When Alfred awoke from a tormented night's sleep, he felt exhausted. He rolled over and stared bleakly at the muted grey wall across from him. Turning over he stared at the bottom of the top bunk where his fellow prisoner still slept soundly. Judging by how dark it was and the lack of movement by anyone else that was outside the cell, Alfred figured that it must be sometime in the wee hours of the morning. "What will this day bring?" he wondered silently to himself, the terrors of last night edged their way through his thoughts as he contemplated what might be laying in store for him in the next twenty four hours.
A small pinprick of light caught Alfred's attention, diverting his thoughts momentarily. Sitting up as best he could, he studied the light, and then slowly he traced a straight line with his eyes, searching for the source of the light. It came from a small window that sat high up on the wall, "Odd that I didn't notice that when I came in," Alfred mumbled as he slid his legs off the bed and attempted to stand, as he did he felt a sharp pain shoot up his wounded leg and he quickly sat back down. Taking a jagged breath he lay back down, trying to move his leg as little as possible, "big mistake, big mistake" he breathed.
Sometime later he heard German voices coming from outside his cell door. He pushed his back up against the wall as keys rattled in the doors lock and the squeaking of the hinges could be heard as the door was pushed open.
Two German officers stepped inside; both of them held guns while only one of them held a brief case that was black and locked. At first they just looked around, scanning the room meticulously; after a minute or two of not finding what they were looking for they stepped inside and shut the door behind them.
"Get up!" the one with the brief case ordered as he thunked the heavy black thing against the bed.
Alfred didn't move.
"I said GET UP! SCHNELL!" the man bellowed, at this Alfred got up as quickly as possible, not wanting to cause trouble, which could in turn into something else which might end up in a quick shooting with no questions asked.
As he stood up he shifted to one side of the bed as his fellow prisoner slid down from the top bunk.
"Stand up straight" the guard growled menacingly as he looked them both over with a very careful eye, "You two, the picture perfect poster boys for the American scum from where you came; What's your name soldier?" he asked as he looked directly at Alfred.
Panic suddenly seized Alfred, the guards stare felt like it penetrated his very soul.
"I asked what your name was." the German stepped closer, removing a pistol from a holster on his hip.
"J-Jones, Jones… sir," Alfred gulped.
"Jones… typical; Well, Jones, follow me," The officer, as Alfred quickly assessed by his stripes, headed toward the door.
Alfred followed him, not really knowing what else to do, it was either follow and maybe get shot once they were outside, or stay inside and probably get shot for insolence.
After they stepped out of the room the man with the briefcase locked the door behind them as the other guard kept his gun pointed at Alfred's back. Once he was sure that the door was secured the German headed down the hallway, motioning Alfred and the other guard to follow. At the end of what seemed to Alfred to be an extremely long hallway there was a door, the man with the briefcase unlocked the door and opened it up, ushering him inside.
As he stepped through the doorway Alfred looked around, the room was a tiny barely furnished office. There was a small desk with two chairs, one sitting on one side, the other on the other side, alone Nazi flag stood behind the desk, bringing the only bit of color to the otherwise overly grey room.
"Sit in that chair," The Guard with the briefcase barked as he made his way to the chair on the other side of the desk. Alfred did as he was told; after the two were seated the Arian man proceeded to question Alfred for the next four hours.
After the grueling interrogation Alfred was escorted back to the room he had come from and the guards took the other prisoner. After another four hours, in which Alfred lay on his bunk in total silence, the other man was brought back and the guards left for a while.
"How'd it go?" Alfred asked as he looked up from his bunk to where the other man stood, visibly shaken.
"Terrible, I have never been through something more grueling in all my life." The other man looked at him with large, clear, blue eyes.
"Same here," Said Alfred as he rubbed his hands together to warm them, the cool, drafty cell was starting to chill him.
The man clambered up onto his bunk and Alfred rolled over, he was still quite exhausted from the long march from yesterday and was dying to get just a little more shut eye.