June 1, 1944- it all started as normal day of work, we were listening to the radio when it abruptly got cut-off by a news message, “Allie power creating forces for a war-deciding battle” The people in the store froze, no one daring to move as the next words seemed to have slithered out of the radio like a slap across the face,” From what we have gathered this final battle is most likely to be in the range of days from June fifth through the seventh.“ The radio went silent for a few seconds and then went back to the song it was play, Panzerlied, I realized I hadn’t been breathing and let out a huge breath with the words in it, “m-my birthday” My birthday was on June 6, and I hoped to live that long.

            “5 hours.” I mumbled to myself and just like that they started walking away, I went out onto the street along with my customers to see the same for every store. At first I thought I was just imagining it, but as the seconds passed that faint imaginary rumbling grew louder and louder until it was unmistakingly the sound of planes. I had unknowingly been walking with these people in some sort of subconscious trance, when the rumbling got loud enough to break it. I screamed to everyone to clear the road but they didn’t listen,” Every man for himself” I silently mouthed to myself and ran into the closest store available, a small food store. I found, without surprise, that it had been deserted.

The ear shattering sound that came next created so much ringing in my ears that I couldn’t hear for the next 30 seconds. Even though the deadly bombs were over two rows of streets over, I could see the decapitated limbs flying and blood spurting everywhere along with a stench; a stench that I would love to forget, a stench that I would eventually get to used to. I just sat there with my mind racing, trying to put things together. The only thought I could get through was,” There coming.” Those words came out of my mouth with such disgust that once they left my mouth it just hung there, not looking to even budge.