“Where am I? Am I dead?” Nhanyi opened her eyes, thinking she had returned to heaven.
“Don’t worry, you’re still alive.” A pair of delicate girl’s hands gently caressed her face. Nhanyi recognized this girl; the blonde girl was the one she had saved when she first arrived at the concentration camp as a Red Cross nurse. Nhanyi had thought she wouldn’t speak English, but her English was quite fluent.
“I’m sorry for saving you that day. I didn’t have a chance to thank you; you’ve been unconscious for eight hours. Here, have some water and bread; eat a little.” The girl’s eyes were filled with concern.
After drinking a few sips of water and eating a piece of hard bread, Nhanyi finally regained some clarity and said gratefully, “Thank you for sharing your food with me, but what will you eat?”
The girl smiled mysteriously, “You don’t need to worry about that.” She pulled a piece of bread from her prison uniform pocket.
Perhaps because they were bound by fate, this Polish girl named “Julia ” became a close friend with whom Nhanyi could share everything. Julia told Nhanyi many things about the concentration camp, including a shocking fact: young, beautiful girls in the camp would sell themselves to male guards or military doctors to survive.
Although Nhanyi knew that in this hell, unbelievable things could happen at any moment, hearing Julia say it out loud filled her with righteous indignation. If they were forced into such humiliation, that would be one thing, but she couldn’t understand why they would voluntarily do such things. “What? Does that mean they disregard their dignity?”
“There is no dignity here; only by following the rules can you survive. Sometimes, doing this is to avoid a beating, and sometimes, it’s just for a piece of bread.” Julia pointed to a tall, beautiful girl in the next cell, “Look at Eva; she was originally a soldier. At first, she resisted fiercely, but later she gradually got used to it. Her protector is a captain who is a military doctor.”
“Actually, it doesn’t matter if the person is ugly or fat; the higher the rank, the better. But to be honest, ugly men are better than handsome ones because the handsome military doctor, Lieutenant Robert, cared for me, and that witch, Margaret, would whip me.” She whispered in Julia’s ear, “Doctor Robert is actually Margaret’s lover.”
“Hmph.” Nhanyi snorted coldly, thinking that Margaret was utterly shameless.
“If you want to survive, it’s best to find an opportunity and get a protector.” Julia kindly advised.
“Protector…” Nhanyi lowered her head, staring at the demonic symbols on the wall. The higher the rank, the better? According to Julia, she was fortunate to have the protection of General Ryan, who was not only handsome but looked like a noble deity, yet he was also cruel to the extreme.
“Julia —someone is looking for you.” A female guard approached and gave her a knowing look.
Nhanyi anxiously grasped Julia’s arm.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.” Julia stood up, adjusted her prison uniform, and tidied her blonde hair.
Nhanyi had already learned from her cellmate Julia that this military doctor, Lieutenant Robert, was a complete lecher. His brown hair was greasy, slicked back against his head, and his tone was pretentiously elegant and blindly confident.
Lieutenant Robert smiled as he stared at Nhanyi’s face, “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. Your name is Gianna, right? What a lovely name; it reminds me of a flower that grows in my hometown.”
Robert put on white gloves, showing no trace of the cruelty typical of Nazi officers, like a barber ready to serve her. His hands adjusted her head, parting her black hair, “Gianna, what a lovely black-haired angel. Why is your hair missing some…?”
Nhanyi lowered her head and did not respond to his words. Even as he leaned closer, the strong scent of hair oil mixed with perfume made her feel nauseous. She remained calm, the mirror reflecting her stubborn face and the lewd Nazi doctor in a military cap and white coat. Suddenly, the handsome face of General Ryan flashed in her mind, his ghostly smile, his icy, piercing gaze, and the dangerous heat radiating from him made her shudder at the thought.
