Ch9 : A Letter To My Friends
"Was it just a dream?" Katashi thought as he woke up from his bed , "such a weird dream"
Two days have past since the church incident.
Katashi turned on the TV and saw the news of imprisonment of Father Vincent.
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September 2, 1944
Theodore and Blaz, the man he rescued that day became good friends and they even joined the German army during World War 2. They made new friends in their batch, and they vowed to be together forever . In 1944 , the group escaped from the army division they were in after seeing their friends die one by one . They laid their shelter in the place where it all started ,
Stuttgart
"I still don't know why did we quit the military , Theodore" said Blaz
"C'mon , my friend.. we ourselves saw the politics inside the division we were in . To be honest , we were put in the lowest division there is. I can't lose any more of my comrades there in the frontline" said Theodore , "Herman died protecting us" he added.
"To Herman" , they raised their wine glass.
"You're right, we should not waste the life he gave us , sacrificing his own" said Blaz
"Now we have men behind us , no... FRIENDS behind us . With this band , we shall seek new beginning" said Theodore encouraging the crowd of 20 men with him.
"We've seen bruises , blood and we even faced death multiple times. Yet we are still standing. This life, we shall write it from beginning to end." Said Theodore
"That's great , but what do we call ourselves ? our band ? ", Asked Conrad , a member of the team
"That's right , we should have an identity. We should name our pack..." said Theodore
Suddenly a group of 35 bandits surrounded them out of nowhere.
"Haha look at this cute little team" said the leader of the bandits mocking the group , "looks like y'all have some good supplies for us , we shall take it from you now , stay put, for WE ARE THE PREDATORS, the fearsome bandit group in Germany"
Being the captain of his division when in the army , Theodore just made one hand signal. His hands swayed up to down
Bullets went flying Piercing the hearts of the bandits and within a moment , the band of bandits who stood strong with 35 men went to mud.
"Predators ?", muttered Theodore with a lousy face.
"And we were talking....." Theodore continued the conversation.
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Drops poured down from the shower , while Katashi stood still under it. Not sure of what he could expect next, a lame face as usual.
He ironed his regular outfit. Buttoned his shirt, tucked in with perfection. A red tie in his neck was new, added professionalism to his outfit.
Took his coat from the stand, swayed it on over his shirt as he walked towards the mirror. He stared at the mirror for few seconds, letting out a sigh.
He marched towards the door grabbing his hat. He twisted the knob and opened the creaky door. Entering the morning light , Katashi walked downstairs to the 1st floor.
The same old door with a signboard "Heidi Detective Agency" on top of it. He went on and sat on his chair behind his desk. All the windows were shut , letting no natural light in. Like a corpse, he sat down staring at nothing.
Someone opened the door , the opened door made the melodious wind chimes ring.
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Two days ago, after the church case,
Everyone was sent home as Katashi, Makoto and Yukio walked out of the church. They were walking down the subway.
"Is it really only Father Vincent who carried the cross and stabbed the victim? I mean - that cross was a huge heavy wood." Asked Makoto
"No, it's not only Vincent. There is someone else behind this. But I'm not sure who is it. He may be the root cause for this case , but I may be WRONG", Replied Katashi
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September 3 , 1944
"Captain !!! Captain!!!", Cried out Conrad .
"What is it ?" Asked Theodore sitting by the campfire
"H-Herm-Herman....", Conrad weeped handing over a letter to his captain
Theodore opened the letter and read ,
"From your friend, Herman
An important letter to my friends.
If you are reading this letter and I'm alive, then just ignore this piece of paper. BUT , if I am dead, then please hear me out and do me a favour as my death wish.
Please visit my family in Zuffenhausen, my beloved friends Conrad and Henry knows my home and they will lead you there.
Inform my wife , 'Your husband died a soldier, and he wanted you to stay safe and raise your child well.' and tell her that my love for her is more than the love I have for myself.
Then tell my son , 'Reinhard, your dad was a superhero. He went to a real nice place, that nice little palace on clouds which you would draw. He wants you to grow big and strong, and protect everyone who is dependent on you. He wanted you to take care of mother. Even if he's far away , he will be with you and be IN your heart. Stay strong!' , tell it with a smile and pat his head a little.
And take care of my family, I'm leaving them in your care. I don't know if I'll be breathing tomorrow to meet you. I've been assigned to battle frontline in English attack today. May God be with me and you.
THANK YOU"
As Theodore read through , he noticed few drops of dried up tears which made the ink smudge in few places. He kept the letter in his pocket , stood up and said ,
"Conrad , we are leaving tomorrow.. Lead the way"
Conrad nodded, tears rolled down from his eyes, ceaseless tears.
(Chapter 10- to be continued)