Complete Combustion

I. Unerwünscht - Unwanted

"Terrorism is the best political weapon for nothing drives people harder than a fear of sudden death."

-Adolf Hitler

They came visiting that day. Spoiling the scenery of the untouched, new fallen snow with their heavy leather boots and measured marching. The line of formally green-clad SS-officers winded through the streets of Leipzig and with shadows being cast from the street lamps moulding into the stern features of their faces, they appeared like angular stone masks.

It wasn't the first time Kyle saw them on duty, as they caused quite an uproar. People would divide in the streets to stare at their authoritarian-looking uniforms in either awe or aversion. Kyle would stay inside the three-room apartment in Klostergasse 56, along with his ever fussing and stern mum, his brother Ike aged 15 and his hard-working dad, Gerald. Sheila Broflovski had on several occasions expressed that it was "strictly forbidden to go out, when those idiotic, peace robbing creeps were out there." Ike would roll his eyes at his mothers orders, and Kyle retorted to her fussing likewise by declaring that he refused to oblige to "those war-loving, sadistic bastards' every will."

He hated being trapped in the decayed apartment house barely equipped with proper furniture and enough food for four people each and every day, since he had been banned from going to school at the age of twelve. That was when they still had a hard time adjusting to the fairly new Nuremberg Laws. The old apartment, the out-of-nowhere sacking of his dad, the mean glares on the streets and the new, degrading laws that rained upon them each day, bore witness of the fact that they were unwanted.

"Ky-ole!" The ginger's mum bellowed from the kitchen. The walls were thin, so the 18-year-old boy had no trouble hearing his mums raised voice, ringing from the kitchen. He ignored her though, as he felt like jacking off.

With his room facing toward the street, he had rich chances to steal curious glares through the thin opening in the curtains, which he often did. There was something incredibly sexy about watching other people, that weren't supposed to see you, whilst touching yourself. Maybe his screwed up fatasies were caused by being locked up in the house all day long.

"No way you're spoiling my last chance to actually get entertained today. Maybe they'll even pull a fight. Would put some nice drama into my life," he mumbled in annoyance, chewing thoughtfully at his lower lip whilst staring discreetly out the window. The officers systematically researched the houses for Jews. They'd knock on the door at every house they suspected might belong to Jewish people. Good thing his family was under cover. A couple of minutes passed in silence.

"No fight today either, huh? Guess people don't even bother trying any more," he thought. "Cowards."

"Ky-ole! You come in here! NOW!" the voice once again cut through the air.

"What's up?" He asked, casually sliding down on a kitchen chair opposite his mum, whose face was growing redder. She did that thing again; tapped the table impatiently with her fingers. A clear danger-factor.

"You were spying on the SS'ers again," she scolded, as Kyle noticed a vein pulsating violently on her forehead.

Kyle sighed. "Yeah, yeah...If they catch me looking suspicious they are gonna break right through the door, stuff their pockets with our every article of value and crow us into little, smelly Jew houses, " he reeled off. It wasn't the first time she had pointed it out. The SS'ers were unstoppable: Jews were being exported to the opposite side of town, to the so-called Jew Houses, specifically made for the Jews of Leipzig to live in. His family had managed to hide for a long time, by treading cautiously and not drawing attention to themselves, but gradually his friends from the neighbourhoodhad started to disappear, leaving him as one of the last remaining teenagers. Well, one of the last remaining Jews in actual fact.

"I don't want you to use that tone with me!" She snapped back. "This is a serious matter young man." Kyle drew in a heavy breath. Now he was the one tapping his fingers on the table. "Look Kyle, we realize you are growing bored of this lifestyle – me and your dad," she continued in a milder tone, leaning across the table, "but don't you see how much is at stake when you look outside. The whole family, Kyle."

"Yeah, well... guess my family should realize that I'm 18 and haven't been out in the sun for two months." The ginger haired boy snarled in anger, a false smile twisting his lips. His hands clenched and quivered with rage. Kyle realized the blame was to be placed on the government, but he was sick of following his mums every demand, living at home with no social life at all and live in constant fear forced upon him by his family. He had never been involved in a relationship and didn't get any sex either, causing him to be horney 24/7.

Yeah, life was a bitch around here.

"Where are you going Ky-ole!" He'd risen from the chair and was about to retreat back into his room. "I wasn't done talking to you!" Sheila pointed a chubby ring-bearing finger towards him. "You come back here!"

Lately it seemed like everyone tried to scare him. He didn't care though. The entire Germany was insane, so why would he listen? He was constantly faced with warnings and threats from frightened people, but he had already decided not to let the fear corrupt his mind. His dad blamed him for undermining the problems the Jews were in, but he completely shut it out. The government didn't inform them on nothing. Nobody had a clue why Jew-discriminating laws were suddenly enforced. The only way for him to remain sane, was by at least believing there were a tiny chance for him to live a decent life.

Kyle sighed. Stupid god-damned family... With an ear-splitting crash the front door was suddenly kicked wide open. Sheila jumped, letting out a surprised yelp, Gerald and Ike who'd been in the backyard, came running into the kitchen, bewilderment in their expressions. Kyle was startled and spun around to fac six or seven armed SS-police officers.

"So there are more of them!" One said, eyes glaring into Kyle's face pale with tension. He eyed the rest of the family. "We better get this bunch away too."

What was happening? Did these guys just kick the door in?

"Please!" Kyle's dad chipped in, approaching the SS officers with bowed head. "I'm sorry but we'd really appreciate to stay where we are. We are quite satisfied here you see and..."

"You! Shut your mouth!" An SS'er grabbed him by the collar violently and slung him across the room. Kyle's mum jumped to her legs screaming and Ike ran to his dads side, as Kyle threw a punch right at the SS'ers face.

"Hey! How dare you do that to my..." he shrieked right into the officers face, but the officer quickly blocked the blow with one hand, smiling saucily down at him, before he was thrown to the ground too.

The officer crossed the room in three steps and yanked Gerald up by the collar again, staring into his eyes. Another SS-am grabbed Ike, and twisted his arms on his back. Ike squirmed with pain, but couldn't get free. Kyle lay on the floor, feeling light-headed, from having his head smashed to the ground. The world was swimming before his eyes. He could hear Ike's screaming. His mother begging them to get out.

One SS-man still held Kyle's dad by the collar oblivious to his struggle to get free, as his eyes suddenly widened with recognition. "Wait a sec..." he hissed through his compressed lips, studying the weaker man's features. "Paul, get me the pictures" he commanded, gesturing toward a scary-looking guy with pitch black eyes and toned arms. The guy fumbled with the zipper of one his uniform pockets. After a second he unearth a long name list complete with pictures of various people. Paul handed the list to the other guy, and he nodded with a smile on his lips, holding the list to Gerald's face comparing pictures.

"Yes, this is the one..." He nodded to himself, then turned his attention to Kyle's dad. "Gerald Broflovski, right?" He let go of the other man at once. Gerald nodded slowly, eyeing him suspiciously.

Kyle tried to scream, move... just take action before the man could hurt his dad again, but for some reason the blow to his head still affected his ability to move.

"We've been searching for you and you little family here for quite a while." The officer said condescendingly. Gerald didn't reply. Now it was Sheila's turn to retort;

"We didn't know we had to turn ourselves in to the government," she sneered, trying to stomp on the foot of the large man holding her back. "We are a proud Jewish family but we don't want to live in the Jew houses. We are happy where we are, thank you very much." The last sentence came out as a stutter, but she managed to keep the façade, never breaking eye contact with the officer.

"Oh but we are not taking you to the Jew houses. The Führer has been nice enough to let you people" he emphasized the word "people" carefully, "get another chance. That's why you have to move out."
"Where to?" Sheila questioned him demanding. "The Jew Houses?"

"No madam, not the Jew houses I told you," he spat, casting a sideways glance at the clock above the kitchen unit. "We better get going," he said to his co-workers, grabbing Sheila's arm roughly.

"We are not going!"

Kyles full capability to move had returned. He'd gotten to his legs rapidly, and though they shook under him, he sprang across the room, to get his revenge. There was a nasty cracking sound, as Kyles fist met one of the SS'ers jaw. The SS'er winced but managed to get a hold of the angry teenager.

The family was allowed to get their coats and shoes on before forcefully being pushed out of the house. Kyle fell flat on his face, in the snow, but was hauled back up by the rough SS-officer.

"Get going!" He commanded the others, ignoring Kyles wild kicking and protesting.

Kyle just remembered that a lot of Jews had been exported to East Germany to work there. Apparently they had available jobs even for Jewish people over there. That's what the newspapers had said.

"If they try hauling me off to lame-ass East Germany I might as well have the pleasure of kicking them in the nuts." he thought, positioning his knee, before yanking it upwards with all the force he could muster.

The snow fell silently on the windscreen, enveloping the car in a mysterious darkness. No words were uttered, neither from the two SS-officers in the front seats nor from Kyles family squeezed together in the back seat. A throbbing bruise had made its appearance on his left cheek, with greetings from the SS-officer he had kicked between the legs. It hurt, but when he touched it with his fingertips he still felt pride for fighting back.

The police car rolled into the car park behind Leipzig's central station. The air was moist, but filled with snow and rung with the sound of trains arriving and departing from the station.

So they were really going far way... Maybe East Germany would be better Kyle thought, as the five family members were escorted out of the car. Maybe his dad could go back to being a lawyer, and he could finally have a social life and an education.

The SS'ers lead them to the far end of the train station. The platform was swamped with people and SS'ers. The SS'ers directed the massive amount of people into the filthy, wood wagons of a train which looked too old to get them anywhere near East Germany.

"Now, get on the train." One of their escorts told them, and before Kyle knew of it, he was trapped in a wagon, with straw on the floor, and absolutely no possibilities to get out.

Oh God it stank. It stank like too many people on too little space, sweat and urine. He heard his mother's muffled voice from far away, telling Ike, how everything was going to be all right, once they had settled in East Germany. He heard his dad mumbling him some words of reassurance, voice strained with doubt. He managed to elbow his way to one of the windows. It was only a small square, with only room enough for one person to peek out. It was barred, but with no glass, allowing him to clutch the metal bars, and stand on his tiptoes to look out. The scenery quickly passed by. Ever variable as it was, he only caught rapid glimpses of cities, landscapes, bypassing travellers. Mountains.

A veil of tiredness suddenly washed over him, slurring both his mind, and his eyesight. The wagon was almost silent, as the chatting voices had faded out. He only saw the pure white snow, and the lunate moon illuminating the black night sky.

"Like hell I'm gonna be afraid." Kyle thought, half awake, half in dreams.