“Four men,” she
reported, “possibly more.” She cocked her head as if the gesture allowed her to
hear more clearly. “They’re not Irish,” she added.
“Middle Eastern.”
It was said as a statement but Vicki sensed that Sam was expecting
confirmation.
After a moment,
she said, “No. They’re German.”
“German?” Sam did
not attempt to conceal his surprise.
“Yes,” she said,
her voice firm. “German.” Instinctively, she moved further into the shadows.
Their voices grew
louder as they moved closer. Then a light appeared at an angle from their cell;
a light that danced and swayed like the torches had in the stairway. As the men
emerged, she realized two of them carried torches; one to lead the way and the
other taking up the rear. They illuminated the area around them quite well.
They wore field
gray uniforms with wide black belts and tall boots. As she recognized the way
the pants billowed before disappearing into the boots, her mouth went dry. Her
eyes swept upward, knowing as she stared at them that her own expression must
be incredulous. Even before she saw the collar insignia and shoulder boards,
there could be no mistake of their identity. The red armband with the
distinctive swastika left no doubt.
She could feel
Sam’s confusion as she described the uniforms. Yet she knew these were not
reenactors of some type. Their fit, chiseled appearance and the strong, almost
harsh inflections in their voices were as easily recognizable as the Nazi
symbols they wore.
They did not stop
at Stephen Anders’ cell but continued past it as if they were unaware of their
presence.
As Vicki watched
them, she could feel her jaw dropping and the blood draining from her face. She
felt a wave of fear and panic as palpable as though she was a political
prisoner in a den of German soldiers. But as she watched them wide-eyed, they
abruptly disappeared.
She gasped, her
hand instinctively moving to her mouth. She continued to stare at the hall, now
dark and empty. As she moved closer to the cell bars, she stared in the
direction they’d been moving. They had not rounded a corner or ducked into an
adjoining cell. They had simply vanished.
Dylan's Song is scheduled for release in the spring of 2013, hopefully in time for Book 'Em North Carolina!
