Warsaw POV
Last time I saw Berlin was also time that we first met and I couldn't stop thinking about him. I don't even knew why. It was just something about him. Maybe if we would meet in different times I would like him. But now I was forced to hate Karsten. Did I like it? No. Did I agree with it? Not really. I sighed and looked at photo near my bed. It showed me and my two younger siblings Klaudia – Kobyłka and Adam – Wołomin. Two little Polish towns that I raised. I laid down and closed my eyes. I didn't even realize that I fell asleep.
"Ola… What's going on?" Klaudia whispered to my ear. "I'm scared" she looked like twelve years old girl. Next to her sat her older brother, Adam. Young boy with body of fourteen years old guy. I just realized that he's not much younger than me.
"Don't worry honey" I said to Klaudia. "Nothing bad is going to happen. I promise." I knew that I was lying. We were hiding in the forest and praying to God. Maybe Germans or Russians won't find us. "Ola" Adam said quietly and showed me soldiers. I saw soldiers from both armies – German and Russian.
"Kurwa" I cursed quietly and Kobyłka looked at me with weird face. It was hard to act like her great and perfect older sister in this situation. We went deeper into bushes. And than it happened. Klaudia stepped on branch and I heard loud crack. Soldiers turned around and spotted us. I stood up and took my gun. "HALT!" shouted German. I didn't want to obey but I heard somebody squealing behind me. And than Adam shouted "OLAAA!" I turned around to notice the trap. Russian soldier took my little Kobyłka and tied her while German hold Wołomin.
"No!" I screamed. "Let them go or I'll kill you both!"
"Are you sure of it?" asked voice and I felt strong arms around my waist. Damn, I forgot about one German soldier. "You know, we opened this new concentration camp in Warsaw, named KL Warschau, built on old ghetto. You will be one of first prisoners.
"OLA! WARSZAWO! WARSAW!" I heard my siblings but I couldn't move. I was paralyzed.
"Ola! Wake up!" Feliks said and shook my arm. I slowly opened my eyes to see my brother with worried expression on his face. "You have to hide! Germans are near. They're going to check if I'm not hiding any Jews." I stood up and took picture of my two little siblings.
"Okay, have you got any ideas?" I asked. Feliks took my hand and guided me to wardrobe. When he opened the door he pushed back wall and I saw long corridor with small room at the end. I quickly went inside and he closed hidden door. While I was waiting for Germans to come and go I thought about my stay in concentration camp. It wasn't a long stay but really painful. They beat me, humiliated, they even burned me with hot metal and did a lot of stuff that I didn't want to mention. After few minutes I heard somebody walking loudly around house.
"Check everywhere. You can't miss anything" Familiar voice said. I freezed. It was Karsten. I couldn't move, just sit and pray that they won't find this place. When I heard that they opened the wardrobe doors I was nearly crying. But suddenly they closed them and Karsten spoke again. "Here's nothing interesting, just clothes. Let's go".
Some time later I decided that it's safe to go out. I opened the gates and wanted to go out but than I suddenly saw something white. I looked again and realized that it was envelope. I looked at it again and again. And than I opened it.
Dear Warsaw!
I know that probably you hate me and yeah… I understand this. Listen, I know that war probably won't last really long. Maybe year or something like this. Please, meet me, I need to talk to you. I need to… Never mind. Just… please, meet me near palace in Old Town at 12. This one time. And don't worry as long as you'll be with me nothing bad will happen to you.
You know who.
Yeah… I knew who wrote this letter. Karsten. Should I go? It wasn't the smartest idea but something told me to go. When I checked hour I saw that I have thirty minutes to meeting. So I went. I simply went out of house and walked to palace. Once great, now occupied by Germans and destroyed by bombs. It hurt me but what could I do with this? Exactly, nothing. While I was walking to Old Town I noticed one of my friends. He looked at me but didn't say anything. But when I passed him I felt something slipping into my pocket. I went few metres and than reached into pocket to see new letter. I quickly opened it and read:
Aleksandra, you're alive? Listen, we don't have much time. At 4 p.m. there were shooting in Żoliborz. We have to hurry. They're planning. No! Germans! Can read it! You have to rise! You know? Rise at 5p.m. Attack highest place.
RISE WARSAW!
I walked faster because text was obvious for me. They were preparing Uprising. They wanted to free my city and my country. I wanted to laugh and dance but instead I decided to calm down and finally I saw palace. I turned around to notice familiar figure of young German.
Berlin's POV
Why I decided to meet with her? I didn't know. Maybe because I was fed up with my brothers? Or maybe because I needed somebody different than everybody who was with me? It was still a secret for me. I sighed and greeted with you woman. She was definitely excited but I didn't know why. It definitely wasn't because of me. Whenever she looked at me her gaze was weird, almost like she was trying to read in my mind. Nah, that was stupid idea. But than I remembered that today was special day for her.
"Khem. Happy birthday" I murmured and Aleksandra looked at me even more confused.
"Oh… thank you. I didn't know that you know about this. For everybody first of August isn't date worth to remember" she sighed.
"Um… I guess that it's not like this." I said as we begun to walk. I knew that she wasn't happy from my presence. Every Pole who would see her now will call her a slut who slept with German. And than maybe they will shave her. I was quite surprised that she didn't shave her hair in KL Warschau as everybody but it was her choice. When they imprisoned her I was in Auschwitz and other concentration camps where I… was taking care of other prisoners. Mostly Jews but sometimes other nations and stubborn Poles. Because only Jews are worse than Poles. Jews should be eliminated and Poles should be our slaves. At least that's what they were always telling me. When I looked at girl walking next to me I saw that she was staring at me again but she quickly looked in different direction. What was she thinking?
"Um… Warsaw… I…" I wanted to say something but… Oh come on. It would be too stupid.
"What?" she asked but I ignored it. I shouldn't show that she's better than other Pole. She should obey to me. YES! That's it. I roughly took her hand but she escaped.
"What are you doing?!" she hissed.
I ignored her again and started to guide her to Vistula's shore.
"Listen… You should be careful now if you want to survive so if I were you I would hide somewhere and doesn't show to anybody." I said.
"Oh… and that's why you invited me? Listen you stupid Nazi…" she started but I covered her mouth with hand when I saw German soldiers walking near us. They went closer and one of them said.
"Mister Beilschmidt. We need you, Poles are organizing again." I looked at Aleksandra and than pushed her roughly on the ground. "I'm going with you. Show me where." And I went with him and left Warsaw.
Warsaw's POV
When Berlin finally left me I stood up. What was he thinking? Even if I was angry it couldn't stop from being excited. So it worked. Poles decided to rise. All this chaotic messages and quiet whispers worked. Yes! I looked at watch on my wrist. It was almost 5p.m. As representation of Warsaw I knew what he meant in letter by Attack highest place. I moved nearer Prudential building. I could see few people that I knew very well. When I saw captain of Batalion "Kiliński" I felt that my dreams can come true. 'Maybe… Just maybe' I thought. 'Maybe It's beginning of the end. Beginning of freedom'. As I looked on watch I saw there are only five minutes left. German soldiers that looked at us were nervous as well. Few seconds before everything started somebody gave me gun. I smiled a bit. I couldn't wait to take revenge on my enemies. I also took her warrior knife that my brother gave her before war. 'It's always better to be overprotective than go without extra weapon' I thought.
At 5 o'clock everything started. W Hour. Polish soldiers started attack. Prudential building, as in that times the highest building in Poland, was for them one of the most important places to rescue. Bullets were flying around us. Wehrmacht soldiers started to shoot but Poles weren't worse. Corpse next to corpse. Polish blood mixed with German blood. It doesn't matter if you fight on corpses from your side or from enemies' side. Just fight. And this terrible but at the same time exciting feeling that you're doing something for your country. I could see as my friends and Germans are falling down, dead and cold. Even if I felt something, some kind of sadness or feeling guilty I didn't show anything. It wasn't right time. Time for feels will come when we will rescue Prudential building. Whenever I saw that somebody lose his hope or strength I was shouting: "FIGHT! FIGHT FOR WARSAW! FIGHT FOR FREEDOM!" It worked. When some of them finally got inside building they had to fight again. They were climbing up the stairs killing and killing. Red, hot blood was flowing from stairs. But finally they made it. Group of Polish warriors and me reached the top of building. When I looked down she saw as her soldiers are winning this war! One of the soldiers who was standing behind me took Polish flag. We hung the flag. Loud cheers were coming from the ground. When I turned around I could see another battle fields. It was something huge. Rough but beautiful. Bloody but necessary. And even if we had to bury people who died we knew… We knew that it's beginning of something great. That we're going to win and to free my city. I won't disappoint my brother.
And than it happened. Lost bullet. I felt pain in my arm. And again in my stomach. I looked down and started to fell. Others ran away. And when I thought that Death is coming for me I felt somebody catching me. And this familiar voice.
"I'm not going to let you fall".
It was Karsten. When he laid me on roof of Prudential building I lost my consciousness.