“I was asked to bring leftover clothing to the hospital for some of the recovering soldiers who have nothing to leavewith.”
“Ah, yes,” the other soldier said. “Did you take some shoes, aswell?”
“Of course.” Charlie’s voice was starting to sound garbled, and the bag was shaking haphazardly, making a show of his nerves that hopefully only Lucie and I noticed. My body was beginning to ache and tremble too, fearful of Lucie making a sound or crying, but by another instance of luck, I heard the metal gate open. It was truly the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. The squealing metal and whining of hinges tickled my ears the same way an orchestrated arrangementwould.
“We’ll see you back here tomorrow, soldier. Is there transportation arranged foryou?”
“Yes, it has all been arranged outside of the headquarters. Thank you, sir.”Sir.I assumed he must have been a higher-ranking soldier than Charlie. However, I felt it was odd to have a higher rank on guard at that time ofnight.
Footsteps continued, and we all remained silent for quite a while. I was scared to say anything without being able to take in the surroundings, but I heard Charlie’s footsteps thump along stone, which told me we were on a road of some sort. I knew he would place us down the moment he could, but I wasn’t familiar with the outside area, and therefore, wasn’t sure where or how far away safety wouldbe.
I was finally rested down gently onto a hard surface, but I heard Charlie mumble, “Don't move.” I stayed as still as possible, hoping Lucie was doing thesame.
The sound of a car door opening made my pulse quicken. I wondered if we were getting inside of a car with a driver or if Charlie would be the one driving. I didn’t think it could be so easy. After all that time, we seamlessly walked through the secured gates toward our escape. There was only one problem I hadn't considered…if Charlie didn't return, it would only be a matter of time before they’d be afterhim.
I was lifted back up and placed on top of a soft surface. I still didn’t move, but after the soft click of a door closing, followed by a second door opening and closing, my hope was becoming a reality. The engine roared to life, and we began to move. “Amelia,” Charlie called out eagerly, “you can pull the bag down.” Though I was still stricken with fear, I did as he said, finding myself in the backseat next to the other potato sack filled with Lucie. I helped her out of hers as well, finding she was asleep, as I hadassumed.
“Charlie, you did it!” I told him, quietly but excitedly, grabbing the back of his seat. “Whose car isthis?”
“It doesn't matter,” hesaid.
“Where do we go now?” I asked while rocking Lucie within myarms.
“We need to get out of this country, Amelia. We're notsafe.”
“For now, at this moment, we are,” I told him. I wrapped my arm around his neck from behind and kissed his cheek. He didn't respond; instead, he peered into the rearview mirror with an empty look taken up the vicinity of wideeyes.
“Is something else wrong?” Iasked.
“I don’t know if anyone saw me steal this car,” hesaid.
“How did you get it started?” I knew we wouldn't have any mode of transportation, so I wasn't surprised by the situation, but by the looks of the dark interior finish and unfamiliar gadgets on the dashboard, the vehicle was incrediblylavish.
“My father and I used to work on cars together. He was a mechanic at a gas station. I hot-wired it.” With a thickness in my throat, I swallowed hard as I concluded that we were not only escaping but committing other serious crimes as well. Not that we had much choice, but I was the girl who never missed a class in school, who always met my curfew five minutes early. Crime was never in my future, but there I was, committing several of them atonce.
Within minutes after we had taken off from wherever the car was parked, the sound of a handheld, crank-siren echoed in the distance. “Charlie, is that because ofus?”
“I don't know,” he said in a chokedgrunt.
I held Lucie a little tighter as the eerie sound grew louder. “Pull down a side street,” I told him. It was hardly worth mentioning, as he had already pulled down several side streets, but talking when I was nervous made me feel as though I was helping. “What should wedo?”
“We're going to have to run,” hesaid.
“Run towhere?”
“I don't know, Amelia.” Charlie was visibly upset, as was I. However, he was the one with the plan, and I was clueless as to how we would escape the trouble that may be coming closer tous.
“When I tell you to get out, you need to run like mad. Do youunderstand?”
“Of course,” I told him, knowing I was unable to run as fast as I used to. I was beyond the stage of malnutrition and had little muscle left in my body. My lungs constantly felt as though they would collapse after walking from one block to the other, never mind running an unknown distance tosafety.
It sounded as if the siren had died down for the moment, but if it was us they were looking for, I was sure they wouldn't give up their search too easily. “I need you to see if there’s a map under the seat,” Charliesaid.
I leaned down and reached under the seats, finding an attaché case. It was a bit of a struggle to pull out, but once freed, I was pleased to find there were no locks on the clasps. I pulled the case open and found a stack of papers and a folded map. “There is one,” I said. “Amap.”
If Charlie was unsure of our direction, I was not going to be of much help without familiarizing myself with our location. I unfolded the map, searching for Theresienstadt. Thankfully, I found it quickly, though it was hard to see much with only the smattering of gas lamps we were passing by. “Where are we going?” Iasked.
“Zurich,” hesaid.
