Until the Sun Comes Up

Dieter didn’t say where they were going, but Lola knew it wouldn’t be good for her. The ride was silent as Dieter sat himself as close as he could to her without being on top of her. It was suffocating to say the least.

“Sie wissen, würden die meisten Frauen töten, um in Ihrem Platz zu sein. (You know, most women would kill to be in your place.)” He strategically placed his hand on her thigh, grabbing at it lightly.

“Gut bin ich zweifellos nicht die meisten Frauen. (Well, I am certainly not most women.)” She grabbed his hand with her own and took it off. She could feel his frustration with her radiating off of him. Before she could understand what was happening, Dieter had pushed her down so her back was on the seat and he was on top of her. He attached his mouth to hers, making her squirm underneath him. Her arms fought against him, trying to push him off of her.

“Erhalten Sie weg von mir! Was tun Sie? (Get off of me! What are you doing?!)” She screamed past his lips. Her fists pounded against his chest.

“Finden Sie mich wirklich das abstoßend? (Do you really find me that repulsive?)” He pulled back so they could breathe.

“Nicht finde ich gerade Ihre Wörter abstoßend. (No, I just find your words repulsive.)” Her face held anger. There was a fire in her eyes that made Dieter want her that much more. The car continued on its journey to God knows where and Dieter continued his assault on her. It got to the point where she was almost in tears, which was kind of ridiculous.

He pulled away from Lola after what seemed like a long period of time and sat up straight, as if that whole debacle didn’t just happen. Lola smashed herself as far as she could go into her corner with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

The car came to a stop in front of her apartment building. She furrowed her brows, wondering how he knew where she lived. The car stopped at the curb, making the breaks squeak. The driver got out and opened Dieter’s door. He got out, straightened his coat and held his hand out for her to take. Lola rolled her eyes and took it, aiding her in her exit from the vehicle. The soldier got her bags from the back and handed them to Dieter.

“Ich werde Sie wieder, Fräulein Zimmermann sehen. Bis dann Abschied. (I will be seeing you again, Miss Zimmermann. Until then, farewell.)” He handed me my bags, gave a small bow and got back into the car. The soldier shut the door and entered the driver seat, driving away from the building.

That was his reaction to her action. Not only did he basically molest her, but he let her live in the fear of the unknown, the fear that he could strike at any moment and there was nothing she could do about it.

The hell if she would be seeing him soon. She’d rather hack off her right arm than see that horrid man again.

***

Months had passed and winter soon settled in the city of Berlin. Snow covered everything in its path, and that path was destruction. The city had been bombed, though it was close to where Lola lived, it wasn’t close enough to make her leave. She couldn't even if she wanted to. She had nowhere else to go and no money to take her. She was stuck and if this is where she was going to die, then so be it.

Beautiful buildings -shops, churches, homes- were now ruins in the glorious city of Berlin. The beauty that it once held was diminished by American and British bombs. Rubble now lay where history was made, now a new history will overshadow what once was, and that was a damn shame.

Dieter had kept a close eye on her, patrolling the streets around her apartment, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, but she never came out, not anymore anyway. The bakery she had previously be employed to was shot to hell when the attack on Berlin began. This gave her all the more reason to not leave. Neighbors got her groceries for her, which she paid for, naturally, just so she didn’t have to leave.

She could see him outside of her front window, daily, strolling in front of her apartment, occasionally looking up at her window. It was unnerving to say the least. The last thing she needed was a Gestapo Major showing any type of interest in her.

Her appearance had changed since he last saw her. Her skin had become a lot paler than it used to be since it had lacked any interaction with the sun, her chocolaty brown hair was longer, breast-length, yet her figure remained the same.

Lola pulled on her warmest winter coat over her long-sleeved shirt, vest and black slacks that were held up by suspenders. She pulled her long hair up into a messy bun, pulled gloves onto her slender hands and grabbed her purse. This would be the first time she’s left her home since the first Allied bombing on Berlin. Her neighbor that usually ran her errands had fallen ill with the cold weather, so she had to do things for herself. She knew that once she stepped outside, she would be the prey to the hawk that was Dieter Hellstrom.

She stepped out onto the stoop of her building and let herself adjust to the cold for a second or two. Goosebumps rose on her skin, even under the layers that she was wearing. She carefully walked down the steps, careful not to slip on the ice, and made her way down the sidewalk. The street was virtually abandoned, no one stepped foot outside unless they had to and if Lola wasn’t in need of food, she wouldn’t. She turned the sharp corner and bumped into a figure coming her way. Their hands steadied her from falling to the snow covered ground.

“Sie haben schließlich Ihre Höhle gelassen, (You have finally left your cave,)” Dieter chuckled at his own little joke. She didn’t find it the least bit humorous. She didn’t say anything as she pulled herself away from his grip and walked around him. “Es gibt keine Notwendigkeit, unhöflich zu sein, Lola. Ich bin einfach freundlich. (There is no need to be rude, Lola. I am simply being friendly.)”

“Ich bin sehr beschäftigt. Ich habe nicht Zeit für Freunde. (I am very busy. I do not have time for friends.)” She snapped back. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with him. He was like a roach that wouldn’t go away. He cut her off my stepping in front of her and grabbed her by her shoulders and slammed her into a stone wall of a building. The wind was knocked out of her, leaving her mouth gaping as she blinked her eyes, trying to get her head around what just happened.

“Nicht vergessen Sie, wem Sie mit sprechen. (Do not forget who you are speaking to.)” He warned her in a tone so cold, he could’ve froze the city. He was dangerously close to her face, his eyes piercing straight through her. She groaned heavily, a dull pain shooting through her back from the uneven stone digging through her spine. She held her tongue to hold back from saying the nastiest things that came to her mind.

***

The Basterds made their way through the streets of Berlin, Sergeant Hugo Stiglitz as their new recruit. They all held guns and bats at their sides, respectively, as their boots crunched in the snow. The streets were empty for the most part, which was weird considering that this was a very large city and was densely populated. The broken buildings were the first sign that this city was a battlefield, as was the rest of Europe, but this was just spectacular to see.

They came across an intersection and were turning right to keep with their route out of the city. The scuffle of feet could be heard, as well as a groan. Aldo put two fingers up, telling his soldiers to keep their weapons ready, but to stay put. He silently crept his way down the sidewalk, his back against the wall, shielding him from whatever was on that corner. He made it to the edge, peaked his head over, and brought it back quickly. An officer had a woman held up against a wall, though it didn’t look erotic in the least bit. He motioned for the soldier that there was one threat. He nodded his head once and motioned for them to spread out. The Basterds immediately spread out every which way.

***

Dieter saw movement through his peripheral vision, causing him to pull his Walter out. He recognized the soldiers’ uniforms as Allies and saw that he was greatly outnumbered. He pulled Lola off the wall and held her in front of him with his left arm around her waist.

***

The Basterds all had their guns aimed at the lone Gestapo officer and the girl in his arm. The officer put the Walter to the girl’s temple, making her scream out.

“Now, yeh don’t need teh do this. Let’s not be hasty,” Aldo's signature raised eyebrow arched its way up and his lip jutted out as he tried to make the officer put his gun down, but he just wouldn’t budge.

The Basterds kept themselves covered so there was no chance at getting hit with a bullet. It would’ve been dumb just to go running down the middle of the street.

***

The look on Lola’s face was one of a horrific realization, a realization that she was about to die. This is the fear that he had put in her when they first encountered each other, the fear of the equal and opposite reaction. Either way, Dieter wasn’t making it out of here alive, not with a group of Americans against his lonely self, and he would surely take her down with him.

***

Aldo could see her visibly shake and it wasn’t from the cold. Her breathing was heavy, creating a fog in front of her and the officer as they stood in the snow. “Just put the gurl down and we’ll talk this out like men,” The group of men were about fifty feet in front of the officer and the girl.

***

“Bitte tun Sie nicht dies Dieter. (Please don’t do this, Dieter.)” Lola begged the officer. She could see the soldiers watching them, trying to listen in on what they were saying. “Tun Sie überstürztes nichts, ich bitten Sie. (Do not do anything rash, I beg you.)”

“Schließen Sie das Bumsen! (Shut the fuck up!)” He barked at her, pulling her closer to him. She cried out, more in fear than in pain. He kept his blue eyes on the Basterds and started placing kisses to Lola’s bare neck, making more goosebumps appear on her pale skin. His left arm that was wrapped around her waist held on tightly as his hand rubbed her hip over her slacks that were waist high. “Ich habe so lang gerade gewartet, um Sie wieder zu berühren. (I’ve waited so long just to touch you again,)” He murmured into her neck.

***

“Wicki, can ya hear ‘em?” Aldo asked Wilhelm Wicki from across the street. There was a brief silence amongst the men as they watched the officer manhandle the girl.

“No,”

“Well, I don’t thank he understands me, so talk to ‘im.” Aldo commanded.

“Lassen Sie einfach das Mädchen gehen und Sie können frei gehen!(Just let the girl go and you can walk free!)” Wicki’s deep voiced boomed over to the pair opposite of them.

“I understand you, you American idiot!” The officer shouted to Aldo. Aldo held a look of surprise, but quickly wiped it off of his face.

“Alright, now we know yeh speak Anglish, let’s make ourselves a compromise.” He shouted back to the officer.

“No, no compromise. She leaves with me or she dies!” He shook the girl for emphasis, causing her to whimper. Her eyes were pleading with the soldiers to get her away from him, do anything they could, just prevent her this fate.

***

Dieter brought his face back down to her neck where he started leaving little bites, along with his kisses. She looked over to the man in front of the group. She didn’t know what it was, but he gave her a look and she went with it. She pushed herself into Dieter, holding onto the hand that was on her hip. She leaned her head back and gave a false groan, like she was enjoying what he was doing to her.

In a moment of hesitance, he lowered his gun and right then three gunshots echoed through the empty street; two from the Allied soldiers and one from Dieter.

Lola screamed as a bullet pierced her right arm and another grazed her right shoulder. Both Dieter and Lola fell to the snow covered street, blood pooling from both of them. Dieter’s grasping left arm dropped as his whole body went limp. Blood was all over the snow, around the fallen officer and around her. It poured out of the holes in her coat, trickling down her slacks and to the snow below her. She rolled over onto her knees.

“Got’damn it Hirschberg,”