“So it has come to this, my old friend.”

He can’t hear me, of course. He is too far gone for that. His breathing is ragged, his body shuddering uncontrollably.

“If only you had listened to me when you had the chance. I warned you that if you followed the path you wanted victory would be impossible,” I stand up and look down at the figure in the bed. “But you kept insisting on your way, and now I fear I must take the reins, to make sure that what we have built will continue to endure.”

I note that his breathing has stopped now, his body finally giving in to the destructive effects of the toxins I have been slipping him for the last few months. I turn away from the corpse, and leave it behind me.

As I step into the hall, those waiting raise their arms in salute. They have known this day would come ever since our leader’s condition began to deteriorate, and they do not hesitate as they speak the words the world will come to know and respect for a thousand years.

“Heil the Führer. Heil Himmler!”