
"I'm hopeful we'll find shelter soon, maybe an old barn or something sturdy so we can get proper sleep. People live all throughout these mountains, I'm surprised we haven't seen any yet."
"Do you think we're still being sought out? Certainly they wouldn't have followed us this far." He shrugged, but she could tell he was worried.
"I think they want me to pay pretty dearly for all I've done, especially with how many witnessed our escape. I'm afraid to sleep."
"You need to." She placed a hand on his cheek, looking deeply into his eyes. "We will not be able to carry you if your body gives out. Don't make me try."
"Yes ma'am." He smiled at her tone, but knew she was serious. They all needed sleep, including him. She wanted to mention how they needed more than berries to sustain, but he obviously knew. There was nothing they could do about food at the moment.
They made their way back to the blanket, and Maria curled up against Liesl's back. Georg lay down behind Maria, and cuddled her closely. They fell asleep almost instantly.
She wasn't sure exactly how long they slept, but she awoke with a numbness in her hip and back that was very harsh. A few of the children were awake, eating some berries that she had earlier shown them were okay to eat. Georg was holding her close, his arm wrapped around her middle, and his face buried in her hair. She had to wonder if she smelled dreadful, but then they all probably did, she thought.
His hand moved gently over her stomach, his thumb slightly brushing against the bottom of one of her breasts, and she knew he was awake as well. He wiggled his hips ever so gently against her backside before pressing harder against her. She quickly opened her eyes to be sure none of the children were paying attention to them. The ones who weren't still sleeping were off in their own conversation, but she still felt nervous that one of them would see him teasing her...or himself, she wasn't sure which at the moment. His lips pressed quiet kisses to the back of her neck before reaching her ear, biting at her earlobe.
"Stop it." She whispered, trying her best to remain quiet. He was clearly amused by the way a quick outtake of breath reached her ear, not quite a laugh.
"I want you." His tongue touched her ear, just so slightly, and she shivered.
"What do you want her to do, Father?" Gretl's sleepy words met their ears, and he immediately stopped. The rest of the children stirred at the sound of Gretl's voice, noticing their parents were awake. Maria turned to face him, her eyes full of frustration.
"Yes, darling, what is it you want me to do?" She raised an eyebrow defiantly. He ignored their unspoken rule of not displaying affection in front of the children and gave her a firm kiss.
"I want you to help me off the ground because I'm getting old." She laughed at his recovery, sitting up and running her hands over her face. She was still sore and exhausted, but the little bit of sleep certainly helped take the edge off.
She and the girls made their familiar trek to a wooded area to relieve themselves, the younger three skipping ahead and enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun. Maria thought it would be a good idea to bring up a subject she had been curious about, as she wasn't sure exactly how they should deal with it when it happened.
"Are you girls due for your cycle soon?" They both shook their heads, and Liesl responded.
"Thankfully, no. Louisa and I both had ours just last week."
"Oh, thank goodness. I didn't want you to have to worry about that out here." She had her own just before the wedding, so she estimated she had maybe another few days at most before she would have to worry. Knowing her luck she'd start early, she thought. Silence met her ears all of a sudden, not even the chirping of a bird could be detected. "Wait. Where did they go?"
She rushed ahead, Liesl and Louisa following closely behind. The little girls had just been in front of them moments before, but she didn't even hear them singing anymore. Her heart pounded as she began to run, hoping to see them observing an insect or something intriguing that would cause the quiet.
"Mother!" She heard Brigitta's shout before she saw her, backing away from a large man while attempting to protect the two smaller girls behind her. Maria ran faster, the older girls right on her heels.
"You back away from them!" She shouted ahead at the man, only to realize he was dressed in a Nazi uniform when he turned toward her. She rushed to stand between the girls and the man, Liesl and Louisa tending to them and making sure they were alright.
"I was simply wondering what so many lovely young ladies were doing all alone in the woods, Fraulein." She didn't correct him, not wanting to draw attention to her title. He was tall and muscular, a large presence. His eyes were dark, and she did not like the way he was looking at them.
"We are not alone. My husband is very near."
"Is he, now?" His eyes roamed all over, sizing up the older girls before settling upon her, looking her up and down. He tilted his head, looking at her legs and traveling upward.
"Are you quite finished leering?" Her tone was harsh, and she hoped it sounded intimidating enough to make him back away. He only laughed, a sickening, perverse kind of laugh that made her skin prickle. They needed to go immediately.
"My apologies...Baroness." Her eyes widened in question. It was obvious he knew exactly who he was speaking to the whole time. He must have been one of Herr Zeller's men, she thought. There was no way he could've recognized her otherwise. He began moving closer, and she was very aware of the intent in his eyes. Before she could move, he reached out and tightly grabbed her wrist so she couldn't run away.
"Let go." She tried to pull free, but he only gripped tighter. Bringing her other hand to her wrist, she tried to pry his fingers off and push him away, to no avail. "I mean it, let go!"
"My men and I have been out here trying to catch up to you for days. You must imagine how terribly lonely I've been." Her heart was pounding with panic as he tried to pull her closer. She pushed against his chest and quickly turned her face to the girls, who all had equal amounts of panic in their eyes.
"Run now!" They only hesitated for a moment before Liesl picked up Gretl, and they began to run toward their father. She tried to free herself from his grasp, but he quickly pulled out a gun and pressed it to her head. She gasped and froze.
"She will die if you take one more step!" The man's voice rang out over their footsteps, and they quickly stopped and turned around. The fear was evident in their faces when they looked into her eyes in question. "Come back here."
"Don't listen, keep running!" She felt the slap to her face, and her body hit the hard ground before she could comprehend what was happening. One of the girls screamed at the sight; she didn't know who it was through the pounding in her head. She saw stars and couldn't tell which way was up for a moment.
"Glad you're here, please help me detain these girls." She couldn't tell who he was speaking to until her head cleared. She pushed onto her hands and knees and looked over, seeing another man in uniform pointing a gun at her children.
"Don't you dare point that at them!" She tried to stand and rush toward him, but the first man grabbed her by the hair. She gasped and brought her hands to his to try freeing herself. He pulled her toward his face, meeting her eyes harshly.
"Baroness, it would do you well not to fight me." She glared at him before he unexpectedly pulled her face to his and pressed a rough kiss to her lips. She squealed in surprise, pushing against him. Without another thought she bit into his lip, tasting blood before he pulled away in pain. She spit in his face, and he released her in surprise. She ran quickly, knowing she needed help to free the girls and could clearly not handle it on her own anymore.
"Georg!" She yelled as loudly as she could for her husband, but her assailant grasped her around the middle before she could get far. He threw her to the ground, causing her to cry out at the pain as her body slammed into the dirt. He was quickly on her, his hands everywhere, over her breasts, pushing up her dress. She slapped at him, kicking anywhere she could, yelling and screaming in his face.
He pried her legs apart, settling himself between them as he pulled up her dress. She heard the fabric ripping as she tried to hold down her skirts, his strength much more than she could handle. Her bare thighs pressed into the grass from the weight of his body. She could feel the firmness of his erection pressing against her, and she began to cry at the realization that he really was going to take exactly what he wanted. No matter how hard she fought, he was much stronger than she could ever be.
He held her down with one hand pressed against the middle of her chest, while the other began unbuckling his belt. She slapped and clawed at him, refusing to give up her fight. Suddenly, he hit her across the face again. She gasped, bringing her hands to her face in protection as he tried to hit her again, apparently giving him enough time to fully remove his belt and toss it next to them on the ground.
She could hear the girls crying and trying to console one another a few feet away. Her heart couldn't handle the thought of them all bearing witness to such violence, not to mention the fact that it was happening to their mother. He reached between them, touching her over her panties, and she began thrashing against him even harder. He hit her once more, her head snapping to the side from the force of his fist. That's when she saw a large knife in his belt, right within reach.
A commotion was heard near the girls, and she heard them gasp. She thought she heard someone say "father" in the noise, but she didn't have time to think. Her assailant looked toward the sound, and she took the distraction as her chance to grab the knife with both hands and stab it into his shoulder. He shrieked and pushed away from her, his warm blood running down her arms as she tried to keep hold of the knife.
Suddenly, Georg was standing over her, scuffling with the man for a moment before one final punch sent him to the ground, out cold. She was shaking all over, her entire body and soul in shock as her husband quickly sat and reached down to pull her skirts over her lower half, covering her from the seven children who were running toward them.
"Maria, I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner. My God, did he...?"
"No." He pulled her toward him and into a seated position, wrapping her in a hug. "Men."
"What?" He moved to look into her eyes, wiping blood from her nose with one of his thumbs.
"Men, he said men. There are more. We have to go." She tried to stand, her dizziness and shaky legs making it difficult, but Georg helped her. Her head felt like it was going to explode any moment. She looked at the children for the first time since they approached, immediately seeing the fear and confusion in their eyes. She could only imagine what she looked like to them. "I'm fine. Let's go."