The guard fingered his stick. “Go on.”
Heinz almost fell, as he staggered toward his hut. Gavriel was waiting.
“What’s going on? Is it true? You’re being released?” Gavriel asked.
“I’ve no idea. That’s what Stucker said. I have my mother to thank, apparently. Only, she’s dead. Are you getting out too?”
He regretted the question the moment he asked.
His friend’s shoulders sagged. “Not today.”
“Gav, I swear, once I am outside, I’ll do everything I can to get you out.”
“Heinz, you have to get out of Germany. Don’t waste time trying to help lost causes. You have to live. For all of us. Tell the world what’s happening here. You promise.”
Heinz choked back the lump in his throat despite the gleam of tears in Gav’s eyes. They couldn’t lose control.
“Go to the showers. There are some others being released today. You know the drill; shower, shave, and a last, final beating. Mind your head, don’t let them hit you there. And your leg.”
“Gav, stop trying to protect me. I owe you my life. One day I will repay you.”
“Live, Heinz. Find Mama and tell her we are alive and well. Don’t tell her how it really is. You promise?”
Even now, Rachel’s brother was protecting his family.
“I swear.” Heinz embraced Gav. “I will see you again.”
“Not if I see you first,” Gav replied. He walked away without looking back.
With one last look around the hut that had been his home for the last three months, Heinz picked up his stuff and headed for the shower block.
Trudi waited in the village not far from the camp. She had walked near enough to see the watchtowers in the distance and the camp surrounded by electric fencing. She didn’t want to risk going closer in case they changed their minds about letting Heinz go. Herr Hoess had given her his word, but everyone knew how little that meant.
She chose a café near the train station. She wanted to be out of Dachau as soon as possible after Heinz was released. She’d heard too many stories about men being released and then re-arrested, as they took the train back to whatever city they lived in.
She stirred her coffee, wondering what they had used to make it. Still, it was warm, despite the unpleasant taste. She could feel people staring at her. She took her newspaper out of her bag, giving everyone a chance to see she was reading the Völkischer Beobachter. Not that she took notice of what she read; the pro-Nazi newspaper turned her stomach. But it was a form of protection recommended by some people she trusted. The same people who had helped her arrange for Heinz’s freedom.
Two hours passed. The owner of the café had asked her a few times if she wished to buy something else. She couldn’t afford to waste money, so she picked up her paper and walked outside. Should she walk in the direction of the camp? She didn’t have much of a choice, as Heinz didn’t know she was waiting for him.
She walked along, noting her surroundings looked just the same as any other Bavarian town. The townspeople walked about their business as if they weren’t aware of the horrible camp or its purpose, on their very doorstep. Yet they had to know. The Nazis had been using it since 1933.
She spotted a small group of people walking toward her, noting their discomfort. None of them interacted with the townsfolk who also seemed to be ignoring their existence. She quickened her step. As she got closer, she had to squeeze her eyes closed a few times to stop the tears. They all looked as if they hadn’t eaten for weeks and had gotten dressed up in suits far too big for them. They shuffled rather than walked. She searched the faces until she found him. Their gaze locked and as he came to a sudden stop, the man behind him walked into him.
“You!”
Trudi tried to hide her shock, as the man called to her. He wasn’t a man, it was Heinz. A boy, not even fifteen-years-old, yet nobody would believe that to look at him now. He looked older than she did and not just because of the shaved head and eyes that looked too large for his face. She’d heard the rumors of how badly the prisoners were treated and she knew what Mrs. Bernstein had gone through. She wasn’t prepared for Heinz’s facial expression, though. It was as if the horror of the last few months was ingrained on his soul.
“Yes, Heinz.” She stepped closer to embrace him but he put his hands in front, to stop her.
“What are you doing here?”
“Isn’t that obvious? I came to collect you. To take you home to Berlin. Tomas and Liesl miss you. I miss you.”
Heinz glanced behind him. Surely, he wasn’t thinking of going back there. Did he really hate her so much?
“Heinz, the train to Munich leaves shortly. We must hurry.”
She begged him with her eyes to come quietly and not make a scene. The rest of his group had walked on and it was just the two of them, strangers among the townspeople. She didn’t want to risk a confrontation, feeling all too sure the local police would throw him back in Dachau. She didn’t let her mind dwell on her potential fate.
“Heinz Beck. Come on now. For your father’s sake.”
“You know he’s dead.”
Trudi nodded. “They told me. Please, Heinz. Tomas needs you. He hasn’t stopped crying since you left.”
Heinz glared at her. Yes, she had used his brother but given what this had cost her, she wasn’t above using anything. She tried to keep her anger in check. He wasn’t being ungrateful; he couldn’t know how much his release had cost. He was in shock and possibly in pain too.
“I’ll buy some food at a café near the station. I have our train tickets already. Let’s walk. You set the pace.”
“I’m not an invalid, Trudi.”
She didn’t answer but held his gaze. He
