Chapter Seven

France 1943

Eleanore woke up, the world around her was dissident and her memory could only provide vague details of what happened the night before. She remembered leaving the bar and her head was struck. Eleanore reached up to hold her head and found that her wrists were handcuffed. Eleanore touched the back of her neck and writhed when she found the large bruise that had been left on her.

Looking around, Eleanore saw two soldiers that sat in front of her. She recognized the symbols on their collars. They were in the Schutzstaffel, more commonly known as the SS, which was almost like the secret service. The men seemed to be around her age, possibly a little older. They held their machine guns across their chests, staring at the girl. She looked down at their boots, realizing they didn't belong the men that spoke in quiet voices in her bar.

Eleanore leaned back against her seat, a sigh exiting her lips. Eleanore wanted to ask them where they were heading but decided against it, afraid of their reaction. Eleanore closed her eyes and bit her lip as she the truck ran over the bumpy road.

Every now and then, the men would talk quietly amongst themselves while Eleanore tried to sleep off the migraine that wouldn't lighten up. The truck began to slow down and eventually stopped. Eleanore opened her eyes, looking around the back of the truck. The officers looked at one another, confusion was evident on their faces. Eleanore pressed her ear to the side of the truck wall but immediately realized she did need to. She heard four shots fired outside along with laughter. The soldiers in the back looked at one another before exiting the back of the truck.

Another four shots were fired.

Eleanore stayed right where she was, facing forward on the bench.

Suddenly, the canvas backing was ripped open, light poured into the dim truck. Eleanore covered face with her hands and felt four people enter the back of the truck with her. Once her eyes adjusted, she could make out their faces. They all had dark hair fitted along with German uniforms.

"You like bein' called Eleanore or Charlotte?" The man who asked her had a thick southern accent, possibly from Tennessee or Alabama.

"Eleanore," she replied softly, looking the man in the face.

"Do you know who we are?" Eleanore had an idea as to who the men were, though she wasn't completely sure.

Eleanore shook her head.

"I'm Lieutenant Aldo Raine and we are the Basterds," He paused for a moment before standing and placing his hands on his hips. "We just wanna say we're a big fan of your work when it comes to killin' Nazis. I think you show great talent and I pride myself for having an eye for that kinda talent. But your status as a Nazi killer is still amateur. We all come here to see if you wanna go pro."

Eleanore looked him in the eyes, searching for the truth. Eleanore looked down and realized she recognized the boots they wore. They were the officers that had visited her bar the last two nights.

"You were in the bar the other night," Eleanore pointed out.

"Unfortunately the plan was to get you before the Krauts did but the plan, obviously, didn't go as planned."

Eleanore and whispered,

"I'll join you." She nodded and the Basterds cheered. They helped her out of the truck, and searched the bodies for man that held the key to her shackles. After unlocking her from the restraints, they began scalping the Nazis. Eleanore laughed as she rubbed her wrists.

"I guess what they say about you is true."

The Basterds replied in laughter.

Eleanore talked with Aldo, who explained their mission and introduced each man to the newest member of the Basterds. He told her that every man, and now woman, under his command owed him one-hundred Nazi scalps. When they were finished, Eleanore was helped into the second truck and sat between Corporal Wilhelm Wicki and Private First-Class Smithson Utivich. She talked to Wicki in German, asking him about the reasons why he joined the Basterds. Eleanore discovered the majority of the soldiers were Jewish-American's seeking revenge on the Nazi's for the crimes against their people.

Little did Eleanore know, the driver of the truck was the other German born Basterd. Sargent Hugo Stiglitz.

When the truck stopped, Eleanore was the last to get out. She was escorted to her tent and shown around camp. There was a small lake where she could bathe in, a makeshift bathroom, and tents to sleep in. The camp was nicer than she expected, but it wasn't home. Sargent Hugo Stiglitz had first watch so he decided to sleep immediately after entering the camp.

The Basterds welcomed Eleanore with food, alcohol, and medication which Eleanore gladly accepted. She didn't know the last time she ate, but realized it must have been a while considering how quickly she ate the food. As they sat around the small campfire (as to not give away their position), Eleanore listen to the men talk of their triumphs.

As night fell, Eleanore found herself becoming cold. The single blanket she wore had wrapped around her, offered little protection. She peeked out of the opening of the tent, staring at the back of the watchman. She wasn't familiar who he was, figuring he must have been driving the truck yesterday. She could tell that he was sharpening his knife, smoke from his cigarette billowed in the wind. Eleanore decided it would be best to ask tomorrow when everyone was awake.