Ezra listened to her words, but he wasn’t sure if he was actually hearing them. She was making sense but his mind couldn’t get over the blood on his hands. He looked at her with the smallest smile as he placed his hands gently on her face. He could feel her lean her head against the palms of his hands as he gave her a quick kiss. He killed those men because they were doing wrong. They were hurting not only the love of his life, but an innocent person. They were pushing for a war that was impossible to win and if he sat by and did nothing then everyone in this house would have died.

“I had to do it. It was them or us. He was leading us to a battle that was already lost. With you here I can show them what it means to fight without the violence. I can lead them to peace, rather than blood shed. I won’t corrupt myself or my men,” he whispered more to himself than her.

There was a soft knock on the door and then Isiah walked in a little nervous. “They...they want to make it official. You as our new leader. I think you should do it Ezra. You’re the person everyone looks up to. Whatever you say they will do. You can bring us back to the path we should’ve never strayed from. The path that shows people we are not monsters, we just people,” he said pushing the door open a little more.

Ezra stood up with Marta making sure to keep his hand locked with hers. He led her from the room to the main dining area where everyone had gathered to wait for him. The ones who had been in the room when he passed out had hopeful eyes when he saw their hands together. The other ones still held a form of hate towards him and Marta. He heard Daniel cough to quiet everyone down. Isiah sat towards the head of the table expecting Ezra to take a seat with Marta, but he refused to sit.

Ezra took a deep breath and squeezed Marta’s hand tightly before speaking, “I’ve been asked to take over the resistance. I’ve been groomed for this spot for months now. I’ve taken two lives tonight and I don’t regret it. Jeremiah was bringing us down a dark path. He tortured us all, including Marta. Some of the medical team has seen the wound branded into her arm like she is nothing more than cattle. It’s the same symbol I had carved into my chest. The day that happened seems like a lifetime ago. I held so much hate and anger inside my body for the men who abused me so it was easy to fall in line with Jeremiah and his beliefs, but I lost myself to the darkness and without Isiah or Marta here to bring me back I would probably be continuing down that road,” he paused a moment to look at each of their reactions. He caught Isiah smiling along with a few relieved faces.

“So we’re going to just sit here and let Hitler kill our people? Isn’t he the reason your father was taken to the ghettos back where you come from? Jeremiah told us all. If we don’t fight then we’re just asking to me killed,” one of the men said harshly.

Ezra nodded, “Yes, my father was taken and my mother is dead from illness. Isiah’s fiancees dad was killed by the getsapo and we have saved countless people from their clutches, and we will continue to do so. We will just be less violent. Not everybody needs to die for one person to live. We will prove to everyone that we are rats and we are not monsters. We are people,” he glanced at Isiah as he said that.

The room went quiet and he felt himself tense up waiting for the backlash, especially from Daniel. There was brief moment it looked like everyone was going to walk out of the room and forget the reason they were brought together, but then Daniel spoke.

“We will follow you into battle or into peace. You are who we respect the most and who we need. The death of Jeremiah and his friend has ended the rule of terror. We will follow you, Ezra,” Daniel said and then glanced at the men around him.

“I will follow you, Ezra,” Isiah said next.

“I will follow you, Ezra,” Joshua and Harrod in unison.

“I will follow you, Ezra,” everyone else said together.

“We will follow you!” the whole room yelled together and began slapping each other on the backs.

Ezra felt the tightness in his chest finally release and he let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. A smile spread across his face as the men came over him to one by one to shake his and Marta’s hands to show respect. He could feel her body tensing at first when they came near, but when they showed no sign of harm she relaxed against him. Isiah took his place next to Ezra, it was assumed they would be leading the men together.

“Since you get Marta here, I want my Atalia,” Isiah said with a grin.