Run My Darlings, Run
Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
The thorns pressed deep in to my flesh as I ran blindly through the forest. My feet were caked in dried blood, and the bullets embedded in my body shifted uncomfortably with each step. Liesel, bleary eyed clung tightly to my hand, stumbling through the thick undergrowth. She needed food and water desperately. Even though we had only been on the run for a couple of days, her stomach growled like a wild animal, and her parched throat screamed for water. Although it was obvious she was struggling, she endured it in silence. But I worried about her. If I didn’t find anything to eat or drink soon, Liesel would surely die.
I ran my hand over the yellow star stitched into my clothing. The symbol that said I was a Jew. It yelled out to everyone that would listen:
“Here is someone to blame and hate! Kill me, I’m a Jew!”
Liesel’s voice startled me out of my dark thoughts. “Berries,” she croaked. Even speaking was an effort. Pointing to a small bush, she repeated her desperate plea. “Berries.”
“Hold on,” I whispered. ‘I’ll check them.” Grabbing a purple berry, I put it in my mouth. My stomach urged me to swallow, and I had to pinch myself to stop me from doing so. One wrong swallow and you’re dead. There was no bitter taste, so I was sure they were fine. Nodding, I picked the clump and divided the berries in half. Liesel grabbed her share, and plunged them into her mouth, chewing and swallowing hastily. Even though I was starving, I stopped myself from eating them all, and saved some for later. I didn’t know when the next time we would eat would be. Pulling Liesel’s hand gently, we continued to run through the forest.
It had been a week since Mama had pushed us off the train. She had shouted, screamed at us to run. But we had stopped, watching as she was pulled screaming back into the train. As it rocketed off, the shots were fired. Liesel escaped unscathed, but I was not so lucky, and received bullets in my leg. Still, we were some of the lucky ones - some of the ones who had managed to escape. Others had tried to escape, but now their corpses littered the ground, slowly decaying, bullets having perforated their bodies. I was sure that we would never see our parents ever again.
The thorns pressed deep in to my flesh as I ran blindly through the forest. My feet were caked in dried blood, and the bullets embedded in my body shifted uncomfortably with each step. Liesel, bleary eyed clung tightly to my hand, stumbling through the thick undergrowth. She needed food and water desperately. Even though we had only been on the run for a couple of days, her stomach growled like a wild animal, and her parched throat screamed for water. Although it was obvious she was struggling, she endured it in silence. But I worried about her. If I didn’t find anything to eat or drink soon, Liesel would surely die.
I ran my hand over the yellow star stitched into my clothing. The symbol that said I was a Jew. It yelled out to everyone that would listen:
“Here is someone to blame and hate! Kill me, I’m a Jew!”
Liesel’s voice startled me out of my dark thoughts. “Berries,” she croaked. Even speaking was an effort. Pointing to a small bush, she repeated her desperate plea. “Berries.”
“Hold on,” I whispered. ‘I’ll check them.” Grabbing a purple berry, I put it in my mouth. My stomach urged me to swallow, and I had to pinch myself to stop me from doing so. One wrong swallow and you’re dead. There was no bitter taste, so I was sure they were fine. Nodding, I picked the clump and divided the berries in half. Liesel grabbed her share, and plunged them into her mouth, chewing and swallowing hastily. Even though I was starving, I stopped myself from eating them all, and saved some for later. I didn’t know when the next time we would eat would be. Pulling Liesel’s hand gently, we continued to run through the forest.
It had been a week since Mama had pushed us off the train. She had shouted, screamed at us to run. But we had stopped, watching as she was pulled screaming back into the train. As it rocketed off, the shots were fired. Liesel escaped unscathed, but I was not so lucky, and received bullets in my leg. Still, we were some of the lucky ones - some of the ones who had managed to escape. Others had tried to escape, but now their corpses littered the ground, slowly decaying, bullets having perforated their bodies. I was sure that we would never see our parents ever again.