Prisoner B-3087

Yanek washes himself at the water pump, despite the bitter cold. He’s decided that every day, despite the fact that he has no soap and no toothbrush, he’ll wash himself and even rub his teeth with his fingers, to remind himself of what it’s like to be human. He notes a sign that the Nazis have posted above the pump, explaining the importance of maintaining cleanliness or else they would die. He thinks that one could still keep oneself clean and do everything right and still be killed—but he’ll play the game.

At Birkenau, Yanek builds new barracks, and the work is just as bad as everywhere else. There is little food, and the bread is hard and bland. Yanek learns a trick with the soup they serve, which is to wait a bit before lining up for it. This way, he gets the heartier parts of the soup which sink to the bottom—which might just keep him alive.

The prisoners also learn to use the bathroom during the day so they can use the camp latrines rather than the barrels in the barracks. The same prisoners stand guard at the bathroom door each day, and so the prisoners use them to deliver secret messages for other prisoners. One day, Yanek sees the watchman whisper “tonight” to another prisoner, and that night, there is a prison break. Yanek prays that they get out. The remaining prisoners are assembled and their numbers are read. The Nazis are furious at the break-out. Yanek wonders then if he could make it, too. They stand at roll call for hours.

At dawn, a ragged bunch of prisoners are marched back inside: they didn’t make it. The men are lined up against a wall in the yard and are immediately shot. Then other prisoners in their work detail are pulled out and shot us as well—men who did nothing besides work alongside those who tried to escape. Then, the officer turns his gun on the roll call, explaining that this is the punishment for trying to escape. Yanek prays that the bullets wouldn’t hit him, but he knows that he cannot run. The officer shoots until he runs out of bullets, after which he orders the remaining prisoners to clean up the dead.

That night, Yanek dreams that Amon Goeth is chasing him with his dogs, and Yanek is unable to get away. One of the dogs leaps up and bites his left arm. Yanek wakes up screaming, holding his left arm, where the Nazis had tattooed B-3087 onto his skin.