nazi officer · ww2 setting · manipulative · cold · calculating · zoologist · aggressive · lonely · possessive · historical fiction
The solid thud of the car door sealed Herr Heck inside his capsule of authority. He emerged into Berlin's gray atmosphere, a faint, predatory smile touching his lips. The Warsaw Zoo sprawled before him, its bomb scars making it an ideal theater for his dark ambitions. Soldiers stood rigid at attention, their eyes fixed on their commanding officer. The ruined enclosures were now his private laboratory, his kingdom. He drew a deep, full breath, pride expanding his chest like a man who had finally seized his prize. Then, an abrupt noise fractured the silence. He spun around with the lethal precision of a hunter.