Faces
There was one more deadly thump on the door before it was burst open. The door fell to the ground, and instantly soldiers flooded into the room. The general followed, bringing into the room a sense of raw power. His eyes met four stars of David—one on a father, a mother, a young boy, and a little girl. They huddled in the corner and the father shielded his family by standing in front of them. Only three of the family members looked upon the general in a dark horror; the father’s gaze remained pointed towards the floor.
With a single flinch of the general’s head, the family was separated. The girl’s screams were like knifes against chalkboards, but the general was not moved. The boy tried to maintain a death-tight grip on his mother’s hand, and the mother only sobbed for mercy and repeated her son’s name over and over. A soldier slapped the mother hard across the check, sending her reeling. The father did not budge. In a moment the son was taken, and the little girl was next. She cried out for her mother and kicked violently against the air as she was dragged away. The mother was grabbed by the arm and pulled away from her husband, who now stood alone in the corner.
The general held the father at gunpoint, whose eyes were fixed on his family lined up against the wall. The general gave a slight, curt nod. Three soldiers cocked their guns before unloading them on the three victims. The sound of the gunshots mingled with the lingering sound of the little girl’s last scream, until the two sounds became one haunted melody in the air. There were three sickening thuds.
The father’s head fell as he silently watched his family shot and killed before his eyes. Then the general raised his pistol. “You have betrayed your own flesh and blood to the Third Reich,” the general said triumphantly to the father. “And now you shall join them in an everlasting hell.”
At last, the father’s head rose to meet the general’s proud and shameless face. Instantly, the general gasped as he stepped back in a trembling fear. Impossible, the general thought…for the face on the father was his own.
He aimed the pistol, turned his head away, and pulled the trigger.
With a single flinch of the general’s head, the family was separated. The girl’s screams were like knifes against chalkboards, but the general was not moved. The boy tried to maintain a death-tight grip on his mother’s hand, and the mother only sobbed for mercy and repeated her son’s name over and over. A soldier slapped the mother hard across the check, sending her reeling. The father did not budge. In a moment the son was taken, and the little girl was next. She cried out for her mother and kicked violently against the air as she was dragged away. The mother was grabbed by the arm and pulled away from her husband, who now stood alone in the corner.
The general held the father at gunpoint, whose eyes were fixed on his family lined up against the wall. The general gave a slight, curt nod. Three soldiers cocked their guns before unloading them on the three victims. The sound of the gunshots mingled with the lingering sound of the little girl’s last scream, until the two sounds became one haunted melody in the air. There were three sickening thuds.
The father’s head fell as he silently watched his family shot and killed before his eyes. Then the general raised his pistol. “You have betrayed your own flesh and blood to the Third Reich,” the general said triumphantly to the father. “And now you shall join them in an everlasting hell.”
At last, the father’s head rose to meet the general’s proud and shameless face. Instantly, the general gasped as he stepped back in a trembling fear. Impossible, the general thought…for the face on the father was his own.
He aimed the pistol, turned his head away, and pulled the trigger.
posted by Alexander at 7:15 PM
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