Post by mystique on Aug 24, 2006 17:46:35 GMT -5
His world was total darkness. The air was heavy and oppressive, and Erik limited his breathing to conserve his oxygen. Without sight, his other senses grew more sensitive. He could hear Raven's movements around the trunk, and then the presence of others. He propped himself up against the wire, to help him from rolling around too much. It proved to be a smart move when he was dropped seconds later. Once he had been placed into the truck, he relaxed into a more comfortable position.
He couldn't fall asleep with the vibrations all around him, so instead he focused his mind on his cramped container. The cage was entirely metal and so was the lock. Gingerly, he extended his sense of magnetism and felt the mechanism with his mind. It was a standard build, a pin tumbler, and easy for Erik to comprehend. If he simply lifted the individual pins to the right combination, he would be free. Now that he knew how to break the lock, he couldn't sit still. He needed to wait for Raven's go ahead before he made his move, but his patience was dwindling fast.
Stopping under an oak tree several miles from the camp, Raven carefully opened the trunk. "Erik?" She pulled clothing and objects off of him, looking around her to make sure no one was coming in either direction.
When she saw his young face, she smiled. It was the first expression of happiness he'd seen on Irma's cold features. "We're not in the clear yet." She looked up again, cautious. It would mean immediate death if they were caught. "You can sit up front until we pass anyone. I have clothes for you. And if we can make it into the city, we'll ditch the truck and get ourselves on a train." Another smile. She was obviously excited.
Erik had to blink several times to readjust to the light. When he could see clearly again, there was a smile on his savior's face. Something inside him responded to the warmth and he grinned back. After five days of being in this cage, he was finally able to get out.
Understanding that they had to be in a relatively safe place for Raven to even be talking to him, Erik immediately undid the lock and scrambled out. His legs were weak and he had to prop himself against the trunk, but he didn't care. The pain in his body was nothing compared to the joy he felt. Erik tilted his head back and laughed. He didn't notice until after he stopped that he had been crying.
He wiped his eyes and turned back to Raven. "Okay. I'm ready."
Helping him into the passenger's seat, her stomach turned at how thing his legs still were. She looked forward to feeding this kid until he was overweight. Anything to make up for what he'd been through. Banging the glove compartment with her fist, it popped open to reveal a corned beef sandwich and an apple. "Go ahead Erik. I've had lunch already."
Driving down the road, she looked at him. "Does the air feel good?" she smiled, looking around them. "I'm so glad to be out of there. I can't believe..." she could have gone on, but he was just a kid. Instead she shook her head.
"You have a lot of life ahead of you Erik. You don't have to keep in touch once we get out of German territory... but I hope you do."
Erik gratefully tore into the sandwich. It was the most delicious thing he ever tasted. He heard her speak, but his eyes were too busy watching the passing scenery to look back. Everything seemed alive, as if the whole world was feeling what he was feeling. Finally, he cleared his mouth and turned back to Raven.
"I'd like to keep in contact with you, but I'm not sure how long it will be until I'm safe enough to do so. It might take a while. What will you do after this?"
Raven kept her eyes on the road. "I have to report back to my superiors. Chances are I'll be working until the war is over. I think I got the information I needed though.. largely because I stayed longer in order to get you out. It was a challenge keeping Irma away that long, though." It dawned on her she was sharing too much, but somehow she didn't care. It wasn't as if Erik were a double agent.
She wondered about his parents, if the whole thing had hit him or if he was choosing not to think about it just to survive. He was a remarkably intelligent and mature boy, which surely had a great deal to do with his mutation. She hoped his experiences in the camp would not harden him to the world. But she wouldn't blame him if they did.
"Don't worry. I would never betray you," he said, not really knowing why, but sensing it was appropriate. He knew that the woman he was looking at wasn't really what Raven looked like. That bothered him. Erik wanted to remember the true face of his savior, not some mask of a nazi officer.
Now finished with the sandwich, he moved onto the apple. It was so crisp and fresh in his mouth! There had been no fruits for the prisoners in Auschwitz. He took huge bites, partly because of how much his body craved it, but also to keep him from asking about Raven's true form.
An hour more of driving and they reached the city. Raven asked Eric to lay low against the seat until they could get somewhere they could leave the truck. She rested a hand on his back, a jacket thrown over him.
The truck swerved suddenly as she saw an alleyway in which to cram the large vehicle.
"Quickly," her voice was urgent. When she lifted the jacket, Erik saw a different woman there. Dark hair, dark eyes, not much different than his own people. Beautiful, but filled with tension. She wore a simple dress, the sort a working-class woman might. "Quickly Erik."
Stepping out of the truck, she helped him down and took his hand. "You are my son. Your name is Emil Haufer. Say nothing, and try to look as if you are on an errand." Hurrying away from the alleyway and across the street, her features lightened, she looked almost pleasant. He could see how the woman was a spy. There wasn't a trace of worry on her features.
He hadn't been expecting such a complete shift from one form to the next. The change was seamless. The only reason he didn't panic was that he knew she was still Raven underneath. Erik held on tightly to her hand and adopted a slightly bored expression that a young boy might wear when forced to run chores with his mother.
Raven said very little as they scuttled across the city, holding him protectively close when they stopped on street corners or waited for traffic. They reached the train station a quarter hour before their train was due, and Raven stopped, sitting on a bench with him. She pulled two passports from her purse.
"Here Emil. Don't lose this now," she said in a very maternal voice. Inside his passport wallet was the photo taken of him on his first day at Auschwitz. It had been manipulated a bit to look more appropriate. The quality of work on the fake document was so good it almost made him wonder if he'd forgotten being there to get his passport done.
The wait for the train had her a little nervous. She put an arm around him and squeezed his shoulder lightly with her hand.
While his "mother" was nervous, Erik was oddly calm. He didn't understand why, but didn't question it. It was better than the constant fear that had until recently controlled his mind. With his head leaned against Raven's side, he felt safe.
Erik paused to look at his own picture, taking a while to recognize himself. He had seen what he looked like now through the side door mirror on the truck. He thought a vampire had sucked out all his juices. then he placed his passport into the most secure pocket on his person.
Raven held his hand as they went through the line to board the train, but as they handed their passports to the guard, her fingers slipped around his upper arm. She was prepared to get them both out of here alive if the paperwork didn't past muster.
The man looked hard at both of them, but only for a moment, and in a way that indicated he looked hard at everyone. Wasting no time, she stepped up into the passenger car with Erik and found their way to their seats. She wondered if he'd been brought to the camp in a train, though of course it would have been a cargo train and not the beautiful railcar they were in now. Realizing they were nearly escaped, she could not help a smile as she looked back at him.
Finding their seats, she kept her bag with her and kept her eyes out the window as they waited for the train to move. A soft smile now lingered on her, she couldn't contain it.
Leaning over to him, she whispered in his ear almost too low to hear. "We ride seven hours west, and at the station my contact should be there to pick us up and help us across the border."
Erik was awed by the luxurious interior of the train. He had forgotten how nice the world could be. He practically melted into his cushioned seat the moment he touched it. Seven hours was a long wait, it wouldn't be so bad this time. He was out of that cage and Erik was pleased.
He looked over to Raven. She was all smiles now and that was a good sign. Erik tried to smile back but it came out as a yawn. "Is it okay if I sleep some of the way there?"
She leaned her head back against the seat and looked out the window. With a sigh that sounded distinctly relieved, she nodded. "Of course."
He couldn't fall asleep with the vibrations all around him, so instead he focused his mind on his cramped container. The cage was entirely metal and so was the lock. Gingerly, he extended his sense of magnetism and felt the mechanism with his mind. It was a standard build, a pin tumbler, and easy for Erik to comprehend. If he simply lifted the individual pins to the right combination, he would be free. Now that he knew how to break the lock, he couldn't sit still. He needed to wait for Raven's go ahead before he made his move, but his patience was dwindling fast.
Stopping under an oak tree several miles from the camp, Raven carefully opened the trunk. "Erik?" She pulled clothing and objects off of him, looking around her to make sure no one was coming in either direction.
When she saw his young face, she smiled. It was the first expression of happiness he'd seen on Irma's cold features. "We're not in the clear yet." She looked up again, cautious. It would mean immediate death if they were caught. "You can sit up front until we pass anyone. I have clothes for you. And if we can make it into the city, we'll ditch the truck and get ourselves on a train." Another smile. She was obviously excited.
Erik had to blink several times to readjust to the light. When he could see clearly again, there was a smile on his savior's face. Something inside him responded to the warmth and he grinned back. After five days of being in this cage, he was finally able to get out.
Understanding that they had to be in a relatively safe place for Raven to even be talking to him, Erik immediately undid the lock and scrambled out. His legs were weak and he had to prop himself against the trunk, but he didn't care. The pain in his body was nothing compared to the joy he felt. Erik tilted his head back and laughed. He didn't notice until after he stopped that he had been crying.
He wiped his eyes and turned back to Raven. "Okay. I'm ready."
Helping him into the passenger's seat, her stomach turned at how thing his legs still were. She looked forward to feeding this kid until he was overweight. Anything to make up for what he'd been through. Banging the glove compartment with her fist, it popped open to reveal a corned beef sandwich and an apple. "Go ahead Erik. I've had lunch already."
Driving down the road, she looked at him. "Does the air feel good?" she smiled, looking around them. "I'm so glad to be out of there. I can't believe..." she could have gone on, but he was just a kid. Instead she shook her head.
"You have a lot of life ahead of you Erik. You don't have to keep in touch once we get out of German territory... but I hope you do."
Erik gratefully tore into the sandwich. It was the most delicious thing he ever tasted. He heard her speak, but his eyes were too busy watching the passing scenery to look back. Everything seemed alive, as if the whole world was feeling what he was feeling. Finally, he cleared his mouth and turned back to Raven.
"I'd like to keep in contact with you, but I'm not sure how long it will be until I'm safe enough to do so. It might take a while. What will you do after this?"
Raven kept her eyes on the road. "I have to report back to my superiors. Chances are I'll be working until the war is over. I think I got the information I needed though.. largely because I stayed longer in order to get you out. It was a challenge keeping Irma away that long, though." It dawned on her she was sharing too much, but somehow she didn't care. It wasn't as if Erik were a double agent.
She wondered about his parents, if the whole thing had hit him or if he was choosing not to think about it just to survive. He was a remarkably intelligent and mature boy, which surely had a great deal to do with his mutation. She hoped his experiences in the camp would not harden him to the world. But she wouldn't blame him if they did.
"Don't worry. I would never betray you," he said, not really knowing why, but sensing it was appropriate. He knew that the woman he was looking at wasn't really what Raven looked like. That bothered him. Erik wanted to remember the true face of his savior, not some mask of a nazi officer.
Now finished with the sandwich, he moved onto the apple. It was so crisp and fresh in his mouth! There had been no fruits for the prisoners in Auschwitz. He took huge bites, partly because of how much his body craved it, but also to keep him from asking about Raven's true form.
An hour more of driving and they reached the city. Raven asked Eric to lay low against the seat until they could get somewhere they could leave the truck. She rested a hand on his back, a jacket thrown over him.
The truck swerved suddenly as she saw an alleyway in which to cram the large vehicle.
"Quickly," her voice was urgent. When she lifted the jacket, Erik saw a different woman there. Dark hair, dark eyes, not much different than his own people. Beautiful, but filled with tension. She wore a simple dress, the sort a working-class woman might. "Quickly Erik."
Stepping out of the truck, she helped him down and took his hand. "You are my son. Your name is Emil Haufer. Say nothing, and try to look as if you are on an errand." Hurrying away from the alleyway and across the street, her features lightened, she looked almost pleasant. He could see how the woman was a spy. There wasn't a trace of worry on her features.
He hadn't been expecting such a complete shift from one form to the next. The change was seamless. The only reason he didn't panic was that he knew she was still Raven underneath. Erik held on tightly to her hand and adopted a slightly bored expression that a young boy might wear when forced to run chores with his mother.
Raven said very little as they scuttled across the city, holding him protectively close when they stopped on street corners or waited for traffic. They reached the train station a quarter hour before their train was due, and Raven stopped, sitting on a bench with him. She pulled two passports from her purse.
"Here Emil. Don't lose this now," she said in a very maternal voice. Inside his passport wallet was the photo taken of him on his first day at Auschwitz. It had been manipulated a bit to look more appropriate. The quality of work on the fake document was so good it almost made him wonder if he'd forgotten being there to get his passport done.
The wait for the train had her a little nervous. She put an arm around him and squeezed his shoulder lightly with her hand.
While his "mother" was nervous, Erik was oddly calm. He didn't understand why, but didn't question it. It was better than the constant fear that had until recently controlled his mind. With his head leaned against Raven's side, he felt safe.
Erik paused to look at his own picture, taking a while to recognize himself. He had seen what he looked like now through the side door mirror on the truck. He thought a vampire had sucked out all his juices. then he placed his passport into the most secure pocket on his person.
Raven held his hand as they went through the line to board the train, but as they handed their passports to the guard, her fingers slipped around his upper arm. She was prepared to get them both out of here alive if the paperwork didn't past muster.
The man looked hard at both of them, but only for a moment, and in a way that indicated he looked hard at everyone. Wasting no time, she stepped up into the passenger car with Erik and found their way to their seats. She wondered if he'd been brought to the camp in a train, though of course it would have been a cargo train and not the beautiful railcar they were in now. Realizing they were nearly escaped, she could not help a smile as she looked back at him.
Finding their seats, she kept her bag with her and kept her eyes out the window as they waited for the train to move. A soft smile now lingered on her, she couldn't contain it.
Leaning over to him, she whispered in his ear almost too low to hear. "We ride seven hours west, and at the station my contact should be there to pick us up and help us across the border."
Erik was awed by the luxurious interior of the train. He had forgotten how nice the world could be. He practically melted into his cushioned seat the moment he touched it. Seven hours was a long wait, it wouldn't be so bad this time. He was out of that cage and Erik was pleased.
He looked over to Raven. She was all smiles now and that was a good sign. Erik tried to smile back but it came out as a yawn. "Is it okay if I sleep some of the way there?"
She leaned her head back against the seat and looked out the window. With a sigh that sounded distinctly relieved, she nodded. "Of course."