Hanno & Magda, Civilians

"We came from Berlin to celebrate Christmas and New Years when everything went crazy. At first, we hid in the hotel while Hanno was sick; he was covered head to toe with sores. Eventually, what little food I could scavenge from the restaurant and minibars ran out. The last few nights, I was afraid to leave our room. I started hearing gunshots, constant shouting, even explosions, every night, closer and closer. Then I heard them inside our hotel. Whoever they were, their voices were rough, cruel. I held Hanno's hand, tried to keep us both very quiet, and prayed they would not find us. Eventually they left, but I knew they'd be back, and if we were still here, they'd kill us… or worse.

"We had to run, but when I tried to get Hanno up, he was too weak. I couldn't leave him, so we stayed hidden together. Then one night, just as I feared, the violent men, gangsters are whatever they were, returned. I thought it was the end for us. There was more shooting in the halls than I had ever heard before, it went on for hours. Then it was quiet. I heard a voice asking, 'is anyone here, does anyone need help?' He didn't sound like the gangsters, so I took a risk and called out. When he responded, I knew our prayers were answered.

"The people who rescued us had no uniforms, but they acted like soldiers. One of them was a doctor and he looked after Hanno. They gave us food and water. Tomorrow they will take us out of this nightmare, to a safe camp on the other side of the city. We could not have done it alone. I don't know who they are. But I know they saved our lives."

Stories of The Division offers an intimate look into the lives of 20 fictional New Yorkers living in the world of Tom Clancy's The Division. These conversations are set during the early stages of the outbreak. This series was written and produced by Studio 61 of CBS Interactive in collaboration with Ubisoft.