Story [Issue 45] Retribution

[Contradiction 1,242]

Retribution

 

Dominik gazed into the woods. Tall, spindly pines protruded out of the surrounding hills like fur growing on the back of an animal. Slowly, whispers of snowflakes glided to meet a growing layer of freezing powder encompassing the earth. The upper half of the sun was seen rising over the horizon, but it would not be fully light for another half an hour. In the distance, a caravan of men and machinery trundled across a path. It was completely silent save it were for the crackling of flames emanating from Dominik’s small fire. The memory of flames was not an enjoyable thought to Dominik. 

 

***

 

Two days earlier…

 

The clang of hammer upon metal awoke Dominik. It was early morning, barely light, and frost had grown across the heap in which he lay. He stumbled out of the tent, and stared about at the activity surrounding him. The soldiers were setting up equipment and packing down tents, preparing weapons and eating food. Dominik had already, apparently, slept through a lot of action. He looked back into the small Czechoslovakian village. No one stirred there. The troops apparently awoke much earlier than Dominik and his village did. 

 

He could make out barks and shouts, as well as a few forbidding comments here and there. 

“The germans will be here at noon,” one man said to another. Dominik did not want to think about this. Instead, he strode back, past his tent, and toward the village. Houses and buildings stood in ordered rows. There was an uncommon neatness about the whole thing- perhaps people were unconsciously preparing for the invasion soon to come. Or perhaps it was voluntary. In any case, it was unnatural, and vaguely disturbed Dominik.

 

Spruce trees swayed in the cold breeze, shivering at the thought of the devastation soon to be witnessed. The overcast sky roiled, chilling winds from the north bringing unwanted weather to Czechoslovakia. He wished he had slept in his family’s cottage rather than in the tent. The cold of the night was still with him. But, the soldiers had asked him to camp with them, in case they needed someone to show them a path through the forests. 

 

Smoke began to rise from the collection of small buildings. Dominik stepped into his house, relishing the warmth within. The smell of cooking greeted his nostrils, and he realized that he was very hungry. The noise of pots and pans being shuffled in the kitchen could be heard all throughout the house. Otherwise, it was quiet. Dominik realized it was his younger sister manufacturing the breakfast. The only people currently living in the house were his mother and sister- everyone else in the family had fled elsewhere or had joined the National Socialists. 

 

The trio sat down to a rickety wooden table, and ate in silence. Dominik realized that it was only a few days until christmas day, and wondered if there would be any celebrations. There would not be. 

 

***

 

The beginning noises of destruction began at noon. Gunshots were heard ringing across the craggy hills, and all the villagers hid amid their homes. Shouts and bangs continued, and the fight had reached the border of the village. But, it was soon all over. The meager Czechoslovakian resistance had been pitilessly destroyed by the German army. 

 

***

 

The German troops marched into the town. They ordered everyone out of their houses, and the people had no choice but to obey. The population stood in confused and defeated silence, forced into one-armed National Socialist salute. Those who did not return from out of their houses were soon found and never seen again. 

 

The German captain announced the terms of defeat. He kept it short and simple: every male over the age of fifteen was to be executed, and everyone else would be taken away.  

 

The executions began later in the afternoon. A collection of mattresses had been taken from homes and set up against a building, in order to shield the executioners from ricochets. A shallow trench was dug in the ground, and a line of men was formed. With a final check to be sure that they had enough ammunition, the gunshots began their reign of terror. It would not end until several hours to come. 

 

***

 

There was only one survivor of the executions. After the last gunshot's echo had passed for several minute, the young man crept back to see what had finally occurred. What he saw was a line of women and children being distributed into vehicles. In a few short days, they would arrive at the camps, and perhaps never leave again. 

 

Over the next few days, Dominik's rage grew. He would make them pay- he would inflict upon these unnamed Germans a final reprisal, a revenge that would only end with their last breaths. He knew the lands about his town, and he knew where the soldiers would head next. Dominik followed them. 

 

But first, he took a concealed Karabiner 98k - a rifle. He had only two rounds of ammunition.

 

***

 

Dominik struggled through the snow. It was only a few inches deep, but it still hindered his movements through the dark forests. The Germans were loud and bright, easy to make out amongst the juxtaposition of dark spruces. He avoided the road in order to avoid detection, but Dominik still didn't know if he would care if he got caught. His only goal was blood. 

 

At last, late into the night, the Germans stopped and made their camp. This was Dominik's chance. He only needed to single out one of the soldiers. One of them would probably go to the stream to get water. Dominik would be swift and deadly- it only took one shot. Then, he would get away as fast as possible. No doubt he would be chased for some distance, but they wouldn't be able to keep up with Dominik and they would eventually give up. It was risky, but it would work.

 

For the tenth time that day, he check the rifle. Everything seemed to be working properly. He stood behind a tall pine, heart pumping furiously. If it weren't for the bubble of the stream, it might be audible in the night-time quiet. He heard footsteps approaching, and peered around the corner. It was a single man, striding towards the river with some kind of jug in hand. Dominik was a good one hundred meters from the German camp. He would have time to run after they heard the gunshot. 

 

The German walked past the tree. Dominik raised the gun with shaking hand, and aimed at the other man's head. Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to fire. With a monumental act of will, Dominik pulled the trigger- and hit the soldier in the knee. 

 

For a second or two, all was quiet. The wounded man had fallen back onto the snow, blood leaking increasingly faster from his leg. Dominik didn't know if he should run... but what other options did he have? He was frozen in place. Strangely, a host of soldiers did not come suddenly bounding towards him. Acting on instinct, Dominik crouched to the ground and placed his sleeve over the German soldier's mouth. He locked his other arm around the man's neck, and began to drag him away. Dominik knew that gunshots in the knee were extremely painful, and would frequently result in unconsciousness. But, the man groaned softly. 

 

After about thirty seconds of dragging, Dominik found a small crevice between two boulders that stood as part of the riverbank. He hauled the wounded soldier into the crevice and halter, panting. 

 

What am I doing?! 

 

This thought echoed ceaselessly across his mind. He should stop, finish off the German, and run away. But he didn't. The man rolled over groggily, and his eyes fluttered open. Consciousness seeped back into his mind like an avalanche, and the man reached for his side-holstered pistol. Dominik was, luckily, faster. He snatched the pistol and aimed it directly at the other's head. The German glared back, uncaring. 

After speaking a few words in German and noticing Dominik's incomprehension, the soldier uttered a few accented words in English, the only tongue the two could mutually understand. 

 

"Do you want repentance, or do you want revenge? If you want repentance, you can have it."

 

Dominik knew what the soldier was talking about. He was seeking justice after what they had done to his city. But what was it that he wanted? Did he want repentance? Or was he simply searching for vengeance? 

 

"I want retribution."

 

The words sounded empty the moment they left his mouth. It was almost like an excuse, somehow. What was it that he really was looking for? Could the soldier be blamed for following instructions? Was he even involved in the executions? If what he sought was justice, would the death of one man even come near accomplishing this? A million thoughts whirled around his mind, hindering his thoughts.

 

He heard, rather than felt, the pistol fall to his feet. He watched himself turn and leave the boulders. Then, a cold tingle ran down his spine as he felt the barrel of a weapon pressed against the rear of his skull. A frenzy of German words greeted his ears, and he put his hands behind his head. A squad of half-a-dozen German troops were clustered about Dominik, the Captain standing only a few feet away. Five weapons were pointed at Dominik, on the brink of firing. 

 

Dominik watched something peculiar pass over the German Captain's face. The man opened his mouth, and in his cold, brisk German accent, he declared, 

 

"Let him go, boys. It's Christmas, after all." 

 

The weapons were lowered. As expected, Dominik ran, and did not stop until he was many miles away and too tired to think about what had just occurred. 

 

***
 

Dominik continued to sit at his fire. The distant party of soldiers curved around a bend, and was soon obscured by the tall pine trees. The rising sun yanked and stretched the shadows cast by the trees, as if they were cobwebs being swept away after several years. Dominik's mind avoided reflecting over what had just happened. In fact, it would be many, many winters later until he fully understood what had happened that night. The only thing he was sure of was that he had not regretted what he had done. The German captain held no compunctions, either.

slow-cooker

Edited July 29, 2017 by Hexed

[ksa_enus 248]

-1

[personia 4,036]

I don't really get the point of this...

[Hex 11,520]

:wacko:

[golden5648 1,686]

Jeez, this is huge. And I can't stand gazing into my computer into a long group of words...

[Yisroel.Rabin 16,224]

For those of you that find this long, go look at a big boy book. A regular novel has around 600 to 1,000 pages in it. :/

[viratno2 146]

^^^^

Those books are for real book men, manly ones, like LOTR book series (took me a few weeks to complete all three excluding the hobbit).

[Cor7y 13,862]

[7919zola 252]

A lengthy, but good read. 

 

Dominik's mind avoided reflecting over what had just happened. In fact, it would be many, many winters later until he fully understood what had happened that night. 

Reminds me of the Christmas Truce of 1914, for some reason.

[Destrod 2,634]

Being able to use magnificent words to explain your plot isn't enough. The plot itself must be good, but this I'm afraid does not have a good plot.