From Russia to Family

Chapter 13 What Was

Dresden, Germany

1945, February

Leon sat in the back of a truck. His helmet covering his face as he caught up on sleep. He awoke when yelling, gasping and brakes screeching started all around him. As he sat up and pushed his helmet back up onto his head it was noticeable everyone else has left their seats. Looking out he could tell it was dark again, it always seemed to be night time now. But there was a glow. In the windshield of the trucks behind his was a huge orange flashing. Leon dropped out of the truck and walked around to its front to stop dead and stare in shock.

The entire city of Dresden sat alight. Huge blue and orange flames forced through building roofs and windows. Massive fire tornados threw everything every which way. Gusts of wind threw lamp posts across streets and moved cars. The buildings were already charred. Alongside the crackling of the massive fire were air raid sirens, screaming into the night.

Leon ran. He ran like he had never had before. He felt as though his legs would fall off. Realistically he was too tired to be doing this. He went anyway...As he came closer and closer the heat began to make his eyes water, and his hair singe. Leon slipped his gas mask over his face and ran through the empty streets. A left, a left, a right and over three blocks. He stopped. As he recovered his breath he almost fainted. His gas mask goggles were fogging up and he felt as if he stood against the sun. The house before him had flames creeping up the walls leaving a trail of ash and destruction. Though it was almost midnight everything was lit by the fires.

He slammed the door open.

Up the stairs and to the right.

His old room was ablaze, across the hall his parents were gone and his sister's room was empty. Leon allowed himself to wait a second and chuckle a little.

"They got out."

The house creaked before beginning to crumble. In an instant Leon was trapped under still burning wood. All he could do was shake vigorously from side to side, which did actually work, save his arm. A huge cabinet had landed on a timber piece sitting on his arm. Prying it off didn't work, he cringed heavily as the flames crept closer. Leon could already feel it burning his arm. He pulled his bayonet out and began cutting with what seemed like super human speed. Just as the wood began searing into his skin his knife sliced through the thin timber, a shard of wood from the cut cracked his left eyepiece. With his arm free Leon ran from the house and away from the city.

It was only when he was clear of the city that he sat down and reality began to set in. The entire city he had grown up in was gone. His school. His home. The little bakery shop he'd go to every Friday. The cinema where he'd had his first date. The park he'd taken his little sister to everyday. It was, all of it, gone. He stared without blinking at his life burning away. The orange streaks reflecting in his eyes. Of course the worst part was that he could do nothing.

Leon sat his helmet on the grass next to him and poured water from his canteen on to his burn. He then pushed his gas mask back into its canister.

............

The regiment waited until the next day to move in.

The scene was worse than he had realised. Contemplating the damage of a city on fire wasn't something he'd done before.

Leon and his squad of 8 others wandered down a main street towards the city centre. The road was now covered in white ash. The cars windows on the road side had split and cracked. The buildings were charred, smouldering and crumbling. Everything was silent, save some still burning fires.