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“I suppose that settles it, then,” Tata said.“Waltrina, Jadzia and Danuta will work for the Germans.The rest of us will find somewhere to hunker down until this war is over.And we’ll all pray that we’ll be together again soon.”
Nacha opened her mouth to object to the Kostanskis risking their lives for her and her family all over again, then shut it when she saw the look of determination on Waltrina’s face.There was no way she would win the argument, and besides, fleeing with thousands of other refugees would be arduous and dangerous.
She hated that the Kostanskis had to put themselves in danger for her family, but she was grateful at the same time.She’d found her point of gratitude, and the thought brought a smile to her face.
She was truly grateful so that her heart fairly ached to think about it.In the end, nothing else mattered besides family and the kind of friends who would give everything for the people they loved.
The apartment wasempty and dark.Mama, Jadzia and Danuta had already left for their new jobs in another part of the city.Jadzia had managed to get new papers after the Gestapo destroyed hers.
The three of them would bunk in a building under German occupation, something Jan wasn’t happy about.But the Germans had ordered the city to be completely evacuated and threatened that anyone who failed to comply would be shot.
He peeked around the corner, rifle held carefully in both hands, then sidled around and indicated for the others to follow him.Antoni, Nacha and Nathan followed him, with Walter bringing up the rear and keeping an eye on the situation behind them.
It was time to move, to find a place to weather the rest of the war.They couldn’t evacuate with a Jewish family in tow, and so they would have to hunker down somewhere in the city.Finding somewhere safe that wouldn’t be discovered by the German army was a challenge.
They couldn’t stay in the apartment.If theWehrmachtwent home to home checking that the evacuation order had been completed, they’d be sitting ducks.Even walking out the front door left them vulnerable.
Everywhere he looked, buildings were bombed out, with smoke rising in spirals into the putrid air.The streets were deserted, and the brickwork that stood was pockmarked with bullet holes.
They came across a few German troops looting and destroying shops and homes, but otherwise they made their way through the city unhindered.The occasional bomber passed overhead in a squeal of engines and rage.
When they reached 23 Panska Street, they found a tall office building still standing.Jan led the group inside, checking each room on the ground floor for occupants.There were none.They listened for a few minutes but the building was silent and dark.A quick check revealed that the kitchen in the back had running water and a small pantry with rows of food cans stacked on its shelves.
“Jackpot,” Jan said.
Antoni grinned for the first time in a long time.“That is a good sign.”
“Let’s take a look at the cellar,” Walter said.
Walter led the way down the staircase by the kitchen.The cellar was darker than the ground floor had been, and there was no way to light it.But they’d brought lanterns and torches with them, so they soon had illuminated the space enough to find their way.The cellar was divided into several rooms.Some were used as storage for chairs and tables and other business-related furniture.Others were empty.
Jan chose one of the empty rooms, and they barricaded it the best they could with the items of furniture they could find along with some sandbags pulled from outside.They needed to be able to hide themselves from prying eyes, but also defend themselves if it came to that.
“Our very own bunker,” Nacha said, settling down into it and resting on a pile of cushions pulled from a sofa on the ground floor.
“Should be comfortable enough,” Jan said, taking a seat beside her.He set his gun down against the sandbags and leaned back on a cushion.“I could sleep here.”
Antoni lugged an armful of cans into the room and stacked them in a pile behind the bunker.“I think we should bring the food down here so we can access it without leaving the room.It’s safer to stay hidden as much as possible.”
“Good idea,” Nathan said, jogging up the stairs to help.
“We’ve got the supplies from the apartment as well,” reminded Nacha, hurrying to add her backpack to the pile of food.
“A veritable feast,” Walter added.
The mood was jovial.They’d survived so far, and now in this place they had hope they might make it through until the Red Army arrived.Surely it couldn’t be long until their liberation now.
The Red Army was another unknown.The entire populace was hesitant to embrace them completely.No one knew what they’d do or how they’d treat the people of Poland, but anything had to be better than the German occupation that’d decimated the country and killed so many of their fellow Poles.
And at least the war would be over.Those two things were worth celebrating even if the uncertainty of a Soviet victory, and what it would mean, hung like a pall over the country.
