Arc 1 Introduction, Chapter 2: Beginning and End

About 1 week after that incident, I was finally given my number which was tattooed on my

neck, the number 555. Marcus was given the number 475 and Malcolm was given the

numb 69. Then 1 week later (on a Monday), during a normal morning Roll call, Otto

Schwarze introduced a couple of new prisoners. This was his exact speech:

"Hello Jews. Before we begin our normal roll call I must, under Neuengamme camp

Administrator and Central Executive Officer's order, introduce to you 4 new Prisoners and

2 new Guards. The First Prisoner is Jonah Frankel who has the number of 17. The second

prisoner is Dina Katz who has the number of 444. The third Prisoner is Samuel Adler

who has the number 764. The Final Prisoner of today is Eva Rosen who has the

number 721. The 2 new Guards are Ludwig Richter and Wrexham Braun. I expect every

one of you to follow and listen to these guards and to do everything they tell you. Anyways

you Jews better be prepared for today because it is not going to be easy."

I saw Jonah and for some reason he had a glimmer in his eyes almost like he knew this

suffering would go away someday and a light smile, grinning like a fox that is about to be

caught in a trap. His eyes were like a peak into his soul and it allowed me to see that he

was not afraid of the upcoming torture and hell, it was as though he was ready for it

and expecting it to go away. I chuckled at that thought but then after roll call, I went to him

and introduced myself:

"Hey, my name is Johansen Berg, and my number is 555. Nice to meet you." I said

"Hey man, my name is Jonah, I'm one of the new prisoners around here and I'm kind of

lost, do you think you can maybe show me around?" He asked whilst scratching the back

of his head and chuckling

"Why in the hell is he so jolly." I thought to myself

"Yeah, Sure, no problem but I have one question," I said

"Go for it!" He exclaimed

"Why were you smiling during your Introduction?" I asked him with a firm tone

"Oh, was I?" He chuckled before continuing

"I guess it was because I'm not scared of the Nazi regime. Sure, I may be their slave but I'm

sure America will free us one day." He stated confidently

He looked oddly a lot like Malcolm, the same height, Ginger hair, and blue eyes. Marcus

also had the same appearance but Jonah reminded me of Malcolm rather than Marcus. It

was exactly as I had thought, he was not afraid but I was shocked that he mentioned

America, I never really imagined America as freedom back then so it left me confused.

"America?" I also let out a chuckle before continuing

"You think America is going to come out here in Hamburg to rescue us?

We must rescue ourselves, not wait for some savior to arrive which probably won't even

arrive. I don't know about you, but I want to fight for my freedom rather than wait for

America" I stated

I was slightly frustrated as I hate it when people have a false sense of freedom or any

other emotion.

"Woah man I never meant any disrespect" He Replied

"Sorry about that I was thinking out loud again," I said with an apologetic tone

"It's all good buddy. I Moved to America when I was younger, and I saw why they called it

the land of freedom, in there you can be anything you want to be whenever you want and

however you want! You can be White, Jewish, Black, Asian, African, and everything else and

you will have the same opportunities as everyone else. Then there are the beautiful flower

fields which seem to never end and have a hypnotizing aroma, Mountains that

tower over you with might and excellence, and Lakes that seem to be as pure as a baby's heart as

soon as he exits his mother, everything in America is beautiful, it truly is freedom. It is a

utopia that I must grasp upon once more. A utopia that hasn't yet been stained by the

merciless Nazi regime. It is like a warm home in the middle of a freezing blizzard, or like a

glass of water in the middle of the great Arabian deserts. I swear that one way or another I'll

reach this utopia. Whether by waiting for them or by fighting, I do prefer waiting though. I

made the mistake of moving to Germany again with my family and now I've paid the price.

But knowing Americans and their obsession with freedom, I'm sure they'll save their Jewish

comrades" He stated confidently.

I was shocked, I had never seen someone so hopeful about a country, he was talking like

America was a person. I also wanted to feel that hope, I also wanted to see those flower

fields and those mountains and lakes. I too wanted to witness this utopia that isn't stained

by the Nazi regime. I wanted to experience American freedom, the American dream

and I would do anything to achieve that dream.

After our conversation, we went to our workstations and coincidentally we were in the

same workstation, meaning I had the chance to get to know him better and vice versa. We

bonded over our shared struggles and our desire for freedom (yet he was more pacifistic

rather than violent. He preferred waiting for freedom rather than fighting for it, but he was

open to fighting). In the end, me and I became good friends. It's almost like he was the

better version of Malcolm, rather than being a spineless coward who was also an attention

seeker and people pleaser who always wanted validation, he was a happy and hopeful

pacifist who was willing to fight for his freedom but preferred peace, he was a better

brother than Malcolm ever was.

My concentration camp had this peculiar system of executions where every month they

would pick out about 20 people from each sub-camp and bring them to the fatal gas

chamber. I wasn't aware of this until the day of the picking. About a week after I met Jonah,

Otto Schwarze told us about this evil system. This evil and wretched man didn't tell us

about it at first so that the Jews could bond with each other and befriend each other and then

when the time was ripe, they would get selected for the gas chamber and the Jews would be

separated from their friends. Otto showed no mercy towards the Jews and tried to ruin their

life in every aspect. It was almost as though he had the same fire inside of him as I do but

towards the Jews, but why? To this day I still wonder that. Anyways, during roll call on a

Monday one week after I met Jonah, Otto finally told us the truth in this exact speech:

"Hello Jews, before we begin the roll call, I have some news to tell you. I've kept this from

you until now, but you deserve to know, don't you?" He said whilst laughing menacingly.

I was curious but also nervous.

"What is this Nazi bastard hiding from us," I thought to myself.

"Every Month, the overseers or commanders of each sub-camp must select 20 Jews from

their respective sub-camp and send them to the gas chamber for execution. I have been

ordered to choose these people based on their productivity and work quality and here is

my list: Number 771, Number 241, Number 890, Number 12, Number 9, Number 2314,

Number 32, Number 98, Number 1204, Number 45, Number 76, Number 211, Number 5,

Number 443, Number 475, Number 10, Number 889, Number 900, Number 69, Number

62. The Jews which have been assigned these numbers get in a single file line and follow

me after I finish roll call."

My heart sank. I felt my heart itself rip apart cell by cell. I thought of screaming out and

crying and mourning in front of everyone, but I knew I would be severely punished for doing

so. Both of my brother's numbers were called out, Number 475 and 69. I started crying but

I couldn't make it too obvious, so I looked down and my tears started falling on the ground

making the ground moist.

Jonah, being a considerate friend and someone who cared for me, noticed this.

"Hey, are you alright? Your number wasn't called out. You are number 555 remember. It's

all good man." said Jonah

I didn't reply and kept crying.

Finally roll call was done and Jonah asked me what was wrong, and I told him my brother's

numbers were called out. Jonah's reaction was no better than mine. He also started crying

even though he never knew them.

"Why are you crying, Jonah? It's not like you ever met them" I asked him

"Because I know what It's like to suffer loss, I also lost my brother, he was shot by a Nazi

on the street. I never wanted anyone else to experience that but now you must experience

it. I am so sorry." He replied with mild tears but I could tell he was genuine.

His words shocked me, I've only known the guy for a week, yet he felt like my brother, he

was the best friend I ever had, he felt my pain and suffering like no one else. I did hate

Malcolm but even though he deserved death I still felt sorrow. When I finally started my

work, I got cursed and saw some other prisoners from other sub-camps that were going to

the gas chamber, and I saw my mother and father. Instead of my heart being ripped apart

and broken (which allows it to be fixed), it was burned, burned down into mere dust and 

from that moment never felt true happiness ever again, my heart was no longer there. I

immediately let out a blood-curdling scream and I cried. My tears were bitter, poisoned

with hatred and anger. In that instant, I was shedding my old self like a snake shedding its

skin. With every tear, my hate towards Nazis grew 100-fold. As I screamed and cried my

parents looked back at me and they both ran to the fence trying to console me. Otto

(thinking this was an attempt to escape) instantly shot them right in the head. The fence

was relatively close to me, and the blood splattered all over me and formed a blood puddle

which I fell on. I saw the blood and grabbed it with my hands then screamed. I then fell on

the side of my body with my face halfway in the puddle and cried. Jonah was near me and

saw everything, he knew that those people were my parents because of the way I was

screaming. He then also started crying and screaming. My screams became more vicious

whilst Jonah's became more sorrowful. Otto Schwarze then simply started laughing and

ordered his men to take the bodies away, but before his men did take the bodies

away, he walked over to their bodies and wiped off the moist mud (caused by the blood and

mud mixing) on their faces and then told me:

"You're lucky that wasn't you. Now stop your whimpering and get back to work." He said

with a vicious tone whilst standing above me.

I wanted to swear at him and threaten him, but I knew that would only get me killed so I

focused and went back to work along with Jonah. I will never forget Otto's laughs and his

mockery of my parent's death, and I will never forgive him for it. The echoes of my screams

that day will forever float in my head, disturbing me every night until my death, some may

call that PTSD, but I think I'm cursed, I'm the only one who was left alive, but I also

should've died, as my brother Marcus said, No one's life is more precious than another,

so why was I the only one left alive, why couldn't Otto Schwarze choose me, Aswell, why

was I spared! It's not like I was better than Marcus, Marcus should've been spared, or

perhaps my father! I'm a ruthless and heartless killer so why was I spared that day?! I too

should've died that day and gotten the sweet relief of death! That way I wouldn't have to suffer

anymore, and I would finally be free, but then again, I wouldn't have the chance to avenge

my family's death so maybe I was left alive to avenge them.