Emilie was forced to return to her army that night, where there was no Zimmermann waiting to greet her. She was sure she must have reeked. But she paid no attention to that; her mind was completely occupied by what she had seen in that concentration camp. She had had no idea. She knew for a fact none of the men in her company knew. Or did they? How could she really know? I have to trust them. They're all I have left.
Well, perhaps that wasn't all that filled her thoughts. She was haunted by those damn dark blue eyes. She was sure Eugene hated her now. She would hate her, too; he knew no better, only thought that she was a part of the people that had done that to those innocent men and women. That was how war worked, after all. You were either good, or you were bad. There was no in between.
And she was bad.
"Halt!" a voice in the darkness up ahead yelled, "Who goes there?" She heard the familiar sound of a gun being cocked, and imagined her dark figure locked into the sights of a rifle.
She glumly called out the password and continued on her way up the path.
"Sergeant Demont?" the man questioned, stepping in front of her and lowering his weapon, "Why are you returning so late? Where were you?"
"Dachau," she replied simply, side-stepping around him. "I have friends there. Problem? Take it up with the CO."
He didn't protest; no one purposely tried to get called into the CO's office. Her army was well-disciplined, well-groomed, so it was expected that the officers would handle even the smallest infraction seriously.
When Emilie arrived in her quarters, she felt her way to the bed, not even bothering to turn on the lights, and immediately collapsed onto the mattress, rolling onto her back so she was staring up at the ceiling. She didn't even take the time to change into her night clothes or take off her shoes. Drawing her shawl over her, she blinked, images of the camp and the men within it flashing before her eyes and preventing sleep from claiming her. Of Eugene's enraged and untrusting face.
Oh, she led a fun life indeed.
