Albert watched the German Panzers disappear as they walked further down the road. Their walk lasted for miles, from the afternoon until late at night. They never stopped, not to rest or to get a drink. The Russians took their canteens that were full of water and kept them for themselves. The men that stopped were shot immediately and were dragged in a ditch next to the road. Albert and Ernst's feet ached with bloody blisters forming on their ankles and feet.
The sun was starting to set over the mountain-filled horizon. All of the captured German tank crews and commanders were led into a camp filled with other German prisoners, more than Albert had seen at the other camp he was at. The young ones cried and the older ones had already wished they were dead.
The Russians were not known to take prisoners, the enemy was usually shot on sight. This camp was one of the few the Russians had in their land.
No one said a word as they entered through the rusty gates of the camp. A strong electric current from a generator ran through the barbed wires that circled the camp. Everyone watched as some of the German soldiers tried to escape at the other end of the camp but the Russian guards either shot them or they were electrocuted when the tried to jump over the fence. There was one side of the fence that was at the front of the camp, it seemed to be covered in blood. It looked like an execution area. All of the German men were now watching as their brothers were carried into a barn by Russians that had medical coats on smeared with blood. Horrible screams that almost didn't sound human were coming from the area. Some of the men threw up when they saw the scene, thinking that is what would happen to them tonight or tomorrow. Albert thought that this camp was more brutal than the other one he was at. One of the German soldiers spoke up and said to him it was the most brutal P.O.W camp the Russians had.
"Oh really?"
"Yes um, my brother Hans died here a couple of mouths ago. A letter reached home before I was drafted into Wilhelm's Panzer division, telling the locating of his death and how he died."
"Shut up!" yelled one of the Russian guards in German as threw the butt of the rifle into the man's back.
Both men fell into the mud a few feet from the entrance. Albert looked aside of him and saw the man screaming in pain. It was the man he had just talked with. Albert's mouth turned to a frown as tears formed in his eyes, wondering if that guard would use his bayonet on him at any second. Instead, the guard pulled him up by his ear.
"That's a warning. Next time you talk you'll be hurt more than this." he said in German as he made a cut in Albert's arm with the tip of his bayonet.
Albert grinded his teeth together and growled as the guard pushed him along. He was bleeding badly. Blood ran down his arm and dripped into the mud. The first thing that ran into Albert's mind was how was he going to stop the bleeding so his arm wouldn't get infected.
Albert shook his head to focus again and looked in front of him. There hung six ropes that were tied so a head could fit through. There were six German soldiers that had sacks over their heads walking up to the ropes. Albert looked away and imagined himself being one of those men, about to be hanged. His eyes widened as the guards stopped them from moving forward. Some of the guards grabbed the German soldier's arms. The guard counted off six men. Albert squeezed his eyes shut, hoping not to feel the hand of a Russian soldier grip his arm. There was some screams that came from a boy next to him. Albert didn't dare open his eyes but the screaming did not stop.
"Albert!" yelled the voice.
His eyes jolted open and he looked at the boy next to him. The boy was trying to break free from the guards arms but another guard threw his rifle into the boy's abdomen. He screamed louder and continued saying Albert's name and was quickly being dragged towards the ropes.