The Gate of Death

The stench of urine and faeces assailed through the young girl's subconscious, stirring her from vile nightmares that no adult of sane mind could comprehend. Where am I? A part of her wanted to open her eyes but another kept her rooted still as an unknown fear seized her muscles. She was lying down on a solid surface and her body rocked gently like a baby in a cradle. A soothing thought but one quickly dismissed as her other senses awoke.

With her ear pressed flat against the floor, she could hear the rumble of the ground beneath her as though she was in the midst of a violent thunderstorm that was laying siege to her cradle. She tried scrunching up her face to close out the sound, but pain shot through her and the rumble grew more deafening. Seeing no other choice, she lifted her head and tried to sit up.

Her arms quivered with effort and her body ached all over. A pair of hands touched her shoulders and helped support her until she was sat up, slumped, but as comfortable as her body will allow her to be.

“Where am I?” Her throat was dry and the sounds that came from it were more of a croak than words. Still, her newfound support had understood enough. His voice was quiet and aged.

“We are on a train; we do not know where or how long but I hope this journey will be at an end soon. Here, drink some of this water, the gentiles do not give us much, but it is enough to survive.”

Gentiles? She was sure she knew that name but the shroud that hung over her mind blocked every recollection. Each memory is hidden behind a wall. In her head, a war raged as she threw herself at this gigantic blockade. Trying everything to tear it down, to release her memories and more importantly, to release her identity.

Opening her eyes, she was met with near complete darkness aside from a slither of moonlight that shone through a single hole in the carriage. Walking over, she stumbled and apologised as she kicked and stood on people sitting silently crowding every inch of space. So many people, and yet, so little noise. Her body burned with every step and the pain in her ribs tore through her with each breath. Her arms felt heavy and the inside of her thighs ached, protesting each time she moved her legs. Coming closer to the gap, she could begin to see her hands, bruised and crusted with blood.

Outside, the night sky lit up the world with a ghostly silver glow as fields flickered past like a picture movie. Train station after train station came and went as the train showed no signs of stopping. Not that was anyone there. Everything seems abandoned and neglected. As lifeless as I feel. What did I do that was so wrong to end up here?

The doors to one side of the carriage banged open sending light shining into the carriage. Shielding her eyes from the brightness, she barely makes out the silhouette of a figure standing in the doorway. Tall, shrouded in darkness with a cape gently flapping our behind, the figure reaches out to grab one of the girls closest to them and starts to drag them towards where they came from.

“Where are we going?” She almost shouted and was shocked at how much courage there was behind her voice.

The figure stopped moving but made no reply so gritting her teeth and taking a deep breath, she tried again.

“Where is this train taking us?”

His response was low, almost a whisper but she could hear the venom lacing their voice, lashing out making her wince with each word.

“This train is called the Gate of Death. Take from that what you want.” With that, he dragged the other girl out and slammed the door shut behind him.

She turned to look back out the hole, trying to focus on finding some form of life in the distance. Trying to find anything to focus her mind and distract her from the screams and pleas of mercy coming from the other cart. Her support was no doubt by her side. A silent guardian stood vigil in the dark.

“Is that what happened to me? Did they take me away?”

His hand rested on her shoulder and although no words were spoken, that gesture said enough. She slumped down to the ground and in her mind, she stopped trying to topple the wall. Some things are best left forgotten. Whatever happened to her in there, she did not want to remember.

She sat there, unmoving for what felt like an eternity. Was this her punishment for a crime she could no longer remember? Daylight had flickered at one point through the hole, but she no longer had the desire to peer out at and see what her heart now yearned for. Dehydration had begun to set in, but she could not bring herself to drink any of the water the Gentiles brought when they threw the broken body of the girl back in the carriage. The girl had lain there, weeping for hours till she exhausted herself into sleep.

Time eluded her as she wrapped herself up in thoughts. These gentiles, they are monsters created to torment and destroy. Are we to spend an eternity in suffering, victims to their dark desires? Why do we not fight, rally up against these creatures and take back our souls? Obvious questions with obvious answers. We are too weak, too frail and afraid. But what other choice do we have?

Her mind was made up. She would bring the people together for one final push of defiance. They would lose, she knew that, but those monsters would see the true courage of humanity and maybe those who come after, will be treated with a little more respect. Standing up, she turned to address anyone still capable of listening but ended up being jolted and toppling over as brakes screeched.

The train was slowing down.

Scrambling to her feet just before the train stopped, she looked through the gap to see a sign. A single word on the sign causing a memory to tear free. All at once, the wall shattered and the defensive barricade that was built around her mind crumbled into dust. Her chest tightened and her legs buckled as she let out a wail of sorrow so deep that it pierced into the hearts of everyone around causing them all to weep. A word drenched in the blood of millions. A word that wrought fear and mercilessly tore away the last shred of hope leaving nothing but an empty husk.

The carriage doors opened and there stood the monsters, dressed in the typical army uniforms, shouting, and snarling for everyone to get off.

“Welcome,” one bellowed before the rest started laughing.

Welcome to hell. She thought. Looking over at the sign, she longed to go back into the blankness of oblivion and retreat into the safety of her guarded world. The Gate of Death indeed. A one-way ticket to Auschwitz.

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Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this and good luck to those who also have entered into 'The Runaway Train' challenge.