I stepped into the forest, walking into the darkness. I walked through the woodland. An eerie fog covered the ground of the forest. Occasionally, I would hear an explosion off in the distance and the roar of engines as planes would fly over the Russian land. Every time I would hear the ear-piercing sound of Germany's planes, I would always drop to the ground and hide.
It was now about 5:00-5:30. The sky started to light up, slowly. I continued my walk. By now I was dehydrated and hungry. I laid on the ground, resting as soldiers marched through the woods, towards me.
I laid there on the ground as I slowly dozed off into a world of memories and dreams. I dreamed of Volkhov and the town square where I went to get bread. I dreamed being able to eat bread and cabbage. until the nightmares from hell began. I relived the horrors of what I saw on the night of the German invasion of my town. I relived the brutality and the pain I saw on the dreadful night as many were massacred. Death surrounded me in my painful memory. Until I awoke from my horrible nightmare. With me staring down the barrel of a gun.
Soldiers surrounded me with guns. The light blinded me from what they looked like, until something went over my head making the world go black.
I was marched through the woods, with the barrel of a rifle jabbed into my back as two soldiers guided me through the forest. They both held a firm grip on my shoulders as I was marched to the unknown area. They never said anything as we walked. All they did was walk with their rifles pointed at my back. As we proceeded through the bleak forest, I thought to myself that this was the end of my story, the end to my life. Dread began to take over my body as the room started to get darker, along with my vision.
We eventually reached our destination. The two men sat me down in a cold, metal chair. I could not see much as I sat there, in terror of what might happen. I stayed in the chair for a long time. I sat in the chair with my arms drooping to the floor and my legs aching. I started to realize how good I had it, even with abusive parents I had. I got to get food when I lived in Volkhov, and I got to live without the fear of being shot in the head. All these thoughts churned in my head until I heard a door open. Somebody else had entered the room. I sat there, with the sack still over my head. I could feel the cold breath of whoever stood in front of me. The two guards took the sack off, swiftly, as I was blinded by the sun's light almost immediately. As my eyes got used to the light, I then saw what looked to be a girl and two men. Not in soldier uniforms but in jackets and pants, with both Russian and German weapons in their hands. This was not the end of my story. But the beginning of a new chapter of my life.