Never-ending Torment

• Cooper Hall, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2019

Loud bangs on each door and screams of dread; ear piercing, unintelligible demands of German soldiers. The screams of Jewish men eventually die down as they become rotten, bloody corpses. I’m in tears and I feel like my pain will resolve into a never-ending cycle. The Germans seem to be cutting down on our rations; our days may be ever so lastly. The year is 1946, or at least it seems; so hard to keep track of time in this generation of torture and misery. Can’t feel my legs from the constant agony of these ankle shackles. Sorry, I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself: people call me by the name Omin Zwiebal. All I have left in terms of a friend is my cellmate Darius. Everyone else has either turned on us or have already passed away.

It’s been several days so far without any sight of any SS officers, as it’s been getting quieter and quieter each day. My hunger is coming the better of me and with no rations left to share for the rest of us, we’re done for. Is the US army coming to escort us? Are the Nazis coming back for us? I’m hearing a constant tapping on the walls and loud booming on the ceiling. I feel like we might be trapped under here if we don’t find a way to escape from here.

Darius and myself are practically skeletons at this point. I’m eventually becoming more insane; the prisoners are constantly trying to avoid me, even Darius has been avoiding contact with me. I feel alone and lost, yet Darius refuses to converse with me and constantly gives me death glares. I don’t want to lose another friend, I can’t – but dying of starvation was no longer an option when I could be living my life as a free man.

I viciously gripped onto Darius’ neck and slowly choked him, my hands continuously gripping tighter around his neck. I can still remember his last words. “Come on, you think you can kill me, go for it. I have nothing to live for anyway. My family? My friends? All dead. I’ve known you for long enough to know you wouldn’t kill me”. My blood boiled as I jabbed my sharp nails into his neck. The sound of him choking made me giddy with excitement, as I began to watch the blood slowly pour from his neck.

In a matter of minutes, helicopters were heard flying above. Soldiers burst down the door in a panic and ran towards the other prisoners, guiding them to safety. I held Darius in my arms, himself barely clinging to life, while the soldiers stared at me, as they aimed their sights on me.
“God damn traitor! Execute him immediately!”
My life flashed before my very eyes and I saw the light, as a bullet point-blank struck me, then another. My knees suddenly gave in. I was losing blood rapidly, as I gradually faded away from existence.