Page 83 of Hearts of Resistance
She sobbed then, unable to stay strong any longer.
She wanted Alex. She wanted her mother. She wanted the life she’d had before the war had taken everything from her.
‘Last stitch.’
Sophia heard the words but she couldn’t form a reply.
She wanted it over. The war. Her recovery. The death. The fear.
All she wanted was to find Alex again, to feel his arms around her, his whispers against her skin. Everyone she loved had died, and Alex might have, too, but she had to believe he’d made it. Without Alex, she had no one and nothing to return to.
‘You’re our little hero,’ a man said. She didn’t know if it was the same man as before or someone else; there were a few of them peering down at her.
‘I’m no hero,’ she managed to mutter.
‘You are,’ he said again. ‘The delivery was a success and we’re going to blast the hell out of every last German on that train line tonight, mark my words.’
Sophia managed a smile. It didn’t feel like a success, but at least it hadn’t been for nothing.
‘Tonight you’re going to rest, and tomorrow we’re taking you somewhere safe until we can get you back to London.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ROSE
Rose listened. The noise of battle was so close, she could feel the buzz of the planes in her bones. They were Allies. They had to be the Allies. Which meant the Germans were slowly being defeated. The landings must have been a success.
She’d become accustomed to the deep, gnawing ache in her stomach that had been there for weeks now. Or had it been days? The beatings and questions felt like they’d been going on for a lifetime. The pain of being so hungry was something she could never fully ignore, but she’d started to become more used to it. She wondered if it was her body’s defence mechanism, something that happened when a person was forced to exist on so little.
The door lurched and she cringed, instinctively moving closer to Hazel. Her friend was asleep, as were all the others, or at least they were lying down and pretending to be. They were all so hungry, so cold and miserable, and she expected every day to be her last. Maybe the last for all of them.
A new prisoner was roughly shoved in, and Rose kept her eyes downcast until the guard disappeared, the door locked behind him. She leapt forward then and touched the woman’s face, seeing how badly they’d beaten her.
‘I’m a friend,’ she said quickly. ‘We all are in here.’
The woman smiled up at her, surprising Rose. The light was dim but not dark enough that she couldn’t see properly.
‘They’ll come back for you soon. They never leave you for long,’ Rose explained quickly.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ the woman whispered, moving and taking something from her waistband.
Rose was on her haunches and she moved back a little, worried until she saw that it was a crumpled piece of paper. There was a stirring behind her and Rose turned to see Hazel, rubbing her eyes and putting her feet on the concrete.
‘What is it?’ Rose asked.
The woman passed it to her and Rose read the words quickly before scanning them again, excitement building within her.
Take courage! We’re on our way!
She read the words again, and again, over and over, before passing the note back and turning to Hazel. Rose grabbed her and held her tight, hugging her as tears streamed down her cheeks.
‘We just need to stay alive a little longer,’ she whispered. ‘They’re coming. It’s truly happening.’
The next day, Rose and Hazel sat huddled together. Another woman was coughing, she’d been doing so for hours, and they were a sorry-looking bunch, all half-starved and looking close to death. But something was happening. The planes had continued to fly over, the air assault in full swing, and the bombs and gunfire had been going on all day. No guards had been to see them, there had been no heavy footfalls, but there had been yelling outside and it was obvious the mood had changed. The fighting was so close to them, the noise of war sending thrills through Rose as well as pangs of terror.
‘The Americans are at the gates!’ a guard yelled.
Rose screamed along with everyone else, terror blending with excitement blending with hope as they heard the frantic scream from outside.
