Chris came to, finding himself strapped to a table and unable to move. His legs, arms, and torso were tightly restrained. He struggled against the tight leather straps, but to no avail.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Q9KvZnevW
A thick Russian accent made him stop. “You cannot escape, American.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTg1KtZxvSF
Chris looked over and saw a Russian soldier coming toward him dressed in a brown uniform with a black leather belt, gloves, and boots. He had black hair, about two or three inches long, that hung over his ears and a scar that ran diagonally across his left eye from his nose down to his jaw. The dim lighting of the room made his eyes appear red. And in his eyes, Chris saw a hate so strong, it made the man seem inhuman.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtRf9bUfJ7
“What is your name?” the Russian demanded.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXSpzF20EQ
“That is none of your business!” Chris snapped. His thick accent stood out to the Russian.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNqg9gEJfh
“What accent is that? German? Though, perhaps, with just a hint of Russian, no?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsbLk7SJxV
Chris was silent.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDcaeMHJPd
The Russian smiled. “I ask you again. What is your name?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOiS95UTs4
Silence.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTiP2sLpbs
“Listen, you American! Or German, should I say? Let us use an old cliché, hmm?” The interrogator leaned down and whispered harshly in Chris’ ear, mimicking a German accent. “We have ways of making you talk.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpsGnFaEJr
Still silence.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcsGtjHr1l
“Well. I guess I will just have to employ those ways.” The Russian forced a piece of plastic-wrap like material over Chris’ mouth and blindfolded him. Chris felt the table tilted to position his head below his feet. He heard the Russian laugh.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqUMY2kofY
Suddenly water was poured over his face. He gasped, but could not get air. The water ran down into his nose. He instinctively grabbed the sides of the table and tried to free himself, but to no avail. The Russian poured more water on his face. Chris felt his throat filling up with water. He gagged and exhaled, trying to get the water out, but he could not. The plastic over his mouth prevented the water from escaping, as well as prevented him from inhaling. Now he was out of breath, unable to get air, and still drowning. 282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWDRnIFT2j
He suddenly found himself unable to move. His hands let go of the table without his mind consciously telling them to and he lay still. He felt himself on the edge of consciousness.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3e6fy7kuBH
The Russian quickly took the plastic off of Chris’ mouth, then tilted the table to the side. Much to Chris’ relief, he was able to get the water out of his throat. He coughed and gasped for air.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDu0ZdTGrYR
“Now, what is your name?” the Russian demanded again, yanking the blindfold from Chris’ eyes.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YIEe0qp60
“Kristoff. Kristoff Williams.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUFxXke2YU
“Your job?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYF5DAC7TTl
“Air Force pilot.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3nEH2IbrX
“Was that your plane that was shot down?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FWjBPC681
“Ja.” Chris nodded. 282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ddLzbHqOm
“You are good pilot, Mr. Williams.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyASMDYP5E8
Chris didn’t reply.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYzG7qdBOv
“Are you Americans planning to overrun this prison camp?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPk4gnxjYn
There was the slightest hesitation, then, “No.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZpxMoIeoC
“You are lying!”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyqLDJr0Nx
“No! No, I am not!”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6HbjQYOfK
“You are!” The Russian slapped Chris across the face.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1fTY2ogqN
“No! I am not!” But it was too late; he was already caught.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAd9YTtEAJ
The plastic was put back over Chris mouth and more water poured over his face, this time without the blindfold. Chris could see the pleasure the torture gave the Russian.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYKzGwPvX1
He held his breath for as long as he could, then he had to let it out slowly. Naturally, he tried to inhale, but was unable. Seeing that Chris was out of breath, the Russian poured more water on his face.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2Skmgh8Ol
Chris fought the straps instinctively and clawed at the table. He once again felt himself drowning, felt himself on the agonizing border between life and death. He felt himself letting go of the table and slipping away. Again, the soldier freed him of the plastic and let him spit the water out.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6edJJRV41
“When? When do you plan on coming?” The Russian demanded.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96ZNxARVSI
“I will not tell you.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu26DQ1Kf2A
“I will kill you if you do not!”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5To2sG6mXL
“Go ahead. I will never tell you, even if it means my death, so help me God!”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnhYZmYRqXU
Again he was faced with the waterboard torture. This was repeated several times before the interrogator finally realized that the prisoner was truly not going to tell him, no matter what.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahnw7C3mDh
“Fine,” the Russian interrogator said angrily. “Do not tell me. But you will regret it later. I will see you again, soon.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15diBZGF5w
He opened the door and called for two other soldiers to take Chris away.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLPa4OmfUSz
282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHf7j078SY
He was led to the barracks after being forced to change from his flight gear to a plain green uniform similar to his ACUs, but with more pockets. He hadn’t wanted to wear it: the idea of being forced to wear the enemy’s uniform disgusted him. But here he was now, doing just that. The only thing he had been allowed to keep was his Bible and the Eisenkreuz, or German iron cross, which hung around his neck.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRqvdS1l8Mg
The soldiers threw him into a small room with about ten other people. They all sat against the opposite wall, watching as the man stood up shakily, only to nearly fall and lean against the wall. Chris felt himself shaking so badly, and he knew that his knees could not support him right now, so he slid back down. He coughed several times, still feeling that there was water in his throat.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7we0UOlqm
“Are you alright, man?” one of the men asked.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftz2K0bFnv
Chris nodded.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XM588GO9P
“What’d they do to you?” another asked.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqw1Cc6dTG6
“Water…” was all Chris found himself able to say, repeating it several times. He realized that even though he had not broken under the stress of the torture, he was experiencing shock.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcBj6Hrl05
“Water? You need water?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmtW1MBhzu
“Nein! Nein, nein, nein!” Chris said quickly, shaking his head and waving his hand to dismiss the thought.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPHaHNEVGF
After several minutes of silence, Chris finally calmed himself enough to be able to speak.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKB3QTsRwH
“Where am I?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzn6av0I43F
“Voronezh. It’s a Russian prison camp.” 282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFSg5B7jKm
Chris pondered the man’s words for a moment before speaking again. “So, I am a prisoner of war?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKENClBhuN
“Yeah.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwE7toIndYD
Chris put his head in his hands. “Oh, God, no!”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESQgihAvXE
“Calm down, man. Don’t put yourself under pressure.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvjxcYtgxQ
“Don’t put myself under pressure?” Chris stood quickly, feeling a rise of panic. “Don’t put myself under pressure? I am in a Russian prison camp as a prisoner of war, and you are telling me don’t put myself under pressure?” Chris lost his temper, which seldom happened. He stood, and began swearing in German. He pounded his fist into the wall and paced back and forth, yelling angrily in German with not one of the men understanding a single word he was saying. They watched him oddly and fearfully from across the room.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzC4LTx24E
Finally he silenced himself and stood with his head against the wall. Then one of the men spoke up.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AutC0wwzg
“You’re not a Nazi, are you?” he asked.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9QUfwCDRY
Chris turned his head without moving it from the wall and glared at the man. He wanted to yell at him, but decided that, since he had just yelled so angrily in German, the language of the Nazis, the man had a reason for asking him that. He simply rested his head in the palm of his hand.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15g0vLefiS
“No. I assure you, I am not a Nazi. Please, do not call me that.” He turned and sat back down against the wall, pulling his knees up to his chest. For the first time in a long while, he felt insecure in a situation. He ran it through his mind.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fn44vdTjw
Here he was, imprisoned in a Russian prison camp as a prisoner of war. He had already been tortured, and something inside of him told him that the terrible experience of being waterboarded was not even close to the worst that he would experience during his time here. In fact, he didn’t even know if he would make it out of here alive.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYRbhRVtf9
And for right now, on a less serious matter, but troubling to him nonetheless, he was stuck in a room with ten people he did not know. He had never been one who felt the need to be around others, he had to admit, if only to himself, that he did have a slight fear of people. He wanted to be alone. 282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxenzmYbhQ
One man, the one who had first spoken, came over and sat by him. Chris, startled, quickly moved away from him. 282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPCl5ZxUTI
“Not a people person, eh?” the man asked.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXxfk9Ygf8
“Uh…no. No, not really.” 282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKodLJolT4n
“Alright. Well, I won’t invade your space, but I want to introduce myself, seeing as how we might be here together for a while. I’m Brad Jackson, but you can call me Reaper.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSWimVfhmh
“Chris Williams. Call me Germany.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFGwOZlKKq5
“Germany? Cause of your accent?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY85OHascsB
“Well, ja. And I grew up there. Well, there, and here in Russia. And I have a German uniform, which is why I first got called Germany.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GS8giWB1H
“You grew up here in Russia? And now you’re having to fight against it?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCiEDWz4tt
“Ja. I grew up right here in Voronezh. ”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLoLzeREbu
“Whoa. What’s that like?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6yasXIdPJ
“It is…not particularly easy.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqGAESV4vU
“How do you do it?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDaqpfKZoz
“Well, I know that what the Russians are doing is wrong.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3m97BSsshi
“Makes sense.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjEFSFTq5p
A few moments of silence went by. Then Chris asked, “Reaper? How did you get a name like that?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6VlSyM4dk
“Originally it was Grimm Reaper, but they shortened it. I have a morbid sense of humor. Well, did have. Being here though…the things I’ve seen…none of it was funny. It’s been the worst hell I’ve ever known. Nothing is funny anymore.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYU5bN5pcb
Chris nodded in acknowledgement.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlp93TqSMaP
“You don’t talk much, do you?” Reaper asked. 282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2OrE8dqP0
“Nein. I mean, no. No, I do not.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpVF7AXJbK
“Okay then. I’ll leave you alone now.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6fpcfeufY
Reaper went back to the other side of the room. There were several minutes of silence, then Chris spoke. “How bad is it here?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXI026Jvcl
Several of the others looked at each other. Reaper spoke.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0OK7SJNPW
“As long as you do exactly what they say and don’t fight back, it is torture. But if you do fight back, it is beyond hell. They take you away from here and lock you up in a cell with one other person if you’re lucky and torture you nearly every day, unlike once or twice a week here.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxYt1ObIR3
“Scheiße,” Chris muttered angrily.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjiKJPiTBy4
“What’s that mean?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRqIMkD6CN1
He looked at Reaper and smiled slightly at the American. “It means shit.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbXiRF4qrD
“Why do you say that?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVxDPJ5ov6
“Because I have already decided to put everything I have into fighting against these Russians.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfP92aYyx9b
“Don’t. It’s not worth it.” 282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIYRmUraSF
“Oh, to me it is, and once I have made up my mind to do something, I am going to do it, even if it kills me.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmXyzNw5LL
“Come on man. Don’t. The things they’ll do…just don’t...”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOh8izhnu8k
“I am sorry, but I have to. I will not tolerate them treating me like this.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmp8LFVfKE
“It’s suicide!”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TTjmhHa78
“Oh well.” Chris sighed.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡak5CYrwkxh
“Listen. If you obey them, you can get sent to a different camp. This is not even a regular prison camp! All they do here is torture. That’s their specialty. Torture and Interrogation. I was sent from another camp to here for disobedience and not giving knowledge. But if I obey here, I can get sent away from this one. You can too!”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNr5zzNyqO
"So you told them what you knew?” Chris asked in disbelief.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtACgSgteTt
“No. But I had to do something. So I told them a bunch of lies. Fortunately for me, they believed it.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRDITiGGXL
“I’m sorry. But I have to go against these people with everything I have. I will not submit myself to being owned by them.”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD1iJYvW8hM
“Why?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4eGbhy08J
Chris looked at him for a moment. “I do not know. I suppose it is just in my nature.” He paused. “I suppose another reason is that…well…it just is very unnerving to be treated like this when you grew up here. Russia is almost as much of a homeland to me as Germany.” Chris sighed, remembering his childhood spent there.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDs8j0CrpX
“I’m sure it is. But still, wouldn’t you rather try to live and make it out of here alive?”282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAJzuNXNxQ
“If I do make it out of here alive, I would rather do so knowing that I did all I could to show these Russians that I will not just sit back and let them do whatever they wish with me while they destroy the country’s defenses. I will not let them take my country. I would rather die fighting against them than not doing anything at all.”
Penana
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