Near Sczceciwek, Poland – 1 September 1939

Jan ran through the forest with the handgun in his hand, zigzagging between the tall, thin trees around him. He was heaving with the weight of the rifle slung across his back. In the distance, the soldiers were shouting and chasing after him. Neither Angelina nor Kevin was around, and he didn't know where they were after they got separated.

The vegetation covering the forest ground grew denser. The leaves of the plants hit Jan's sides as he ran. His pace was slowing, yet the two soldiers chasing him were still on his tail. Jan looked around him and tried to find a place to hide. There was a pile of logs covered all over by moss a few steps away from him. He ran towards it as fast as he could and lay flat on his stomach behind a log, facing the place where he had been standing just a few seconds before. Catching his breath, he unslung the rifle from his back and held it in his hands. It was far heavier in his hands than he'd imagined, and he laid the barrel on the log.

The two soldiers arrived, heaving as they carried their rifles and aimed uncertainly around them. Their weapons were the newer Karabiner 98k kurz rifles, shorter than their predecessor that Jan was aiming towards them. They were still clean, their wooden barrels shining in the sunlight from beyond the treetops. In their greatcoats, they stood tall and imposing. Their young, white faces, blue eyes, and blonde hair were the prime example of the Nazis' so-called "superior" Aryan race. They were in front of Jan, exposing their flanks to him.

"Do you see him?" one asked as he aimed his rifle towards the distance to Jan's right.

"No, where could he have gone?"

"Verdammt! He couldn't have just disappeared."

Jan breathed in and held the cool autumn air in his lungs. He looked down the sight of his rifle and steadied it, aiming it straight at the head of the closest one. As he prepared to pull the metal trigger, a bead of cold sweat dripped down his face. He was slightly trembling, and his heart beat so loudly against his chest that he thought it would burst.

A hand pushed the barrel of his rifle down, bringing his hand with it. He let go of the rifle and quickly rolled over onto his back and tensed his left arm, pulling out the sharp blade out from under his wrist and thrusting it upwards towards whoever or whatever had been behind him. The blade barely missed the head and Jan found his forearm held up by a strong, small grip. Beneath her faded black hood and dark brown hair, Angelina looked at Jan. He relaxed his muscles and let down his arm, tensing it once again to pull back the blade. Angelina put a finger to her lips and nodded, telling him to be quiet. Jan turned his head back. The two soldiers were looking uncertainly in their direction.

"Did you hear that?"

"Ja, it sounded like a knife being pulled out."

"It came from over there, I think."

They started walking towards Jan and Angelina, holding up their rifles with their fingers ready to pull the trigger at any moment. A shadow appeared out the corner of his eye. In a blink of an eye, the farther soldier had fallen onto the dirt, a black mass crouching over him. His comrade turned back and aimed his rifle at it. One moment he exposed his neck, and the next Angelina's blade had pierced it. She had leapt over the logs and rushed towards him. Kevin stood up from the dead soldier beneath him. His right blade was engaged, and it was slick with fresh, crimson blood. Angelina pulled her blade out of the soldier's neck and pushed him. He fell forwards towards the ground, letting his rifle fall as he clutched at his neck. Blood gurgled from his mouth and seeped through his fingers. After a few final spasms, he went limp and stopped moving.

Jan stood up and walked towards them, slinging his rifle across his back. Angelina and Kevin were both sweeping their hands against the air, clearing the blood from their blades, and pulled them back in.

"Do you know why I stopped you, Jan?" Angelina asked him. She turned around to face him as he approached.

"Because Kevin was already about to attack?"

"No, two reasons." Angelina pointed to the two corpses on the ground. "There were two of them. Once you took out one, you'd have to take out the other. But I don't doubt that you'd be able to do that. But if you had done that, the gunshots would've been heard all over. We're near the village." She pointed towards the denser woods in the distance behind them. "It's right over there, behind those trees. If you had shot them, we would've had the entire battalion chasing us."

She turned around and pointed at one corpse towards Kevin, who nodded and picked him up. He carried him back towards the logs where Jan had been hiding and threw it down amongst them. Angelina pointed at the other one while looking at Jan. Jan did the same, while Angelina threw away the rifles. They started moving towards the village, Angelina at their head followed by Jan and Kevin. As they walked, Angelina spoke in a hushed voice.

"Remember, Jan. An Assassin's greatest strength isn't their skill at fighting or shooting. It's stealth."

Coming out of the trees, an array of white houses with thatched roofs lay before them. There were no villagers in sight. In their place, German soldiers went from house to house, breaking down doors that couldn't be opened. Two stood guard at the entrance to the village, facing the dirt road that led into the woods. The golden skull over two bones on their right collars marked them as soldiers of the SS-Totenkopfverbände – the Death's Head Units. Like crows they followed the invasion to spread terror among the innocent people now under the control of Nazi Germany. They did not fight against soldiers, save for the few stragglers. Their job was to kill people, soldier or not, and especially those they deem dangerous to their rule – community leaders, scholars, priests. But on their left arms they wore something that differentiated them from the other Death's Head Units: a black armband with the symbol of a red cross on it. They were no ordinary Death's Head soldiers; they were men of the Hel Battalion, whose allegiance lay not only to Nazi Germany, but also to the Templars Order.

The three Assassins slid behind a pile of logs beside the closest house. They unslung their rifles and slowly brought their heads up, peeking over the wood. Rows and rows of houses stood before them, as far as the eye could see. Some of their doors had been broken down, and clothes and furniture lay in front of them in disarray, thrown out of their homes. Others had soldiers outside, waiting as their comrades ransacked it.

"What are they doing?" There was at least two dozen of them in sight.

"They're looking for something," Angelina said, squinting her eyes. "Look, in the distance."

Jan and Kevin directed their eyes towards where she was pointing. There were people marching in line, barely visible. Like a pack of wolves, the soldiers stood on their flanks, holding up their rifles and shouting at them to keep moving.

"They're bringing everyone there." Angelina moved towards the back of the house and gestured for them to follow. "We need to get there."

They made their way around the house and through the village. They used the walls and shadows to their advantage, moving from cover to cover, hiding whenever a patrol came too near and silently running whilst they weren't looking. Jan lost track of how many soldiers they had passed. All in all, there might've been a hundred or more of them, merciless, cruel, and armed to the teeth.

They reached a plaza surrounded by houses and shops with a small church at its head. They hid behind barrels next to the house closest to the church. The villagers were all sitting on the ground, surrounded by no less than twenty soldiers. Men, women, and children cowered at the sight of their rifles and bayonets. Babies and toddlers clung to their mothers, crying, who desperately tried to calm them down, not knowing what the soldiers would do if the cries continued.

More of the soldiers stood in front of the church, guarding its entrance and keeping a close eye on the villagers. Three more stood near a man in a peaked cap wearing a greatcoat as he observed the villagers. They were speaking in low voices and they strained to hear what they were saying, to no avail. He had his back to them, showing only the short, dark brown hair on the back of his head.

At the sound of dragging feet, they turned around and faced the church. Two soldiers were dragging out a priest by his arms. Another soldier walked in front of them. They walked towards the officer in the peaked cap. When the villagers realised who it was that was being dragged out of the church, a stifled cry came out of them. The commotion grew louder as they spoke amongst themselves or to the guards around them. The officer paid them no heed and cast his eyes on the priest whose head was down. The soldier walking in front stopped before the officer and extended his right arm into the air, his hand straightened – the Nazi salute.

Just then, a man stood up from among the villagers and shouted at the officer. He pointed his finger towards the priest, whose head was still dangling forward. Jan did not understand what he said for he spoke in Polish, but the words nonetheless were sharp and rough. The officer looked at him with a dull expression in his eyes. Whether he did not understand what he was saying, or he did not find it particularly interesting, Jan didn't know. The man's rage-filled curses were cut short when one of the nearby guards came to him. With all his strength, the soldier brought the butt of his rifle towards the man's face. He fell backwards onto a group of villagers, who caught him. His face was bruised, and blood flowed out from his mouth.

"Quiet!" hissed the soldier, spitting at the ground in front of the man.

The officer turned his attention back to the priest.

"Guten Morgen, Vater." The officer spoke in a low voice and made a small bow of the head. "How are you?"

The priest slowly lifted up his head. From where they were hiding, his face wasn't visible. But there were bruises and patches of dried blood on the side of his face. The priest looked straight in the officer's eyes.

"You don't look too well, Vater. I apologise, it seems that my men have once again gone too far." The officer turned his head towards his men. His eyes circled around, looking at his soldiers. "How many times have I told you not to be too rough with our hosts?" His tone was dry and sarcastic, and in response his men chuckled and smiled. He crouched, bringing his face close to the priest's.

"I'm sorry to disturb you and the village, Vater, but I have need of your aid." His smile sent shivers down Jan's spine. "Where is the artefact? We know it is here, in this village. We know you've been hiding it. We just don't know exactly where. We would be very grateful if you could help us in this regard." Though he smiled, his eyes were creased and serious.

For a moment, the priest said nothing. He looked at the soldiers surrounding him, and then cast his attention back to the officer.

"I do not know what you are talking about, sir," the priest said, his German thick with a Polish accent. "We are a small village. We only chop trees and raise farm animals, and our church is a small one. There is nothing here but logs, pigs, chickens, cows, a church, and its old priest. There is nothing special here, sir. Please spare us. We'll give you anything."

"I've told you what we need, Vater. The artefact that is inside your church." His face retained his cold smile, but the priest would not answer. Seeing this, he nodded his head and stood up. "Very well. Perhaps a little more persuasion is required." He turned around and signaled to the sergeant standing near the villagers. The sergeant nodded and turned to his men surrounding the villagers.

"Bring up ten of them!"

At his command, the guards moved forward, standing above the villagers cowering in fear. Each of the five guards pointed at two and told them to step forward. The villagers all hesitated and sat still, looking around at each other. When they did not move, the soldiers pointed their rifles at them and shouted at them to move. The villagers screamed and shouted. Children and babies cried louder as the ten men and women were dragged or pushed towards the church. There they stood in a line facing the officer and the priest.

"Leutnant," said the officer, without turning his head, looking at the ten villagers in front of him.

"Jawohl!" shouted the lieutenant, raising his hand in a Nazi salute.

At that, ten soldiers who had been standing by the side marched forward and each stood a few paces in front of one villager. They aimed their rifles at the villagers, and a great cry arose among the villagers in the back. Some of them stood up, begging and crying in Polish. Jan could not understand them, but it was clear what they were speaking of from their faces. Those who stood up were told to sit down, and when they didn't, were either pushed down or would meet the butt of a rifle.

The officer raised his hand to signal them to halt and turned back towards the priest. His head was now looking forwards, his eyes frantically going from one villager to another. He was shaking, and the tremor reached his hands, still held up by the two soldiers.

"Now, let's try this again, Vater." He crouched in front of the priest and looked into his eyes. "Where is the artefact? My men have searched throughout the church, but they could not find it." He pointed towards the ten villagers. "I, and these people, would greatly appreciate your aid."

The priest looked down and spoke in a low voice. The officer turned his head so that his ear was facing towards the priest and asked him to repeat what he had said. The priest spoke once again. The officer, satisfied, smiled at him and stood up.

"Damn it, what did he say?" Angelina cursed.

"See? That wasn't too difficult." The officer called over the lieutenant and whispered something into his ear. The lieutenant nodded and ordered his men to stand down. The officer then led half a dozen soldiers into the church followed by the two soldiers dragging the priest, leaving behind the villagers.

"We have to get in," Angelina said, immediately moving towards the side of the church. "Let's go."

Angelina went first, scaling the aged wooden wall of the church as quick as lightning and climbing onto the roof. She crouched and kept her profile as small as she could. Jan came after, followed by Kevin. They ran over the roof, keeping their footsteps light as they made their way behind the church tower where the soldiers in front would not be able to see them.

They stood with their backs to the wall. Angelina peeked around the corner of the tower, checking if any of the soldiers had seen them. Save for the few marching soldiers, everything was as it had been. Satisfied, she sighed and turned to Jan and Kevin.

"Alright. Let's go. I'll go first. Jan, you come after me. Kevin, you go last." Without waiting for their reply, Angelina quickly leapt and climbed the wall. Skillfully she grasped the notches and openings, making her way up without a sound. He stared in awe of her agility. Kevin tapped him on his shoulder, shaking him back to reality. He quickly went after her and followed where she had placed her hands and feet.

Pulling himself over the wall, Jan found himself on the top of the tower beside the rusted church bell hanging from its roof. Angelina crouched behind the front wall, peeking through to see the soldiers down below. Kevin came not long afterwards, and the three of them gathered, crouching.

Nodding to each other, Angelina went down the ladder into the church first. Leaping down, Jan found himself standing on a dusty wooden balcony overlooking the pews. They edged closer towards the edge. The soldiers were pulling up the wooden boards on the altar. They piled up the boards on the side as two of them went into the hole that appeared underneath. The officer watched on, the smile that had been on his face gone, replaced by a cold, hard expression. He kept his eyes on the hole, squinting.

One soldier came up the hole, his sleeves and face smudged with dirt. He looked around and pulled himself up. He turned around and leaned into the hole, pulling something out of it. Jan's sight was blocked by his body. He pulled it up and patted it, sending dust flying to one side. The other soldier pulled himself up, and they made their way to the officer.

The soldier slightly struggled under the weight of the box. It was dark grey and even from the distance the intricate carvings were ancient and beautiful. Standing before the officer, he presented the box. The officer's eyes widened and his hand, trembling, slowly brushed over the top. Cautiously, he opened the box. At his first try, it would not open. It was heavy, and the top would not open. After putting in all his strength, it opened with a loud creak.

As soon as he did, a bright light shone onto his face. His mouth gaped and his eyes widened even further. All the soldiers around him lowered their rifles and looked at it. They stepped back, not sure whether to be astonished or terrified. The priest covered his face with his hands and cried out in Polish. The officer began to smile.

"You have never seen this, have you, Vater?" He didn't take his eyes off the artefact.

"No… It has been buried here for generations… What have you done? What calamity will you bring upon us?"

The officer chuckled and closed the box. The room suddenly became dark as the light receded. He took in a breath, still smiling widely. Jan turned to Angelina, but she was still intently watching the soldier. He edged closer to her and whispered.

"Angelina, should we take it?"

"There's a battalion of Nazis out there. We won't make it." She kept her eyes on the box.

The officer started to walk out, puffing out his chest and striding confidently. The priest turned his head and followed him with his eyes, then stood up.

"What will you do with it?"

The officer stopped. He turned around and cocked his head at the priest.

"My apologies, Vater, but that is not something I can, nor would, inform you of. But worry not, it shall be put to good use, for the benefit of all mankind. We will be one step closer towards peace and order. Know this, Vater, that your cooperation has played a part in that." He pointed his finger at the priest. "You have played a part in saving the human race."

"You have what you came here for. Will you spare us now?"

"Of course." He stepped towards the priest. "Thank you for your help, Vater. I will spare you and this village."

The priest sighed and looked down in relief, putting his hand on his chest.

"I will spare you all from further suffering." He took out his handgun and shot the priest in the head. The priest fell backwards onto the altar floor, blood flowing out of the hole in his head. Jan's heart almost jumped out of his chest from the sound of the gunshot.

"Unteroffizier." The officer called out as he turned to go out of the church.

A soldier came trotting up to his side and saluted.

"Spare the villagers from further suffering as well." He put his gun back in the holster. "That is to say, execute them all."

"Jawohl!" shouted the soldier, before running out of the church.

Jan tensed up his arms, engaging his hidden blades, and ran towards the wall facing the front of the church and peeked through the gaps of the wooden boards. The soldier was speaking to the lieutenant who then barked his orders to his men. They started moving, surrounding the villagers and unslinging their rifles. Jan turned to Angelina; whose eyes were still locked onto the box slowly making its way out of the church.

"Angelina, we have to do something. Those villagers are going to die!"

"Quiet, Jan."

Jan didn't believe what he was hearing. He made his way next to her and spoke again.

"Angelina, they're going to shoot all the villagers."

"There's nothing we can do, Jan."

"But- "

Angelina turned her head towards him, her eyes sharp and annoyed. "And what exactly do you plan to do? Do you see how many soldiers are out there? Don't be stupid. The only thing you're going to be able to do is die along with them. You might kill a few Nazis while you're at it, but in the end, you'll still become a corpse just like the rest of them.

"There's something bigger at stake here. Remember? The box? I don't know what the hell that is, but I do know we can't let the damned Templars get a hold of that box. The villagers are going to die, yes. There's nothing we can do, except to let it happen. That might sound cruel to you, but that's just how the world works. You can't save everyone."

Jan's heart dropped. And then there were gunshots, screams. He moved towards the front, but Angelia caught him by the shoulder.

"Don't look. You're only going to make it worse for yourself."

Men and women were shouting, screaming, begging for their lives. Babies and children cried, only to be followed by another volley of gunshots, and afterwards silence. Tears started forming in Jan's eyes, and his head felt as if it was going to burst. His breathing was ragged, as ragged as the day his father had died.

"They're going out. This is our chance. The soldiers are distracted with the shooting. Jan, stay up here. Me and Kevin will jump down, take the box, and throw it back up. Then we make our way back up the tower, run down to the back of the church and lose them in the woods." She turned to Kevin. "Ready?"

Kevin nodded. Jan tried to calm himself down and kept his eyes fixed on the floor below. He tried to shut out the cries and shooting. Angelina and Kevin stood at the edge of the balcony. The soldiers carrying the box walked towards the door. As the box came right under them, Angelina and Kevin leapt down, blades flashing and the hem of their coats flying.

Angelina fell onto the soldier carrying the box, crushing him on the floor and burying her blades in his neck. Kevin fell on the man next to him, doing the same. Moving quickly, they got up and aimed at their blades at the necks of the two remaining soldiers. A blade went through one's jaw, punching through his tongue. His eyes went wide. As Angelina pulled out the blade, she stabbed him again in the neck and kicked him back. He fell between the pews, spasming and gurgling blood. Kevin's blades entered the other man's neck, just as he was moving his rifle to block his attack. There were running footsteps in front of the church.

"Major Hessel! We found several guards guarding the road dead! They'd been stabbed!"

Jan looked towards the front and the officer turned back, his face pale and his eyes wide.

"Assassins! Get them! Secure the box! We cannot lose it! Kill them!"

The soldiers started turning around and aiming their rifles at the church.

"Jan!" Angelina shouted from down below.

She threw up the box and jumped behind a pew just as the shots began to come. Kevin leapt sidewards and climbed up the wall and onto the balcony. Angelina gritted her teeth and did the same, quickly climbing onto the balcony. Kevin went up the ladder first and turned around at the top of the tower. As Jan threw the box to him, the soldiers rushed inside the church and looked around.

"There! On the balcony!"

Shots rang out around Jan. He ducked and tried to avoid the gunshots. Angelina stood up, holding her Luger pistol. She started shooting back, and one of the soldiers fell as a shot hit his chest. At that, they ran between the pews and crouched.

"Go!" she screamed at Jan.

"They're going up the tower!" shouted one of them as Jan pulled himself over the top of the tower.

A painful scream followed a shot before Angelina pulled herself up.

"Let's move!"

They jumped over the handrail and onto the roof, running towards the back of the church. As they leapt down onto the clear patch of ground before the forest, a pair of soldiers each appeared from the sides of the church and shot at them. The three Assassins ran fast towards the forest and disappeared among the trees, shots hitting the trunks and bushes around them.

"They went into the forest!"

"Go after them, you idiots!"

The soldiers followed them into the forest, rifles at the ready. The three Assassins ran as fast as they could through the forest, jumping over the rocks, fallen logs, and brooks that came in their path. Jan looked back over his shoulder. In the distance, the soldiers desperately chased after the trio. At first, there was only four, but soon several more soldiers came out of the trees. Jan ran faster and caught up to Angelina.

"Where are we going?"

"Later. We have to lose them first."

A shot hit a tree nearby, and Jan looked in the direction it came from. Three soldiers came out of the dense trees on their left. Two were running towards them, one was reloading his rifle. Behind them in the distance, obscured by the trunks and leaves was a small jeep parked by the side of a small path. The lights were still on and the doors open.

"Angelina! They're trying to flank us!"

Angelina turned her head towards the soldiers and cursed under her breath. She turned to Kevin. "Are you okay with the box?"

Kevin nodded as he continued running, not saying a word and not turning his head. He held the box under his arm on his side, running faster than both Angelina and Jan.

"Jan, keep the box safe, I'll try to deal with those two!"

Angelina stopped and took cover behind a tree. She unslung her rifle. She closed her eyes and steadied her breath, and then stepped out of cover. The soldiers stopped in their tracks and quickly tried to aim their rifles at her. As they raised the barrels, a shot rang out and one of them fell on their side, their chest quickly turning read. He screamed and desperately held onto his shirt, trying to stop the bleeding. The other soldier looked at his comrade and quickly ran behind a tree as Angelina shot again.

For a moment, Angelina and the soldier traded shots. She'd go behind the tree, reload, step out, and shoot. The soldier did the same. The soldier shouted at his comrades who were approaching in the distance. "I need backup! The bastard's shooting!"

More soldiers came. They took cover behind trees and rocks, and some crouched and lay on the forest floor, shooting at Angelina. Angelina kept shooting back. Three soldiers had fallen by her shots. But more and more kept coming. They started coming from different directions, slowly encircling her. At this rate, she wasn't going to make it.

"Kevin! Angelina's in trouble!"

Kevin looked back his shoulder towards Angelina and then at Jan. Jan pleaded with his eyes, and he nodded. Together, they both turned their heels and ran in Angelina's direction. Taking up positions behind two trees, they unslung their rifles. Looking at Jan, Kevin held up his hand in a fist, telling him to wait. He pointed at Angelina, and Jan nodded.

"Angelina!"

Angelina looked up from reloading. "What the hell are you doing? I told you to run! Get the hell out of here and get that box to safety!"

"We're not leaving you. Come here, we'll cover you!"

Angelina gritted her teeth, annoyed at their insistence of not leaving her behind. She peeked left and right. There were at least a dozen soldiers shooting at her now, not including the three she had shot. She sighed and nodded at Jan.

Jan nodded back and turned to Kevin. In unison, they stepped out of cover and started shooting at the soldiers in the distance. Some of the soldiers who had not been in cover jumped at the sudden shots. They quickly ran for cover, and Jan shot one in the side as he ran. Angelina took her chance. She stepped out of cover, fired a shot, and ran towards Jan and Kevin, who were still shooting. By the time she was almost there, the soldiers had recovered and were shooting back. The two Assassins kept shooting, going into cover only to reload and then going out again. Two more fell to Jan's shots, but in the distance more of them were coming.

Angelina passed them, running further from the soldiers. Jan and Kevin fired their last shots before running after her. The soldiers shot after them, but most of their shots went wide. Coming out of the trees, they came upon a dirt road going through the forest.

"Where do we go?" Jan asked, looking back towards the forest, aiming his rifle.

The sound of approaching vehicles interrupted them. They looked to their side. A car and truck in the distance were coming quickly towards them. A shot came from the car and hit the ground next to Jan's feet. With the soldiers approaching them from behind and the car and truck on their side, the Assassins started running into the other side of the forest. It was not as dense, with a lot of space and clearings in between the trees. The truck stopped when the Assassins began running, and a squad of soldiers quickly ran out, following them. The car turned into the forest and drove through the clearings.

Jan looked behind his shoulder. The soldiers that had been chasing them before had come out of the forest. They were now being pursued by more than two dozen soldiers and a car. Most of their shots went wide, but more and more hit nearby trees and the ground near their feet. The car started to have a hard time navigating the trees and had to reverse and turn sharply several times. Eventually, they stopped and got out of the car, running at the head of the chase.

A shot rang out, followed by a thud as Kevin fell to the ground. Kevin grunted as he covered the wound on his thigh. His hand was quickly coated by a thick layer of dark red blood. The soldiers from the car were coming close to him and reloading. Kevin pulled out his gun with his other hand and shot at them. One fell as a shot hit his chest, and the others took cover. Angelina and Jan started running to Kevin.

"Jan! The box!" Angelina shouted at him. The box had fallen from Kevin's grip and was laying a few paces near his feet.

Jan nodded and ran towards it. As he was about to grab it, a cloud of dirt and dust hit his eyes. A shot hit the ground not far from his face. More shots rained down around him. He fell back and tried to bring himself up again. As he raised himself, a bullet grazed his arm. He screamed, and instinctively covered the wound with his hand. When he pulled his hand away, it was covered in blood.

"Jan!" Angelina shouted from behind him as she helped Kevin walk.

In front of him, the soldiers were coming near. Many had stopped and were taking cover, firing from behind logs and rocks. Jan took out his gun and started shooting blindly at them, the pain making his hand tremble and his head spin a little. Every time he tried to approach the box; the soldiers would focus their shots on it.

"Jan! Just leave it!" Angelina shouted from far behind him, hiding behind a tree and shooting her rifle.

Jan looked at the box, and back at Angelina, and at the soldiers. His eyes went back and forth between the three. He hesitated. Nothing seemed to be the right option. He stood up and took cover behind a tree. The forest was filled with the sound of gunfire. This must be what a warzone feels like.

Angelina was still shouting for him to run, but Jan tried one last time to get the box. A volley of shots hit greeted him. He pulled back his hand and screamed. Clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, he ran towards Angelina, shooting blindly behind him.

When he reached her, she lent herself to support Kevin and they started walking further into the forest where the trees started becoming denser again. Jan kept shooting back with his gun, covering their retreat. Before he turned to run, the soldiers were surrounding the box and shooting after him. A soldier ran towards the box, grabbed it, and ran back.

Jan turned away his head and started running, a few steps behind Angelina and Kevin. The shots fizzled out as the soldiers stopped following them. Jan was still gritting his teeth, and tears started forming in his eyes. Images of the villagers and the box flashed before his eyes. He wanted to scream.

Notes

Guten Morgen – good morning

ja – yes

jawohl – yes, sir

Leutnant – lieutenant

SS-Totenkopfverbände – literally "Death's Head Units", units of the SS (Schutzstaffel) who joined the Invasion of Poland to terrorise the Polish people and murder Poland's political leaders, aristocrats, businessmen, clergy, intellectuals, Jews. They later became the unit responsible for guarding and running concentration and extermination camps.

Unteroffizier – literally "subordinate officer", roughly equivalent to corporal during World War II. Now roughly equivalent to sergeant. wiki/Corporal#Germany

Vater – father

verdammt – damn