WARNING: I better tell that the story get's seriously twisted and explicit from here on, and if you wanna turn back, now might be a good time.
Complete Combustion
III. Euthanasia
"The Holocaust was the most evil crime ever committed."
-Stephen Ambrose
Kyle was absolutely appalled.
What he had been witness to during the day he'd spent in the camp was so intense that nasty pictured had burned themselves into his retina, to haunt him as he followed the group of Jews he'd been put together with on the platform, earlier that day. Ike had been unusually quiet throughout the day, not reminding Kyle of his usual talkative self. Kyle couldn't blame his though, as he was probably every bit as traumatized as Kyle.
Here is what had happened:
Right after the selection Kyle had managed to find Ike in the human crowd.
The SS'ers had forced them through the "city", past a little red brick house where Kyle had been met with a shocking sight, which would haunt his every nightmare for the rest of his entire life.
There had been numerous naked people waiting in line in front if the red brick house as his group had walked past it, to reach whatever destination the SS'ers had in mind.
The naked people had resembled skeletons. Males and females. Children and elderly people all crowded into a line.
They'd stood silently like living corpses waiting to get into the red house, indifferent to having their genitals displayed openly, and making no attempt to hide themselves. Unabashed, not taking note of their surroundings, as though locked in their own realities..
Kyle had seen to his disbelief how their skin was stretched tightly over their starved bodies. Their shoulder blades and spinal columns had stuck out, and their heads appeared too big and heavy for the fragile naked bodies. Some hairy, some not.
Their expressions had been filled with an emptiness Kyle had never before felt or seen and it had completely melted into his soul, letting him become one with them and the black void they carried as a burden.
The first out of a thousand words passing through his minds was "victims,"and he'd felt raging, biting excruciating pain wash through him at the mere sight of their physical condition.
Their deep-set, dark eyes had lost every sparkle of life, and they'd been turned inwards with apathy. Beyond help. Kyle'd been able to read it in their clouded gazes.
Given the snow and the frosty weather, it would have seemed right to care about being naked and bare-footed in the merciless hell of ice surrounded by watching SS guards, armed with guns and German shepherd dogs with wild eyes and barred teeth.
Something in the dogs merciless eyes had strangely reminded Kyle of the SS soldier, he'd had a clash with on the platform.
A girl had detached herself from the crowd under loud screams of protest, and the group Kyle was in had slowed down to see what was going down, completely overhearing the furious SS guards commanding them to "move on!" It had been as though the world had frozen and time had stood still.
The girl had been young. Under seven at least with shoulder long, greasy hair falling over her pointy shoulders and scrawny cheekbones. Her eyes had been different from the rest of the groups'.
Determined.
Kyle had seen a vague yet very much alive fire in her eyes. Kind of like the dogs', but a different kind of fire. One that wasn't sustained by its masters will, but one burning steadfast on its own.
An older woman appearing to be the girls mother had started to scream, ordering her child to get back in line. The SS guards had threatened them:
"Get that filthy punk back to you, you dumb Jew bitch!" one had yelled.
The old mother had wailed to her daughter to come back, tears and snot streaming down her face as the SS guards had pointed at her with their gun, and the remaining prisoners had stood silently awaiting, complete apathy painting their features.
"You'll get three seconds. Three..." Another guard had roared, nodding toward the gun in his hand.
"No! Please! AYALA, GET BACK HERE!"
"Two..."
The girl had started running, but her weakened body and short legs couldn't plough her through the tall snowdrifts.
"PLEASE! SHE IS MY DAUGHTHER! SHE'S ONLY A CHILD!" the mum had wailed, tearing her hair.
"One..."
No shot had been heard, and a sigh of relieve had gone through both the naked people and Kyles group.
Then one of the huge dogs had been released and it had run toward her, with an incredible pace.
As the animal had launched itself upon her, catching hold of her throat with its pointy teeth, she'd been knocked over.
The crowd had been paralysed by the dreadful scene before them, and no breath had been drawn as the strong beast had ripped her little throat open, to splutter blood down her flat chest. Her screaming had almost died out, but the dog had kept holding onto her, shaking her fragile body violently, its claws ripping her nipples, stomach, thighs – everywhere.
What a cruel way to die.
It had taken her several minutes to die, and they had all watched as the blood had painted the snowdrifts in a eye-catching scarlet and the dog returned to its owner, with pieces of human flesh sticking out between its bloody teeth.
The mother had rocked back and forward hugging herself and sobbing loudly into her hands.
Without warning one of the SS soldiers from Kyles group had pointed his gun to a random mans head putting a bullet right through it, before anyone had been able to react. The man had sunk to the ground brains splattered across the snow.
"See, that's what you get from disobeying direct orders!" The SS man responsible for the act had hissed. "Now move on!" Nobody tried to disagree with him.
After that, the shocked group of Jews had been led to the showers in a yellow building. The guards had forced them to undress and shower together, bodies squeezed against each other. It had been so humiliating to Kyle who was really uncomfortable showing off his naked form due to his skinniness.
The showers were over and all their pubes and armpit hair had been shorn off by leering SS offices. The particularly dirty people with lice had their hair shaved off too.
The violation was humiliating and terrible. Kyle had managed to keep the hair on his head, but all through the shearing off his genitals, he had felt as though he was going to die from shame and fear that the might attempt to cut more than just his pubes off.
They had been given wooden shoes, dressed in pyjama-like white and blue striped prison uniforms, that did nothing to protect them against the harsh Polish weather, and then they were driven by train to yet another part of the camp. One called Monowitz, as some members of the group had informed Kyle, who found that despite appearing perplexed, some of the group member actually knew stuff that he didn't.
Well, it certainly wasn't hard.
He had no clue what was going to happen to him and Ike.
After arriving at the the Monowitz camp they'd stood in line once again, and had been tattooed with a blue serial number on their left forearm, and had been given a white, mandatory armband with a blue Star of David as motive to show that they were Jews.
Kyle could barely register the events having taken place during the day.
It all consisted of mental images of obscure scenarios slurred together in the deep wilderness that was his mind.
He had no watch, as it had been taken from him when he undressed at the showers, however judging from the awaiting darkness about to descend upon them it was perhaps six in the evening.
"What a fucked up place. What a downright sick and twisted place". Kyle thought, clenching his hands hidden deep in his pockets in order to protect him from the cold.
"Gather up!" An SS man commanded, and Kyle lined up, along with the rest of the group on a broad gravel road with long, rectangular barracks on each side.
Nothing grew here, in this industrialized area, consisting of bricks and strange smells of smoke and poisonous gases.
Kyle observed crowds of people dressed in the characteristic pyjama-like outfits, passing in between buildings, heading in and out of the large factories that were spread out all over the place.
In the horizon a huge chimney belching thick, white smoke non stop could be made out, but it was very far away. Probably not even in this camp. Moreover it was accompanied by hundreds of smaller chimneys sticking out from all the roofs of the factories, coughing out black smoke.
"He's the Blockführer." Ike whispered to Kyle, referring to the SS'er who had drawn attention to himself a moment ago.. "The one in charge. Noticed how his uniform is nicer than the others'?"
"Where the hell do you get such information anyway?" Kyle murmured, putting his hand up in front of his mouth to hide the movement of his lips.
"I heard some by-passers talk about it." Ike whispered back, lips hardly moving. They immediately fell silent as the Blockführer cast an inspecting glare over the group, before starting to talk again in a deep, masculine voice thick with self-delusion.
"Jews, you have been sent to Auschwitz," his tone was authoritative.
"Auschwitz? Some friends told me about that place. They said it was too terrible to imagine," a foolhardy boy behind Kyle filled his friend in, in a muted whisper. "Have no idea what it is though."
"Auschwitz is camp divided in three: Auschwitz, Auschwitz-Birkenau and Auschwitz-Monowitz. You are in the third camp which is a labour camp, and tomorrow the work begins. Anyone disobeying the rules will be severely punished."
A couple of people dressed in those pyjama-uniforms, but with green armbands instead of white, appeared and and approached to take positions behind the talking Blockführer.
With mechanical discipline and preciseness, they split the large group up into smaller groups with approximately ten individuals, entirely made up by males or females. Kyle and Ike were put in different groups but as Kyle caught Ike trying to attract the soldiers attention – probably to ask if they could get in the same group – Kyle caught his eye and shook his head wildly.
God dammit, this was no school trip. How could Ike act so careless? Hadn't he seen what had happened to the little girl at the red house, or was he just plan retarded?
Two guys with green armbands brought the group Kyle was in to one of the barracks.
"In!" They commanded, giving the people a rough shove in the back if they didn't hurry to get in. Kyle was quick enough to read the numbers on their barrack building. It read 1567-B.
The barrack was already filled with people, who wore the plain, striped uniforms as well. Some of them were as thin as the naked ones he had encountered earlier. The mere thought leaving him to stutter.
The inside of the barrack was rapidly listed number two on Kyles ultra private list of the most unattractive things he'd ever seen, number one being Adolf Hitler.
The inside didn't immediately appear to be a place for humans to live, but rather animals. There was basically just a long straight aisle in the centre of the barrack, reaching from one end to the other, and to each side stood bunks in two tiers, their mattresses nothing but burlaps filled with straw.
Kyles heart sunk in his chest.
He felt like everything he'd went through this day had been systematized and had consisted of numbers, lists and organizing, only it had been put to a degree which made it totally insane and inhumane. The impurity of this place was shocking.
He dropped down onto a bed, starring straight ahead, as a sudden though popped into his head.
His parents! Due to the the horrific and intense experiences he had been forced to see through throughout the day, he hadn't spared a thought on them.
His mum had been pointed to the left line, and the remaining family members to the right. Did that mean she was in another camp perhaps? If that was true, it had to mean his father was in this camp, but he had lost sight of him on the platform and hadn't been in Kyle and Ikes group either.
He got up in a hurry, feeling terrible for forgetting all about his parents under these circumstances, and intended to take action.
Marching through the snow, he thought of nothing but how to get the hell out of this twisted place.
Yes. First he'd find Ike, and discuss how to find their parents. Maybe they could manipulate an SS man to tell them, and then they...
All of a sudden he felt a large hand clamp down on his shoulder causing him to stagger, but he managed to keep his balance, before looking up into a pair of ebony eyes, glaring smugly down at him.
"Now what do we have here?" The bastard from the platform purred, voice practically soaked in glee.
Kyle drew a deep breath mentally counting to ten, to cause the sudden rise of anger to fall back to the pit of his stomach.
"Oh... hello." Kyle forced out in a somehow polite tone.
"So you made it through the selection, huh?" The SS officer drawled letting go of his shoulder. "I'd never have guessed they'd let your scrawny Jew ass in here."
"Don'ttalkbackdon'ttalkbackdon'ttalkback." Kyles inner voice reminded him.
He coughed. "So... may I ask what that selection is really about... Sir SS soldier." Ass licking, much?
"Call me Cartman."
Cartman seemed pleased with the way he was being referred to, judging by the large, self-satisfied smile spreading across his face, but he didn't let Kyle fool him, and his voice came out even smugger than before, as he continued ripping on his newfound victim.
"So the sneaky, little Jew rat wants to know what happened to the left line?" he widened his eyes pouting at him. "Perhaps he is even searching for someone, and wants to escape from Monowitz. Well, I'm afraid I can't help you." He held his hands up feigning sympathy.
"It's strictly forbidden, to share that kind of information with dirty little Jew bastards like you...Too bad."
The boiling anger was suffocating, and by God, Kyle wanted to give the idiot a piece of his mind, though he knew it was completely out of question, since Cartman had threatened to fire his gun right at his temple earlier that day.
"So that's how it's going down..." he grabbed Kyles left hand before the sorely tried boy could react, pulling up his sleeve in order to reveal his forearm. "...Number 14 523."
This was simply too degrading, and Kyle couldn't take it. He had tolerated the SS officers spiteful comments, belittling of the Hebrew people and sarcasm, but being addressed as a simple serial number was just too much in one day.
"All right, THAT'S IT! FIRST OF ALL: DON'T TALK SHIT ABOUT MY RELIGION, SECONDLY: LIKE HELL YOU ARE SORRY ABOUT KEEPING INFO HIDDEN, AND THIRDLY: JUST SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH YOU FUCKING FATASS!"
…crap...
The SS soldier became quiet. Judging by his slightly widened eyes and gaping mouth, he was thrown out of balance, and for a second Kyle thought he might actually get out of this alive. A moment later the SS'er collected himself though and the triumph lightening up his round face, was absolutely without comparison. Kyle instantly knew the game was lost, and his courage faded away.
"You are coming with me, kike. Right now."
Kyle had his arm yanked upwards with an inhumane strength causing his shoulder joint to creak alarmingly. Cartman dragged him along by the hair and out of block 13, which was the number of the barrack section Kyles barrack was in.
He was dumped in the back room of what resembled a Red Cross vehicle on the outside, complete with a red cross painted on.
Cartman swiftly swung himself into the front seat, casting a quick glance in the rear view mirror to examine Kyle, caught up with examining the car.
On the inside it was nothing but a regular van, disregarding the stacked pile of cylinder-shaped cannisters with the two words "GIFTGAS*"and "Zyklon B"with a white skull symbol in between on their stickers. Furthermore some machine guns, automatic rifles and signal pistols were left behind in the front seat next to Cartman.
Kyle thought about nailing one, and manage to escape when he had the possibility, but during the ride Cartman watched over the weapons like kids.
He drove the confused Jew deeper into the industrialized area, turned down a very narrow side street and parked the car in a secluded area sheltered by tall factory buildings on each side.
Though the windows and doors were closed, Kyle could smell the dense pollution in the air, which put his brain close to a stagnation.
Kyle figured Cartman would end his life in the most bestial manner he could imagine, and enraged by that knowledge, he started cussing at his chauffeur, whilst blurred visions of his family and long gone friends passed through his brain like people in a revolving door.
"Go on and kill me you sick fuck!" He yelled in a stimulating voice, challenging his opponent.
"Kill you, huh?" Cartman echoed his words, seeming to openly consider that option. "Perhaps I will then."
He climbed over the front seats, grabbing the largest signal pistol in the stack as he went. Pistol pointing forward he closed in on Kyle pinning him in the far corner of the van.
Would Cartman rip him apart, like the dog had done to that little girl?
God, it seemed like a decade ago.
A/N: A CLIFFHANGER !!!
Well, that was pretty damned sick right?
The thing is, though it might seem distasteful to some people, I don't wanna play down the torture and acts of cruelty that went on during the Holocaust... Holocaust was really terrible and I guess I want to do it justice somehow.
I hope you notice how the story is about to develop now.
Oh, and the thing with the shaving of their pee-wees is actually true. I read they shaved the womens genitals, so I'm assuming the same happened to the guys, to avoid lice and stuff. I realize that the SS officers would consequently shave the hair of every prisoners head, but I just couldn't deal with a bald Kyle in the fic, so I changed it. Sorry . Or some of you may be thankful...
And the little red brick house I'm referring to actually did exist, like most of the things I'm referring to in this fic. It was called The Red House and it was a gas chamber disguised as a shower room.
Anyway, please review :D
*Poison gas