The Choice | Teen Ink

The Choice

May 9, 2016
By Anonymous

Boom. Boom. Boom. For the 5th day in a row I have been waken up by artillery fire. Our city has been practically taken over by the Nazi army. It's been weird living this way for almost a whole week now. Many of the shops are closed and the ones still open are running low on supplies. There's soldiers on every street corner just standing there doing nothing it feels like there even spying on us. Every time I make eye contact with them I quickly look away since I have heard they are not people to mess with if you rub then the wrong way. The weirdest part is knowing my brother is stationed somewhere in the city doing the same thing they are. It is kind of scary knowing he is basically on the front lines of the war; ever since he left for the army 3 months ago I wondered if I would see him again. As a boy my dad used to tell me and my brothers stories of his time in the Great War. He used to tell us how horrible it was one friend would be shot another gassed and there was no where to go just people dying all around him. It was the worst experience of his life he told us. That's also how he lost the movement of his left leg shrapnel from a mortar shell shattered his bone rendering his leg useless but he still stayed with the army as a message decoder as he knew how to use telegraphs and telephones. He is currently across the river somewhere probably in a bunker trying to figure out the Nazi messages the French army has intercepted. When he left he told me he would be fine that the French army had the best defenses the world had ever seen and at this point I hope that's true after personally seeing the might of the German army come through our town. Most people including my mom and sister left the town after reports that the allies were going on bombing raids all around us and we were next. My parents had lived in our house their whole life since they had my oldest brother and were forced to move out. My father told us two middle brothers Edgar and I too stay in the house until we picked a side to fight for. I was really divided on who to choose my uncle a high ranking officer in the German army told me he could get all three of us in the same unit but it just felt like the Nazi’s were wrong everything they believed in went against our morals and that's what I don't want to overlook like my brother did. Joining France felt like the right thing to do my father is a wise man and I think he felt like I do . The Nazi’s would not be good for Germany in the long run. I just don't want to join a losing side I think they have a chance but I don't know if they can really win. As easily as Germany crushed Poland how long can the French last ? Boom. Boom. The artillery fire has started again hopefully  it doesn't last two long or the soldiers will come around telling us to get in the safe houses underground that were installed last month. They try and tell us we're being shot back at but I haven't ever seen or heard any proof of it. We live right next to the Nazi headquarters and we are designated to use their bunker so we really don't have to rush to get there. Kaboom.Woosh A truck suddenly blew up outside and was burning fearlessly the men trapped inside had no chance then suddenly something hits the street and a huge hole is blasted in the middle of the rode. The only thing I can imagine it is a air raid suddenly I hear machine gun fire as I run to the bunker then I remember my brother is inside sleeping but surely he is awake buy now. By the time I make it to his room he is already getting changed and almost ready. I tell him to “ go go go we have to get out of here there's bombs hitting all around us”. He took the lead as we ran down the stairs I tripped on the first step because of the urgency I over stepped. It was hard to stand up my leg was killing me I told my brother to go on knowing good and well I wasn't going anywhere. He had just got out of the house when the first shell struck; the whole front of the house turned into a blaze the beams holding up the ceiling fell in front of me as I crawled down the stairs then another shell hit behind me and the upstairs started to collapse. I knew I wasn't going to get out but at least I could try. Suddenly I heard a crack and then bam. I was out cold.



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