The Beginning Of The End | Pt. 4

Sicily | 1943

9:00A.M

Obsessed with placing Italy at the top of the political, and military food chain, and restoring his honor after what he did in the first world war, he took matters into his own hands.

With men in position to eliminate the German threat at any moment, the priest decided to use the looters to his advantage. With tensions between the civilians and soldiers brewed to the breaking point, his plan was to rile up the looters by throwing some debris into the crowd, hoping to bait the soldiers into firing on the looters.

It was a sacrificial distraction he was willing to make. He and his men would then be able to use the carnage as an opportunity to swoop in, round up the children, and eliminate the opposition.

Before making his move, he saw Corrado hustle away from the crowd, and disappear into an alley attached to the side of the factory. With this abrupt change in plan, he set down the ceramic coffee mug, and flanked around the opposite side of the factory - hoping to cut Corrado off.

Arriving a little too late, he watched in the darkness of a well-casted shadow as Corrado climbed through a hole in the side wall.

Removing the Beretta from his waistband, he listened as two voices barked out dispersal commands to the looters.

“Disperse now!”

“Disperdetevi adesso!”

Smiling at his fellow Sicilian’s refusal, he rounded the final corner and placed himself just outside of the hole Corrado slithered through, and waited.

Five seconds…seven seconds…fifteen seconds…thirty seconds.

Corrado’s sweaty face finally came tumbling over a downed chunk of the factory’s ceiling, then tripped on a jagged piece of charred wood.

The priest ducked back behind the wall, not wanting to yet be seen, and waited for the boy to climb back through the hole. The alley is where he would take him.

Crouching in the morning shadows, the priest readied his pistol.

Corrado’s right foot emerged first, followed by his left. Once they were both firmly perched on a protruding chunk of cracked stone, he arched the rest of his body free.

…

9:05A.M

Corrado safely returned both soles of his feet on solid ground, secured the satchel around his shoulder, then began to creep back the way he came. A large shadow suddenly shot out of the shadows, and blocked his path. The light from the sun shifted as the man stepped forward, revealing his face.

Corrado’s heart, mind, and voice shuttered in confused terror as the face of a dead man stared back at him.

“You’re supposed to be dead.”

“It’s good to see you too, Corrado.”

The priest stepped fully into the light, allowing the Beretta in the man’s hands to become visible, “This is the end of your journey, son.”

“Why are you doing this?” Corrado asked, while he continued to slowly step backwards.

“The violin should never have come to you and your sister. Your parents are fools for sending it. Because of their negligent decision making, they have jeopardized Italy’s rise to power.”

He continued to step forward, intimidating Corrado’s retreat.

“You’re working with the Nazis?” Corrado asked.

“Corrado, my boy. You’re smarter than that. This is our land. What lies beneath Etna belongs to us. Mussolini does not intend to allow Hitler, and his band of occult scientists to reap the benefits of the mountain. He knows this war is shifting, and that Hitler’s scientific invasion is spreading like wildfire. Etna must be protected from their experimentation.”

Corrado’s retreat halted with wonder, “What are you talking about? What lies beneath the mountain?”

“Something you can’t understand. Something you can’t protect. Something you can’t -”

A frenzied looter suddenly came barreling around the corner, knocking into the priest with an armful of liquid soap bottles.

The looter fell back to the hard stone beneath their feet, the bottles of soap crashing down upon his crumpling body. Corrado bolted back into the street towards the sewer drain, and the priest’s finger pulled the trigger.

…

9:05A.M

After numerous attempts to get the looters to disperse from the factory peacefully, combined with the rogue gunshot, the soldiers opened fire on the group of Sicilian citizens filling up buckets with food and liquid soap.

…

9:05A.M

Rosalie took cover behind a propped up menu display, and watched as the soldiers fired into the bombed factory.

She watched as innocent civilians crumbled to their death beneath a barrage of bullets.

After the eighth body fell, which was of a young girl, Rosalie screamed out in protest.

She watched as the soldiers ignored her.

She then watched as Corrado fled from a nearby alleyway.

She watched as one of the soldiers caught a glimpse of someone trying to escape the scene.

She watched as that same soldier aimed his rifle towards her brother.

She watched as the soldier pulled the trigger.

She watched as Corrado fell...