“It’s German for ‘Work sets you free,’ ” he said.

“Great,” Nathan said, still annoyed. “So, are we going to stop and look up everything some stupid troll writes?”

“Wait,” Caleb said. “A picture popped up when I googled it.” He posted the image. It was those words, “Arbeit macht frei,” only in the photo they were atop a metal gate. Behind the gate were some old brick buildings.

“So?” asked Nathan.

“It’s the entrance to Auschwitz,” Caleb said.

“What’s that?” asked Nathan.

Is it weird that Nathan doesn’t know what Auschwitz was? Zach wondered. Or was he weird because he did know? It wasn’t like they’d studied it in school. Zach only knew because he’d read The Man in the High Castle. He told the squad that Auschwitz had been a concentration camp in Poland where more than a million people had been slaughtered. The vast majority were Jewish. The words “Arbeit macht frei” were supposed to make those who entered the concentration camp believe that if they worked hard, they would eventually be allowed to go free.

“But they didn’t have a chance,” he said. “They were barely fed and worked nonstop until they were too weak or sick to work anymore. And then it was the gas.”

“It’s true,” Emma said. “I read that creepo Hitler called it his Final Solution. Get rid of inferior races so the Aryan race would remain pure and rule the world. I mean, talk about sick.”

“And you know, it wasn’t only Jewish people,” Zach said. “Millions of Russians and Slavs too.”

“Yeah,” Emma said, “and when they weren’t making weapons and ammunition for the German army they had other jobs, like pulling teeth out of the dead because the Nazis wanted the gold in the fillings.”

No one spoke. Zach assumed they were all picturing it. He wondered if it was weird that a meeting about gaming strategy had morphed into a discussion of the greatest wartime atrocity in modern history.

Finally Nathan said, “Wasn’t that, like, a hundred years ago?”

“Closer to eighty,” said Caleb.

“Same difference,” said Nathan.

It was nearly two a.m. Crosby and Dave had been playing TGW for hours. Crosby was playing great. He’d racked up a ton of kills.

“Been a good night for you, Croz,” Dave said.

“Totally,” said Crosby.“Looks like Christmas came early this year.”

“Careful,” Dave said. “Remember what I told you. If it was up to them, we wouldn’t be allowed to say ‘Merry Christmas’ anymore.”

Crosby recalled that Dave had said something about Christmas a few weeks before. “Why not?” he asked.

“Because Jews and Muslims don’t celebrate Christmas,” Dave said. “So the liberals say it’s a trigger. I mean, forget that the majority of Americans are Christian. Now we’re supposed to say ‘Happy holidays.’ ”

Crosby tried to remember if he’d ever heard anyone in Ironville say “Happy holidays.” He figured he must have, but he couldn’t precisely recall. It was the kind of thing you probably weren’t aware of unless someone like Dave pointed it out.