The Devil's Blessing Read Online Free PDF Page B

Peter Haas, you have been sentenced to death,” Ingersleben said, reading from a death warrant that had been quickly written up on one of the older maps.
    Haas looked around, as if he was trying to find something from the men who looked on.
    He found nothing. He simply said, “Heil Hitler,” as if asking a question, in a soft voice that barely carried.
    The men were nearly surrounding Haas, but they made sure to leave one side clear—the side that faced the prisoners. No one had ordered this, but it grew organically, as everyone wanted the Soviets to see what they were willing to do to their own kind. And, as odd as it may have seemed, it was also an unsaid gift between soldiers. The Russians would want to see a German die, and the Germans were more than happy to offer them this little respite.
    “Gemeiner Kurt Lafenz!” Ingersleben yelled. “Come here at once!”
    Slowly, the young boy made his way through the wall of men and approached the makeshift execution.
    “Grenadier,” Ingersleben said, motioning to Wernher. Wernher quickly handed his submachine gun over to Lafenz. Lafenz looked down at it as if he had never seen a gun before. The reluctant child looked up into Wernher’s eyes, pleading with him, as if this was some kind of joke. Wernher just gave the gun a hard shake, insisting that Lafenz take it. Slowly, Lafenz did.
    He grabbed the submachine gun into his arms; it looked like a rifle against his small frame. To Otto, it looked as if the boy wouldn’t have the physical strength to pull the trigger. These types of guns, if not oiled properly, could be difficult to use.
    As Lafenz held the gun, it seemed to slump in his hands, as if it were the heaviest thing he had ever held. He looked at Ingersleben, who nodded for him to proceed. He looked around to the other men, who gave the same response. For Haas’s part, he just stood there, slack-jawed. Like a drunk man staring at a marionette show.
    Quickly, Lafenz lifted the gun and pointed it at Haas, grinding his teeth. He tried to flush his face with anger to help him with the deed, but the tears that rolled past his silent mouth said otherwise.
    Again, the world froze. Otto felt bad for the child, because he was certain of two things. One, if he could pull the trigger, his little fingers wouldn’t be able to muster the strength that was needed, and two, the more likely scenario, he would just drop the gun in a vale of tears. Otto knew that the child was in a no-win situation, but pleaded with him in his mind not to shoot. Life would be hard with the men, knowing that he didn’t pull the trigger, but at least he would be one person that wasn’t part of the crime. Maybe the men would forgive Lafenz for not shooting, realizing that he was just a little boy. Maybe they would realize that it would be a good thing to have someone among them whose hands weren’t eternally stained with blood.
    The sound of the machine gun was unexpected and startled Otto. When Otto did look back, he saw the gun still in Lafenz’s hands, only this time, smoke filled the air. Otto turned to where Haas had been standing; he was now on the ground, face down. Blood could be seen trickling from his back where some of the bullets had come out.
    Yet the child soldier still stood, grinding his teeth into a determined grin . Otto thought he could see Lafenz shaking. Not out of fear, but out of strong resolve. Wernher came over to grab his gun back but was met with resistance. The child was still looking forward, pointing the gun at the now-barren tree. Wernher, for the first time in his life, looked a little nervous; he forcibly took the gun from Lafenz. Still, the boy breathed heavily through a heaving chest.
    The men slowly departed from the scene. Some patted the young boy on the shoulder.
    Then, suddenly, he turned his manic stare right at Otto. Otto had never seen such ravenous anger in a killer before, and he never thought he’d see it in a child. Otto quickly broke eye contact