You worked hard for your country every single day at the factory. You may not have been the best worker in you're line of work but you sure did as best you could. There came a time though when you're family wasn't getting by with the scraps of food you would take home. You had to control you're alcohol addiction in order to get the extra food that would keep you're boy as healthy as he could be during those times. You had heard the stories from you're dad when you were a child during his times in the Famine decades ago that had left you're brain scared with his stories of cannibalism and other nasty things people did to get by. Things weren't that bad as they were then the way you're father had described it but you were still fearful of something like that happening again.
You're mind kept rambling with the thought of having to starve when the idea of asking you're boss if there was any way there could be a wage increase for you and your coworkers. You remember hearing the story of someone else asking the same question but them leaving the factory the next day, rumored to have gotten new jobs somewhere else, maybe as the boss didn't want to budge with the wages. It was at that moment that you foolishly decided to ask yourself if there would ever be a wage increase. You still remember the look that the your boss had given you. It gave you a feel of instant regret and tried to play it off as a joke, as you didn't want to lose your job. But the damage had already been done. You were forced to resign that day, and as you left the factory you could feel looks of pity from your fellow co-workers as they seemed to know what had happened. Now that you look back on everything though, you would have been happy with just losing your job if what had happened next could be forgotten.
That night as you fell asleep, there was a heavy knock on your door that woke you in a instant. It had waken your wife as well as you quickly got up and told your wife that you would go see who it was. As you looked to see who it was you were man handled by two men before you could even say a word, they somewhat dragged you to a car and put you in the back with two other men seated beside you. You had thought it was a misunderstanding and that everything would be cleared up but as they took you to a local police station and locked you in a cell without a word as you realized that wouldn't be the case.
You were sentenced to four months prison time and transferred to a bigger prison out in the country side where it looked like no one had taken residence.The longer you stayed in the prison the more you started to rethink the Communist government, were the stories of the gulags that the crazy old soldier in the tavern talked about true? While you had served your first few months you had started to discover that other inmates had done small things like complain or protest against something and were given sentences, you had seen more of these people than any murderer in your time here.
You were in your third month in prison when you heard the news of the Germans invading your homeland. It was your last week sentenced, you were excited, happy to be able to go home. To tell your son that you were on a secret mission and had to depart so soon. It was then that military officer showed up to the prison where you were held. The overseer ordered all the prisoners to go to the yard where the officer stood on the podium. He didn't seem to be the age to bear such a rank, yet he looked proud and strict never less
"Lowlife and insolent scum, you have all showed great shame to the motherland which is why you have been sent here, I am a man who believes in redemption however, you all seem capable of doing just that, your motherland is under siege and all able men are needed to help drive the Germans away from our home. Show your usefulness and you will be pardoned during our victory against the Fascist regime." The officer announced.
You had thought that it would be a choice whether or not to go along with the officer, you only had a few more days in this dump and you wouldn't mind that instead of going to war. When dozens of trucks had arrived however, all the prisoners in the yard were herded on with no time to ask questions.
"Once we get to the military base you will receive minor training on how to take arms, but in a few weeks all of you will be sent to Stalingrad to help fight against the invading forces, no questions will be asked from you and you will comply will all our orders, any opposition will be met with severe punishments or death, do as you are told and maybe you will be able to return to your civilian life as heroes when this is all over, until then you will work for your freedom." The officer announced on your truck. There was a knot in your stomach.There was something upsetting with this Penal battalion as you didn't feel as proud as you should of to protect your country, but you had no say in the matter as they hadn't taken any volunteers when they picked you all for the battalion.
"Remember this phrase throughout you're battles in this battalion, Not one step backwards!"
