Righteousness

A little flash fiction I cooked up before bed. 

He stood motionless, impaled by the familiar smell of burning flesh while it lingered on the air like a tired whore fishing for tricks under the blinding glare of the rising sun; the screams of men begging Death.

“Bring me another partisan,” he said softly.

Three men sprinted away while the fourth pushed a pouch of tobacco into his hand.

Startled he asked. “What?” he held the pouch gingerly, afraid it may explode.  “What is this?”

The man who had passed it to him laughed.  “You look like you could use one, Commander.”

Realization crept into the Commander’s eyes and he proceeded to roll a cigarette.  “They hurt us today, Fritz.  Half our tanks left smoldering while our men fry like bacon.”

Fritz lit his commander’s cigarette.  “We will crush the communist Jew bastards under the heel of our polished jackboots…”

“And take our place as kings among the peasants.” Cut in the Commander.  “You should be working for Goebbels.  Not out here.”

Fritz smiled at the compliment.  “It is one of my best. But he doesn’t need me.”

“You life will be wasted out here.”

“You’ll get us home.  You’ll see.”

The commander shook his head.  “Even if we do manage to get home our lives are wasted.”

Enraged, Fritz turned on his commander. “We do this for the fatherland and the German people. We do this for Hitler!”

The commander sighed.  “Yes! I know.”

“It is our duty and our honor to serve the Fuhrer with our lives!”

The commander grabbed Fritz by the throat and spat, “I’ve spilled more blood in the name of the Fuhrer than you’ll ever see.  You dare talk to me about honor and duty?  You spew propaganda by the bucket load and think that gives you the right to question me?  Where were you when the bullets started to fly? Cowering like a baby with shit in your pants!”

Two of the men returned and dropped a man at his feet who was nothing more than a side of freshly butchered beef.

The commander let Fritz loose and dismissed the men with a wave of his hand. “Fritz?”

“Yes Sir?” he answered.

“Speak to me of righteousness.”

A tear rolled down Fritz’s cheek as he watched commander kick the dying man.  “We shall break their backs like waves upon the shore. Relentless in our efforts to educate…”