Reaching the shelter, she threw open the door and shot inside. In the darkness, she tripped over something on the floor and fell, jamming her fingers into the ground. She rummaged over the dirt floor and found the wooden leg of a cot, last used months ago when the Luftwaffe began their nightly bombings. She dragged the cot outside and froze.

* * *

Fifteen thousand feet above Epping, a Luftwaffe pilot struggled to steady the yoke of his Heinkel bomber. Six months ago, he had completed his flight training at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base. A mere six minutes earlier, he had assumed the position of squadron leader after the lead bomber took a direct hit and exploded into pieces as they crossed the coastline.

Rounds of explosions shook his plane. Shrapnel pelted the wings. A search beam shot through the cockpit glass. Cold sweat clung to his forehead. The pilot, frightened and confused, either believed that the antiaircraft guns were coming from London or he was anxious to drop his bombs and flee. Regardless, he gave the order. Bombs fell from his plane. The rest of the squadron released their payloads. Twenty-two tons of explosives plunged toward the earth.

* * *

It was a sharp shrill above the menacing chorus of antiaircraft guns that compelled Susan to stop. Hundreds of screaming whistles. She’d heard them before, but always at a distance. The tone was different. Louder. Closer. Her body turned weak. Powerless, she dropped the cot and fell to her knees. In that fleeting moment, her mind flashed with thoughts of a future that would never be. She clasped her hands and prepared for the impact.

CHAPTER 51 - ASCAIN, FRANCE

CHAPTER 51

ASCAIN, FRANCE

Ollie awakened. He took in a deep breath, then exhaled and glanced around his sleeping cell. Silvery moonlight spilled through a crack in the curtains, illuminating bare plaster walls. A small wooden desk, void of any objects, sat in the corner. His feet dangled from the bottom of the small bed. The scent of ancient timbers and candle wax filled the air. Somewhere down the hall of the church dormitory, Boar and Lucien were sleeping. He closed his eyes and tried to rest, but a strange uneasiness stirred within him.