"What?! What do you mean you're leaving him out there?!"

"Simple, we're leaving him out there. His fault for crossing. He's not our property or responsibility. He can lay there until the borders are up..." He suddenly burst out laughing to his joke; reckoning that the wall wouldn't be up any time soon and to be honest, I didn't think so either... I groaned to his "joke" if you can even call it that, and walked to one of the windows of the tower that looked out across the Death Strip; a giant space between the two walls separating West and East Berlin, at this point being about a couple of tens of feet. It was just an empty space; no grass, no buildings, no people, nothing apart from sand which showed your footprints and gave away your destination. That's what made escape difficult. See, they were trying to keep us here in East Berlin because so many people had moved to West Berlin because it was supposedly better, but now how could you cross a solid wall with barbed wire and a ditch at the bottom, guards patrolling the wall, look out points and a massive space between the two walls where you were an easy target where the guards had been ordered to shoot anyone in that section. Even if you got past those, you still had to get over and through the barbed wire wall on the other side and a ditch which prevented people driving through the wall and then past the guards. If you don't do that, you can ask for permission to cross but it is rarely granted. Overall, you'd best stay on your side.

As I looked across the Death Strip, I noticed the dark silhouette of the body. Sprawled out across the floor on his front, his blood staining the sand beneath and around him. I looked away from his body and looked across the rest of the gap, widening my eyes and feeling queasy to the sight of a couple of other bodies just left there. Spinning around to face the Colonel once again I glared at his strict face shaped by a mustache and shortly cut hair under a dark green hat, his eyes lazy and tired under the brim of the hat. He was also dressed in a dark green suit but he had medals lining his chest pocket and he generally looked like he had more authority; despite the belly that could probably consume all the guards meals in a day. He turned around and picked up a box of cigars, pulling one out and pressing it to his lips, holding the box out, he raised his brow to Friedrich who shook his head. Putting away the box, he lit the cigar and took a puff, blowing the smoke out into the room. Something about shouting at him scared me because I knew I could possibly end up in jail or get shot quite easily and the concept of dying now didn't really appeal that much. However it was appalling how they just left the bodies there and I was worried if I did nothing, no one would.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced to Friedrich who was leaning against the wall, his gaze looking out the window, his mind somewhere far away. Turning back to the Colonel, I opened my mouth.

"Why are you leaving all those bodies out there? What happens to their families? Don't they get a funeral or are they just left their until they rot?! If you chose to do this, that is the sickest thing I've ever heard!" I shouted towards him which seemed to snap him awake, as well as Friedrich who turned around to watch me, the Colonel then froze, his cigar half way towards his open mouth. He clamped his jaw shut, the sound of his teeth snapping together making me cringe.

"Are you questioning my leadership skills?" He said calmly, too calmly for my liking. Like how if a Londoner speaks calmly, you decide to run. Before I could open my mouth, he carried on, his tone getting less and less calm and more angry with every word. His body contorting to, instead of looking casual and tired, look fierce and strict like his face showed. I know now why Friedrich hadn't wanted to see him. "Are you questioning my authority? What gives you the right to even come here and ask questions?! You are no guard. You are not part of the government. You have no significance! So don't you dare come up here, thinking you can change my mind and get me down on my hands and knees, picking up dead, worthless bodies!"

I stared at him open mouthed, not believing what he had said. No significance?! He needed to be put back in his place. Once again, I opened my mouth.

"Colonel, I have a proposition. You obviously don't want to deal with the bodies so why don't you tell the guards we're going out and we'll pick them up?" I shut my mouth. I hadn't said that. Glancing around to Friedrich, I jumped to see he was closer than I thought, standing right next to me, just slightly behind in a sort of defensive position. He glanced down to me, giving me a smile as his eyes twinkled with pleasure from his new idea. What was he thinking? I'm not going out there, picking up dead bodies. Though if it was who I thought it was...well I'd do anything for him.

"Alright."

I snapped back into reality again, glancing up to the Colonel with a confused expression. "What?"

"You two can go out there and pick up the body. Just don't bring it back here or leave it on the bloody streets okay!" He said, a frustrated giving up tone appearing in his voice.

"Of course we wont Sir. We'll give him a burial." Friedrich announced.

"Ugh, I don't need to know what you're going to do. Just get out alright? I'll send out a message." He groaned before walking back to his desk and sitting in his chair, making the chair groan as well as if mimicking him, picking up the phone and dialing a number before pressing it to his ear.

A hand touched my arm and I glanced back to Friedrich who nodded to the door as a sign to leave. Nodding, I followed him out and once we had got outside and far out of the Colonel's hearing range, I grabbed Friedrich's arm and spun him around to face me.

"What the hell was that all about?" I whispered violently, not wanting to shout and cause a big scene or get anyone else involved.

"What was what about?" He asked innocently, arching his eyebrow.

"In there!" I pointed to the Colonel's room. "We didn't even discuss going out into the Death Strip! It's kind of in the name? Death strip. We'll get shot!"

"Calm down. He said he was going to send out a notice. They'll put their guns down."

"What if they don't know its us? They see two people striding along the sand and they'll shoot."

He sighed, turning around to face me square on as he pressed his hands onto my shoulders and gave me a "trust me" look. "They'll see my suit and they'll stop. Quit worrying okay? You're with me. You'll be fine."

I sighed. Maybe he was right; but how do i know they won't shoot? They might not see his suit. I might fall behind and they'll see me and shoot. I guess I can trust Friedrich. But then again...I don't know.

"I still don't know." I repeated my thoughts.

"Oh come on Kirsten. You wanted to know who it was. It won't take five minutes."

"I know..." I mumbled back, dropping my gaze to the ground.

"Just flip a coin or something. Let's just go." A hint of irritation began to creep into his throat and worry that he might shout began to engulf me but then I heard what he said. The idea struck me. Flip a coin? My hands suddenly rushed to my sides, trying to work out where I had put it. Feeling a lump in my jacket pocket, i slotted my hand in and pulled out the coin Lukas had given me. A smile burst out on my lips as I watched the sun reflect off the polished surface but then the smile suddenly vanished and I felt as if I were going to cry. This had been the last thing he'd given me. It'll be the only thing to remember him by. Pulling it to my lips, I kissed it and then tossed it into the air before catching it and laying it on my other hand.

"Heads I go, tails I stay." I muttered before pulling my hand away from covering the coin. Closing my eyes for a moment, I wished it would be heads so I could see if it was him but then I wished it to be tails because I was so scared. But then again, tails would count as cowardly. Like saying something to the back, or tail, of someone and not to their face, head. Opening my eyes, I looked down to the engraved head that was staring up at me, his eyes looking deep into mine and telling me not to be a coward. "Let's go then." I told the man on the coin. I dropped the coin back into my pocket and pushed Friedrich forwards before he began walking on his own to the nearest crossing point.

************************

"Sure you want to do this?" He questioned me for the last time, eyeing me carefully.

"Of course." I stated. Nothing would change my mind now. Well apart from maybe a gun being pointed in my face.

"Okay, let's go."

We nodded towards the guard at the crossing point who nodded back and opened the gate for us, placing a wooden plank down for us to cross over the ditch and onto the sand. We crossed over, Friedrich first and me following after him like a lost sheep. The gate closed behind us and I knew we were on our own now. Glancing around, the full extent of how big the Death Strip was really blew me away. It never looked that long or wide but it went on for as far as the eye could see and further and as I looked forward, the next wall only looked a couple of inches high. Friedrich put his hand over his eyes as he looked down the wall for where his checkpoint was and then began walking. I, however, knew nothing about how he managed to find his checkpoint but he did and I just followed again, wishing that I had better shoes as the sand flooded into my shoes and drowned my feet in the little gritty grains. Being so close to the ditch beside the wall made me nervous as my feet slid here and there in the sand and I desperately wanted to hold onto Friedrich but he was a couple of metres ahead and I was no way calling out for help or running to catch up.

We soon got to his checkpoint and he turned around to face the other wall, placing his hand over his eyes once again as he looked for the body. Squinting, I looked across the land but couldn't see much until Friedrich pointed his finger forwards.

"There he is. See him?" My gaze ran along his arm to his finger and followed it as if his hand reached the body and there it was about half way across the sand.

"Oh yeah, I see him."

"It's amazing how far he got without being caught. Shame I can't congratulate him." He said as he began to walk forwards, placing his hands in his trouser pockets and beginning to whistle. Frowning slightly, I glanced to my side at him, raising my brows as we walked. He glanced to me and smiled. "What? Got a problem with me whistling? I thought it was a bit quiet that's all." He chuckled at my look; one showing that I obviously thought he was out of his mind, before carrying on whistling until we reached the body.

We stood at the feet of the body, Friedrich's eyes on me as I studied the body for any give aways that it could be him. Finding none, I turned my gaze up to Friedrich and nodded as a sign for him to push the body over onto it's back so we could see the face. He crouched down to the side of the body and carefully dug his hands under the sand to get under the body's torso. He closed his eyes, notably counting down from three before pulling his arms up, flipping the limp body onto its back, making a thud in the sand and a little cloud of sand spread out from underneath him into the air.

Taking a deep breath, I looked down at the body and gasped. I shook my head before crouching down by his side, placing my hand on his cheek, dusting away some of the sand as drops of water fell down my face and onto his shoulder, soaking into the fabric of his t-shirt. I sniffed and closed my eyes. Furiously clenching my hands, I shook my head. Tears streamed down my face in rivers. It couldn't be...