Page 198 of Winter of the World (The Century 2)

"Then we'll all ride."

They went out. Darkness had fallen. The sky was partly cloudy, and the starlight was faint. They used their cycle lights as they rode out of town and up the hill. When they came in sight of the hospital they switched off their lights and continued on foot, pushing their bikes. Ilse took them by a forest path that led to the rear of the building.

Carla smelled an unpleasant odor, somewhat like a car's exhaust. She sniffed.

Ilse whispered: "The incinerator."

"Oh, no!"

They hid the bikes in a shrubbery and walked silently to the back door. It was unlocked. They went in.

The corridors were bright. There were no shadowy corners: the place was lit like the hospital it pretended to be. If they met someone they would be seen clearly. Their clothes would give them away immediately as intruders. What would they do then? Run, probably.

Ilse walked quickly along a corridor, turned a corner, and opened a door. "In here," she whispered.

They walked in.

Frieda let out a squeal of horror and covered her mouth.

Carla whispered: "Oh, my soul."

In a large, cold room were about thirty dead people, all lying faceup on tables, naked. Some were fat, some thin; some old and withered, some children, and one a baby of about a year. A few were bent and twisted, but most appeared physically normal.

Each one had a small adhesive bandage on the upper left arm, where the needle had gone in.

Carla heard Frieda crying softly.

She steeled her nerves. "Where are the others?" she whispered.

"Already gone to the furnace," Ilse replied.

They heard voices coming from behind the double door at the far end of the room.

"Back outside," Ilse said.

They stepped into the corridor. Carla closed the door all but a crack, and peeped through. She saw Herr Romer and another man push a hospital trolley through the doors.

The men did not look in Carla's direction. They were arguing about soccer. She heard Romer say: "It's only nine years ago that we won the national championship. We beat Eintracht Frankfurt two-nil."

"Yes, but half your best players were Jews, and they've all gone."

Carla realized they were talking about the Bayern Munich team.

Romer said: "The old days will come back, if only we play the right tactics."

Still arguing, the two men went to a table where a fat woman lay dead. They took her by the shoulders and knees, then unceremoniously swung her onto the trolley, grunting with the effort.

They moved the trolley to another table and put a second corpse on top of the first.

When they had three they wheeled the trolley out.

Carla said: "I'm going to follow them."

She crossed the morgue to the double doors, and Frieda and Ilse followed her. They passed into an area that felt more industrial than medical: the walls were painted brown, the floor was concrete, and there were store cupboards and tool racks.

They looked around a corner.

They saw a large room like a garage, with harsh lighting and deep shadows. The atmosphere was warm, and there was a faint smell of cooking. In the middle of the space was a steel box large enough to hold a motorcar. A metal canopy led from the top of the box through the roof. Carla realized she was looking at a furnace.

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