home from her house. By road, it was
about ten kilometers, but through the
woods and over a mountain ridge, it
was only about three. I tried to
convince my father I knew the way.
He agreed. I started walking and at
first it was not bad. The hills were
easy and the weather good. After a
while, I began to tire. As I
approached each small ridge, I
thought, “This must be the last one.”
But when I came to the top, I saw
nothing but another ridge and more
trees.
LUTHER
So what happened?
JOSEPH
I walked and walked. I knew I was
lost and it was the most hopeless
feeling I ever knew. I walked and
cried for what seemed like hours,
longing for the comfort of my
father’s voice. Just then, I heard
him call my name. He’d followed me
for he knew I might get lost, so he
sent my mother and sisters on with
the wagon and he walked behind me.
RODIN
You mean he was there the whole
time? Why didn’t he help you?
JOSEPH
He did help me.
RODIN
But he let you wander alone,
thinking you might die.
JOSEPH
Maybe he thought that was what I
needed. I learned more from
being afraid and wandering than I
would have riding home in the
wagon.
LUTHER
Joseph, are you trying to tell us
that we are supposed to learn from
this? You’re mad.
JOSEPH
I don’t know, Luther. But what I
learned from that day is that I
will take one more step. I will
lift one more shovel of mud.
When I can no longer do it, the
end will come. I don’t fear it
anymore, because I choose to trust
my Father will be there for me.
One way or another.
ALFRED
Sorry. I don’t share your
optimism, Joseph.
Rodin steps on his shovel, but his foot slips off. The edge of the shovel tears into his pant leg and slices his calf. He cries out and falls to the ground. Alfred and the others rush to his side.
ALFRED
Rodin! Are you okay?
Rodin opens the torn pant leg to reveal a long gash bleeding profusely.
RODIN
I don’t know, Alfred.
Luther looks around, sees Major Vogel riding toward them in the distance.
LUTHER
Quickly, Rodin. See if you
can stand on it.
The men help him up as he tries to put his weight on it, but he winces in pain and stumbles.
JOSEPH
Rodin! You’ve got to stand. Shift
your weight to the other foot.
Again, they help him up. This time he remains standing. Major Vogel rides up. A group of weak inmates follows him. Luther, Alfred and Joseph return to their shovels and quickly dig. Rodin leans on his shovel to support his weight. Blood runs down his leg and over his tattered shoe.
ALFRED
(panicking)
Rodin! Dig!
Rodin tries to hide his pain as he digs. Major Vogel dismounts and inspects the group. He selects six or seven men before he comes to Rodin. He looks at Rodin who is trying to work. He sees the blood trickling over his shoes into the mud.
MAJOR VOGEL
(to Rodin)
Come with us. I need you for
special duties.
Rodin and Alfred make eye contact. Rodin limps over to the group following Major Vogel and joins them. Major Vogel re-mounts his horse and leads the group away. As they move, Rodin makes eye contact with Alfred who signals him to sneak back into their work group. Rodin attempts to leave the line, but falls when between both groups. Major Vogel turns, sees Rodin. Rodin looks up, realizes he’s been caught, stands up, facing Major Vogel. Rodin turns his head and looks at Alfred. At that moment, Major Vogel draws a pistol and shoots Rodin in the chest. Rodin falls on his back in the mud, dead instantly. Alfred runs to his side and kneels, cradling his limp body. Blood pours into the mud around his body.
ALFRED
Rodin!
MAJOR VOGEL
Get back to work. All of you.
FRANKL
You heard him. Back to work!
Major Vogel pats his horse on the neck, turns and rides away. Alfred lays Rodin in the mud and returns to his shovel.
EXT. CAMP
Major Vogel rides between the barracks. A half dozen inmates, including Alfred, work moving rocks and bricks along the side of one building. Small piles of wood, brick, and rubble lie between the two buildings. Major Vogel watches the men work as the horse carefully steps through the rubble. An inmate suddenly appears around the corner of the building carrying several long planks of wood. The horse is startled and rears, throwing Major Vogel. As the horse comes down, it’s front leg twists in some large rocks in the rubble pile and breaks. The horse falls to the ground. In horror, the officer rushes to the horse’s side.
MAJOR VOGEL
Oh my god!
(to the inmate)
What have you done, you fool!
He inspects the horse’s leg. It’s a compound break. The bone has broken through the skin and is bleeding badly. Major Vogel begins to weep. He lies across the horse, his head on its neck, his pistol still in his hand.
MAJOR VOGEL
How could this happen?
He turns to one of the inmates.
MAJOR VOGEL
Go to the infirmary and bring the
doctor immediately!
The inmate runs off. Major Vogel looks at the pistol in his hand, raises it to the horse’s head, hesitates and lowers the gun.
The inmate, two guards with machine guns, and the DOCTOR appear around the corner. The doctor kneels, inspects the horse’s wound.
DOCTOR
Sir, the horse is in great pain.
He must be put down.
Major Vogel is furious.
MAJOR VOGEL
No! There must be some way to help
her.
The doctor fears Vogel, but pleads.
DOCTOR
I’m sorry, sir. This break will
not heal. You have no choice.
Major Vogel levels the gun at the horse’s head. He closes his eyes, pulls the trigger and somberly, lowers his head for a moment. Then, enraged, he grabs a machine gun from a guard and screams as he unloads the weapon into the inmate who caused the accident.
INT. BARRACKS 314 – LATE NIGHT
INSERT TITLE: FEBRUARY, 1945
Alfred is asleep on his bunk with two other inmates.
INT. THE LEICHT HOME ALFRED’S BEDROOM – MORNING (FANTASY)
Alfred sleeps in his bed, hears his mother’s voice call him from the other room. He opens his eyes, climbs out of bed and follows her voice.
MRS. LEICHT
Alfred. Time to get up.
KITCHEN
Alfred, in pajamas, enters. His eyes grow wide. The table is full of food of every kind. His mother and father are seated at the table, dressed in their very best clothes.
MRS. LEICHT
Alfred, were you going to sleep the
day away? Come and eat, dear child.
ALFRED
Is this all for me?
MR. LEICHT
(chuckles)
Of course, boy. Do you think you
can eat it all?
Alfred moves t
o the head of the table, sits down. His mother and father fill his plate. He hesitates and then begins to eat ravenously. He looks back and forth between his mother and father as he eats.
MR. LEICHT
My, my. You certainly are
hungry this morning, aren’t you
son?
Alfred nods, continues to gorge on the food.
MRS. LEICHT
That’s it, Alfred. Eat up. You can
eat until you are ready to pop if
you like. When this is gone, I can
make more.
Alfred continues eating, then looks up and stops, his mouth full of food. Standing at the other end of the table is Rodin in a winter coat. He is dirty and disheveled. His face is pale and his eyes are sunken and dark. Alfred says nothing.
MRS. LEICHT
Alfred, would you like your friend
to join us?
Alfred still isn’t chewing. He nods hesitantly.
MR. LEICHT
(to Rodin)
Sit down. There is plenty for
both of you.
Rodin approaches the table and pulls out a chair. He unbuttons his coat, reveals he’s wearing his striped prison suit with a gunshot wound visible in his chest. The dark red blood is clear as he puts the coat over the back of the chair and sits. Alfred still hasn’t moved. Mr. and Mrs. Leicht smile, unaffected by the horrible scene before them. Rodin stares at Alfred as he takes a bite of bread. He never takes his eyes off Alfred and no words are spoken. As he begins to chew, tears fall from the corner of his eyes. He swallows, then speaks.
RODIN
(very softly)
I’m sorry Alfred. I didn’t mean
to leave you.
Alfred’s eyes are wide and tears fall.
RODIN
I didn’t want to go.
(beat)
Do you forgive me?
(beat)
Alfred?
(beat)
Alfred? Alfred…
His voice trails off.
BARRACKS 314 – MORNING (REALITY)
Luther stands beside Alfred’s bunk, shakes his shoulder.
LUTHER
Alfred. Alfred! Get up boy!
Time to work.
Alfred opens his eyes and sits up. His eyes are red, wet with tears. He looks around as he orients himself and realizes he was dreaming. He can see everyone is preparing for the day’s work. He pulls on his shoes when Capo Frankl enters the barracks behind him.
FRANKL
Everyone pay attention. You are
being transferred today. Move
quickly to the train platform.
Inmates look at each other quizzically.
EXT. BARRACKS 314
Inmates move toward the trains. Bombs can be heard close by. Guards and Capos rush inmates to the trains. Panic is in everyone’s eyes, including the guards. Alfred, Jacob and Luther walk quickly together. They pass a group of older inmates being led in the opposite direction by soldiers. Gunshots are heard behind them. Luther and Alfred look at each other, know those inmates are being executed. They climb to the train platform as they wait to be loaded into the boxcars.
JACOB
It’s the allies. They are nearly
at our doorstep.
LUTHER
Today’s the day of reckoning.
ALFRED
Maybe we’ll be home for supper!
LUTHER
Don’t be so sure, young Alfred.
Today, dear boy, we not only
have to fear the Germans, but
also the bombs the Allies.
They climb the ramp to a boxcar.
ALFRED
I’ve had enough of trains to last
a lifetime.
He looks at Jacob and then smiles nervously.
ALFRED
But at least we’re not digging in
the mud, right Jacob?
JACOB
Precisely!
He winks at Alfred.
INT. BOXCAR
Inmates crowd in, including THE PORTER. When the car is full, the door slams shut and it’s quiet. Nothing is said for several seconds.
LUTHER
If anyone has seen the porter,
please tell him I’d like a 1921
Chateau Pichon Lelande in my cabin.
It is quiet as the inmates comprehend his sarcasm. An inmate nearby responds.
PORTER
I am a porter.
Everyone becomes nervously quiet. After a moment of awkward silence, the Porter responds.
PORTER
I’m afraid we’re out of ’21
Chateau Pichon Lelande. All I
can offer you is the house
burgundy.
Luther smiles ever so faintly as the car lurches forward.
EXT. AUSCHWITZ/TRAIN PLATFORM AT - MORNING
Smoke billows from the engine as the train lumbers through the rail gate and out of the camp. The camp is in chaos. Smoke continues to rise from the smokestacks of the ovens.
INT. COCKPIT OF AN ALLIED BOMBER – DAY
AMERICAN PILOT #1 looks out his window. PILOT #2 is seated beside him. A train moves through the snowy landscape on the ground below their plane.
PILOT #1
Does that look a troop train to
you?
PILOT #2
Damn right. The Krauts are
bugging out. The Russians are
knocking on their back door and
we’re ready to bomb them into
next year.
PILOT #1
I bet they’ve loaded up every man
who can carry a gun and are
heading for Berlin.
PILOT #2
They better call Berlin and tell
them they’ll be late.
(into microphone)
Bombardier, get ready.
INT. BOXCAR
The train moves and the inmates stand quietly. Suddenly the sound of bombs exploding outside breaks the silence. Bright flashes are seen. The train jolts. Inmates yell.
ALFRED
Why are they trying to kill us?
Bomb the damn Germans you fools!
JACOB
(to Luther)
You must be a prophet.
LUTHER
Let’s hope not, Jacob. Let’s hope not.
ALFRED
(angry)
I’ll give you a prophecy. The
allies will bomb us and the
Germans will kill whoever is
left alive.
A bomb explodes next to the car, splintering the wood siding, leaving a gaping hole. The train stops. Bodies are piled upon one another. Alfred has been stunned, but regains his senses. Luther and Jacob are next to him. Alfred looks at Jacob. He’s covered with blood. He looks at Alfred.
JACOB
A new blessing. I feel so
warm.
He closes his eyes and dies. Luther looks at Alfred.
LUTHER
Come on! Let’s get out of here.
Luther and Alfred stumble out of the car together. They duck as a bomb explodes nearby. Inmates and Germans lie dead on the ground. Others stumble weakly away from the wrecked train. Alfred and Luther get up and run.
ALFRED
(angry)
What next? What great surprise can
God have for us next?
A bomb explodes nearby. Alfred ducks. As the dirt and dust settles, he looks at Luther who is now pale. A drop of blood escapes Luther’s lip. He opens his coat and puts his hand to his chest. Blood spreads through the dirty, striped material. He drops to his knees.
ALFRED
Luther! Get up, dammit!
Luther looks up at Alfred from his knees. The bombing has stopped.
LUTHER
I guess I am a prophet. I would
rather have been wrong.
ALFRED
Luther! Please don’t die.
Luther looks Alfred in the face.
LUTHER
Don’t completely lose faith,
Alfred.
He collapses into Alfred’s arms and dies. Alfred holds him tightly and cries. In the background, Germans are collecting the surviving inmates including the few who have tried to flee. They shoot several wounded men. A German soldier runs up to Alfred and points his weapon at Alfred’s head. Without a word, Alfred eases Luther to the ground, gets up, joins the survivors in the snow beside the wreckage.
The train and tracks are destroyed in front of the train, and the ground is littered with bodies of inmates and soldiers as the remaining men march forward. As he starts forward, Alfred looks down, sees that Frankl lies dead in the snow.
EXT. A SNOWY ROAD – DAY
Hundreds of inmates, now both men and women, march through the cold, snowy woods. German guards surround them. One man stumbles and falls. With no warning or emotion, a guard walks over and shoots him in the back of the head. Alfred doesn’t acknowledge the murders happening around him. He looks straight ahead and pulls the collar of his coat closed at the neck.
NIGHT
Inmates still walk in the dark. An officer in the lead directs them to a barn near the road. The group leaves the road and plods through the deep snow toward the barn.
INT. BARN
Inmates fall exhausted onto the hay-covered floor, then huddle together and go to sleep.
MORNING
The sun shines through cracks in the barn. Soldiers rouse the inmates. Several inmates have died during the night, but no one pays any attention to them.