experiment #1 take two

So I had another take floating around in my mind on the 'vanishing animals' thing. This is my second attempt and to be honest was just written over the passed 30 minutes, so be gentle. I just wanted to get the idea out.

Many months had passed. Many freedoms had been lost. There were countless horrors that no man, or beast, should ever have to be subjected to. It was a small camp in comparison to the others, yet the atrocities loomed as large as hopelessness itself. The outcome of the lives of many relatives were either in fearful question or brutal in their certainty. It was time to make a move. It was planned and set into action cautiously for weeks; waiting, hoping, and praying that what they had been doing all along was not discovered by their captors. Tonight was the night, no matter what. Freedom would come to them, be it through escaping the camp that held them prisoner or by death in trying.

Their numbers had lessoned each week, sometimes on a daily basis. They thanked an ever watchful eye that the few of them that remained could still proceed. Being in a smaller encampment allowed them both a fearful closeness of those around, but also rare exceptions in when and how they were guarded due to the limited number of guards in the camp. This is what allowed them to eventually dig a small enough hole to leave their holding, but also what allowed them to find weaknesses within the man-made walls that held them caged in beyond. The carefully dug out area, with freshly loosened and then replaced dirt was ready to aid them in their escape, and when night had fallen they were prepared to make their attempt at last.

They watched as the guards once again grew tired, both physically and of the apparent boredom in the monotony of their daily duties. Finally the guards walked off and took up a bottle of something to share amongst themselves. The moon was full that night; the glare could be seen upon the raised bottle. After what seemed an endless wait the carelessness kicked in and some of the guards drifted off, others just sat laughing loudly and carrying on. This was the moment.

After getting through the small hole in their prison they carefully made their way to the fence and promptly began to once again remove the dirt, as they had taken turns in doing many nights before this. Half way through a gun shot rang out with a loud drunken laugh shortly behind it. They could hear men walking toward their now empty holding. They quickened their digging. They had almost finished when they suddenly heard a wild yell and an even more sudden awakening amongst the entire camp. They knew what was happening. They heard the running footsteps. They heard the loud clicking of loading guns.

Two of them had already made it out through the fence and were now frantically helping the others come through as well, mostly through hurried hauling. Within seconds six of the seven were on the other side, the remaining young man had caught his clothing and was stuck. They all rallied to both try and free his clothing and haul him out. A single shot rang out. The blood splatter upon their nearby faces caused them reel back in horror and everyone began to run towards the nearby wooded area. The guards were shooting wildly and sending venomous shouts along with their bullets. The now free captives struggled to gain ground from them, tears flowing freely from so many varied emotions. As shots rang out some bullets found their way to a random leg or unsuspecting shoulder, yet the newly freed kept pushing towards the woods; hoping...praying the entire way.

They were finally at the edge of the woods and just beginning to enter them. They quickly looked behind them once more. As they found greater and greater distance between the Nazis and themselves the sentiment occurred to both parties “the animals are vanishing!”

-j.g.smith (03/12/09)