Fatal Crossroad (Attn. Hanna)

[Franz Albrecht]

Northern Ukraine, November 1943

The rumble of distant artillery echoed in the distance. It constantly shook the earth, clearly a battle was taking place somewhere on the front. A large convoy moved towards the rear under the cover of darkness, with it strolled dozens of wounded men barely able to carry themselves. This crossroad was in terrible condition, it was nothing but ruts and mud from so many heavy vehicles using it in poor conditions. Franz watched in silence as men and steel retreated toward the Polish Border. The Russians were giving them a hell of a beating. The Wehrmacht was forced to keep falling back repeatedly, the end was coming and it wouldn’t be long before they were driven back to the homeland. All positions were ordered to stand and fight, some did, others ignored the order and fell back to regroup.

Franz’s Anti-Partisan unit was being disbanded and its men were being folded into combat formations. The SD officer had been transferred from the East to somewhere in France, He was glad to be far away when the curtain fell. Before Albrecht could leave he had some final orders that had to be carried out, it would be his last action on the Ost front. An SS-Oberscharführer spoke while standing directly behind Franz, “Herr Untersturmfuhrer, we are ready”. Franz turned and was followed by the NCO away from the road toward the forest. The sound of vehicles faded away leaving the two men in silence as they crossed a field. Suddenly a voice could be heard, they yelled in German, words that Franz couldn’t make out yet. Roughly a minute later they arrived at the edge of the forest, Franz lit a cigarette as he stared at the scene in front of him.

The SS had forced prisoners to dig a long ditch. Along the outside of the ditch several individuals were knelt down facing the open pit. Albrecht took a few steps forward in order to have a glance into the hole. Five or six bodies were already inside, most of them had been shot in the back of the head. These people were political prisoners or enemies of the state. The local Gestapo prisons had to be cleared out and administration didn’t want them transferred, it was easier to dispose of them. Franz finished his cigarette – he tossed the butt in the pit and removed a Luger from a holster on his right hip. He glanced at the Einstatzgruppen guards who followed his every move with their eyes. Albrecht took a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, when he opened his eyes the SD officer walked down the line firing a shot into the back of each victims head. The lifeless corpses went limp then rolled into the ditch on top of the others.

The forest was left in eerie silence after the seven shots had ceased. A grave detail rushed across the field wielding shovels. Franz turned to the Oberscharführer who had fetched him, “I have a train to catch. You are in charge, Schuhmacher is it?” The NCO responded, “Yes Herr Untersturmfuhrer!”. The SS Non-commissioned officer appeared enthusiastic and very young, he had obviously been a replacement from the Hitler Youth. After a final glance at the massacre Franz rushed back toward the road where a KfZ. 15 Horch waited to take him to the train station. The last couple of years had been a nightmare, it was finally coming to an end.

France, December 1943..

Cigarette smoke lingered throughout the room. The band played a soft classical tune in a corner of the lavish French restaurant. Dozens of people were seated enjoying their dinner and drinks before curfew came into effect for the evening. Franz watched the gentlemen and ladies from his own table at the back of the restaurant. He had the chicken with wine sauce and vegetables for dinner, it was exquisite in his opinion. The France assignment was far better than his activities with the Einstatzgruppe on the Eastern front. It was even better than his postings in Warsaw and Belgium early in the war. Aside from the raids his superiors were paranoid that a second front may open. Rumor had it the allies were planning an invasion of the French coast. Franz had been busy during his short time in France seeking out intelligence on local resistance cells. The probability of a second front opening was great, it would happen very soon. Franz had heard the fighting in Italy was tough but Germany was putting up stubborn resistance. Albrecht had little respect for the Italians, they didn’t care for the war nor were they much use.

Franz removed the napkin from his lap and tossed it on his empty plate. He got to his feet after leaving the cash for his food on the table. It was nearing the holidays so he decided to tip rather generously tonight. After retrieving his coat and cap the SD officer exited the busy establishment to be met by his new driver. SS Rottenfuhrer Joseph Himmel, Himmel greeted him with the usual right handed salute, “Heil Hitler”. Franz lazily returned the salute with a flick of his wrist, “Evening Himmel”. The SS man responded, “Evening Sir! How was your dinner?”, Albrecht replied, “Very well, thank you for asking. Rather cold out tonight yes?”.

A fresh blanket of snow covered the streets and buildings that surrounded the restaurant. The streets were slushy and very slippery, cars had been sliding around the city all day. Some came pretty close to ending up in a collision. The street lights gave off a yellow glow, snowflakes became visible in their light as they drifted toward the ground. Franz took a deep breath of fresh air, finally he could relax and experience peace. Franz was feeling content and pretty buzzed off the expensive wine he had ordered inside. Some of the patrons began to leave, they were mostly civilians or people associated with the Nazi Party in one form or another. Franz looked at Himmel, “How long have you been in France?” The soldier replied, “I have been driving SS officers for one and a half years, roughly”- he shifted his feet in the snow. Albrecht nodded slowly as he removed a package of cigarettes from inside his greatcoat. He took one for himself then offered the open pack to Himmel, “Smoke?”. Glancing over his shoulder Franz noticed the streets were deserted. Music still played from inside, some of the customers had permission to remain out after curfew.

[Deleted]

Cold air seeped in from the cracks of the dusty window. The room reeked of stale, dry air and water damaged walls. The surrounding seemed to have lost their golden days to age and misuse. The room was a bit comfortable, but sweltering hot at times. A young woman, no older than 23, sat in the dead center of the rickety queen. It appeared that she emersed in deep thought or just trying to tolerate the poor conditions of the cheap inn she rented for the night. The woman could clearly hear the questionable noises the danced through her right wall and the radiator, struggling to supply sufficient heat. This place was far from paradise, but was enough of a place for the woman to rest her head in peace.

It was clearly out of her best interest to escape to a foreign land with charm and steep history, but she forgot the detail that she was surrounded by the people she dispised. No the French were not a concern to her, she can relate to the constant struggle of protecting one's homeland, but alas she takes no pity in the lack of fight they pose against the enemy. No, the true weed were the Nazis. Sometimes the woman questioned her motives in massacuring a dangerous group of humans. She obiviously did know of any personally, nor does her home country drink their blood from their skulls, but at times she stops and remembers what Aleski told her. What the old man told her about her father and her mother. The woman stopped all deep thinking and shifted off of the worn matress, letting her petite feet touch the dingy carpet. The woman decided that it was a good move to get some fresh air, to clear her mind. The femme slipped on her black flats and made her way to the dirty window. Before letting more air enter the small room, she used the long sleeve of her tunic to clean off one of the glasses. Her curiosity peaked as she looked out of the clear spot, onto the snow-covered road below. It seemed disolate and abandoned, she knew that the SD held the curfew in front of the citizens of the town. It was something to fear, if you lack the proper documentation to bail you out. But that did not bother the female, she prefered the challange of wandering the streets.

The woman opened the windowpane, a gust of snow and icy wind slapped her fair skin. She did not flinch a bit. Her brown eyes viewed the sight of a iron railing balcony just outside her window. The woman analyised her future movements and how to return without upset. It took awhile, but a plan was sketched in her brain. The female crouched down just enough to not bump her head on the windowpane and placed one foot in a slush of snow. Quickly she retracted it and stepped back into the room; she looked around, looking for something. After minutes of scanning, the woman laid eyes on her two daggers. They were not fancy or flashy, but they could cut through flesh and slice bone. The female made her way to where they were casually placed, she delicately wrapped both daggers in cloth and hid them among her clothing. Without any further hesitation, the woman made her way out onto the balcony and made her way down in fluid motions.

In seconds both her feet were planted on the road. Her eyes scanned the dark, lifeless street before proceeding to her right. The female walked in a random direction, the cold marrying the warmness of her breath, releasing wisps of clouds with each exhale. With arms folded acrossed her small chest, she leisurely drank in the various buildings and landmarkings. It was something magical seeing things at night, something the most would either ignore or prefer to see in daylight. The female walked, only hearing the sounds of the wind howling and maybe some chattering here and there. Wait chattering? It was strange to hear human speech this late at night. Mostly people would deadbolt their doors and draw their curtains, but no actual talking. This made the female wonder as she slightly changed her course and followed the noise.

Her feet took her to a nice looking building. Music swirled trough the air as some people were merry and bright. They appeared to be citizens or officers of some kind, but something- no someone- caught her focus. The female carefully made her way closer to the hubbub, her eyes did not decieve her. With a closer view she saw two men dressed in garb conversing and smoking near a car. This all seemed out of place for the woman, the pieces did not fit, but with further inspection it was who she thought it was... Gestapo. It became clear who they were, but she lacked the details. She reached for her back and pulled put the cloth. Was she really going to cause trouble? She was undetected for a few days now, was she going to ruin it and risk being killed or captured?

The woman continued to unwrap the cloth, exposing a shiny dagger. The woman slowly postioned herself where she could be seen, and yet have a good getaway. The female hesitated a bit and watched the two men, they appeared to be talking, oblivious to the danger near them. A smirk appeared on the woman's chapped lips as she looked down at the dagger once more before throwing it at one of the men's heads. It obviously missed by a hair, but it was enough to startle them. The female let out a chuckle to herself as she backed away a bit, allowing time for the men to see her before bolting sharply in the direction she came.

[Franz Albrecht]

During the conversation a blade suddenly whipped through the air, it went right between them and kept going down the street. Franz dropped to a crouch, his hand instantly flew to his right hip. There he withdrew a Luger pistol, his driver did the same. Suddenly Himmel gained a visual on the attacker, “There!”, he leveled his aim then squeezed the trigger once, *CRACK*. The attacker quickly bolted out of sight. The pistol shot echoed through the night air, Franz barked orders to his NCO, “Get a patrol! I’m going after him”. The driver acknowledged his commanders order and hopped in the Mercedez. He slammed the car into gear and sped off down the street squealing the tires . Franz dashed for the opening which the attacker used for their escape, he caught a quick glimpse of a shadow and fired three rounds as fast as he could squeeze the trigger, *POW, POW, POW*. The muzzle flash momentarily lit up the alley.

Patrons of the restaurant were now fleeing in panic, shots were being fired in the street. Taking a deep breath Franz charged down the narrow passage pursuing the assailant. He pressed his back against a corner and peeked around, pistol at the ready. He knew help would arrive soon and that he should wait, on the other hand someone just made an attempt on his life. This was unacceptable, he wanted to catch him alive so he could hand him over to the Gestapo. They would deal with him in interrogation, Franz would personally see to it. The thing that slightly shocked him was the attacker’s weapon of choice, a gun would have had a better effect at such range.

Albrecht’s heart raced as he proceeded down the passage. What was the reasoning for this? Someone had just tried to take him out. His first thought was the resistance but they tended to make a lot of noise during an attack. He crept forwards at a slow pace keeping his left arm pressed against the wall, the sound of dripping water was the only sound he could hear. This whole situation was strange, the SD untersturmfuhrer gathered his courage and decided to keep moving.

[Deleted]

Hanna sped down the narrow streets, her breath releasing cold wasps of smoke from her dry lips. Before she was out of sight a sharp sound resounded through the night. POW the sound was followed by a sound of a bullet hitting the freezing stone near hear head. The assassin nearly lost her balance, but she managed to escape around the corner. The content smile was still placed on her lips as she disappeared down the frozen street, she rounded into a dark alleyway and paused. Her eyes scanned the dark space, looking for a place to perch upon until someone foolishly walk into the trap.

The woman could hear footsteps approaching her, she quickly hid among a cluster of old boxes and debris. The hiding spot concealed her from the approaching threat, while giving her a clear view of who was venturing down the alleyway. Seconds later three gunshots rung out into the darkness. They obviously missed her, but the thought that she was caught brewed in her brain. Hanna held her breath as she watched the SD officer proceeded down the passage. The woman's dark browns carefully watched the man nervously proceed into the darkness. The eerily quiet atmosphere and freezing temperatures brought her back to when she assassinated enemy Soviets alone. But the difference between that moment and now is that she is facing one man, which makes the situation on the assassin's part easier. The man cautiously inched closer to Hanna's hiding spot. The woman pulled out her second dagger that was hidden in her shirt. The woman unraveled the bright dagger and concealed it at her hip.

Hanna counted the steps made by the man, thinking about how would she obtain the Luger in his grasp and gain the upper hand. The woman gripped the handle of the dagger tighter as the SD officer was so close to the pile, cautiously scanning the area. It's now of never... Hanna thought as she slightly moved out of the pile to capture a better view of the enemy. Hanna released a sigh as she aimed the dagger at the arm where the gun was held, seconds later she threw the sharp knife, nailing the officer in his arm where the Luger was held.

[Franz Albrecht]

Franz yelled in agony as a sharp pain shot through his right hand. The SD officer suddenly dropped the Luger pistol on the ground. He scurried to pick it up when he slipped on the icy ground, the landing was quick and rough. He had crashed on his left side hard, Franz groaned while slowly getting to his knees. The blood from his hand was everywhere, “AHHH”, the SD officer shouted. He spoke with a raised tone, “What do you want? Hm? WHO are you?”. He chuckled at his current situation, “Alright.. well fuck you! Do you hear me? Fuck you!”. Franz scanned the darkness when suddenly he heard movement in the direction from which the knife came.

He grunted while getting to one knee. In a shaky voice he said, “You will never get away with this. Tell me, who are you? Or wait, I don’t even need to know who you are. I will forget all about this, you needn’t worry". He looked down at the wound on his right hand. There was a large gash just below his right thumb. His leather glove had been sliced open on initial contact, the blood just didn't appear to be stopping. He muttered a wide variety of curse words as he waited for whatever was next, “Well come on!”

[Deleted]

Hanna watched with content as the sharp metal slice through the SD's hand. It made her even happier when sounds of pain and agony resounded through the alleyway. This was all coming together, just like she's envisioned it. For some reason she did not want to murder the scum, no something about him held something crucial. The assassin had to cover her mouth to surpress a laugh when the man slipped on ice and landed on his side when he attempted to retrive the Luger. She felt no pity for him, why should she? He was unimportant to her.

Hanna stayed in her hiding place as she watched paranoia eat away at the man, she decided that maybe toying with him would be a better idea. The woman listened intently as the officer spewed out curses and threats. Well she did not need to respond, he should not recieve answers just yet. The femme scanned around her for a dense object to throw. While on her search her foot slipped and knocked something down. Hanna froze in her tracks as she crouched down to the ground and watched the man closely. He seemed to spin around and look near the direction from which the sound came. He released another empty threat into the night air. The assassin remained low and did not move a muscle.

Her eyes trailed to the downed gun near the Nazi SD officer. Now I have to move him away from the gun. Hanna thought to herself. She looked near her and discovered a piece of broken masonry. Perfect. The piece was large enough to make a nice sound, yet light enough to throw far. The woman's delicate fingers curved onto the stone. Hanna carefully moved to a spot where she was still hidden, but a bit further away from the man. Hanna spotted a dark area of the alley that held more rubbish. With a swift movement, the Finn threw the stone into the dark corner. Seconds later a large THUD and crash could be heard. She hoped that the commotion lead the vulnerable man to the false target.

[Franz Albrecht]

Franz quickly reacted to the commotion. Upon going to the ground he used his left hand to retrieve his second pistol. It was a nickel plated PPK that he always kept in his left trouser pocket. He fired a single round in the noises direction. Suddenly the loud screech of whistles were heard, Army patrols were finally coming to assist. When Franz fired the shot his muzzle flash revealed an empty dark corner, “Scheiße” he cursed. Friendly troops were now inbound, the assailant would soon be captured and dealt with. The SD officer spun to his right, then to his left pointing the pistol in front of him. His arm was aching and bleeding badly, his attacker was nowhere in sight. Franz slowly started backing in the direction he came from. He had enough, this entire situation was too strange and felt dangerous.

Voices were getting closer, the sound of jackboots pounding on the street echoed like thunder. Franz’s heart raced in his chest, he question constantly running through his mind, “Who uses knives?”. This was uncommon and freaked him out the most. It took an interesting individual to attempt such an act on two armed men in the street. Beads of sweat poured from his forehead as he cautiously backed off, he held the Walther at the ready.

Translation:

"Scheiße" - "Shit"

[Deleted]

Hanna could hear the voices and commotion inching closer with each passing second. She needed to find a close escape route and quickly. The assassin's eyes scanned the dark and grungy alleyway for any escape route; with her luck her eyes caught sight of a fire escape that led up to the roof. The ladder was down enough for Hanna to make a jump for it and grab the bar and climb her way up. The woman refocused her attention back to the paranoid SD officer. She watched as the man wasted his rounds in the dark corner where she threw the object.

That smile of her's was still married to her lips as she believed that she had her fun for now. As he held his PPK in his good hand, armed ready to strike, the officer backed away to the opening to the alley. By the looks of it, he was in pain and on edge. Hanna had enough of this mind game and moved herself from the dirty rubble, revealing herself for the first time to the Nazi officer. She walked until the filtered low lights from the lamps cast on her small frame. Her smile long disappeared as she eyed the man. Hanna continued to look at the frightened man until the voices and noises from the reinforcements came even closer. At that moment, the assassin made her way to the ladder, and jumped, her freezing hands holding onto the cold iron and climbed up the ladder, making her way up the fire escape and disappeared on the roof, never to be seen again.

But the only thing that was left behind was the bloody knife that was left in the blood-stained, dirty snow.

[Franz Albrecht]

Franz continued to retreat toward the street, shuffling backwards ever so cautiously. The rattling of metal caught his attention, the SD officer shifted right and wasn’t prepared for what he seen next. There in the lamp light he saw the face of a young girl. Her grin was sinister, it appeared as if she was having fun at his expense. In a sudden movement he raised his left hand, the barrel of his pistol was level with her face. He hesitated with his finger wrapped gently around the trigger, he had a clear shot and it was time to take it.

“Untersturmfuhrer!” A familiar voice called out behind him. Franz glanced over his shoulder to see several soldiers charging up the alley, one had a torch. The SD officer quickly shifted his attention back where he had seen the girl. To his surprise she had vanished, and quickly. He took a few steps backwards, his gaze focused on the building’s roof. Franz’s loyal driver had returned with lots of help, they were hyped up and ready to fight. Franz’s driver continued to speak to him but the shock of what had happened prevented him from listening. The SD officer quickly scanned the ground, “A girl..” he muttered. He searched and searched, his driver stepped forward, "Sir, you are injured..your arm it’s bleeding rather badly”. Franz continued to ignore him, “it has to be around here..” then suddenly he lowered himself to the ground. The Walther dropped in his pocket, he arose with a polished steel dagger in his left hand.

One of the patrol sergeants stepped forward, “Herr Untersturmfuhrer, did you see the attacker? Can you tell us what he looked like?”. Making direct eye contact with the sergeant Franz said, “I didn’t see him. It happened too quick..” He studied the knife in his hand, turning it over for a closer inspection. Below the hilt he read, “Hanna”, to himself. The others stood around looking at him rather attentively, “Search the area, arrest anyone who is out after curfew for questioning”. Albrecht stormed back in the direction from which he came. Someone had purposely made an attempt on his life, but why he wondered. Well, in all honesty it wasn’t hard to guess why. It was obviously payback for some action he had carried out in the last couple of years. Someone had it in for him and sent a woman to do their dirty work. Who was she? Would he ever see her again? He hoped not for the sake of his life.