To Kill a Wolf

In the course of World War II, there were seventeen planned assassination attempts on Hitler's life. All Failed.

The footsteps of my countrymen echo down the dimly lit hall.

The hollow sound bounces off the walls.

Every once in a while a soldier shoves one of the men forward.

Five dead men walking.

Outside it is wet with the early morning dew

And the biting cold stings their faces, their eyes

Can't help but follow the red splatters on the stone at their back

Shoulder to shoulder they line up, waiting.

It was a perfect plan.

It was a good plan.

It would have saved lives.

It could have saved everything.

Six men could have changed the course of history

But one sentenced five to death.

This one man, this one monster

This traitor who claimed friend then melted when the time came.

This vile creature that ruined everything

This man

The yell of one soldier cuts through the morning chill and

The bullets make red, blooming flowers on the wall behind the fallen bodies.

One by one, staring death in the eye they stand,

Backs straight with courage, eyes forward with honour.

There are no screams.

With one final yell from the soldier,

And the deafening roars of bullets,

The last man falls

I turned away from my window as the last echo faded.

My hands shook as they held the letter

Thank you.

Thank you for your assistance in the apprehension of traitors of the state.

Just one man to change history

Thank you

Traitor.

The letter is burning in the fire now

I stare at the burning remnants

The plan failed.

The resistance suppressed.

Five men sentenced to die

But today there will be six deaths