Before we start with the last chapter of Book Three, let me say something.
Actually, I said it all here. - youtu =dot= be/mwFnPTMKZ7o
My video is long, full of historical facts and random ADHD tangents. I have my references in the description.
If you want to discuss Israel in the comments, I'm fine with that. I encourage discourse. However, if you call all Israelis terrorists, insult the Jewish faith, or deny Israel's right to exist as a country, that is, by definition, ANTISEMITIC.
We can agree that the Israeli government has broken international law and repercussions are long overdue, but if you come with only half of history, I will reply with the other half. That is not an attack; it is education. And if you use the actions of a government as an excuse to hate the entire population, or worse, A WHOLE RELIGION … I will report and block you for hate speech.
We can hate the actions of ISIS, Hamas, and the Taliban, but not hate all Muslims.
We can hate the Uyghur slave labor camps in China, but not hate all Chinese.
We can hate that European colonialism led to hundreds of genocides all across the globe and the deaths of tens of millions of indigenous people, but EVEN THEN we should not hate all Christians.
And…
We can hate that the Israeli government committed war crimes, but not hate all Israelis or Jews.
Antisemitic rhetoric will not be tolerated.
That is all.
On with the story.
# # #
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Chapter 100
Farewell in Saint-Avold
Jean ran through the internment camp, walls sometimes shaking from bombs, dust cracking from the concrete above and raining down like fog in hallways as lights flickered and threatened to go out.
For a moment, he feared he might not find the corridor that led to the secret exit tunnel. The fort was a maze of stark corridors, after all. Then he saw blood on the floor.
Floch!
Jean felt a pang of loss, but he had to push on. He could mourn after he got out of here and was back with Annie. They would have a long trip to Switzerland, and he could sort out emotions then.
However, as he followed the blood trail, he came across two SS guards also inspecting the scene, including the dead body of the woman who had betrayed Carly. They looked up and saw Jean.
"Halt! You, Heer lieutenant, what are you doing in this area? Feste Göben is under SS jurisdiction. State your name, commanding officer, and purpose for being here?"
Jean pushed down his fears and stood up straighter. "Kirschstein, Jean Michael, Leutnant, formerly of Hauptmann Carl Großmann's company. I'm being transferred to Saarbrücken in two days and … and I came here … I came to say goodbye…" His teeth gritted. "To hell with it!"
He pulled out his pistol and fired at both men, hitting them square in the chests. Then he turned sharply down the corridor leading out to freedom. However, one of the SS guards managed to pull out his Luger, aimed, and fired all five bullets. Three missed Jean, one caught him in the side of his lower back, and one tore straight through his calf, almost tripping him. He screamed in pain but kept going, limping now.
He reached the doors and looked out. There was a crater from an artillery shell ahead of him, and beyond that was the door to the hidden exit. Ignoring the burning in his back and leg, Jean continued forward. Adrenaline pumped wildly through his veins as the sounds of the battle roared around him. He ran across the courtyard, to the door, and almost tripped on the body in the entrance. He looked down and saw the dead soldier.
Well, at least Eren and the rest made it this far.
He limped down the spiraling staircase, hoping that perhaps he would meet up with the group in the tunnels. As the darkness swallowed him, he turned on his taschenlampe. Ahead was a long route through utter darkness.
Jean began to slow down. His leg was on fire, and his feet felt wet as blood pooled down into his high boots and drenched his socks. He reached behind him at the pain in his back and felt wetness. At least that seemed to be only a graze, but it still burned.
He was not going to let this stop him.
Or so he thought.
One minute, he was walking through the tunnel, the next he was face-down, his taschenlampe dropped nearby. Had he passed out? Jean sat up, only to scream. All the adrenaline was gone, and the full brunt of the pain had set in. Jean wondered how long he had been unconscious, looked at his watch, and cursed.
He had been out for half an hour.
He picked up the light, rose slowly to his feet, holding onto the tunnel wall for stability, and pressed on.
At last, he saw sunlight ahead. Right in front of the exit was more blood, as well and smeared blood stains of bodies that had been dragged away.
Just how many men died tonight for them to make it out?
He ignored that guilt and stepped out into the forested hill. Glancing around, he saw footprints in the mud and pressed leaves of a group passing by.
This must be them!
Re-energized with the thought of a happy reunion, Jean eagerly followed the path, using the tracking skills he had learned from camping with his local Hitler Youth group. The sun was in the sky, lighting up the autumn forest nearly bare of its leaves. Once in a while, Jean saw drops of blood.
Was this Levi? Carly? Had one of the other women been injured?
Oh God, had Annie been hurt? He would kill anyone who hurt her!
Jean ran south down the hill, but he began to feel dizzy again. He grabbed hold of a tree and rested, panting through the vertigo.
"You can pass out in Annie's arms," he whispered to himself. He shoved himself off the tree, as if to push his body onward, refusing to give in.
At last, he reached the bass of the hill, and the trees opened up to a golden field.
He made it!
And then all went black.
# # #
Jean woke up to hands touching him. Disoriented and barely able to keep his eyes open, he muttered, "Was ist passiert, Annie?" What happened, Annie?
Then something hard and cold touched his nose.
"Don't move, Kraut."
His eyes opened, and he saw two men staring straight down at him, as well as a rifle pointed right in his face.
English? Jean looked closer at the uniforms. Americans!
"Scheiße," he whispered as his hopes sank.
Jean looked over at who was touching him and saw a man with a red cross on his uniform, wrapping bandages around his injured leg.
"What'll it be, Kraut? The doc here can finish patching you, or I can blow your fucking brains out. Your choice."
"He doesn't speak English, you fucking nimrod." The other man looked down at him. "Ergib dich." Surrender. He looked at his friend. "It's one of six phrases you need to learn how to say in German."
"What are the other five?"
"Go to hell, don't shoot I surrender—hopefully you never say that—where can I get beer, Hitler is a one-nut pansy, and do you wanna fuck. I can't wait to say that one to all the German girls."
The soldier with the rifle laughed. "Non-fraternization, Connor. Gotta be careful. Remember, 'copulation without conversation is not fraternization.' Best not to ask. Just take 'em! To the victor go the spoils."
"They're still people, Johnson. Sheesh! Don't be an animal."
"Eh, Nazis are Nazis." Then the soldier looked down at Jean again. "Do you think he's mute?"
"He's trying to decide if you're a threat. You don't look like much of one."
"Fuck you, Connor."
Connor looked again at Jean and said in slow, labored German, "Ergeben Sie sich und Sie werden leben." He turned to Johnson. "That one's 'surrender and you'll live.' Some of them don't care. I heard Hitler told them surrender wasn't an option."
"Sounds good to me. I'd rather just shoot 'em all."
"Guys," the medic snapped in a cranky voice. "I just patched him up. We've disarmed him, he's not a threat, so no shooting prisoners of war. There's such a thing as the Geneva Convention, ya know."
"Geneva shameeva!" scoffed Johnson. "Fuck that rules of engagement shit."
"It's your court marshal," said Connor.
As the soldiers bantered, Jean looked around. American soldiers were all around him. Somewhere to the south was Annie. Had she also met with these Americans? If so, would they help her? He hoped so.
"Verdammt," he growled. With a heavy sigh, knowing he had no other choice, Jean raised his hands. "Tut mir leid, Annie. Ich werde es doch nicht schaffen." Sorry, Annie. I'm not going to make it.
"What is he saying, Connor?"
"How should I know? I only started studying German when I enlisted."
"A load of shit for the birds, that's what it is."
"Yeah, but he's surrendering. That's a start. You done, Doc?"
The medic stood up. "The bullets passed right through his leg and waist. He shouldn't bleed out, at least."
"One less Nazi if he does."
"Shut up, Johnson."
"What I don't get," the medic said, gazing down at Jean, "he was shot from behind. I think he was making a run for it."
"Good, then he was a coward planning to surrender anyway."
"Let's get him over to the rest of the POWs."
The soldiers yanked Jean to his feet. He flinched at the pain in his leg, but he put up with it, not wanting to look weak before these enemies.
"Hands behind your head," Connor said, acting out what he meant, and Jean followed the instructions.
He trudged across the field and toward a hastily set up American camp with his hands clasped behind his head, limping and grimacing. Then in the distance he saw a body, and on top a decapitated but familiar head.
Kitz Woermann!
Jean cringed in horror at the sight, but the soldier escorting him shoved him forward with the tip of his rifle. Jean realized such butchery must have been Levi's handiwork. That meant they made it, Annie was safe, and that was all that mattered.
American soldiers stood around the body, some laughing morbidly.
"Heyo, Patton may slap shell-shocked soldiers, but at least he doesn't do that."
"Ya think it was one of theirs who did it? Maybe it was a local."
"Nah, see that gibberish carved in his belly. It's German. They did this to their own kind."
One soldier pulled out a camera and took a picture. "My honey back home will get a hoot out of this."
"She'll break up with you, Wilson."
"No way. She keeps writing about how her sister got a Jap ear in the mail. Hey, I should cut off his ear and send it to her."
"Jap ears are one thing, but a Nazi ear is just how these Krauts listened to Hitler yapping on and on."
"Good, then his ear will never have to listen to German garbage again." He pulled out his knife and knelt by the body.
"At ease, soldier. Do that, and you'll have Kitchen Patrol for a week. Warfare has rules."
"Y'all don't have a problem with Jap ears. What's the difference with Nazi ears? Fuck it, I'll take the KP. Gets me off the frontlines anyway."
Jean cringed at the gruesome sight and looked away. He continued onward, although his gaze lingered to the south. Silently in his head, he poured out apologies.
His greatest regret was that Annie would never know what became of him.
# # #
Armin had said that the hospital was only five kilometers away, in the town of Mercy. On a normal day, that would have been a pleasant walk for Eren. He and Levi had walked more than five kilometers just to reach that quiet spot along the Moselle.
However, suffering blood loss and a broken arm, with Carly limping, Oktyabrina starting to grimace from carrying Levi, and the brothel girls shuffling along like terrified sheep, they could only travel as fast as the slowest one of them.
The rising sun was bright in the rain-sparkled countryside when they finally saw a tall château rising on the horizon.
"That's Hôpital de Mercy," Carly said weakly.
Eren frowned as he saw trucks and troop movement. "That's a lot of soldiers," he muttered, hoping they were far enough away to not have been spotted yet.
"Americans," Levi said, noticing one truck with stars and stripes on their flag. He looked over at Eren. "Your friends did you no kind service when they gave you a German uniform." Levi gazed around in the golden and pink dawn light. He looked over to Carly and asked in French, "You mentioned a church."
"Église Notre-Dame in Peltre. We can get sanctuary there."
"Including Eren?"
Carly glanced over to him. "Not in that uniform, no."
While Levi and Carly spoke in French, Eren kept a lookout up ahead. Then suddenly he saw something concerning.
"Da kommt ein Lastwagen." There's a truck coming.
Carly translated into French for Levi. "Il dit, il y a un camion qui arrive."
Levi muttered, "Oui, je le vois maintenant." Yes, I see it now.
Eren said in apology, "I don't know the English word for that. Lastwagen?"
"It's called a truck, although I think the Americans consider that to be a Jeep."
"Jeep? I know that word."
"Quiet."
Levi kept his one good eye focused to the south and saw the vehicle. It was quite a ways down still, but it could be that the Jeep was coming to check out what this large group of refugees was all about.
"Shit. Eren, get out of that uniform, fast! Annie," he called over.
The young woman came forward, and in Yiddish Levi told her to help get Eren out of anything that hinted he was a soldier. Annie pulled the draped uniform tunic off and removed his cap. She rolled up the tunic and managed to fit it in a bag Carly had brought with clothing for the arrested girls.
"Don't forget that watch of yours," said Levi. "It got us into trouble last time. Boots too. Those are definitely military-issued."
"I'll be barefoot," Eren protested.
"Better than dead!"
Eren flopped on the ground, and Annie helped him to pull the boots off, also hiding them in the bag.
"Stay down there, and don't speak a word. Pretend to be mute."
"I can speak to them in English. I can even do an American accent."
"You don't even know the word for truck. Besides, some of your words still have a German hint to them. If you misspeak a single word, they'll know what you are. Now, shut up."
Eren turned his head away from the approaching truck, as if even meeting their eyes might give away that he was German. Instead, his gaze went to the smoke rising from Metz and the airplanes buzzing around like flies.
The Jeep pulled up and a man shouted out, "Who are you guys?"
Levi whispered to Carly, "Laisse-moi m'en occuper." Let me handle this. He walked forward and spoke with an exaggerated French accent. "American mister, hello hello. We travel south. We escape from Metz."
"What were y'all doin' in Metz?"
"These girls, they … how you say … kidnapped by les Allemands, the Germans. Taken to fuck them, I think you say."
The young soldier exclaimed in horror, "Y'all were sex slaves? Fuckin' Nazis," he growled under his breath. "And who are you?"
He thumbed over at Oktyabrina. "I am her brother."
The soldier looked from tiny Levi with his black hair to the massive blond woman with a stern face. "Her brother?"
"Oui. I got injured freeing them."
The soldier frowned as he took in all of Levi's wounds. "You look like you took on the entire German Army by yourself, buddy. Well, if you're heading to Mercy, you're shit out of luck. The hospital is full."
"Full? Putain." He looked over to Carly and explained, "L'hôpital est plein."
Carly tried to look sweet at the soldier. "Il y a de la place pour moi?"
"She asks if there is room for her. She was shot."
The soldier looked her up and down. "Damn. I really am sorry, ma'am. There's not even enough room for the wounded we've got, and more are flooding in every minute." The young soldier paused as he realized she looked confused and still hopeful. "Sorry. All full. No room."
Levi looked over to her and shook his head. So much for heading to the hospital.
The soldier gazed at all of the women, many looking scared, one with dried blood on her face. "Ya know, there's a village nearby. I could take those who are injured. The Jeep fits four, five if you really squish in. There might be a doctor there, or you can find a ride to Nancy. I really am sorry, ma'am." Then his eyes caught sight of Eren sitting barefoot on the road staring at Metz. "Who's that guy?"
Levi looked back over to Eren. "We found him on the roadside. He cannot speak."
"Can't speak, huh? Maybe he doesn't know French. Hey! Sind Sie ein Deutscher?" Are you a German?
Eren heard the man's shout, but he ignored it. That smoke to the north marked the ruins of the German Army, and this man was part of the military force making that attack against his friends.
Levi shrugged. "Maybe he is … how you say … sourd et muet? No hear, no speak?"
"Deaf and mute, huh?" the soldier mumbled. "Well, so long as you take him out of here, I don't care. If he's a runaway German, at least he's smart enough to give up. His country is gonna be fucked over six ways to Sunday once we reach it."
Eren's jaw tightened, but he forced himself to pretend like he could not hear. Maybe it was a good thing after all to pretend like he was mute rather than trying to speak English to this American and ending up losing his temper.
Levi looked over to Carly and translated to her. "Il peut emmener les blessés en ville." He can take the wounded into town.
Carly frowned deeply. "On ne devrait pas se séparer." We shouldn't split up.
"Ce serait peut-être plus sûr si nous y allions en premier." It might be safer if we went first. Levi glanced briefly back over to Eren to show her what he meant.
"Comment on lui explique tout ça?" How do we explain all this to him?
"Est-ce que certaines de ces femmes parlent allemand?" Do any of these women speak German?
Carly looked up at Oktyabrina. She quickly explained everything in Russian, and Oktyabrina sternly shook her head.
"Ya ne ostavlyu tebya." I will not leave you."
"Milaya," Carly said, and told her quietly in Russian, "I can't make it that far, and you can't carry me and him both. If I go ahead, I can talk to people I know in town and secure some sanctuary for you. I trust you to protect the group. We'll take the wounded, all except Eren. Explain it to him in German after we leave. Nicely!" she ordered.
Meanwhile, Levi told the American soldier that they would accept his offer for a ride into town. Oktyabrina placed him in the backseat of the Jeep. Carly took a seat up front, smiling flirtatiously at the soldier so that he was compliant with helping out some beautiful young women. They also brought the wounded Polish girl, with Levi explaining the plan to her in her own language.
Levi glanced at Eren, still facing away, not even aware that he was about to leave with this American. Levi wanted to call out to him, but maybe it was best to not tell him and cause a scene in front of this American soldier.
The truck roared and turned around on the rural two-lane highway. The massive wheels rolled, and the Jeep jostled southward.
Hearing the truck leaving, Eren finally looked around, only to see Levi sitting in the Jeep, looking back at him. Now Eren jolted and tried to stand, but his arms refused to move, and all he could manage was to pivot around to watch them leave. Every fiber of his being wanted to scream out, but Levi lift a bandaged hand, like it was both a command to stop and a regretful farewell.
Oktyabrina came up to Eren and put a hand on his head to stop him. She told him in German, "They're taking the wounded to a doctor in the nearby town."
"I heard that part."
"Levi will scout ahead, and Carly will message her contacts in Peltre. She knows the priest, so we'll see if that church is occupied by soldiers. If the priest is willing to give sanctuary, we can hide there. I don't like it either," she grumbled, "but it's for the best. For them, for all of us."
Eren nodded slowly. Yes, the sooner Levi got to a doctor, the better. "Do you want to take a rest here? We could sit under those trees off the side of the road. I'd rather not approach the Americans too closely until we know what's going on."
Oktyabrina shouted out in Russian to the rest of the women and got back a few replies. "They say they need a rest. We didn't bring food or water."
"Levi might have food in his bag. It's not enough to feed everyone, but any women who are weak from hunger can have a little. I think I slipped in a tin of Scho-Ka-Kola. If each person takes a small bite of the candy, it'll give them energy."
Oktyabrina helped to lift Eren up, and Annie assisted him in putting his boots back on. Yes, they were distinctly German military boots, but he needed something on his feet if they were going off the road.
The group moved over to a copse of trees, taking rest there after the long walk and stressful night. Eren saw some women beaming with excitement at freedom, others grim as they realized that now they had to somehow continue life with the dark horrors forever haunting them.
Eren shivered from the cold, but he knew he could not put on his German uniform. Not anymore. He wanted to at least warm up his arms by rubbing them, but one arm was numb, the other broken and in pain. After firing the Enfield pistol at Kitz Woermann, the numbness in his left hand was even more intense, leaving his fingers feeling like thick gloves were on them covered with thorns on the inside.
Annie saw Eren shivering but unable to use his arms. She walked up to him, placing a warm hand on his arm, showing him her intention. Eren nodded with a thankful smile, and Annie rubbed his arms for him. This was the man who helped her and Jean get together, after all.
Another girl pulled Eren's uniform out of the bag and flipped it inside out. She brought it over and offered it.
Eren shook his head. "Even inside-out, it's too dangerous."
The girl looked confused with the language barrier, but Annie scolded her. That uniform could get them all in trouble. She ordered the girl to take it out into the field and throw it away. Instead, the girl simply put it back into the bag and pulled out a shawl Carly had tossed in there. Annie took it and draped it around Eren.
He paused and looked around. How strange, that these women were protecting him. He was a German officer! They had been imprisoned and brutally mishandled by men like him.
Yet here they were, smiling and offering him a piece of the chocolate. He tried to refuse, but many of them insisted.
Why?
Oktyabrina scoffed as she saw his confusion. "They see you as a savior. Of course they'll take care of you."
"I didn't do anything," Eren whispered, feeling guilty that this was the truth. He had done nothing to help them escape their sexual slavery. Just as he did nothing to help the Jews escape in the village. Just as he did nothing to help Levi to escape. Every time, he had held back from actually helping.
"You married Louise and got her out of there. You protected Annie. You helped Carly, even when you probably thought you weren't doing anything special. So yes, Eren Jäger, you protected us. If they need a hero," she said, looking around at the young women, "let them have one."
Eren muttered in grief, "I'm no hero."
Still, he took a tiny nibble of the wedge of chocolate and placed the rest back into the tin. He leaned against a tree, closed his eyes, and wished the world would fade to black so he could escape the pain, anguish, and guilt.
# # #
Levi was thankful that the soldier would offer to take them, but he really, really wished the Jeep had any sort of padding for his ass. Every bump in the road sent white-hot flashes of pain that threatened to make him pass out. His face throbbed, the tips of his fingers felt like ten firebrands, and he knew a fever was taking hold.
After the worst car ride of his life, they came to a small village. Although it was early in the morning, Levi saw signs of American troops. He was glad he had not taken Eren with him. They continued onward to the tall steeple he had seen in the distance. The Jeep pulled up beside a stone wall surrounding the church.
"Here ya go," he said. "Wish I could do more."
Carly tried to get out of the Jeep, but her thigh burned when she put her leg down.
"Oh! Pardon me, I'll get ya, ma'am."
He jumped out of the Jeep, ran around, and helped Carly to stand. She had to put her weight on him as she hobbled forward, wincing in pain.
"Sheesh, really do wish I could take you all the way to a real hospital, but my CO would kill me. Letting you off at the church so you can ask around for help really is the best I can do," he said in regret. Then he mumbled dejectedly, "You can't understand a word anyway."
Meanwhile, Levi was trying to work through the pain and build up the last bit of his strength. Just as he began to fear that he might pass out if he tried, the Polish girl touched his arm.
"Jeśli chce pan pomocy, pomogę panu." If you want help, I will help you.
Levi looked at her. The young woman wore glasses with her blond hair cut short, perhaps once in a stylish trim but now it was limp with rain and filthy with debris from the battle. It looked as though the shrapnel that tore her face had been stopped by the metal rim of the glasses, cracking the bottom half but leaving her eye uninjured. Despite having a cut so bad that he knew she would have a scar for the rest of her life, the woman looked strong and hearty. Levi hated being weak in front of anyone, but he also knew his limits.
He was now well past them.
"Bardzo dziękuję, panienko." Thank you very much, miss.
She tipped her head and introduced herself, "Nazywam się Rico Brzenska." I am Rico Brzenska. She put her shoulder under Levi's arm and took a sturdy hold of him. "Oprzyj się na mnie." Lean on me.
Levi put his whole weight on her, but he still flinched with every move. He was shaking and felt sweat starting to drip down his forehead before they even made it into the church courtyard.
The American soldier brought Carly to the doors of the church and knocked with a heavy hand.
"Sure hope this place ain't abandoned," he muttered after a long wait. He knocked again. "I don't really know where else to take you besides a church."
After almost a minute, a priest opened the door. His eyes widened at seeing Carly, but one sharp look from her stopped him from acting like he was familiar. He instead addressed the soldier.
"Bonjour, mon fils. Mon nom est Père Nick. Comment puis-je vous aider?" Good morning, my son. My name is Father Nick. How may I help you?
Carly requested, "Mon Père, je demande asile." My father, I am asking for asylum.
"Bien sûr, ma fille." Of course, my daughter.
Carly turned to the soldier, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Merci beaucoup, mon cher ami américain." Thank you so much, my dear American friend.
The young man's cheeks turned pink. "Aw shucks. If I didn't have a girl waiting back in Georgia for me … well, y'all take care. We'll drive out those Nazis for ya, doncha worry, ma'am! France will be right as rain soon enough."
As the soldier returned to his Jeep, Levi stepped cautiously inside the church. Half blind now, he had to turn his head one way, then another, just to see. No troops, but it was also very early in the morning. He watched as the priest helped Carly over to the pews to sit down.
"What happened to you, Miss Stratmann?" Father Nick asked her in anguish.
Carly hissed as she took a seat. "I got them out. All of them. We're just the ones who got injured. The American was nice enough to take us into town. We have more, lots more. Please tell me you have something more than just that old motorcycle to transport them here."
"I don't, but Boris can drive back to his family's farm. They have a wagon. How many are we talking about?"
"Almost fifty."
Father Nick's eyes widened. "You really did get them all out. It'll take a few trips. In the meantime, you need a doctor."
Carly looked to the entrance. "Him first."
Father Nick looked over and cringed at the sight of Levi. "My son!" He leaped up and ran to help Rico. "Boris! Boris, get the doctor."
Suddenly, the last of Levi's energy failed, and he dropped hard. Rico knelt beside him, and the priest fretted at the gruesome sight, praying in a panic. Levi looked over to the woman sitting at the pews.
"Carly. Eren. Protect him. He took a bullet for me, that idiot. His men sacrificed themselves to free us. Save him now." His remaining eye burned with tears. "Please, promise me, you'll protect him."
Carly got up and walked over to him as Levi shivered and struggled to breathe. "A Nazi officer who turned his back on his country, defied the Gestapo, killed fellow soldiers, including shooting his commanding officer, and fell in love with a Jew … a male Jew? I don't think anyone can protect him now."
Levi looked anguished, but Carly's lip tweaked up in a smile.
"No one but the mysterious La Lame Juive would be that cunning and deadly."
Levi slammed his eye shut. "Damn you, woman!"
"Do you really think I would promise to protect him so you can die in peace? You're not allowed to get that sweet boy into this much trouble just to escape to Heaven so easily. You have to live, Levi, because truly, if you died here like this, I don't think there's a power in this world that could stop that man from marching right back into that city to seek revenge … and get himself killed this time." She leaned over and ordered, "Don't die before him."
Feeling dizzy, Levi forced his eye open. "Then promise to hide him until I recover."
"That, I can promise," she said solemnly. "But if you stop breathing, I'll kick you until you come back to life again."
Father Nick and a young man with light-colored hair hoisted Levi up.
"Please, all of you, come this way. Under this church, we have sheltered people before. The Americans aren't allowed in our catacombs, and they luckily respect that." As he led them to some stairs, he muttered, "The Nazis had no concept of holy ground."
Father Nick led them into an underground crypt, and as macabre as the place was, it was quiet, clean, and well-lit. They eased Levi down onto a cot already set up from some previous person seeking shelter, and blankets were piled on top of him as Levi began to shiver, feeling like he was freezing from the blood loss.
"Boris, the doctor?"
"I got through to him on the telephone. He's on his way."
"Good. I need you to go down to Mécleuves and get your family's wagon. Perhaps your cousin can help. She has some medical training."
"Veterinarian knowledge, Father."
"It's enough to help the doctor." He laid his hand on Levi's forehead. "Rest, my son. I will bring your friends to you."
"Merci," Levi muttered, and finally he passed out.
# # #
When he came back into consciousness, Levi felt fingers running through his hair. At first, he could not figure out why only one of his eyes was opening. Then he felt the stinging pain, and flashes of horror returned to him.
His eye!
All energy was gone from his muscles as he tried to focus on who was petting his head.
"Eren?"
"I'm sorry I woke you up. When Father Nick led me down here, I feared you were dead."
He could not focus his vision, but just hearing Eren's voice brought a smile of relief that flooded into his freezing veins. "I feel … like I'm dying," he whispered. "It's burning and freezing. So cold, but my intestines, like it's all on fire." He cringed from the pain. "I don't want to die like this."
Eren frowned, not wanting to admit that Levi looked near death. "I have medication. It should help with the pain."
He handed Levi a glass of water and two pills. Levi sat up enough to take a sip, enough to swallow the pills down, but he collapsed immediately in a scowl of agony.
"A doctor was here earlier. He managed to do a blood transfusion, but he warned that it's not enough."
"It's enough to keep me alive. He has my eternal thanks. Has everyone made it?"
"Yes. Boris and Louise brought us here in their wagon."
"Louise? That name is familiar," Levi muttered, but suddenly he gasped. "Louise! That fake wife of yours? How the hell did she find you here?"
"I'm just as surprised. Apparently, her cousin Boris is an acolyte at this church. She mentioned something about that in a letter," he muttered. "Boris only has a motorcycle, so he drove home to get their wagon, and Louise came with him. She has training in medicine." He looked down at a cast on his arm. "She put on a cast while the doctor was working on you. Both of them also checked my shoulder. It's a clean shot, it'll heal with time, but there's nothing they can do about the nerve damage. Hopefully it'll heal too."
"That's good," Levi sighed. One worry out of his life.
"The doctor also bandaged your fingers and … and … cleaned out the eye socket." Eren struggled not to cry. "I didn't understand much, but apparently the injury to your arse is too severe for him to deal with. You need extensive surgery. Mercy Hospital is overflowing with wounded Americans. We asked about getting you to Nancy, but he said it's no good. The hospital there is also full, and they're running out of medical equipment. There is a hospital in Verdun, but he doesn't think they can do the surgery you need. He said the next closest place that might be able to operate is in Reims."
"Reims?" Levi groaned. "That's almost 200 kilometers away. I can't make a trip like that. Is there nothing else?"
Eren hesitated. "There's one other hospital. The priest knows one of the surgeons. He called ahead, and the doctor agreed to operate. You're not going to like it, though."
"So long as we're not heading back into German territory, I don't care." When Levi saw the hesitant look on Eren's face, he moaned, "Oh, fuck no!"
"Saint-Avold is only 40 kilometers away."
"To the east!" Levi exclaimed. "We'd be going right back into German territory!" A wave of dizziness hit him.
"The surgeon promised to protect you."
"Oh, I've heard that one before!"
Eren flinched, feeling guilty. "Louise's cousin said he can take us on his motorcycle. It's the closest place that can operate on you."
"And if they find out I'm Jewish, they'll use me as a living autopsy!"
"Father Nick assured us, the surgeon will protect you."
Levi shook his head. "Too risky."
"We don't have much of a choice." Eren stroked his fingers through Levi's hair. "I know what they did to you. That other man was taunting me about it, and the Criminal Director … he said he would let you see me … and then gave me your eye."
Levi scowled and tried to bury his head. He could handle pain, but he knew Eren had a gentle soul. That Gestapo bastard knew that too, so he mentally tortured Eren. Levi could see in his face, it had worked. Eren had been broken. There was a distance in his gaze that showed Eren had completely shattered under their mental torture.
"I'm sorry, Eren."
"Why would you be sorry? It's not like you cut out your own eye. Besides, I was the one who promised to protect you, and I failed." His throat choked up. "I failed!"
"Idiot. You surrendered to me. You were my captive, my responsibility, so it's not your fault. You were my prisoner, and I failed to protect you."
Eren snuffled. Stubbornly arguing about who was at fault! That was so like them. "I'll make it up to you. I swear! What you lost, what you suffered: I'll make it up to you, even if it takes a lifetime."
Levi closed his eye. Those ardent words soothed the pain in his heart. He felt Eren's hand again, cold against his feverish forehead.
"You're burning up."
Then there was a soft, high voice. "Eren?"
Eren jolted around, and Levi opened his eye. He saw a young woman with stringy blond hair and hazel eyes. Levi had never actually seen Louise face-to-face, but as she spoke to Eren in German, he recognized the voice as the wife who once made him so jealous. He realized that the wig Eren had gotten him in order to play the role of this woman was a perfect match; however, with the shape of her eyes, it was a miracle anyone believed Levi was her.
After speaking to Eren, she looked down to Levi, and her face looked heartbroken. "Avez-vous besoin de quelque chose, monsieur? L'eau? Aliments?" Do you need anything, sir? Water? Food?
"Tu es sa femme." You're his wife. The cold words tumbled off his lips. Levi felt like he was in a dream. Here he was, dying in the basement of a Christian church, and he was being faced with the woman who had married the man he loved.
Louise dropped her gaze. "His heart is fully yours, sir. I respect that."
Levi did not feel like handling this, and jealousy was the farthest thing from his mind. "Water, please. I'm afraid that if I eat, the shit will leak out into my guts. It's probably why it burns so much. Water for now. I feel hot."
"You have a high fever and a severe infection," she told him. "I gave you every medication I can, even one meant for horses."
He laughed bitterly at that. Horse medication!
"I'll get you water, but drink carefully. Rest for now. Sleep if you can."
She began to turn, but Levi called out, "Hey, girl."
She jolted to a stop and looked back.
"He was happy when he wrote to you. It made me jealous at first, but … anything that brings a smile to his face is something good." He sighed as he added, "Merci d'avoir pris soin de mon copain." Thank you for taking care of my boyfriend.
Louise tipped her head in humble acceptance and hurried off.
Eren asked in English, "What was that about?"
"Just thanking her." Levi slumped down. "I need to thank everyone … before … before I…"
"Don't talk like that," Eren whispered, stroking back his hair again. "Like you often say, it'll bring misfortune."
Levi looked up at him and whispered, "I don't think it can get much worse, takhshet." His gaze went glassy with the raging fever. "At this point, death might be the true mercy."
"No. No! I refuse to believe that!" Eren leaned over and pressed their foreheads together. "God would not have let me survive just to take you away from me."
Levi stared ahead with emptiness. "I said the exact same thing when Petra died." His eye closed, and in a weak mumble, he whispered, "Live. Whatever happens, promise me you'll live."
Eren shook his head and felt tears falling. "Not without you. My life is meaningless without you, so you can't die before me. You promised!" He broke down into tears. "You can't!"
Louise returned with the water, but she saw Eren crying over the man on death's door. She held back, ashamed at seeing two lovers in such a sad state.
His throat hoarse with grief, Eren said, "Sie können reinkommen." You can come in.
Louise kept her head down, trying to not look at him as she brought the cup of water.
"Bleibt doch bitte." Stay please. His voice was low and harsh, yet his eyes were pleading.
She tucked her skirt around her and sat beside him. Louise put her hand on top of his in support, and he gripped hold of it tightly, needing someone, anyone, to be with him.
They stayed together in the crypt watching Levi sleep. He was slowly getting worse, his skin turning a sickly pale color.
Eren whispered to her, "Is there anything more we can do?"
Louise looked heartbroken. "I'm afraid not. Morphine, keep him comfortable until—"
"Don't say it!" Eren hissed. He held back tears, but his whole body shook.
She wrapped an arm around him to console him.
Internal bleeding, the town doctor had said, and with his colon torn, Levi's fear of feces getting into his body was the worst issue. The doctor had been horrified to see the damage, and Eren had no way of explaining things until Louise arrived to translate. Between her and the doctor, they did all they could for Levi, including a shot meant for horses that would slow down the spread of the infection; however, without a surgery to fix his colon and heavy doses of antibiotics, the doctor warned that Levi would not last through the night.
Levi slept fitfully, twitching with nightmares, groaning with fever, cursing in three different languages. He kept apologizing in his sleep, over and over.
"Je suis désolé, Petra. Je suis vraiment désolé. Désolé."
"Who is Petra?" Louise finally asked.
Eren tried to remain strong. "His wife. She died. Murdered by Germans."
Levi said he had no regrets, but Eren knew that was a lie he told himself. Here was the proof. Levi still blamed himself for Petra's death.
That was yet another nightmare in this man's rough life. Eren once hoped he could fill the void in Levi's heart, but he realized that the loss would always pain him, just as the loss of his mother always pained Eren.
# # #
The sun was setting, lighting the church spire like heavenly flames from seraphim. Annie sat on the street curb outside of the church, her eyes focused on the road. Oktyabrina came up to her and took a seat by her side.
"Make sure your skirt stays tucked in. From now on, it's not appropriate to show a man your underwear."
Annie tucked her skirt in around her legs. "He'll come," she said with determination.
Oktyabrina placed an arm around Annie. "You need to be prepared for the worst."
"No!" she snapped curtly. "He will come. Jean will make it." Quietly, she whispered, "He has to."
Oktyabrina squeezed her. "He better, because if not, I will kick his butt so hard, he'll fly from here to Moscow and land ass-first on top of the spires of Saint Basil's Cathedral."
That made Annie laugh softly.
"Come back inside, girl. It feels ready to snow."
"But he doesn't know where we are!" she cried out, keeping her eyes locked on the street and the road that led to Mercy. Jean thought they were going to the hospital. That was where he would be headed, and it was filled with American soldiers.
What if he got caught?
She shivered and sank as she realized with misery, if Jean had not shown up by now, he likely never would.
Still, she had to keep hope.
Eren stepped out, stretching his neck after sitting for most of the day. He walked over to the two ladies and looked down the road.
"He still hasn't come?"
Oktyabrina looked up at him and told him in German, "Try not to say anything discouraging. She's worried."
Eren knelt in front of Annie and looked straight into her eyes. "Translate this for me," he said to Oktyabrina, but spoke directly to Annie. "Jean will make it. He's like a cockroach; it's impossible to kill him. If something happened, if he was delayed or even captured, he won't stop until he finds you again. That's the sort of man he is. So don't worry. Whatever happened to him, he'll survive it. He will definitely survive this war, and you had better invite me to the wedding."
Oktyabrina told all of this to Annie, and she blushed fiercely at the last part. Eren smiled at seeing the tiny smile she tried to hide. He got up, satisfied that she would be okay. Still, he looked down the street.
"You better return to her, you horse-faced idiot." Then he went back inside, shivering from the cold.
Oktyabrina nudged the blond. "Come inside, Annushka."
"Call me Annie. It's what Jean calls me. I rather like the name."
"All right … Annie. Still, get inside by the fire. Jean wouldn't want you to catch a cold. Stay healthy, for him."
She gulped down her fears, stiffened up, and went back into the church. Still, at the doorway, Annie glanced back one more time.
"Please keep him safe, Lord," she prayed.
# # #
It was evening when Louise came back down into the crypt with her cousin, Boris Feulner, and Oktyabrina. Eren was sitting down there again, watching over Levi, making sure he did not stop breathing.
"It's time to go," she whispered. "Boris can drive you."
The tall, sandy-haired man nodded. "Oui, ich kann … uh … euch beide … kann auf … uh … sur ma moto … mitnehmen," he said, trying to speak in German but mixing up the syntax and blending in French. Still, it was enough to understand him.
Louise patted Boris' back. "What he means is, Ich kann euch beide auf meinem Mottorad mitnehmen." I can take you both on my motorcycle.
"Ja, das," Boris said, pointing to her. "Mottorad. Ich fahre." Motorcycle. I drive.
Eren roused Levi. "Wake up. We need to go."
Levi was shivering, a deep tremble that annoyed him because he could not stop. He sat up, but he instantly screamed in agony. Eren heard a wet gush, and he saw a red pool pouring out of Levi's trousers onto the cot.
"Fuck," Levi whispered. "It feels like I just shit a pint of blood out my arse."
Eren hated to admit that it looked that way. "Take it easy," he urged.
"How am I still alive?" Levi asked, truly wondering how with all the blood loss.
Eren forced himself to smile. "Because you're too stubborn to die before me, obviously."
Those words made Levi almost smile, although he felt too weak to lift his lips.
Eren wrapped a blanket around Levi and pulled a borrowed jacket closely around himself to hide the Nazi uniform. Oktyabrina stomped forward to help, lifting Levi up into her arms. He hissed in agony but managed not to pass out.
It was a slow journey up the stairs, out of the church, and to a waiting motorcycle with a sidecar. Father Nick was out there waiting, probably to stop any potential trouble from the Americans in the town. Eren stepped out of the church and saw that all of the women had come out to see them off.
Boris got the motorcycle warmed up, ready to go. Oktyabrina carefully placed Levi into the sidecar. Luckily, the bike had an extra—albeit small—seat behind the driver. Louise also brought out extra blankets to keep Levi warm on the evening roads. She carefully wrapped him up and gave Levi a kiss on the cheek for good luck.
Eren went up to Carly. "You risked a lot to save us."
"Our debt is now even," she said in a business-like tone. "You helped me to save Louise, now I helped you to save Levi. Besides, I promised Hange that I would take care of our little family. Levi was also a friend of Hange, so in a way, he's the brother I never knew I had." Carly glanced back at all the women behind her, with Annie, Rico, Katya, and Oktyabrina standing right beside her. "Although," she added, "it seems I am in your debt yet again. I wouldn't have managed to free my girls without your platoon."
"And we wouldn't have succeeded without you uniting the French Resistance with my own soldiers. You're quite the entrepreneur, Carly Stratmann."
"And you're quite the leader. I almost wish you could stay here. I'd help you bathe until your broken arm heals," she said with a playful wink.
Eren laughed and shook his head. This woman never changed!
"At least stay with Louise. Her family can help you while you heal."
"I'm not welcome there," he said, remembering his conversation with Louise's grandfather. "Besides, whoever shelters me is at risk."
"If you insist. Just be safe, Eren. Here, take this." She pulled out her silver cigarette case and lighter.
"I can't…"
"I can buy more. Use those to wean yourself off slowly. I know how miserable it is to try to stop smoking once you're addicted. Only smoke one a day, understood?"
He took the cigarettes and placed them in the bag. "Thank you. Be safe." Then Eren's eyes turned over to Louise. She had finished tucking Levi in, trying to make him comfortable. She straightened up and met Eren's gaze. She smiled, but he looked anguished.
Carly took a drag on her cigarette. "I really do feel sorry for her. Do her a favor and annul the marriage as soon as the war is over."
Eren frowned, knowing she was right, and walked up to Louise. This poor girl, a victim of the war, and also a victim of love. She and Eren faced one another, both knowing deep in their hearts that it would be the last time they would ever see one another.
Solemnly, Eren told her, "They will either think I'm dead, or they will think I escaped. You may get a letter saying I've been killed in action. Don't believe it, but accept the money and the estate."
"I'll hold onto it for you. Please though…" She had been struggling to stay brave, but her face finally cracked with grief. "Please let me know when you make it to somewhere safe."
He took her hand and gave her icy fingers a squeeze. "I have your address. I may write under another name, but I'll make sure you know it's me." He raised her hand up and kissed her knuckles. "Farewell, Louise, and good luck."
Father Nick crossed himself in blessing. "Que Dieu soit avec vous deux, messieurs." May God be with you both, sirs.
Levi looked up with a feverish face and nodded. "Merci beaucoup." Thank you very much.
Eren straddled the back seat and accepted goggles from Boris. He gave one last wave to Louise, Carly, and the crowd of women, then held on tightly as the motorcycle roared down the road.
Boris called out, "Andere Straßen … nehmen wir … plus de temps, uh, comment dites-vous … längere Zeit, aber wir meiden l'armée." We take other roads, longer time, but we avoid the army.
"Ja, mir wäre es lieber, wenn wir einen weiteren Kampf vermeiden könnten." Yes, I would prefer if we could avoid another fight. The Eren added softly, "I'm done fighting."
As the night air whipped his hair and icy flakes stabbed at his cheeks, Eren gazed out at the growing darkness and listened to the fading sounds of artillery raining over Metz.
It got darker as they went. Eren tried to look down to Levi, but he had slumped over. Eren hoped that only meant he passed out again. For now, he had to hold on and stay alert in case there was any trouble. If they came across Germans, Eren would remove the jacket and show his rank. If they came across Allies, the jacket would stay on, and Boris would speak in French. With any luck, they would not meet soldiers at all.
Of course, Eren's Luck of the Devil had been nothing but vile curses lately.
A few kilometers down the road, they saw a German blockade, and there was no way to go around without looking suspicious.
"Keep going," Eren whispered to Boris. He began to loosen his jacket so the German uniform underneath showed.
The motorcycle pulled up to the roadblock and slowed down. Eren pulled on the hat he had taken from Kitz and tugged it firmly down on his head just as two Germans with rifles stepped forward.
"I am Oberleutnant Eren Jäger. Let me pass."
"What's your business this late at night, Herr Oberleutnant?"
"We're heading to the hospital in Saint-Avold. Is it still under German control?"
"For the moment. Are you coming from Metz?"
"Yes, from the southern forts. The Americans launched a surprise attack. I was shot in the shoulder, and this man was badly wounded," he said, waving down to the sidecar.
They gazed down at Levi, looking pale as death wrapped in blankets. "Who is he?"
"Gefreiter Floch Forster." It was the first name that popped into his head, someone who could not get into trouble if this went badly … not anymore, he realized with anguish. Eren went on, "I was told he needed surgery, but the hospital in Metz was full. I figured it might be faster to get him treatment if we drove to Saint-Avold. I hired this local." He thumbed over to Boris. "He barely speaks German, but at least he had a motorcycle and was willing to drive at night. Unless there's a problem, I need to get my Gefreiter to the hospital. Now! Hurry!" he barked with all the raging authority of a German officer.
The two men nodded and opened the gate, letting the motorcycle pass through. After they were down the road, Eren sighed in relief.
Boris called back to him. "It's good they are Germans, not Americans."
"Yes, and a good thing they don't know about me."
"Are you in trouble?"
Eren chuckled. "I was arrested for loving a Jew."
"That's stupid," Boris said, not caring for more details than that.
They continued on, and after an hour they came to the city of Saint-Avold. Boris drove them up to the hospital and cut his engine. Eren jumped off the back and checked on Levi.
"Levi, wake up. We're here. Levi?" He nudged him. "Levi!"
Boris walked over and felt Levi's neck for a pulse. "He is alive."
Without another word, Boris hoisted Levi up into his arms and carried him inside. Eren followed, opened the door for Boris, and stepped in. He took two seconds to completely shove down all of his fears until the cold face of an officer was all that showed.
The hospital was filled with wounded soldiers. The sight of so many Germans sitting around worried Eren, but he dared not show it.
Bringing a Jew right into the middle of a German military hospital! What the hell was he thinking?
He was glad Levi was unconscious, because he would be calling Eren an idiot the whole time.
Maybe he was an idiot. This was certainly one of his stupidest, most dangerous ideas yet.
He went up to an administration desk. "We're looking for Doctor…" Eren had been repeating the name all day, but now it escaped him. "Zackly? Zachary?"
An old man with a gray beard came forward. "You must be Oberleutnant Jäger. I got a call from my old friend, Father Nick. I've been expecting you. Please, come this way."
They carried Levi into the hospital and through a hallway. With swift, firm steps, the doctor led them straight to a room. Despite the overcrowded halls, this room was empty. He gestured to a bed, and Boris laid Levi down. Just that short trip from the motorcycle to this room, and he already had blood covering the front of his clothes. Boris went to a nearby sink to cleanup while the doctor and two nurses got started on their examination.
"We need a blood transfusion, STAT. Find the chart with notes from Peltre; it has his blood type. Nurse Adolfa, get a surgery room prepped for the other patient. Do you have any breathing problems, blockages of the intestines, heart weakness, issues with the gallbladder or pancreas?"
Eren looked confused. "Do you mean me? No."
"Good. Nurse Gerda, a bottle of Methadone." Once the nurses were gone, the gray-haired doctor pushed up his glasses and looked at Eren. "I can operate on him and provide some follow-up care, but to be honest, the sooner he gets out of here, the better. As for you, I hate to say this, Herr Oberleutnant, but I recommend you leave this city as quickly as you can."
"You want me to leave him behind?" Eren cried out.
"We're getting a lot of soldiers coming in from Metz. I'm afraid one of them might recognize you."
Eren saw the trouble with that. Levi was just some Frenchman, but as an officer, Eren could be recognized.
"Is there anywhere you can go?"
Eren shook his head. "Not really. The priest in Peltre offered to keep me there, but that's too close to Metz. Someone in Mécleuves also offered me shelter, but I'm not willing to put her family's lives in danger." He and Louise had already said their goodbyes. He did not want to endanger her more than he already had. "I saw a vineyard on the road here. I can hide in the cellar."
"Are you determined to stay nearby?"
"I'm not leaving without him," Eren said firmly.
"It may take weeks." Then he sighed and added, "If we have that much time." Just then, Nurse Gerda returned with a bottle of pills. The doctor handed it over to Eren. "This is for pain. No more than three a day, and no alcohol while you take it. If you get feverish, seek me out, but it's a risk to come here. As the fighting in Metz intensifies, so will the amount of soldiers being sent to our hospital."
The other nurse returned. "Operating room is ready, Doctor."
"Prepare to move the patient." He looked over at Eren. "I will need a name for his records."
"Rivaille Martin," Eren blurted out. "He went by that name for a while."
"A good fake name. Eh bien, monsieur Martin," he said to Levi in French, "Nous ferons de notre mieux pour vous aider." We'll do our best to help you.
Eren looked over and was stunned to see that Levi had regained consciousness, gazing at him with one bloodshot, feverish eye. He weakly reached out.
"Eren," he sighed, his voice low and shaking.
He gripped his hand. "I'm not going far. I just can't be in this hospital. I promised not to run away for a week, remember? And I won't. I'll wait for you. A week, a month, however long it takes for you to recover." He leaned in close and whispered, "I'm still your prisoner, right? So I'll wait for you."
"Where?" Levi asked raggedly. "How will I find you?"
"Search the nearby vineyards. I'll take shelter in a cellar. You spent weeks hiding in the attic and my room. Now, it's my turn to hide." He picked up the bag and patted the Tanakh inside. "I'll keep this safe for you, like I always have."
"What if I can't find you?"
"I will wait as long as I can. Through the winter, into spring, as long as it takes for you to heal. If I'm captured … continue on. Reach America. Live the best life you can, Levi. Promise me!"
Levi wanted to protest, but the fever was making him delirious. Nurses began to surround him, shifting him onto a gurney for transportation.
Eren stepped away and wiped aside a tear. He looked up at the elderly man. "Thank you, Doctor."
"The good priest now owes me one. I plan to make him pay with many bottles of his best wine." He laughed lightly and smiled at Eren. "Don't worry. My oath is to heal all who come to me. I don't pay attention to the race, gender, or the flag on the uniform of the patient under my care. Be safe out there. As soon as Metz falls, the Americans will be heading this way. We're on the road to Saarbrücken, after all. Evacuations of the stable patients have already begun, but I can keep him here as a civilian. Still, we don't know if the Germans will flee or take a stand. If they stay, Saint-Avold will be decimated. If you can get him out before the Americans arrive…"
"I understand." He turned to Levi, who was now on the gurney. He wanted to hold Levi's hand, but he saw that they were both wrapped up in bloody gauze. Instead, Eren touched the top of his head.
Levi's remaining eye turned up to him. In weary, broken words, he said, "Cellar. I'll find you. Don't die."
"I will wait a year, if I have to."
"Takhshet," he mumbled, and his eyes began to roll back again.
Eren was ready to cry out, but he had to watch himself here. He could not tell Levi "I love you" in front of these nurses. He could not give him a parting kiss. All he could do was watch as they rolled him out and hurried down the hospital corridor.
The doctor came up and patted Eren on the back. "I wish there was a way for me to tell you if the surgery was a success."
"It will be," he said confidently, and a smile rose on his lips. "He's too stubborn to die."
The doctor left to follow the gurney to an operating room. Eren and Boris went back through the hospital. Eren tried to keep his head down, not wanting to be noticed, but then he heard a soft voice.
"Eren?"
He froze, for one second terrified, until he looked over and saw Armin sitting in a wheelchair. Armin looked confused but glad to see him. Eren knew he should get out of there, but he simply had to rush over and kneel beside Armin.
"You're safe! I'm glad. And it seems they managed to evacuate you safely."
"Why are you here?" Armin whispered, looking around nervously.
"Levi. There's a doctor here who is helping us, but I need to leave."
"Yeah," he said, already calculating how dangerous it was to stay here. He looked over to Boris. "Is he with you?"
"He's Louise's cousin."
"Louise? You got her help?" he cried out in shock. Then Armin looked around as a nurse passed them. He turned to Boris. "Can you wheel me outside so we can talk?"
"Wheel? Outside?" Boris asked, not full understanding.
Eren said slowly, "Please, take him outside with me."
"Ah." Boris nodded and got behind the wheelchair to push it.
"March ahead," Armin told Eren. "The chair will draw attention away from you and onto me."
Eren nodded, not questioning Armin's plans. He walked ahead at a fast pace, while behind him he heard Armin talking rather loudly, telling Boris a fantastical story about how he got injured. Sure enough, it drew attention to Armin, and no one saw the officer in a sling walking just ahead of him.
They made it outside into streets hazy with icy fog. Eren looked up as his breath smoked in the frosty night. Armin came up beside him. Out here, they had a little more privacy, although Eren kept his head down and a wary eye around him.
"What happened after I left?"
"Quite a bit, actually. I slept through most of it, but Connie told me about it. Apparently, they had a whole second rescue mission to save that little girl from the French Resistance."
"And Jean? He never made it to Peltre."
Armin looked alarmed. "I don't know. He led the rescue mission, and then he left. I hope he's okay."
Eren slammed his eyes shut. Poor Annie! "But the rest? Connie and Reiner?"
"Reiner was injured. Connie drove us back to the hospital."
"Connie drove? It's a miracle you survived," Eren muttered with a slight chuckle.
"I wish I had a map I could give you, help you plan a route."
Eren patted Armin on the shoulder. "You've showed me so many maps and discussed so many plans for Levi's escape, I at least know where to go. Head north to Kœnigsmacker, cross the Moselle there, and make it to Luxembourg or Belgium. We just need to find a train heading to a port town, and Levi can go to America."
"That's a plan for him, but what about you?"
Eren knew what he meant. Their discussions had always been for a way a Frenchman could escape, not an AWOL German soldier. "So long as I've got him with me, we'll make it." Eren fully believed that, together, they would find a way.
Armin nodded solemnly. "You should get going before someone recognizes you."
Eren hesitated. It hurt even more to say goodbye than it had earlier, because now the future was uncertain for them both.
Armin slowly raised his hand to his brow and saluted Eren, not with the new salute, but with the old one.
"Danke für Ihre Dienste, Oberleutnant Jäger." Thank you for your service, First Lieutenant Jäger.
Eren could barely lift his shot arm, but he did his best to salute Armin in return.
His final act as a soldier!
Then, before the tears overwhelmed him, Eren turned away. He could hear Armin saying a quiet prayer for God to look out for him. Maybe God would listen to such a good man like Armin.
Eren left with Boris, but now he kept his head down. The doctor's warning that he could be spotted worried him.
Americans would arrest him as an enemy.
Germans would execute him as a traitor.
No place in Europe was safe anymore.
They reached the motorcycle, and Eren decided to sit in the sidecar on their drive out of the city. However, as soon as he sat, he felt something wet. He leaped up and rubbed his moist trousers, only to see blood on his hands. Levi had hemorrhaged all over the seat of the sidecar.
Boris noticed it too and groaned, muttering some curse in French.
"Sorry," Eren mumbled.
"I expected it," Boris said in resignation. "Use the blanket, wipe up what you can."
Eren took one of the blankets Levi had been wrapped in. It was also soaked through on one side where Levi had sat on it. As he wiped up the bloody seat, Eren worried if Levi could really recover from so much blood loss.
They shoved the blanket into the footwell and drove off. Eren openly wore his uniform, realizing it got him some salutes and no one stopped him. It was one advantage to being an officer in the Wehrmacht: no one questioned you.
They returned west, but only a little way before Eren pointed out the vineyard he had seen earlier. Boris let him out. Eren had nothing but his bag of a few meager supplies, a blood-soaked blanket, and a German uniform to wear. At least he was armed with Woermann's Webley and the trench knives.
Boris wished him luck and continued down the road before anyone grew suspicious. Eren crept through the dark, barren field. Frost was on the grapevines. The soil was damp from the storm that had pelted them all week. Mud sucked at his high boots. As he walked toward some buildings, he began to feel a mist falling, dampening his face. He looked up and saw that it was snowing.
He found a cellar, and as quietly as he could, he opened it and slid inside. It was pitch black, so he pulled out the lighter from Carly, flicked it on, and while he was at it, he pulled out a cigarette, enjoying the peace of mind it instantly gave him.
Carly warned him to wean off the cigarettes slowly, but after a day like this, he really needed one!
With the lighter's flame, he saw the basic layout of the cellar and headed straight for the largest casks. He found a place he hoped was hidden out of sight. The winemaker had no real reason to come down there around this time of year, so with any luck he could live there for as long as he needed.
"No food, but plenty of wine to drink," he said, trying to cheer himself up. "Oh, but the doctor said no alcohol while on the painkillers." He looked at the bottom and shrugged. "I can handle the pain. Can't handle the thirst."
He settled into a corner and laid down the bag. Eren sat upright for a moment and prayed. It was hard to pray when so many horrible people existed in this world, and men got away with crimes that were beyond evil. It was hard to think about all who died, and all left horrifically injured.
His head hurt from the concussion he received back in Maizières-lès-Metz. His shoulder burned from the bullet that had ripped through him. Inside the cast, his broken arm throbbed. He bundled up in the blanket, but he could smell the metallic scent of blood.
Levi's blood!
"God, please save him."
After a horrific night and long, emotional day, his whole body was shutting down. Eren collapsed to the side and rested his head on the bag. He could feel the hard edge of the Tanakh under his cheek. That book would now be his one bit of comfort.
With the bloody blanket around him, Eren shut his eyes, relieved to let the darkness wash over him. He said one last silent prayer as sleep sweep him away from all the pain and fears
His and Levi's fates were now in God's hands.
End of Book III
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A huge thanks to my lovely reader (who I shall not name) who sent me a gift: two tins of Scho-ka-kola! One is dark chocolate, one milk chocolate. Both are quite good. My first unboxing video, haha!
youtu =dot= be/1a7JXGuNdYM
Six phrases all American soldiers need to know – Not really a military requirement, but some Americans did try to learn a few key sentences in German or Japanese, depending on which front they were sent to.
- Surrender. — Ergib dich.
- Go to hell. — Fick dich in den Arsch. (lit. "Fuck you in the ass.")
- Don't shoot, I surrender. — Nicht schießen, ich ergebe mich.
- Where can I get beer? — Wo bekomme ich Bier?
- Hitler is a one-nut pansy. — Hitler ist ein Ein-Hoden-Stiefmütterchen. I have no idea if that's even a thing in German, but it's something Americans called Hitler. There's even the song "Hitler Only Has One Ball."
- Do you wanna fuck? — Willst du ficken? Probably not something you'd say in 1940s Germany, but American soldiers in World War II popularized the use of the "F-word."
"copulation without conversation is not fraternization" – A bit of dark history that your grandfather or great-grandpa surely left out. During WWII, there were non-fraternization policies for American soldiers in Germany; i.e. don't flirt with the locals. Soldiers came up with the phrase "copulation without conversation is not fraternization." In other words, if you rape a woman, you're technically not breaking the non-fraternization policies. It was disgusting, yet the phrase was commonly repeated among the American Army. Sometimes they left compensation in order to cover up the crime. If a soldier raped a woman but left her with a Hershey bar or corned beef sandwich, he could walk away feeling like it was just prostitution, and if word got back to his commanding officer, he could claim it was not rape because he had paid for his night with her with food. While Black American soldiers were shot on the spot for rape, very few White American soldiers were ever punished. It's estimated that, between invading Germany, post-war occupation, up to West Germany gaining its sovereignty in 1955, 190,000 German woman (and some boys) were raped by American soldiers, with a total of 860,000 rapes from Western Allies (French, British, Canadian, American.) Add that to two million rapes by the Russian Red Army, and the warning from Goebbels that the Allies would rape and plunder Germany was sadly true.
"A load of shit for the birds" – American idiom from the 1940s, means "a lot of nonsense."
"Patton may slap shell-shocked soldiers" – General George S. Patton became notorious for slapping soldiers with psychoneurosis and combat fatigue, called shell shock in WWI, and what we now call PTSD. Patton did not believe that shell shock was real and felt it was all just signs of cowardice, something that must be beaten out of weak men. When a reporter broke the story, Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered Patton to apologize and threatened to fire him as a commander. For his part, Patton wrote that shell shock was "an invention of the Jews." (General Patton might have been an American hero, but he was anti-Semitic as fuck!)
Getting a Japanese ear in the mail – Yeah … that happened. (Warning: this article has graphic images.)
"His country is gonna be fucked over six ways to Sunday" – The term six ways to Sunday means "in all ways possible." It is distinctly American and fell out of fashion last century, something you now only rarely hear grandparents say, and a few Southern folks (definitely still hear it in my family). The original phrase came about in the mid-1700s as "two ways from Sunday," but it evolved over the years. By the late 1800s, the phrase was "six ways to Sunday." Outside of the USA, you'll get weird looks if you say "I got lost and traveled six ways to Sunday before I found them."
Mercy – a commune south of Metz. Today, there is a large modernized hospital in Mercy, but during the war it was just a château that had been converted into a hospital. The château still stands as a tourist site.
Peltre – a commune west of Mercy. I really loved the look of Église Notre-Dame. I know nothing about the church's use during the war, or even what the commune was like around the time of the Battle of Metz, but I really admire that, during the war, some clergy took the Christian concept of sanctuary seriously and sheltered people whose only crime was being the wrong religion or nationality.
Motorcycles – Eren and Levi ride off on Boris' BMW R6. (I told you we would see it again!) I had to make sure that three people could fit, and I discovered that some had a passenger seat behind the driver. Cool!
Saint-Avold is 8 kilometers from the current German border, and in November 1944, it was part of the German Occupied Territory. So Levi is right, heading there is insane. However, its large hospital was quite advanced in 1944.
Doctor Zackly/Zachary – I made a little pun on the fact that, according to the Attack on Titan wiki, the official English spelling of the premier of the three regiments is Darius Zackly in the manga, but Dhalis Zachary in the anime. So in my story, Eren can't remember the name, and I never clarify which is it. So if you only read the manga, or if you only watch the anime, you know who I'm talking about either way.
…
This is the End of Book III
It's been a long journey. Way TOO long. In my first draft, the entire "Metz Arc" was only supposed to be eight chapters, and I had planned that these would be "acts" in a single story. Instead, I realized they are entire BOOKS in their own right.
In my original draft, the first chapter of the Metz Arc was "Monster in the Closet." (That is now the 16th chapter of Book II.) I had merely written that they arrived in Metz (no road-trip adventure) and then wrote, "Two weeks passed."
Really! Eren and Levi went from "may I kiss you" to suddenly naked and devouring each other in a single chapter!
No Mina, no Pervitin, no promotion to Oberleutnant (because there was no harrowing encounter with Americans on their trip to Metz), no hotel (Eren lived in the barracks), no Lieutenant's Floor, no Carly, no Yelena (not like this), no Louise, no weird confusion between Zofia and Annie (haha… sorry about that), no saying oaths on the rooftop of the Metz Cathedral and exchanging rings…
This huge re-write all began when I realized that I made a historical mistake. Eren would not have been in the barracks with his men, since officers in occupied countries stayed in hotels. I had to design the various officers to fit the roles I had already written for Eren's platoon. Holger took dialogue lines meant for Armin, Daz took a bunch of Connie's lines, Oliver replaced Franz with his talks about his wife and kids, many of the racist rants were given to Greiz, etc.
Speaking of that racist puke-stain, originally Greiz was not an officer. He was some random guy who showed up to confront Nicolo only to get insta-killed by Yelena in her one-and-only appearance. Yelena had merely three lines of dialogue before she was shot and killed by Pieck. I changed this to getting arrested by Magath to fit the manga. (I seriously though Yelena wouldn't make it to the end.)
That first draft lacked the complexity that the Metz Arc became. Seriously … it was only 8 chapters, focused on the Gestapo interrogation, not the impending battle, and I only briefly introduced a handful of new characters.
This shows how first drafts are mere skeletons of your story's true potential.
Originally, Eren and Levi had only two intimate moments, starting with the fancy wine dinner ("A Bottle of Burgundy" without any poisoning) immediately followed by dancing to a gramophone in the streets, a moonlit stroll and getting caught making out by the river by teasing soldiers ("Full Moon") and then they went back to the hotel for their FIRST intimate night ("The Mouth's Blessing"). Shortly after was when they get caught by Kitz Woermann by the river ("Abschiedsgeschenk") followed by the Gestapo interrogation.
No secret message from Zeke, no Nicolo being a spy, Yelena was just some escaped prisoner and not a Resistance leader, the Resistance honestly didn't show up at all.
Damn, did my story evolve!
Originally, I thought their great escape would happen the day Patton launched his first attack on Metz, until I read some more articles and realized just how far away Fort Driant is, and the main attack on Metz would not be until November. Thus, I had to delay their great escape … by nearly two months!
This gave me the opportunity to explore their relationship, letting it grow at a much slower, deeper, cautious pace, rather than going from awkward kissing to blowjobs in a mere two weeks.
Originally, they escaped Metz injured but able to walk. The broomstick injury had been the plan from the beginning (I'm so sorry!) but it was far less severe. That was written back in 2014. As the manga progressed, we saw Levi getting a massive injury, and I just knew I had to add that into my story. As painful as it was for me to put Levi through so much MORE trauma and mess up his beautiful face, it was absolutely the sort of sadistic torture the Gestapo would inflict.
Originally, they did not go to the church in Peltre for a doctor. Boris and the motorcycle were not part of the original draft at all, since Louise wasn't even a character in the manga yet when I began my rough draft. Nor were Holger, Surma, or Wim. There were no Marleyan warriors yet, and Floch was just some minor character.
Realize, I began my work on this story in 2014, before the manga timeskip. Hell, Erwin was still alive when I first began to write this story! Eren would not have his man-bun for many years … which we WILL see coming up. By the time I finished Part One and got started on editing the Metz Arc, the manga was focused on Marley. So I added some of that into the story.
Obviously, I added A LOT to what was originally Act Two: Metz.
As opposed to the easily-digestible 8 chapters and 35,000 words transition scene it once was, the "Metz Arc" turned into two monstrous novels.
Dangerous Territory: Metz — 44 chapters and 388k words.
Dangerous Territory: Lorraine — 33 chapters and 340k words.
Just a wee bit of filling out the plot, haha!
I constantly worried if I was drifting away from my purpose—and I did get some constructive criticism that the road-trip to Metz dragged a bit, which is why I split it into two books—but most of the time, when I thought "hey, what if I add this," it turned out to be the right call.
I mean, can you imagine Levi dressing as a woman WITHOUT the side quest of Eren saving Louise by marrying her, and thus Levi is dressing up as Eren's wife?
Having Levi break his foot was utterly unplanned; in fact, it screwed up a lot of the plot layout, but in the end it worked so well, giving Levi a reason to stay with the French Resistance as he healed.
Eren getting poisoned was honestly added out of nowhere, yet it led to one of the most intense scenes, with Levi fighting in the attic, getting chased out onto the roof, and obtaining a gun which he uses to shoot Duran. It also changed Nicolo from just some restaurant owner to a bad-ass SIS spy.
Levi joining the French Resistance led to more fight scenes, and we got to see him in a militant leadership role … as well as some HOT "prisoner-of-war" role-playing with Eren, haha!
The Battle of Metz was not meant to be the "meat and potatoes" of this story, but like the battle itself, it turned out to be far more interesting than I had anticipated.
The fourth book, Dangerous Territory: Ardennes is already 38 chapters long. I'm curious to see just how far off the rails the plot is going to go this time. Hopefully, each addition is once again the right call for making the story more interesting and educational.
…
LAST WORD
For my own mental health, I will be taking a small break. This year has been rough on me, especially since losing my mother. It's taken a massive emotional toll, which is why I slowed down so much with updating over the past few months. I could really use a rest, a chance to prepare the next few chapters so I can go back to a set schedule, and a slight change of scene.
There's another story that I've been working on just as long as this one; in fact, Moonlessnight126 gave me the plots for both stories at the same time. It's called Stay With Me, and it has Eren and Jean as the main couple.
Set in modern times, it deals with dark issues like homophobia, domestic abuse, toxic workplace environment, cancer, depression, and a broken health care system. (I know … the PERFECT "escape" from I wanted to get this new story up and running before the anime ended and the fandom went dead, but that didn't happen.
So, as I take a little break to get Book Four prepared, I'll be posting what is already finished of Stay With Me.
Hang on to your berets and flat caps! We're getting ready for the Final Book of Dangerous Territory.
(And unlike the anime, it will not be "final season: part one … ugh, don't call it a FINAL SEASON until it's actually the last season of the anime airing. Final act, sure. Final arc, totally. But not final season.)
Thanks for reading, and I'll be back soon.
~:~:~
"Dangerous Territory" Shall Return