Darren was thrown out onto the street, hitting his head hard on the cobbled road. He looked up dizzily and spied his neighbours peering out of the windows with terrified looks. A firm kick smashed into his side and pushed out the air in his lungs.

"Wester!" Arra yelled furiously, pushing out of Wester's arms and running out after Larten and Darren as they were herded towards a car.

"Arra, this is no place for a female," Wester warned, grabbing her wrist tight.

On instinct, Arra hooked him with her free hand, stomping her ridiculous heals right into Wester's groin. "Shut up, Worm," she hissed with all the venom of a cobra before storming out into the street and approaching one of the guards before declaring in the limited German she knew; "I am a Jew!"

"Arra!" Darren and Larten gasped, kicking out to discourage her, "You fool!"

Almost proudly, Arra joined the men with cuffed hands, sitting beside them on the floor of the police van. She looked up at Larten's furious expression and smirked.

"You should have stayed!" Larten snapped, "You could have flitted!"

"I'm not leaving my friends. Not for Wester," Arra said firmly, "What comes, we take, right?"

Darren could see the hurt and anger burning within his orange haired companion. To be betrayed by a brother over a female was soul destroying but for that female to sacrifice her safety had ignited a blazing temper.

"What comes, we take." Larten eventually croaked out of the red haze, "We will stick together, whatever happens. We'll be safe together."

"Arra!" Wester was screaming outside but neither the three acknowledged him, all falling silent as the vehicle began to drive onwards.

A few weeks later…

Hidden in the shade of one of the ghetto houses riddled with Jewish and Roma families, sat amongst some other thinning gentlemen, Larten enjoyed a cigarette which he held between toe very grubby fingers. He'd been given the rolly-up from a human who'd a smuggler somewhere, a gift for having giving up his bed so the man's family could bunk together. He'd been saving it for a special occasion and this was certainly an appropriate time.

The captives would be moving on soon, or so the rumours said. Some Zachariah guy was friendly with a guard and found out from them the plans. Larten wasn't sure if he believed him on not, but then again, he didn't ever believe his destiny would leave him to this shithole.

"Can I get a draw?"

Larten looked up at the greasy haired Darren, stood above him. His eyes looked bruised from lack of sleep and his teeth starting to look a little yellow. He'd lost weight around his cheeks and neck too but then Larten had no right to comment on anyone's appearance.

"Aye," Larten shrugged, shifting up so Darren could sit beside him then handed over the smoke, "Breathe right in with your lungs,"

"I know how to smoke a cigarette," Darren huffed almost childishly before inhaling deep. Instantly, he started coughing a spluttering which brought a rare smile to Larten's lips. Second time round, he cracked the method, just.

"That is enough; I've been saving that smoke for weeks now," Larten nodded, "Where's Arra?"

"With a few of the women in the room, someone died through the night," Darren sighed, "One of the oldies."

"That's not a bad thing," Larten shrugged, "Better the old than the young."

There was a moment of silence before Darren spoke up again, "So what's the occasion that you're having your cigarette?"

A second silence befell them before Larten shrugged, "Rumour has it we're moving soon to another camp." He looked up at Darren's terrified expression, "I don't know where, I don't know when. Could be a concentration camp, it could be ghettos, it could be…that. But I don't know."

With a sigh, he wrapped an arm around his terror stricken friend, giving him the rest of his cigarette, "Calm your nerves. We'll be fine as long as we stick together, yes?"

"Yes, I guess so," Darren said but was far from eased. He knew exactly what horrors to expect in their future, Larten didn't.

-Just a quick chapter for now

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