Terezín, Czechoslovakia
It was time to move. I had planned the escape out thoroughly—every moment would matter.
I had Amelia by the sleeve, the fabric gripped tightly in my hand as we entered an unused building behind the tunnel that led to the execution field. With only a weak flashlight, I lit up the stairs so we could find our way to the underground floor of the building. Many crates were lined up, filled with items stolen from the Jewish prisoners.
"What is all this?" Amelia asked.
I didn't have the strength to explain where it had all come from, but I assumed she would soon figure it out on her own since there was an entire crate dedicated to sets of false teeth taken from the dead.
Thankfully, it didn't take me long to find what I needed. I knew I needed to hide Amelia and Lucie if I had any chance of sneaking them outside of the front gates. The potato sacks I located would hopefully do the trick.
"A potato sack?" Amelia questioned, still looking in each open crate that housed horrendous items that should never have been taken from the deceased Jews. It smelled foul down there, and the fumes were making me feel nauseous, as I imagined they were making her feel, as well. Though, after living in the camp's confines for so long, one might argue the horrible aromas were somewhat typical by that point.
"Yes, and I need you to stay here while I find a way to retrieve baby Lucie." Lucie was held in a nursery cell along with other motherless babies. That would be the trickiest part of this plan.
"Hurry back please," she pleaded. Amelia must not have understood how badly I wanted to hurry back and get her out of this place.
I was nervous as I made my way through the camp, but I kept my disposition calm and walked directly into the nursery that was guarded by two night shift nurses. They saluted me upon my arrival. "I must take one of the babies for reasons I cannot disclose," I said, speaking authoritatively. The nurses knew better than to ask questions. However, the looks on their faces were no longer friendly. Underneath our uniforms, we were all people. Some had lost their minds after being brainwashed for so long, but many still had thoughts of their own.
The cell was cold and damp, and the babies were likely to get sick from that environment. It was insufferable and sickening. I hadn't had a reason to step foot into the nursery cell until that night, and I wish I never had to see how those poor babies were living. They had no hope.
"Which baby is Lucie?" I asked one of the nurses.
She walked over to a small wooden cradle and lifted the baby and then handed her over. Lucie was tiny for being nearly a year old. She didn't feel as though she weighed more than fifteen pounds. Her eyes stared up at me with wonder, but she didn't make a peep. "Here is a blanket," the nurse offered.
I wrapped Lucie in the blanket, nodded my head at the women and left in a hurry.
"I will keep you safe, baby girl," I whispered, hushing her soft coos.
It didn't take long before I made it back to the building where Amelia was waiting.
Stress was getting the best of me. Amelia wasn't moving as fast I would have liked, and sweat was beading over every inch of my body. I rushed her into the potato sack with Lucie. I didn't know if her hesitation was out of fear or trust, but I needed her cooperation so we could move quickly.
Once Amelia and Lucie were settled inside the sack, I carefully lifted them both and tossed the open part of the bag over my shoulder.
The walk to the front gate felt like it took an hour when it was just a few minutes.
"Where are you going so late at night?" the guard asked. It wasn't for the fact that I was leaving the grounds; it was because I had a full sack of something hanging off my shoulder.
"I need to get a head start for my doctor's appointment. It is first thing in the morning," I told him, lying through my teeth.
"Oh, you're the soldier who had his arm amputated," the guard continued. He was more focused on the tied-off sleeve than the sack resting on my back. I was grateful for that.
"That's correct," I replied.
"And what's in the bag?" I prayed, and I prayed hard that the man was just curious. I hadn't been questioned while leaving before, and his rank was equal to mine. There was no reason to question another guard, aside from curiosity.
"I was asked to bring leftover clothing to the hospital for some of the recovering soldiers who have nothing to leave with."
The small talk continued, and I was thankful the grounds were dark, so he couldn't see the nervous expression on my face.
The gates were wide open, and I walked away casually. If I moved any quicker, I would look suspicious. Amelia and Lucie were not heavy at all, but with one arm and hoofing it a few blocks, I was becoming breathless.
In the darkest corner of an alleyway, I placed the sack down ever so gently. "Don't move," I whispered against the bag.
I was watching a group of passengers step out of a car at the corner of the block, and my plan escalated. The fastest way out of this area was an automobile. I had no choice. I was already a criminal by all German means, so stealing a car was no worse in my mind.
After a long two minutes, I lifted the bag back up and made my way to the black Mercedes, opening the back door first. I placed the potato sack down on the back seat and jumped into the driver's seat as fast as I could move.
