Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Eventually and after much effort, they managed to get enough pieces of wood under the wheels enabling the truck to gain traction and lurch forward out of the boggy hole.
When everyone climbed back into the trucks, Fitz made sure Yvette came with her.
‘There’s not enough room,’ complained the woman next to Fitz.
‘She’s only little,’ said the man opposite. ‘Swap places with me if you need more room for your behind.’
The woman glared at the man and begrudgingly shuffled up so Yvette could squeeze in next to Fitz. The man gave Yvette a wink. ‘ Merci ,’ mouthed Fitz to the man. This little act of support gave her hope that all was not lost for humankind.
The track the convoy drove along was no better than it had been the day before, with more flooding it was hard to see where the road ended, and the grass verge began.
They had only been travelling ten minutes or so, when the truck Fitz was in suddenly lurched to the right and everyone was thrown to one side of it as the cab landed in the ditch, causing the rear of the vehicle to jack-knife and topple on its side. Screams and cries were swallowed up in the chaos as the truck hit the unforgiving bank with a thud. It took Fitz a moment to realise what had happened. She was trapped under a tangle of legs and arms. She could hear people shouting in French and German voices. People were trying to free themselves from one another, others were groaning. Water had filled part of the truck bed but fortunately the size of the vehicle meant that it was wedged only so far in the ditch.
Someone shoved their foot in Fitz’s face as they clawed their way out. She frantically looked around for Yvette, pushing people off her as they scrambled to get out of the overturned truck and climb up the bank of the ditch.
‘Yvette! Yvette!’ Fitz could feel the panic setting in but then spotted a little hand clasped around a teddy bear. She scrambled over to her, shoving people to the side so they didn’t trample on the child who was half under the bench seat. She pulled Yvette out backwards by her ankles and thankfully she seemed all right. They clambered out of the truck and jostled their way up the bank and away from the overturned truck.
People were still calling for help, crying out in pain, while others tried to free them. The guards were barking orders, trying to make themselves heard above the growing frantic shouts and cries from the prisoners.
There was a sense of disorder. One young-looking German soldier was shouting and waving his rifle around, trying to get people to move away from the trucks, while another was shouting equally as loud, sending them back to help. At one point the two soldiers were shouting at each other.
The prisoners were scared, not knowing what to do or who to listen to. A shot rang out in the air, causing everyone to scream and take cover, holding their hands over their heads in futile protection against a bullet. More shouting from the soldier on the bank ensued. The regular German soldier hadn’t had the same education as that of an officer and didn’t have the benefit of another language. It was obvious not many of the prisoners understood German and were terrified, having to guess what they were being ordered to do.
The frustrated soldier lifted his rifle and jabbed the butt between the shoulder blades of an elderly man who fell at his feet. The soldier was standing over him, shouting at him to get up. He kicked out at the man and when someone else tried to get the man to his feet, they too were jabbed with the rifle.
Fitz pulled Yvette in towards her, wanting to shield her from what would happen next. Another shot. Fitz flinched. The man had been shot in the head at point blank range. More screams and cries from the nearby prisoners as they scurried about trying to obey the confusing and conflicting orders.
It was only then as Fitz took a moment to survey the chaos before her, she realised that the urgency from the guards was because the driver and another soldier were trapped in the submerged cab of the truck.
It was clearly becoming a desperate situation as frantically, the soldiers themselves joined in with trying to free their comrades. One of them shouted across to the two soldiers watching over Fitz and the rest of the prisoners.
One of the soldiers ran over to the submerged truck cab, joining in with the efforts to free the men before it was too late.
Fitz looked around, her eyes scanning the situation before her. The remaining soldier was by her side, but his attention wasn’t on her or the rest of the prisoners, it was on the cab. He took a few steps closer, craning his neck to get a better look, glancing momentarily at the prisoners before his attention was back on the frantic rescue bid.
Fitz squeezed Yvette’s hand. ‘Very slowly, move back a little,’ she whispered in her ear. In unison, they shifted themselves away from the main group of prisoners. One shuffle at a time as one step at a time, the soldier guarding them moved towards the truck.
The guards were shouting and yelling at each other and to the men trapped in the cab. It was all looking very desperate for them.
Fitz checked and double-checked no one was watching them. If they could make it to the other side of the road and through a gap in the brambles she had spotted, then they could disappear into the woodland. It was the only chance they were going to get.
‘Hold on tight to your teddy,’ said Fitz. She couldn’t risk another cock up like before. ‘When I say go, we’re going to run around to the other side of the truck. And then across the road. D’accord ?’
Yvette nodded. ‘ Oui .’
Fitz made a final check that everyone else was preoccupied. She got to her feet and took Yvette’s hand. ‘Ready? Go.’ They sprinted around to the side of the truck. It only took seconds but it felt like minutes. Fitz was waiting for the hail of bullets. But none came. They had made it without being noticed. There was no time to lose. ‘And again. Run. Now!’ she whispered, the desperation in her voice was clear.
Yvette didn’t hesitate and they both bolted across the road, charging through the gap in the bushes. They kept running, into the forest.
Running as fast as they could.
All the time Fitz was listening out for shouts or gunshots, expecting the Germans to be hunting them down. She didn’t look back. She kept hold of Yvette’s hand and was almost dragging the child off her feet as they ducked and swerved their way through the trees.
It wasn’t until Yvette collapsed and couldn’t get up, that Fitz stopped to catch her own breath. She slumped down on the cold damp ground beside Yvette. They lay there on the forest floor panting furiously, looking up through the tree canopy at the small shafts of grey light filtering through.
Yvette was wheezing heavily which started off a coughing fit. Fitz sat her up and patted her back. She wished she had some water to offer her.
‘I feel hot,’ said Yvette.
Fitz put the back of her hand to Yvette’s forehead and worryingly she did indeed feel like she was on the brink of developing a temperature.
‘Just sit here and rest for a moment,’ said Fitz. On the one hand she felt relieved they had escaped as she was sure a sick child wouldn’t be looked upon too favourably by their captors. On the other hand, Yvette developing an illness which Fitz was totally unequipped to deal with was worrying.
‘Where are we going?’ asked Yvette after her cough had subsided.
That was a very good question. Fitz had tried to maintain her bearings on the journey, looking out for landmarks and any signposts to give her a clue as to where they might be, but it had all been minimal. She knew they had travelled east and she suspected they were still in France, but only just.
Location wasn’t their immediate problem though. Safety was the priority. Finding someone who could help them. It was a risky business knocking on random doors. There was no guarantee she could trust anyone not to report them to the authorities. How could she possibly tell who was to be trusted, until it was too late?
Before that though, they needed food and water. That was their second priority. They were no good to anyone dead through starvation or dehydration.
Not wanting to stay where they were for much longer in case the Germans sent out a patrol to look for them, Fitz urged Yvette to her feet.
‘We’re going to head through the forest and look for food and water,’ she said. ‘The ground is sloping down and if there’s a stream, that’s where we’ll find it.’
‘And food?’ asked Yvette. ‘My stomach hurts.’
‘We’ll look out for berries,’ said Fitz. Although, she wasn’t entirely sure what they’d find in the middle of winter.
Fitz decided to head south, rather than continue east, as she thought there would be more activity and patrols the nearer they got to the border. Heading south, she might be able to get them into Vichy France where it would be easier to move around. How she was going to make contact with the resistance she hadn’t yet worked out but she knew she had to remain optimistic. Hope was the only thing they had right now.
It was harder in the forest to keep her bearings. Everywhere looked the same. She was also losing track of time and Yvette was finding it hard to keep up.
‘I’m so tired,’ said the little girl, before succumbing to another bout of coughing. ‘I can’t walk any further.’
‘You have to try. Just a bit further,’ encouraged Fitz. ‘We’ll soon be out of the forest and then we might be able to find a farm. I’ll be able to get us something to eat then.’ She had already decided that if it meant stealing, then she would. It went against her principles but at a time like this, when it was life or death, she had to ignore those morals.
The trees were definitely thinning out and it wasn’t long before Fitz could see the edge of a field. ‘Look, Yvette,’ she said enthusiastically. ‘We’ve made it through the forest.’
They stood at the edge of the trees looking down a valley. There was a stone cottage on the other side of the field and beyond that a small village.
‘Can we get some food now?’ asked Yvette standing beside Fitz and looking down at the buildings.
‘We have to be very careful,’ said Fitz. ‘We don’t know if there are any soldiers about. Stay with me. Don’t let go of my hand.’
Fitz had considered leaving Yvette at the edge of the forest and scoping out the village on her own but she was frightened that if she was caught, then Yvette would be left all alone and no one would know she was there. More than that, though, Fitz couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Yvette again. She’d done that once before and look what had happened. It was only by luck they were reunited. She wasn’t sure she’d be so lucky a second time. Her newly discovered desire to protect Yvette was riding high and although the strength of such emotion was a little unnerving, Fitz had no intention nor wish to run from it.
The rain had eased but their clothes were still damp. Fitz hadn’t felt warm for days. She was chilled to the bone. Yvette was coughing every minute or so now and her complexion was very grey. Fitz hoped she wasn’t developing a chest infection which could easily lead to something like pneumonia if left untreated. They were both in desperate need of dry clothes, hot food, and a good night’s sleep.
They followed the edge of the field that took them out onto a narrow road about a quarter of a mile from the cottage she had seen earlier.
‘I’m too tired to walk,’ complained Yvette, sagging to the ground.
‘Not much further,’ said Fitz. ‘Come on, try to stand up now.’
‘I can’t.’ Yvette began to cry which started off her cough again.
Fitz crouched down in the road next to the child. ‘Just a little further,’ she said. She took a hanky from her pocket and dabbed at the beads of sweat forming on Yvette’s brow. She definitely had a fever now. As if to underline this diagnosis, Yvette’s eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped to the side.
‘Yvette!’ cried Fitz, managing to thrust her hand under the girl’s head before it hit the ground. ‘Yvette. Wake up.’
Yvette gave a weak moan. Her eyes were half open but Fitz could tell she wasn’t focusing on anything. Panic swept through Fitz. Yvette was ill. Very ill. She needed a doctor.
Somehow Fitz managed to pick Yvette up in her arms, and get to her feet, before hurrying down the road towards the cottage.
Fitz had underestimated just how tired she was herself. She staggered up the path to the cottage and hoped to God the occupant would be sympathetic to their plight.
Before Fitz had even reached the front door, it was pulled open by a woman, probably in her forties. She took in the sight before her.
‘Help me, please,’ said Fitz, surprised to hear her voice cracking with desperation. ‘She’s not well.’
The woman took one more look at Fitz and Yvette, before opening her door wide and ushering them inside. ‘Come. Quickly,’ she said. ‘Here, let me take her.’ She took Yvette from Fitz and carried her through into the living room, shooing two young girls from the sofa. ‘You’re both soaking,’ she said as she placed Yvette down on the cushions. She turned to the children. ‘Monique, go upstairs and bring me one of your clean nightdresses from the cupboard. Amelie fetch two blankets from my bed and a clean towel.’
The children scurried off as instructed.
The change in air, coming into a warm room with a small fire alight in the hearth, must have set Yvette’s cough off. The woman placed a cushion behind her head so Yvette was in a more upright position. ‘How long has she been like this?’ she asked.
‘I’m not sure. Maybe a day or two with the cough,’ said Fitz. ‘But the temperature came on this afternoon.’
The woman nodded and telling Fitz to sit down, left the room, coming back a few minutes later with a bowl of warm water and a flannel.
‘My name is Jeanne. I am a nurse.’
Fitz could hardly believe her good fortune. She wanted to weep with relief. ‘Claudine Bardot,’ she said. ‘Thank you for helping us.’
The children returned with the dry clothing, bedding and clean towel. ‘Go into the kitchen and warm some soup for our guests,’ Jeanne instructed her daughters.
‘You’re too kind,’ said Fitz.
‘It is the least I can do,’ said Jeanne. She put the flannel to one side and with the help of Fitz, they changed Yvette into the dry nightgown and covered her with a blanket. Jeanne got to her feet. ‘Come with me. You need some dry clothes, too. And a wash.’
Fitz inwardly winced. She hadn’t considered what a sight they might look. When they went into Jeanne’s bedroom, Fitz caught sight of herself in the mirror and let out a cry of alarm. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, inspecting her bruised and battered face closer. ‘I didn’t realise. I haven’t seen myself like this.’
Jeanne stood beside her and put her hand on Fitz’s shoulder. ‘You don’t have to explain. It is obvious what has happened to you and God has brought you to my door for a purpose. I will get some medicine for the child in the morning. I am on good terms with the doctor. Also, I have friends who can help you both. Tomorrow I will speak to them. You can stay here tonight. You’re safe now.’
The kindness from the woman was too much for Fitz and she sobbed in Jeanne’s arms like a child.