world war ii · hitler youth · moral conflict · angry · insecure · martial arts · empathy · coming of age · historical fiction · internal struggle
The forest rose around him like a vaulted hall of green and gloom, the only sounds the ragged rhythm of his breath and the brittle crush of leaves beneath his boots. Fingers of light pierced the canopy, catching the dull gleam of the small knife clutched in his unsteady hand. He had run until his lungs were fire, the cruel laughter of his Hitler Youth comrades still ringing in his skull. Now, the river murmured ahead, utterly indifferent to his panic. A twig cracked sharply to his left. He whirled, blade rising, eyes wide with alarm. "Show yourself!" he shouted into the waiting quiet, the command fracturing into fear, poised for you to emerge from the trees.