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An agonizing burning pain in the vicinity of my chest made me look down. The sphere had opened again and the swastika trapped within the black jewel burned fiercely, casting away the darkness, illuminating the cockpit with an intense crimson light. The pain vanished, my spirit soared and all doubt left me. I was infused with iron determination and willingness to succeed, regardless of my own fate.

I dropped the Stuka's nose and began my bomb run. The shadows around me became more frantic. Parts of my aircraft were torn away. The engine cowling broke free and collided with the cockpit window, shattering the glass. The tip of my right wing vanished and the Stuka shuddered, losing stability. But they were too late! My hand found the release lever and with a savage tug, I sent the cylindrical bomb hurtling into the pit. The Stuka, freed of its burden, leapt into the sky and away from the pit, for which I was thankful. This close to the source of evil, I sensed its horrid malevolence.

I do not fully understand what happened next. The unnatural black night suddenly turned into day, yet it was by no means a natural day. The intensity of the light that bathed my aircraft forced me to screw my eyes tight shut. This proved insufficient, and so I threw my arm across my face. Still the light burned through to my eyes and I feared I must surely be blinded. A great heat washed over me then, far hotter even than the fire that burned at my chest. The Stuka was thrown across the sky by forces beyond my ability to comprehend.

I recall, in an insane moment, taking my arm away from my face and peering back over my shoulder at the Hellish fire that rose out of the pit like a horned demon unleashed. It reared up into the sky, a vast pillar of flame and smoke, as if the sun had been plucked out of the heavens and allowed to run amuck. The image is etched into my brain forever. I see it every time I close my eyes, a billowing black mushroom shot through with scarlet veins. An obscenity, employed to cleanse a far worse obscenity.

By dint of superhuman effort I wrestled with the Stuka's controls and brought the damaged aircraft down, skimming the ground until I crashed into dense bushes and trees that tore my wings off and slowed my headlong flight. I crawled and stumbled from the wreckage, one leg and an arm broken, before the Ju-87 exploded. Some hours later my body was found by a supply truck driver, who took me to the nearest military hospital. Upon regaining consciousness, a week after being brought there, I discovered that the hospital was filled with wounded men from all over the district who had suffered terrible burns. Many were blind, and I did not have to be told the cause of this. They, too, had seen the pillar of fire.

The hospital commandant told me that certain high-ranking persons had queried my condition, and had asked him to pass on their thanks. I should have felt honored, but even the personal appreciation of the Fuhrer and the Reichsmarschall was overshadowed by the emotional thrill of what I had unleashed. Do you not understand the significance of the bomb? It must have been one of our new terrorweapons, which the Fuhrer has promised. With such weapons at our disposal, you Americans and your British allies will be forced to capitulate. Another reason why your Mr. Roosevelt should make peace with Germany while he still can, yes?

It is as well that the hospital doctors allowed me to continue wearing the amulet. They could not see, as I did, what happened in the wards during the night. Those terrible shadows would appear in the darkest hour, seeking revenge for what I had done to their lair. They were not all caught in the holocaust, you see. Some had survived, and had followed me to the hospital. But because of the amulet's power they were unable to approach me without causing themselves extreme pain, and so they took out their anger on the other patients. At first their frustration amused me, but then it began to irritate, as the noise they and their victims made often kept me awake. The doctors and nurses never knew why so many of their patients died during the night, and in apparent agony judging from their twisted final expressions, and from the way their frozen hands seemingly clawed the air, as if trying to ward off something that was attacking them. Only I knew the truth.

I remained in the hospital for another week, until the doctors pronounced me again fit for duty. They were surprised by the speed of my recovery. I was not -- the amulet healed me and restored me to perfect health. I returned to my Kampfgeschwader and continued to shoot down Allied aircraft that dared trespass into German airspace, with considerable success. As bad luck would have it, mechanical failure forced my Messerschmitt fighter to crash-land, unfortunately too close to American lines. And so here I am, your prisoner, but not for long. It is only a matter of time before I shall be free again.

You doubt me, which is understandable, but what if I tell you that this amulet is more than a simple protection? I have become familiar with the power that lies within -- an ancient power that is as much beyond mortal comprehension as the festering evil that perished when I unleashed the bomb. The longer I wear the amulet, the more I absorb its power. Each night I lie awake in my cell, listening to the distant thoughts of those creatures who survived the hellish flames. They are witless brutes, alone and leaderless and afraid. I believe I can bend them to my superior will and force them to carry out my bidding, in much the same way as I have forbidden you to confiscate the amulet. Now do you see? When they obey my summons, the steel bars and brick walls of this prison will not stop them. They will release me and take me back to Berlin, where I will introduce the Fuhrer and Reichsmarschall Goering to another form of terrorweapon. They will fly alongside me, these night hunters. Together we will destroy the enemies of the Fatherland until not a single one remains alive.

You must convey all that I have told you to your superiors at once. Your only chance of surviving this war and taking your rightful place alongside the Master Race lies in swift and unconditional surrender. By all means, use me to convey your answer to Berlin, but you would do well to hurry -- I do not intend to remain here for much longer.

[End transcript.]

[Addendum: The cause of the fire that swept through the prison wing during the night of December 22/23 is still under investigation. MPs had been called away to an emergency situation in another part of the camp and could not reach Prisoner N-7832 in time to save him. The amulet, recovered from the ruins of the collapsed building, was melted by the intense heat. Close inspection revealed that the object is solid silver and does not appear to contain anything within its interior. I enclose it with this report. -ADS]

The End