I departed the train in my hometown of Munich and could see that things had already changed in my time away. The once beautiful buildings are now marked with damage and political slogans of all kinds.
I slowly walked down the streets, taking in all that had changed. People in lines waiting for scraps of bread. Children begging on the sidewalks. Filth and rats stacked in the alleyways like tiny hills. Squads of soldiers in mismatched and worn uniforms patrolling the streets.
I soon found myself standing before my home. Well, what's left of it. It's just gone, a pile of ash. What happened? Where is my family? I run down the road to our neighbors, whom I've known my whole life, and knock frantically on the door.
"Who is it? Oh, it's you, Matthias." "Mister Adler, what happened to my family's house?" "Oh, well you know your father had a gambling problem before you left. It got worse after the end of it. People came to collect and well, you see what happened." "Where is my family?" "I'm sorry son. They burned the house. My heart breaks for you. Your family and mine have been good friends since before you were born. Here, take some money. It's not much but please survive and make something of yourself. I can't do more than this, I'm already squeezed as it is." Adler closes his door and leaves me standing with a palm full of Papiermark.
I slowly walk back to the ashes of my home and kneel in the ashes. I cry, I cry from the depths of my soul. I've lost everything, my family is gone, everything I've ever owned, everything is gone. The pain in my chest hurts worse than any injury from the trenches. It's crushing, like I can't breathe. If I knew I would come home to ruin, I would have just died in the muddy hole, spare me from this overwhelming pain.
After crying for what felt like forever, I wipe my tears away. The pain is still there, deep and biting but also anger. I feel my hate building, hate of the cowardly politicians who signed that treaty, hate of the allies, hate of what my homeland has become, and hate for the bastards who killed my family. If I do anything with my life, it will be killing all of them. Just like I killed enemy soldiers on the front line. They will pay for this and I don't care if I die doing it.
I walk away from the ashes of my home and make my way back into the city to start looking for the people responsible for my family's death. I don't care how long it takes to find them. I will make them beg for death. I will make whatever waits for them in hell look like a vacation compared to what I will do.