Page 123 - LEIBY

Chapter 15 123

from the day’s events and had locked themselves inside the
building.

Leiby displayed surprising acrobatic ability. He lithely
clambered up the wall of the building, wriggled his way onto
the balcony, shook the rickety bars on the door as hard as he
could, and presto – he was inside!

The people in the room looked at him in terror. “Yiddelach… Ich
bin a brider,” he reassured them. The refugees there continued
to stare at him, stunned. Leiby understood their shock, he knew
that he looked truly horrific – his blonde hair turned black with
soot, his face scratched and bruised, and his clothes torn. But
what did all that matter? He had saved lives today!

Alexander was nowhere to be found. From the window of the
balcony, Leiby caught sight of the wild mob that had been there
earlier approaching the place again, rejuvenated and ready for
a good fight. He jumped out of the window, slid down the
drainpipe, and ran out to the main street. There he found an old
car parked at the side of the road, with a tired driver, his face
wrinkled, and his hair tangled and dirty, sitting and dozing in
the driver’s seat.

“Get up!” Leiby prodded the driver with a small pistol that he
had snatched up before venturing outside.

The driver looked at him with bleary eyes.

“Who are you?”

“Right now, you can only answer questions, not ask,” Leiby
retorted roughly.

The driver was now fully alert, and obeyed Leiby with clenched
lips. Following Leiby’s instructions, he drove at breakneck
speed along side streets towards the outskirts of the city, then
traveled along dirt paths until they arrived at a large Russian
military base.

“Stop!” Leiby commanded, and got out of the car.

The driver sped away, and Leiby found himself alone next to the