//------------------------------//
// Awakening 
// Story: For Whom The Bell Tolls 
// by The Shtebbie 
//------------------------------//

[Unknown], 1945
[Unknown] Local time

Chills. Up and down his spine. Vague shapes moved between half-shut eyelids. Hearing slowly came to him. He opened his eyes slowly. A face was staring down at him. The man's face was haunted, by things he had seen and experienced. He was gaunt, and had thick stubble all along his chin. He blinked once, then backed away. Atwater rose from the steel floor. He looked around, and saw more men huddled around him. He realized he was in a large steel cage. Everyone in the cage, including himself, wore grayish-white suits, with a number above the left breast. He glanced around, and the men just stared at him.
"Hello, do you understand English?" They stared at him numbly. A man pushed his way to the front. He spoke with a heavy Russian accent.
"Privyet, American. What brings you to this fascist prison?"
Atwater glanced around and realized he was in a sterile room. The walls stood about fifteen feet from each side of the cage, except for a wall the same height as the cage, that seemed to be a partition. He heard whimpering and soft crying from the other side of the partition. He turned to the Russian.
"My name is Jacob Atwater, U.S. Army Rangers. Who are you?"
The Russian seemed taken aback by his statement. He scratched his beard, then replied. 
"My name is Sasha Lopotev, Corporal in the mighty Red Army."
Atwater nodded, then looked at the partition. He nodded in the direction of it.
"Who's over there?"
"We don't know. We've tried Russian, Dutch, Polish, and German. No luck. Only reason we haven't tried English was because we thought the Americans were farther away."
As soon as he finished speaking, the faces around Atwater lifted.
"Amerikaner?" They repeated again and again, and he just nodded. They immediately began cheering, then realized that an American soldier was imprisoned. 
At this moment, a iron door opened in the wall. Three men stepped into the room and two shut the door behind them. One went over and drew an previously unseen curtain across the opening to the other side of the partition. The crying ceased. Obviously those on the other side knew what was happening. The Germans were in the well-known black uniforms of the SS. One was clearly an officer. He surveyed the crowd of prisoners. He then clapped once. Immediately two slits opened in the walls and MG-42 barrels were pushed through, giving a lethal warning to any prisoner who tried anything. He then unlocked the door and gestured to three men. They exited, heads low, as if heading to an execution, which for all intents and purposes they might be. Then the officer closed the gate again, and opened the room's door. Four soldiers entered and took the prisoners away. The door closed. The officer then walked stiffly past the partition, through the curtain. 
Then, Atwater heard something strange.

"Please, sir. What is going on? Why are we here? Did we do something wrong?"

Atwater then heard the gate open and close again, and heard a distinct clop clop clop before he heard the gate close, and another door open.

"Where are you taking me? Please!"

The door slammed. The officer appeared through the partition like a wraith. He glared at the men in the cage, then exited through the door. One man came to give two loaves of bread and a water pitcher to them. The men around him orderly lined up and began to each take a small portion of bread and a sip of water. Atwater was shocked. How could men so thin and starved eat like this? He then looked back at the wall. The MG-42's were still pointed at them. Atwater got in line.

****************************************************************************************

Day Three since imprisonment

Atwater rubbed his stubble. It irritated him. He prided himself on being well-groomed for most occasions. But on this occasion his pride was not applicable.

Since the first Selection, he had wondered about many things. First and foremost was his squad. He was the only one of them here. Either they were dead, or in some other holding cell. Second was escape, which he and Sasha had spoke of. Third was what was behind that partition? The people on that side spoke a form of English, but not with an accent he was familiar with. He had argued with himself for the past hour about if he should call out to them.
He decided not to.

That day's selection started. The Germans came in. The gate opened. But this time, the officer gestured to him. He walked out 
of the gate. 

And punched the man in the face.

He grabbed him and spun him around, drawing the officer's Luger in the process. He aimed it at the two soldiers. One brought up his gun and was promptly shot. The MG-42 slits ripped open and started firing. Many prisoners fell before all of them ducked down to save their life. Atwater turned and shot the other man. The prisoners on the other side of the partition were screaming in terror. Atwater knocked the officer unconscious. He then shoved the Luger through the slit and fired. The gun immediately stopped and he heard a scream of pain. The other gun stopped firing as well. Atwater stopped. He walked over to the curtain and drew it back.

He stopped in surprise and confusion.
A small creature that looked like a candy-colored miniature horse stood in the cage, surrounded my many others. He then realized they had horns. And some had wings. Then one said, “Hello, my name is Sugar Bun, what’s yours?”

He passed out.