Upfall

"I'll take care of that" said Yatom. He raised his Tavor fired off half a magazine toward the waning stars. Many of the Jews dived for cover, and the rest of the sayeret dropped and aimed for enemies until they realized what had happened. The square fell silent. Shapira stepped forward into the hush and shouted loudly in German, directing his words to the Jews in the square. He told them that the camp had fallen, to leave the deportation area, find food, and organize near the front gate. Shapira looked over at Sandler. The young leader, abashed at the disorganized mess in the square, was shaken back to the reality of soldiering—ceaseless work. Sandler told his men to move the revelers out of the square and into the Forward Camp.

Shapira waited for the square to clear. Then he turned toward the woman's barrack and addressed the Germans inside. He ordered them to surrender their weapons and come out. A moment later the door opened slightly and a teenage girl appeared followed closely by a German officer. The German held a pistol at the girl's neck.

From the darkened barack Erbel looked out into the square, and noted for the first time the oddly attired soldiers standing in a rough semi-circle around the building. These must be the fearsome commandos Wirth had warned him about. Somehow they had commandeered his camp. But for all the damage they had caused, and the obviously desperate position they had put him in, actually seeing his enemy calmed Erbel. They had metamorphosed from phantoms into men, if strangely dressed and armed. Their leader, or at least the man who had called to him, was tall and thin, loaded with equipment and an odd floppy hat.

Erbel put his mouth to the girl's ear. "Tell me your name" he hissed nervously.

"My name is Hannah. Hannah Zuckerman."

Erbel directed his next words at the man in the floppy hat. Lawyer-like he intended to stake out the best negotiating position possible and work down from there.

"I am Obersturmfuhrer Erbel! I am the commander of this installation of the Greater German Reich. Abandon your weapons and surrender immediately! "

Yatom moved over toward Ilan, who had taken position near the men's barrack and now had his rifle trained on the doorway. Bolander nearby, also had his weapon on the door.

"Do either of you have a shot?"

"Negative, commander" they said almost in unison. "Not without risk to the girl" added Ilan. "If our rules of engagement here are different now, I can take him out."

"Wait" said Yatom.

”Machts nicht!” yelled Shapira, contemptuously. "You have one minute to surrender, or we come and get you."

Yatom touched Ilan on the sleeve. "Okay Ilan, give him a minute. Then take him, no matter what."

"This girl is called Hannah Zuckerman" snarled Erbel. "I'll kill her and every woman and child in here if you do not abandon this camp!"

Erbel had already lowered his demand, but was clever in using the girls‘ name—it brought Shapira up short for a moment, personalizing the situation. Shapira steeled himself, prepared to sacrifice the girl if necessary.

"So" said Shapira ignoring the girl, but noting Erbel's negotiating concession. "Now you only want us gone. What about our surrender?" Erbel pulled the girl back, his finger tightening around the trigger.

"I lost him" said llan to Yatom.

"Shit" said Yatom. He left Ilan and walked over to Shapira who stood fully exposed in the square.

"Let's get under some cover and plan this out before he really starts shooting" said Yatom.

"I don't think he will" said Shapira. "He's a coward. He's bluffing."

Yatom turned back and called to Ilan and Bolander. "If either of you gets a shot at him again—take it!" Inside the barrack Erbel swung the door shut. Then he tossed the girl to one of the Ukranians. "Shoot her."

The Ukranian guard pushed the girl against the wall and raised his rifle.

"Nein!" cried a dark haired and wiry woman all of five feet tall. She rushed the guard, grabbed at the the rifle, and pushed it away from her sister before the Ukranian could react. The guard pulled the trigger and discharged the rifle into the roof. The Ukranian wrenched the gun from her grasp. He raised the rifle and worked the bolt to reload a bullet when two more women threw themselves on him, clawing at his arms and face. The darked woman grabbed at the rifle again, biting the Ukranian's wrist as he struggled against her. He howled in pain and rage, releasing the gun as he flailed against his attackers.