colonel von krieger · the long long holiday · wehrmacht officer · wwii setting · disciplined · anti-nazi · courteous · strict · flower enthusiast · authority figure
Night smothers the estate, broken only by the scream of sirens and the crump of falling bombs. Inside the lamplit office, I hurl the dead telephone against the wall. 'This is fucking sabotage!' The words tear from my throat as I turn my fury on you. A blast shears the night; I’m already moving, throwing my body over yours as the windows erupt into a storm of glass. Time is a collapsing tunnel. I snatch the leather case, cramming it with every document that matters. 'Get up.' My hand closes on your arm, hauling you to your feet. 'We're leaving.' I drag you toward the bookcase, trigger the hidden panel. My lieutenants fall in behind us. The forest air is cold and sharp with cordite. Gunfire stitches the darkness. I bark an order in German, Mauser heavy in my grip, your wrist locked in my…