A flurry of chaos broke through the still morning air – voices shouting, guns firing, people screaming. You gritted your teeth and ran faster, pushing your body to the limits. Gilbert ran at full tilt right behind you as the two of your ducked and weaved through maze-like corridors and hails of biting bullets.
The year was 1946 – the year after the Second World War had ended, and the year of the Nuremburg Trials.
You skidded around a corner and saw the exit to the military complex in leaping distance, but ducked out of sight as more uniformed guards burst through the door with rifles ready in their hands. You grimaced and cursed under your breath. Turning to Gilbert, who crouched panting beside you, you held a finger to your lips to indicate utter silence. If those guards caught you… you'd both be shot on sight.
At the end of the Trials, Germany had lost most of his territory to the Allied nations – France, England, America and Russia. Ludwig's anguished face filled your mind, making your stomach turn in sympathy. At least his punishment had been lesser than his brother's. The nation of Prussia had been completely dissolved. Hence the reason for your and Gilbert's daring escape.
With his dissolution as a nation, Prussia's death warrant had been signed.
You may not have even been a nation, but you sure as hell weren't going to let that happen.
Taking a deep breath, you and Gilbert pressed tight against the wall as the guards ran past you, shouting out orders to various other soldiers who you had been lucky enough not to have been spotted by. When the soldiers disappeared down the corridor, into the bowels of the building, you and the ex-nation made your move.
You both bolted towards the door, slamming it open and dashing out into the rain-drenched daylight. There were more shouts cried out from behind you, but the two of you didn't look back – you just kept running, with water streaming down your faces and plastering your hair to your heads, arms and legs pumping furiously in an effort to put as much distance between yourselves and your captors as possible.
You grabbed Gilbert's icy hand and towed him along behind you, splashing through puddles of mud, soaking your uniforms in dirt. The two of you just needed to make it to the forest bordering the complex and you would be clear. They would never be able to find you in the deep woods – you knew those forests better than anyone. It would be as though you and Gilbert had simply dropped off the radar.
But you had to focus on getting there, first.
More shots rang out behind you, and you cried out in surprise when a bullet shot into the soggy ground beside your foot. You heard Gilbert curse colourfully as more and more bullets rained down on you from sniper posts on the roof of the building behind you. The water falling from the sky poured down even harder, to the point where you couldn't tell if the tiny spears smashing down on you were raindrops or bullet shells.
"We're almost there!" you shouted, glancing over your shoulder at the bedraggled albino behind you. The edges of the forest were almost within reach, just a few more feet…
You heard a strangled grunt from behind you and whipped your head around when Gilbert ripped his hand from yours to clutch his bleeding shoulder. Your mouth went dry the sight of the crimson liquid dripping from his elbow, splattering onto the ground along with the rain.
Seeing your panicked expression, he didn't even miss as step as he gritted his teeth and barked, "Nevermind that, keep moving!"
Gritting your teeth harder – almost at breaking point – you turned back around. A second later, you and Gilbert were in the safety of the dense tree trunks, one final hail of deadly bullets peppering the trees behind you.
**BAM! Troll linebreak be trolling**
Night had long since fallen, but you and Gilbert had only collapsed to a halt a few minutes prior. The rain had stopped, leaving everything damp and shining in the cold moonlight. The two of you had been running for a good five hours, making sure that the Allies had to way to track you or follow you through the woods. You had used every hidden pathway you knew, waded through every shallow river you came across to hide your tracks.
Finding an abandoned truck near a disused supply route, you led Gilbert inside to get out of the cold night air. Groaning, the two of you literally fell into the back of the truck, chests heaving, hearts thundering and limbs aching. Pushing yourself into a sitting position, you grimaced as every single muscle in your body protested against any form of movement.
"Let me take a look at your shoulder," you pushed your limp hair out of your eyes and gently tugged on the torn sleeve of Gilbert's mud-drenched uniform. The once proud Prussian-blue of the fabric had faded to a tired, mottled brown colour.
"I really don't think it's enough to worry about," he muttered, sighing as he slid up into a sitting position against the wall of the truck.
You snorted and worked on unbuttoning the ex-nation's shirt with numb, ice-cold fingers. Peeling away his sodden, torn jacket and shirt, you helped him get his injured arm free of the wet clothing. He leaned his head back against the canvas covering the top of the lorry as you inspected his shoulder. You ran your fingers gingerly over the area surrounding the wound, wiping away any traces of mud or water.
Gilbert turned his head slightly, watching you work with tired crimson eyes. You shed your mud-stained jacket, ripping a strip of cloth from the bottom of your relatively-cleaner shirt beneath. Gently wiping away all the blood that covered the albino's upper arm, you were relieved to see that the bullet had merely grazed him, and hadn't done any serious damage.
"It's not too bad," you said, ripping another length of fabric from your shirt to haphazardly bandage Gilbert's shoulder. "This is the best I can do to stop any infections without proper supplies."
Gilbert was silent for a moment, just studying you quietly. You yelped in surprise when he pulled you flush against him in a one-armed hug.
"Thank you… for everything," he whispered against your damp hair, tightening his grip around you with his good arm.
The shock was soon to wear off, and you returned the embrace with a watery smile. "I'd do it all over again if I had to."