A dark shadow came through the doorway. Wilhelm gripped the knife harder since his hand was starting to sweat.
"Find anything?" asked a Russian soldier.
"Nothing, it's too dark in here. There's only a lantern and a small fire."
Slash! Wilhelm made his move with the knife. The Russian soldier gagged as Wilhelm dug the knife harder into his neck. He quickly pulled it out and the Russian soldier was thrown to the ground.
"Aleksandr?" asked the Russian soldier that was with him. "Everything ok in there?"
The boots of the Russian soldier came closer. He dropped his rifle and dragged his buddy's body clear from the doorway.
"Who's there?" he asked.
Wilhelm stood silent again and waited for him to enter the doorway. The soldier continued to ask if anyone was there. The kitchen fell silent until Wilhelm made his move again. The Russian soldier was down on the ground, dead.
"It's clear. You can come out now. Help me hide these bodies."
Albert grabbed the lantern and brought it over to where the bodies were. Blood reflected in the light of the lantern. Ernst grabbed one of the soldier's arms while Albert grabbed the other one. They dragged them to the corner of the kitchen and laid them there, covering them with several long white towels. The three men took the Russian's rifles and headed up the street. They went into a clothing store that was on the corner, the direction the other soldiers took. They hid on the second floor and waited for the other Russian soldiers to come back.
Civilians walked the street below, having no idea that three German soldiers were above them. There was some screaming close by and in the distance around the town.
"Here they come." whispered Ernst.
He pointed to the street on the left. This time there were more than two Russian soldiers, now there was almost a whole convoy. A couple T-34s, transport trucks with AA and anti-tank weapons attached to the back along with loads of infantry. The infantry marched in perfect lines, their feet hitting the ground all at the same time. It was like a Russian military parade, only without Stalin.
"Get down!" Wilhelm commanded.
The tanks rumbled by the building they were in, making dust on the ceiling fall on them. The three men froze as the marching and the tanks stopped.
"All, search the town!" a Russian soldier yelled.
Albert closed his eyes and prayed that he and the other men would not be found. All three of them were hiding under a large clothing shelf. Ernst's head accidentally hit the top of the shelf with a thud.
"Ouch!" he said, trying to keep it silent.
Crash! A display glass from the shelf hit the floor and shattered. The voices outside stopped and soon footsteps were heard, they came closer until the door to the clothing shop opened with a loud squeak.