Interactive Combat! Story
EagleLady...
Lying
on his belly between Caje and Kirby, Doc lifted his face away from the soupy mud beneath
him and spit out another mouthful of mud. |
"Keep your
head down, Doc!" Kirby told him, using an elbow on Doc's helmet to enforce the
words. |
"I
gotta breathe!" Doc protested as another .88 exploded nearby. |
"What?"
Kirby yelled. |
Doc
just shook his head, trying to press even lower in the cold, slimy mud. The heavy
rain on his back felt like rocks while the rain drops bouncing off of the log in front of
him felt like little bits of glass peppering his face when he lifted his head. The
ground underneath him was shaking, but he couldn't tell if it was from the thunder or the
German artillery. Whichever it was, he didn't like it. Above him, Caje and
Kirby kept up a near constant firing and he could make out the sound of Saunders' Tommy
gun a short distance away. This was supposed to be a simple recon mission; nobody
expected to run into a Kraut patrol. Especially one with a machine-gun. They
were pinned down at the moment, even the slightest move drawing fire from the
Germans. Something had to give pretty soon, and Doc hoped it wasn't them. |
|
Shadowcat...
The ground bucked again, and a tremendous
crack drowned out even the echo of |
the artillery. Kirby looked upward, expecting to see a tree come down on
them. Instead, he caught a movement on the far edge of his vision. Jerking his
head around, Kirby thought he could see two man-sized shapes scrambling up the slight
incline off to the right, silouetted by the flash of lightning. |
"Hey
Caje!" Kirby's bellow was swallowed up in the roar of thunder. Reeling off a
group of shots in the general direction of the machine gun, he elbowed Doc. |
Spitting
out even more mud, Doc yelled "What?," wincing at the sound joining |
those already richocheting around in his skull. |
Leaning
over as far as he could, Kirby shouted, "Get Caje! Krauts flanking |
right!" |
Even
with taking a breath and turning his head as fast as he could, Doc still got a faceful of
mud. Flailing out with his right arm, he managed to get a handful of
fatigues. Caje cursed under his breath as his arm was jerked down, sending his rifle
barrel skywards, putting a few holes in some unsuspecting leaves. |
The
world quieted down enough for Caje to hear Doc sputter, "Germans |
flanking to the right!" |
Caje
squinted into the hazy darkness, trying to see beyond the rain pouring off of the lip of
his helmet. The lightning flashed again, and he saw the men running, with some
slipping and sliding, along the top of the small rise. |
Saunders
was the closest to the oncoming Germans. He was far enough off that it would
be hard getting his attention in all this mess. Caje glanced over to Kirby, then
down to Doc. He hoped his squadmates would figure out what he wanted them to do;
conversation was impossible. |
Making
sure he had their attention, he held up three fingers, then two, then one... |
In
the split second between another 88 and crack of thunder, the three men |
called, "Sarge!!" |
|
|
WGKirbyCat... |
Saunders
heard them and spotting the two Krauts he quickly halted them with his Thompson. 'That was
close', he thought. |
Looking
at Caje, Kirby and Doc, Saunders thanked them with a nod which was quickly returned, they
then refocused their attention back to the Germans on the machine gun as another .88
rocked the ground as it exploded. |
|
|
TXMedic... |
Tilting
his head so the water dripping from his helmet didn't run into his face, Saunders looked
to the flanks. He simply had to find a way out of this mess. The mud had made
the radio useless and they wouldn't be missed for another three hours at least. He
looked over at the others, then ducked as another .88 exploded. This one was close
enough to rain mud and debris over the huddled Americans. At least the Germans were
in the same boat when it came to the artillery. If they didn't move that barrage,
the Germans were going to be killed by their own army. It wouldn't be the first time
soldiers would be killed by friendly fire. When Saunders raised his head once more,
he noticed the others had gotten the worst of the debris. |
Lifting
his head, Kirby wondered which would kill them first...the German machine gun, or the
.88s. He wouldn't want to be the one giving odds on the four of them getting out of
there unscathed. He heard Caje open fire again and raised up to let loose a few
shots from the BAR. Kirby quickly scanned the trees for the Sarge. He sagged
with relief when he saw the sergeant's outline moving among the branches. A
sputtering noise next to him reassured Kirby that Doc was still okay. |
Coughing
and choking, Doc managed to clear his mouth and nose of the watery mud. If they
didn't get out of there, he wouldn't have to worry about the Germans...he'd drown.
Reassuring himself that Sarge, Caje and Kirby were okay, he dragged his medical bag closer
and tried to ease himself out of the mud puddle he seemed to have landed himself in.
He found himself shoved right back in as Americans and Germans alike ducked for cover as
another shell exploded between them. |
|
|
EagleLady.... |
Motioning
for Doc and Kirby to stay where they were, Caje squirmed sideways through the mud, trying
to keep the muddy water from jamming his weapon as he moved. If he could get to the
end of this log then get from there to that mutated three-trunk tree, he just might get a
grenade far enough to do some good. When he glanced back, Doc was spitting out
another mouthful of mud, and Kirby was watching him, waiting to see what he had in
mind. Thank God for hand signals, Caje thought as he signaled Kirby to
provide covering fire. As soon as the BAR opened up, Caje sprinted toward the
tree. He made it all of three feet before he slipped and splashed face first in the
mud. Kirby's heart skipped a beat when he saw Caje go down. Not Caje! He was
unaware that he'd said it out loud untill Doc asked what he'd said. Kirby had lost
too many friends in this stupid war, and sure didn't want to add Caje to that list.
He sighed with relief when Caje scrambled to his
feet, spitting mud, and continued toward the tree, sliding to a splashing stop.
Grasping one of the tree trunks, Caje spit out more mud and tried to wipe more out of his
eyes without much success. |
He reluctantly slid a hand inside his jacket
to rub the mud off on his relatively drier shirt so that he could get a solid grip on the
grenade. He sure didn't want to drop it at his feet in this mess. When he
looked to Kirby to signal him to cover his move, he found the |
BAR man watching him and grinning like an idiot. Now what was the matter
with him? With a mental shrug, Caje signaled him to start firing. He waited a
couple seconds then threw the grenade as hard as he could. A red-hot streak of pain
lanced through his arm and he fell on his back in the mud, clutching his arm. |
|
|
WGKirbycat.... |
A
bullet from the Kraut machine gun had slammed into Caje's left arm as he launched the
grenade towards it. Kirby had seen his friend go down just as the grenade landed right on
target and then exploded sending the Germans flying. |
''Caje is hit, Doc!'', Kirby said as he turned towards the medic. |
''I know Kirby, I saw'', came Doc's reply. |
With
the machine gun out of business it was easy to take down the rest of the Krauts in the
patrol. When the last of the Germans had been neutralized Saunders, Doc and Kirby left
their positions and made their way to the wounded Caje. |
''Okay Caje'', Doc said when they reached their injured friend. ''Let me take a look at
that''. |
As
Doc began to treat Caje's wound Saunders signaled Kirby to check out the area of the Kraut
machine gun. |
|
|
TXMedic.... |
Gently
peeling back Caje's sleeve, Doc was relieved to see that it was only a flesh wound.
It could have been much worse. After liberally covering the wound with sulfa powder
and gently applying a bandage, Doc gave Caje a hand up from the mud. |
"Looks okay, Caje. Just try to keep it clean." |
Squelching through the mud, turning up his jacket
collar, Saunders wandered over to check on Caje. "What about it, Caje?
You okay?" |
"I'm fine, Sarge." Bending down to
retrieve his Garand, Caje winced when the skin on his arm pulled at the newly bandaged
wound. |
Smiling at Saunders' skeptical look, Doc hastened to
reassure the sergeant. "He's telling the truth this time, Sarge. It's not
too bad; he'll be okay." |
Wiping the mud from his watch, Saunders frowned and
gave a low whistle to get Kirby's attention. "Alright. We need to get
going; we still have an OP to destroy. We're already late for our rendezvous with
the demolitions guys." |
Double checking his map for a moment then slipping it
back inside his jacket, under his rain gear, Saunders jerked his chin at Kirby.
"You have the point, Kirby. Let's pick up the pace, we only have half a mile to
go." |
Picking up the pace in the heavy rain and storm
darkened woods wasn't easy. Saunders just hoped that when they got to the rendezvous
point, the demolitions sergeant would still be there waiting for them. |
Shadowcat.. |
The
mud was ankle-deep and very sticky. Feet became harder and harder to lift and the squeltch
noises coming from their drenched boots was far too loud for Saunders' tuned ears. The
rain still fell, dripping off of helmets and managing to find every way possible to get
under the men's ponchos. Both Kirby and Doc had slipped and almost fallen. |
However,
the dreary rain and mud did have an up side; the mud would make it all but impossible for
any major movements. Both sides were now reduced to small, quick strikes, stratgic hits.
Yet even these were hampered by the weather. So both sides briefly rested, gathering their
strength. But their mission was necessary. As soon as the weather broke, the Americans
were planning an immediate, all-out lunge at the deeply entrenched Germans. And to pull
that off, the OP that was their destination had to be destroyed. |
The
woods suddenly stopped, opening into a clearing sliced in half by what was probably a
gentle creek under normal conditions, but was now an angry small river. And to get to
their rendezvous, they had to wade across it. |
"Well,"
Kirby's voice broke in, "we're already soaked, so what's a little more water?" |
"I
don't...." Doc's reply was broken off as his foot connected solidly with something,
sending the medic falling forward. |
Only
a quick grab by Caje with his uninjured arm saved him from getting another faceful of mud.
As soon as Doc was upright again, the squad turned to see what had caused the trip. It was
hard to see the shape well in the rainy darkness. Saunders reached down and scooped the
object up. It turned out to be a helmet. A German helmet with fresh bloodstains on the
inside. |
"What
the hell?" |
|
|
WGKirbycat... |
Saunders
had looked up as he spoke and as the others followed his gaze they saw what had caught his
attention. There dangling from a near by tree they spotted a parachute and
following it down they'd spotted a form dangling from it. As they approached they
discovered that the form was that of a British paratrooper. His chute had gotten tangled
in the tree but instead of a friendly finding him, he was found by Krauts. |
"This
guys from a team of British commandos that were sent in a few days ago to take out that
OP," Saunders explained to them. "But they never made it." |
Below
the lifeless paratrooper they noticed a single dead German, the Krauts had obviously left
him to guard the commando. After examining the bodies, Doc had discovered that the
German had died from a single gunshot wound to the head. The German was young, late teens
to very early twenties Doc had guessed. He had obviously been under orders to guard the
paratrooper. |
"While
the Germans pretty obvious but the paratrooper," said Doc. "Seeing as how there
aren't any injuries on the commando and based on what you said, I'd guess he died from
dehydration." |
"What
a lousy way to go," quipped Kirby. |
"There
are no good ways, Kirby," Caje replied. |
"By
the looks of it, and I'm just guessing here," said the medic. "That paratrooper
died a couple of hours ago, while the German died recently. I'd say within the past
hour." |
They
wondered why the German hadn't cut the poor guy down but they didn't have time to do
anything about it. They couldn't help that commando now and they still had to get to that
rendezvous. So after cutting the commando down they still had to come up with a safe way
to cross the swelled water. |
As
Saunders examined his map in an effort to find the best place to cross, Doc couldn't stop
his mind from wandering back to the paratrooper and the young German. He wondered just
what had happened and who killed the German. Was it a sniper, self inflicted or maybe it
was German friendly fire. Whether the Krauts had mistaken the kid for the paratrooper or
what, they would probably never know. Doc had shrugged off the thought as he removed the
commando's dog tags and put them in his medical bag. |
|
|
TXMedic... |
Saunders
bent over his map in a futile attempt to keep it dry, frowning at what he saw. This was
about the best place to cross. It was the narrowest part of the river within four miles,
and they couldn't afford a four-mile detour. The rain-swollen river didn't exactly look
inviting, but they had no choice. They would just have to be careful. |
"Alright,
we have no choice. We gotta cross here. Stay close together this time, so you can help
each other if you need to. Caje, you go first and I'll take the rear. Let's go." |
Holding
his rifle over his head, Caje slowly waded into the swiftly moving current. He sucked in a
quick breath when the water reached his thighs. The water was cold as ice. Placing each
step very carefully, he made sure the footing was secure before shifting his weight to
take the next step. |
As
Caje started across, Saunders gave Kirby a nudge. "You're next Kirby. Be
careful." |
"You
better believe it, Sarge." Lifting the BAR above his head, Kirby waded in behind
Caje. As if his arms weren't tired enough, here he was having to hold the heavy weapon out
of the water. Just as Caje was doing, Kirby was very careful in his movements. The last
thing he wanted to do was get swept away with the current. |
Saunders
turned and slapped Doc on the back. "Okay, Doc, your turn." |
Nodding
apprehensively, Doc started across, with Saunders following right behind. He could see
that Caje was three quarters of the way across. So far, so good. The thought had barely
entered his mind, when he saw Doc lose his balance and start to slip under the water. |
EagleLady... |
As
the medic's head disappeared under the roiling water, Saunders lunged forward, his fingers
closing on the collar of Doc's jacket. Bracing himself against the current, he
hauled on the jacket, bringing Doc up out of the water, spitting and coughing. |
"You
alright?" Saunders kept his hold on the medic. |
Doc
nodded, frantically feeling for his medical bag, sighing with relief when he found
it. Clutching Saunders' arm for balance, he got his feet back under him and started
across again. |
"Want
me to come back?" Kirby called. |
"No!"
Saunders waved him back. |
They
made it the rest of the way uneventfully, Caje and Kirby helping them out onto the bank. |
"Let's
go back a different way, huh, Sarge?" Doc panted, wiping his face. |
"Yeah."
Kirby nodded an emphatic agreement. |
"We've
still gotta find that OP. Move out, Caje." Saunders ordered. |
TXMedic... |
As
they fell into step, Kirby nudged Doc when he walked past. |
"You
okay?" Nodding ruefully, Doc gave a half-hearted smile. "Yeah. At least it
washed off the mud." |
"Yeah. I guess it did, at that." Kirby shook his head, laughing quietly, and
dropped back to cover the rear. |
He
couldn't help but be a little spooked by the bodies back on the other side of the river.
Who knew what was lurking in the stormy woods? The lightening continued to flash, casting
strange shadows in the flickering light. The pounding rain made it difficult to hear
anything else, as it drummed into the ground and splattered on the leaves. Kirby shivered,
and it wasn't just due to the chilling rain. |
Shadowcat... |
Saunders
cursed under his breath as he took advantage of another flash of lightning to check his
watch. It showed they were over 30 minutes late. Between the rain, the mud, the run-in
with the Germans, the bodies, and almost losing Doc in the river, it was a miracle they
weren't further behind. The murkiness suddenly thinned, momentarily confusing Saunders. He
then came within an inch of running into Caje, who had stopped. |
Swinging
his head back and forth, the sergeant realized they were standing in the center of a mire
that had once been a road. This wasn't right. They weren't supposed to cross a road. Caje
threw a look over his shoulder asking the same question. But the open was no place for a
conversation. Saunders waved his hand forward towards the trees on the other side of the
road. Once under the relative shelter of the trees, Saunders fished out his sodden map. He
realized the ink and paper was losing the battle against the water that had found a way
underneath his poncho. Squinting at the blurring lines, he saw they had swung to the
north. But not too far. They were still under a mile away from the rendezvous. |
"Don't
tell me we're lost, Sarge," Kirby muttered, rubbing at where a stray branch had
whipped across his face, leaving a red welt behind. |
"Not
too bad." Saunders beckoned Caje closer and pointed out the angle they needed to
follow. |
The
scout nodded as Saunders patted himself trying to find a relatively dry place to stow the
map. He finally settled on underneath his belt inside his shirt. The foilage above was
thicker, and as a result the mud was shallower, allowing the men to move at a faster pace.
Finally, the dim outlines of a ramshackle house and barn could be seen through the
thinning trees. That was their rendezvous point. But Lady Luck's evil twin wasn't through
with them yet. The thunder had died away enough to hear voices....speaking in German. |
WGKirbycat... |
Saunders
realized that the voices were coming from inside the house which was where they were to
pick up the demolitions team. The sergeant could only hope the demolitions guys got out in
time. |
"I
don't speak German, Kraut." A voice rang out and Saunders closed his eyes for a
second. English....that's what he was afraid of. The demolitions men had been captured. A
fact they had all realized. |
"What
do we do, Sarge?" Caje inquired. "We need them in order to complete the
mission." |
"We
do what we have to, Caje," replied Saunders. "We get them out of there." |
EagleLady... |
"What
do you have in mind, Sarge?" Kirby asked. |
"Caje,
think you can get a look inside without being seen?" |
"I
think so." He nodded. "I don't see any guards, do you?" |
"No.
Move out, Caje. We'll wait here." |
Careful
to step on vegetation instead of the slippery mud, Caje worked his way around to the side
of the farmhouse. He crouched underneath the window for a moment, listening, then very
cautiously stretched up to peer inside. |
TXMedic..... |
Peering
over the window sill, Caje could make out three Americans. The three were kneeling
on the floor with their hands clasped behind their heads. Caje counted five Germans,
and there was likely another one out patroling the area somewhere. Caje would have
to be careful going back. |
Taking
a final look, Caje could see the demolition packs piled up in the west corner. That
was good, because if they managed to pull this off, they were going to need those packs. |
Slipping
back into the darkness, Caje made his careful way back to the others. The German
sentry was almost on top of him before Caje saw him. Fortunately, Caje saw the enemy
first. Whipping his bayonet free, he jumped the startled German. Clamping a
hand over the man's mouth, Caje slid the bayonet between the unfortunate soldier's
ribs. When he felt the weight of the body sag, he lowered the dead man to the ground
and wiped off his bayonet before returning it to it's sheath. |
Caje
encountered no other trouble on his way back to his squad, and hurried to kneel next to
Saunders. "There's three of our guys in there and I saw the demo packs.
They're definitely our demolition guys. I saw five Germans in there. I ran
into a sentry on the way |
back, but he won't be a problem any more." |
Picking
up a stick, Caje drew the farmhouse's floor plan. "Three of the Germans
are here in the main room with the demo guys. I saw one through the door into the
kitchen. And the last one I saw walking into this small room, here." |
Saunders
wiped the rain from his face and stared at the makeshift map. How to kill the
Germans, without killing the Americans? |
Impatient,
Kirby leaned forward. "Well, Sarge? What do we do?" |
WGKirbycat... |
Looking
at the map Caje drew then to Kirby, the sergeant said, "Well for starters we need to
figure out how to kill those Germans, without the Americans getting caught in the
crossfire." |
"Sarge,"
Doc said after a few minutes of thought. "Is there anyway we could use that German
sentry that Caje killed?" |
"Yeah
Sarge," Kirby said. "Can't we use him as a decoy....." |
"To
bait the Krauts out," Caje finished. |
Five
Germans. Saunders had to admit to himself that the idea did have potential. If they could
get the Krauts out of the farmhouse and away from the three demolition guys the Germans
could be killed without the Americans getting caught in the middle. There were only two
questions.....how would they do it and would it even work. |
Shadowcat... |
"But....,"
came a thoughtful voice, "in this mess, we don't need a decoy, do we?" Every
head turned toward Doc, sending small showers of water cascading off of helmets. "I
can barely see you guys and you're right in front of me. I don't think they could tell
friend from foe in this weather." |
"Huh,
maybe we all ougta eat some mud. Sure is makin' Doc smarter." Kirby mumbled. |
Unsure
whether he had been insulted or complimented, Doc decided not to waste a glare on the
private. He wouldn't be able to see it anyway. |
"Caje,
do you remember anything about that Kraut you killed? Tall, fat, anything like that?"
Saunders asked as he stamped out the remains of Caje's artwork. |
The
Cajun furrowed his brow as he thought. "Shorter than me, kind of scrawny." |
Immediately Kirby moaned, "Oh no....." |
|
|
******* |
|
|
*How
do I keep getting myself into these things?* Kirby said to himself as he picked his
way along behind Caje. The two were heading to the spot where the bayoneted German lay.
Once there, Kirby reluctantly shucked out of his poncho. *Not like it was keepin' any
water out or anything.* Whatever part of him hadn't been soaked before was now. Caje
peeled the raincoat off of the body and handed it to the smaller man. Kirby tossed it on
and buttoned several of the buttons. It was a bit too large for him, but it was close
enough. Replacing his netted helmet with the plain steel one, Kirby passed his BAR to Caje
and picked up the German rifle, resisting the urge to cringe. He hated these things. He
had used one or two in the past, and they kept jamming at the worst times. Caje gathered
up the helmet, poncho, and BAR. He gave Kirby a whispered "Good luck" before
melting back into the murk. |
Kirby
swung around toward the back of the house. He was to get close enough to the small window
looking into the kitchen, get the one Kraut's attention, draw him out, get rid of him, and
go from there. Sarge made it sound so easy. Sucking in a deep breath, he strutted past the
window, hopefully more confidently than he felt. Looking in, he saw the dark haired German
with the insignia of a captain rummaging around in a cabinet. Two more trips by. No
reaction. This wasn't working. Muttering under his breath, Kirby thought about heading
back to the squad. But then an idea hit him. It was pretty stupid, but what was it they
said? "If it's stupid and works, it ain't stupid." He was going to test that
out. Striding up to the window, he rapped on the glass. |
|
|
Eagle Lady... |
|
|
Looking
up, the captain could barely make out the shape of one of his men standing outside the
window. Shoulders hunched and helmeted head tilted against the sluicing rain, the soldier
was motioning for him to come outside. Kirby held his breath while the captain obviously
debated about stepping outside. Hoping to convince him, Kirby glanced over his shoulder
then motioned more urgently for the captain to come out. |
Intrigued,
the captain slipped into his raincoat and started for the door, calling out something to
the other men who simply nodded in response. Amazed and pleased that his 'stupid' idea had
worked, Kirby squelched across the yard. He paused far enough away that the captain
wouldn't realize he wasn't one of his men, but close enough that the captain could still
see him in the heavy rain. |
|
|
Kirbycat... |
|
|
As
the German captain came out the door of the farmhouse and began heading toward Kirby, the
private realized he was going to be in some serious trouble if the captain got close
enough to see his face or begin speaking to him in German. Kirby knew he had to come up
with a quick way to take out the Kraut, if he was given the opportunity to double back and
raise the alarm to his men, those demolition guy's wouldn't have a chance. |
Kirby
raised his hand, beckoning the officer to follow him as he began slowly walking away
toward a tree he had noticed making his way to the house. Kirby had gotten far enough
ahead that he had slipped out of sight of the German just long enough to duck in behind
the tree and, withdrawing his bayonet from its sheath, he waited. |
|
|
TxMedic... |
|
|
Huddled
behind the tree, Kirby strained to hear anything over the noise of the rain hitting the
leaves above and around him. He heard the wet footfalls of the German and gripped the
bayonet tighter, ready to spring. As soon as he heard the Captain draw even with his
hiding place, Kirby sprang from behind the tree and thrust his blade into the surprised
enemy. Clamping a hand over the kraut's mouth, no sound was heard except the rain. |
Dropping
the limp body into the mud, Kirby pulled the dead officer behind some bushes and left him
there. He wondered what he should do next. Should he go back to the Sarge, or return to
the farmhouse and pretend that nothing was amiss? With a long-suffering sigh, Kirby
decided to go back to the farmhouse. Even if someone came out to ask him questions, that
was one more dead German. |
Picking
up his discarded rifle, he slung it over his shoulder and trudged back to the farmhouse.
Kirby hoped Saunders had a plan to get him out of whatever jam might be waiting for him
back at the farmhouse. |
|
|
Shadowcat... |
|
|
Kirby
hunched his shoulders forward, trying to keep his eyes on the house while also keeping his
face turned away from the raindrops that the wind had made into tiny needles. |
He
wasn't really sure what he was going to do, but things were going to start happening fast
now that the captain was dead. As soon as the others realized the officer was gone.... |
Suddenly,
a long string of guttural German came out of the darkness right behind him. Kirby jumped
in surprise and just managed to catch himself before he instinctively spun and fired. The
voice continued in a friendly tone, and he realized that the other man believed him to be
his comrade. The German repeated something, a question. And he was waiting for Kirby's
answer. |
For
a split second, Kirby contemplated just opening fire and taking his chances. *Yeah, and
you better hope you die in the shootout, otherwise Sarge is gonna kill you.* |
Resisting
the urge to cross his fingers, Kirby replied, "Ja?" |
Apparently,
he'd guessed right. The German chuckled quietly and clapped his hand on Kirby's shoulder.
Then, keeping his hand on Kirby, he started walking toward the house. |
|
|
***** |
|
|
Saunders,
Caje, and Doc huddled under the dripping tree canopy, silently keeping watch out for
Kirby. Saunders shifted his shoulders beneath his poncho as he told himself not to look at
his watch again. That feeling, the one he always got before things went to hell, was
creeping up on him. Kirby was taking way too long. Something was wrong. |
Making
a decision, he whispered loudly to the other two men. "Stay here. I'm gonna see if I
can get close enough to see what's keeping Kirby." |
Even
through the murk, Saunders could see the relieved looks on Caje and Doc's faces. They too
were feeling uneasy, and he fleetingly wondered which one of them would've brought up
going after Kirby first. |
Slipping
over the fallen tree, Saunders wove his way closer and closer, ready to flatten out at the
slightest human sound. He could see the faintly lit house, but nothing else. He didn't see
anything at all. The proverbial hairs on the back of his neck would've been standing on
end if not for the rain. |
Two
shadows suddenly became outlined in the dim light. Saunders froze, immediately recognizing
Kirby's slightly sidewheeling walk. The second shape was walking slightly behind Kirby,
his hand on his shoulder. It was just too dark to see anything else, but when the door
swung open and Kirby was ushered in, Saunders cursed colorfully under his breath. |
As
soon as the door shut, he whirled and beelined back to Doc and Caje, miraculously not
falling as he flew through the mire. Lunging over the log, Saunders looked over to them. |
"They've
got Kirby." |
|
|
TXMedic.... |
|
|
Heart
pounding, Kirby stepped through the door. He made a quick headcount of the Germans and his
stomach began to knot up. Counting the one who'd ushered him into the house, there were
five of them. Nobody bothered to spare a glance at the two newcomers. Three were
guarding the windows, while the fourth questioned the Americans who were seated on the
floor. |
Having
no clue as to why he'd been brought inside, Kirby sidled over against a wall and tried to
blend into the woodwork. When two of the men by the windows reluctantly donned their rain
gear, Kirby understood why he'd been led inside. It was a changing of the guard. Knowing
how his own squad would do things, made it a little easier to keep up the charade. |
Taking
a place by the window vacated near him, Kirby pretended to focus intently on the driving
rain. Maybe Sarge would attack the farmhouse now. Since Kirby was inside, there was a
chance he could get himself and the American prisoners out this mess. During a firefight,
everyone would be too busy trying to defend the house to notice one of their comrades
wasn't a comrade. |
There
were only three left inside. Kirby thought briefly of trying to take them out right then,
but was afraid the prisoners would get caught in the crossfire. No, he needed a
distraction. 'Come on, Sarge. I need a little help, here.' |
|
|
EagleLady... |
|
|
Kirby
nearly dropped his gun in startled response to an explosion just outside the
farmhouse. The old building shook violently, knocking a picture off of the
wall. Instinctively, the prisoners dove for the floor, their arms covering their
heads. Quickly recovering, Kirby spun around and fired, taking out one of the window
guards with a lucky head shot. The other was still staring at Kirby in shock when
his chest blossomed red and he wilted to the floor as Kirby turned to the last German
whose face registered shock, disbelief, and finally fury. |
Kirby
pulled the trigger on his borrowed gun and nothing happened. It was jammed. He
watched in terror as the German brought his gun up, carefully aiming it at the American's
stomach. Oh God, Kirby thought, not in the gut! He'd seen men die from a gut
shot and he didn't want to have to go through that. In the head or the heart, but
please, not in the stomach! Grinning maliciously, the German slowly tightened his
finger on the trigger. Unconsciously, Kirby braced for the impact, closing his
eyes. There was a burst of gunfire and he automatically clutched his stomach.
He felt no pain, but maybe that would come later. |
A
hand clasped his shoulder as he heard a familiar voice. "Take it easy, Kirby.
You're okay. Sarge got him." Doc assured him sympathetically. |
The
relief was so great that Kirby swayed against the medic, nearly passing out. Doc slipped a
supporting arm around his shoulders, turning him away from the others to give him a chance
to recover. |
"Great
job, Kirby!" He praised enthusiastically. |
Pulling
himself together, Kirby straightened and looked around to find Saunders talking to the
demolitions men as Caje entered the building. |
"Sorry,
Sarge." He said. "One of them got away. I couldn't follow him
in this rain." |
"All
right. Good work, Kirby." Saunders eyed Kirby's pale face. "You
okay?" |
"Yeah,
Sarge." Kirby managed a wan smile. "Just don't ask me to do that
again, okay? My nerves aren't what they used to be." |
"Let
move out. We're already late. We've got an OP to take out." Saunders
grinned. |
"In
this rain? You can't even see a tank comin' at you in this stuff!" |
"What
rain?" Doc asked, looking at Kirby as if he was crazy. |
"What
rain? THAT rain!" Kirby turned to point out the window and stopped with
his mouth hanging open. The rain had stopped completely, along with the wind and the
lightning. "Damn! Even the weather in this country is crazy!" |
Chuckling,
Saunders waved them out the door.
The ground bucked again, and a tremendous
crack drowned out even the echo of |
the artillery. Kirby looked upward, expecting to see a tree come down on
them. Instead, he caught a movement on the far edge of his vision. Jerking his
head around, Kirby thought he could see two man-sized shapes scrambling up the slight
incline off to the right, silouetted by the flash of lightning. |
"Hey
Caje!" Kirby's bellow was swallowed up in the roar of thunder. Reeling off a
group of shots in the general direction of the machine gun, he elbowed Doc. |
Spitting
out even more mud, Doc yelled "What?," wincing at the sound joining |
those already richocheting around in his skull. |
Leaning
over as far as he could, Kirby shouted, "Get Caje! Krauts flanking |
right!" |
Even
with taking a breath and turning his head as fast as he could, Doc still got a faceful of
mud. Flailing out with his right arm, he managed to get a handful of
fatigues. Caje cursed under his breath as his arm was jerked down, sending his rifle
barrel skywards, putting a few holes in some unsuspecting leaves. |
The
world quieted down enough for Caje to hear Doc sputter, "Germans |
flanking to the right!" |
Caje
squinted into the hazy darkness, trying to see beyond the rain pouring off of the lip of
his helmet. The lightning flashed again, and he saw the men running, with some
slipping and sliding, along the top of the small rise. |
Saunders
was the closest to the oncoming Germans. He was far enough off that it would
be hard getting his attention in all this mess. Caje glanced over to Kirby, then
down to Doc. He hoped his squadmates would figure out what he wanted them to do;
conversation was impossible. |
Making
sure he had their attention, he held up three fingers, then two, then one... |
In
the split second between another 88 and crack of thunder, the three men |
called, "Sarge!!"
WGKirbyCat... |
Saunders
heard them and spotting the two Krauts he quickly halted them with his Thompson. 'That was
close', he thought. |
Looking
at Caje, Kirby and Doc, Saunders thanked them with a nod which was quickly returned, they
then refocused their attention back to the Germans on the machine gun as another .88
rocked the ground as it exploded. |
TXMedic... |
Tilting
his head so the water dripping from his helmet didn't run into his face, Saunders looked
to the flanks. He simply had to find a way out of this mess. The mud had made
the radio useless and they wouldn't be missed for another three hours at least. He
looked over at the others, then ducked as another .88 exploded. This one was close
enough to rain mud and debris over the huddled Americans. At least the Germans were
in the same boat when it came to the artillery. If they didn't move that barrage,
the Germans were going to be killed by their own army. It wouldn't be the first time
soldiers would be killed by friendly fire. When Saunders raised his head once more,
he noticed the others had gotten the worst of the debris. |
Lifting
his head, Kirby wondered which would kill them first...the German machine gun, or the
.88s. He wouldn't want to be the one giving odds on the four of them getting out of
there unscathed. He heard Caje open fire again and raised up to let loose a few
shots from the BAR. Kirby quickly scanned the trees for the Sarge. He sagged
with relief when he saw the sergeant's outline moving among the branches. A
sputtering noise next to him reassured Kirby that Doc was still okay. |
Coughing
and choking, Doc managed to clear his mouth and nose of the watery mud. If they
didn't get out of there, he wouldn't have to worry about the Germans...he'd drown.
Reassuring himself that Sarge, Caje and Kirby were okay, he dragged his medical bag closer
and tried to ease himself out of the mud puddle he seemed to have landed himself in.
He found himself shoved right back in as Americans and Germans alike ducked for cover as
another shell exploded between them. |
|
|
EagleLady.... |
Motioning
for Doc and Kirby to stay where they were, Caje squirmed sideways through the mud, trying
to keep the muddy water from jamming his weapon as he moved. If he could get to the
end of this log then get from there to that mutated three-trunk tree, he just might get a
grenade far enough to do some good. When he glanced back, Doc was spitting out
another mouthful of mud, and Kirby was watching him, waiting to see what he had in
mind. Thank God for hand signals, Caje thought as he signaled Kirby to
provide covering fire. As soon as the BAR opened up, Caje sprinted toward the
tree. He made it all of three feet before he slipped and splashed face first in the
mud. Kirby's heart skipped a beat when he saw Caje go down. Not Caje! He was
unaware that he'd said it out loud untill Doc asked what he'd said. Kirby had lost
too many friends in this stupid war, and sure didn't want to add Caje to that list.
He sighed with relief when Caje scrambled to his
feet, spitting mud, and continued toward the tree, sliding to a splashing stop.
Grasping one of the tree trunks, Caje spit out more mud and tried to wipe more out of his
eyes without much success. |
He reluctantly slid a hand inside his jacket
to rub the mud off on his relatively drier shirt so that he could get a solid grip on the
grenade. He sure didn't want to drop it at his feet in this mess. When he
looked to Kirby to signal him to cover his move, he found the |
BAR man watching him and grinning like an idiot. Now what was the matter
with him? With a mental shrug, Caje signaled him to start firing. He waited a
couple seconds then threw the grenade as hard as he could. A red-hot streak of pain
lanced through his arm and he fell on his back in the mud, clutching his arm. |
|
|
WGKirbycat.... |
A
bullet from the Kraut machine gun had slammed into Caje's left arm as he launched the
grenade towards it. Kirby had seen his friend go down just as the grenade landed right on
target and then exploded sending the Germans flying. |
''Caje is hit, Doc!'', Kirby said as he turned towards the medic. |
''I know Kirby, I saw'', came Doc's reply. |
With
the machine gun out of business it was easy to take down the rest of the Krauts in the
patrol. When the last of the Germans had been neutralized Saunders, Doc and Kirby left
their positions and made their way to the wounded Caje. |
''Okay Caje'', Doc said when they reached their injured friend. ''Let me take a look at
that''. |
As
Doc began to treat Caje's wound Saunders signaled Kirby to check out the area of the Kraut
machine gun. |
|
|
TXMedic.... |
Gently
peeling back Caje's sleeve, Doc was relieved to see that it was only a flesh wound.
It could have been much worse. After liberally covering the wound with sulfa powder
and gently applying a bandage, Doc gave Caje a hand up from the mud. |
"Looks okay, Caje. Just try to keep it clean." |
Squelching through the mud, turning up his jacket
collar, Saunders wandered over to check on Caje. "What about it, Caje?
You okay?" |
"I'm fine, Sarge." Bending down to
retrieve his Garand, Caje winced when the skin on his arm pulled at the newly bandaged
wound. |
Smiling at Saunders' skeptical look, Doc hastened to
reassure the sergeant. "He's telling the truth this time, Sarge. It's not
too bad; he'll be okay." |
Wiping the mud from his watch, Saunders frowned and
gave a low whistle to get Kirby's attention. "Alright. We need to get
going; we still have an OP to destroy. We're already late for our rendezvous with
the demolitions guys." |
Double checking his map for a moment then slipping it
back inside his jacket, under his rain gear, Saunders jerked his chin at Kirby.
"You have the point, Kirby. Let's pick up the pace, we only have half a mile to
go." |
Picking up the pace in the heavy rain and storm
darkened woods wasn't easy. Saunders just hoped that when they got to the rendezvous
point, the demolitions sergeant would still be there waiting for them. |
Shadowcat.. |
The
mud was ankle-deep and very sticky. Feet became harder and harder to lift and the squeltch
noises coming from their drenched boots was far too loud for Saunders' tuned ears. The
rain still fell, dripping off of helmets and managing to find every way possible to get
under the men's ponchos. Both Kirby and Doc had slipped and almost fallen. |
However,
the dreary rain and mud did have an up side; the mud would make it all but impossible for
any major movements. Both sides were now reduced to small, quick strikes, stratgic hits.
Yet even these were hampered by the weather. So both sides briefly rested, gathering their
strength. But their mission was necessary. As soon as the weather broke, the Americans
were planning an immediate, all-out lunge at the deeply entrenched Germans. And to pull
that off, the OP that was their destination had to be destroyed. |
The
woods suddenly stopped, opening into a clearing sliced in half by what was probably a
gentle creek under normal conditions, but was now an angry small river. And to get to
their rendezvous, they had to wade across it. |
"Well,"
Kirby's voice broke in, "we're already soaked, so what's a little more water?" |
"I
don't...." Doc's reply was broken off as his foot connected solidly with something,
sending the medic falling forward. |
Only
a quick grab by Caje with his uninjured arm saved him from getting another faceful of mud.
As soon as Doc was upright again, the squad turned to see what had caused the trip. It was
hard to see the shape well in the rainy darkness. Saunders reached down and scooped the
object up. It turned out to be a helmet. A German helmet with fresh bloodstains on the
inside. |
"What
the hell?" |
|
|
WGKirbycat... |
Saunders
had looked up as he spoke and as the others followed his gaze they saw what had caught his
attention. There dangling from a near by tree they spotted a parachute and
following it down they'd spotted a form dangling from it. As they approached they
discovered that the form was that of a British paratrooper. His chute had gotten tangled
in the tree but instead of a friendly finding him, he was found by Krauts. |
"This
guys from a team of British commandos that were sent in a few days ago to take out that
OP," Saunders explained to them. "But they never made it." |
Below
the lifeless paratrooper they noticed a single dead German, the Krauts had obviously left
him to guard the commando. After examining the bodies, Doc had discovered that the
German had died from a single gunshot wound to the head. The German was young, late teens
to very early twenties Doc had guessed. He had obviously been under orders to guard the
paratrooper. |
"While
the Germans pretty obvious but the paratrooper," said Doc. "Seeing as how there
aren't any injuries on the commando and based on what you said, I'd guess he died from
dehydration." |
"What
a lousy way to go," quipped Kirby. |
"There
are no good ways, Kirby," Caje replied. |
"By
the looks of it, and I'm just guessing here," said the medic. "That paratrooper
died a couple of hours ago, while the German died recently. I'd say within the past
hour." |
They
wondered why the German hadn't cut the poor guy down but they didn't have time to do
anything about it. They couldn't help that commando now and they still had to get to that
rendezvous. So after cutting the commando down they still had to come up with a safe way
to cross the swelled water. |
As
Saunders examined his map in an effort to find the best place to cross, Doc couldn't stop
his mind from wandering back to the paratrooper and the young German. He wondered just
what had happened and who killed the German. Was it a sniper, self inflicted or maybe it
was German friendly fire. Whether the Krauts had mistaken the kid for the paratrooper or
what, they would probably never know. Doc had shrugged off the thought as he removed the
commando's dog tags and put them in his medical bag. |
|
|
TXMedic... |
Saunders
bent over his map in a futile attempt to keep it dry, frowning at what he saw. This was
about the best place to cross. It was the narrowest part of the river within four miles,
and they couldn't afford a four-mile detour. The rain-swollen river didn't exactly look
inviting, but they had no choice. They would just have to be careful. |
"Alright,
we have no choice. We gotta cross here. Stay close together this time, so you can help
each other if you need to. Caje, you go first and I'll take the rear. Let's go." |
Holding
his rifle over his head, Caje slowly waded into the swiftly moving current. He sucked in a
quick breath when the water reached his thighs. The water was cold as ice. Placing each
step very carefully, he made sure the footing was secure before shifting his weight to
take the next step. |
As
Caje started across, Saunders gave Kirby a nudge. "You're next Kirby. Be
careful." |
"You
better believe it, Sarge." Lifting the BAR above his head, Kirby waded in behind
Caje. As if his arms weren't tired enough, here he was having to hold the heavy weapon out
of the water. Just as Caje was doing, Kirby was very careful in his movements. The last
thing he wanted to do was get swept away with the current. |
Saunders
turned and slapped Doc on the back. "Okay, Doc, your turn." |
Nodding
apprehensively, Doc started across, with Saunders following right behind. He could see
that Caje was three quarters of the way across. So far, so good. The thought had barely
entered his mind, when he saw Doc lose his balance and start to slip under the water. |
EagleLady... |
As
the medic's head disappeared under the roiling water, Saunders lunged forward, his fingers
closing on the collar of Doc's jacket. Bracing himself against the current, he
hauled on the jacket, bringing Doc up out of the water, spitting and coughing. |
"You
alright?" Saunders kept his hold on the medic. |
Doc
nodded, frantically feeling for his medical bag, sighing with relief when he found
it. Clutching Saunders' arm for balance, he got his feet back under him and started
across again. |
"Want
me to come back?" Kirby called. |
"No!"
Saunders waved him back. |
They
made it the rest of the way uneventfully, Caje and Kirby helping them out onto the bank. |
"Let's
go back a different way, huh, Sarge?" Doc panted, wiping his face. |
"Yeah."
Kirby nodded an emphatic agreement. |
"We've
still gotta find that OP. Move out, Caje." Saunders ordered. |
TXMedic... |
As
they fell into step, Kirby nudged Doc when he walked past. |
"You
okay?" Nodding ruefully, Doc gave a half-hearted smile. "Yeah. At least it
washed off the mud." |
"Yeah. I guess it did, at that." Kirby shook his head, laughing quietly, and
dropped back to cover the rear. |
He
couldn't help but be a little spooked by the bodies back on the other side of the river.
Who knew what was lurking in the stormy woods? The lightening continued to flash, casting
strange shadows in the flickering light. The pounding rain made it difficult to hear
anything else, as it drummed into the ground and splattered on the leaves. Kirby shivered,
and it wasn't just due to the chilling rain. |
Shadowcat... |
Saunders
cursed under his breath as he took advantage of another flash of lightning to check his
watch. It showed they were over 30 minutes late. Between the rain, the mud, the run-in
with the Germans, the bodies, and almost losing Doc in the river, it was a miracle they
weren't further behind. The murkiness suddenly thinned, momentarily confusing Saunders. He
then came within an inch of running into Caje, who had stopped. |
Swinging
his head back and forth, the sergeant realized they were standing in the center of a mire
that had once been a road. This wasn't right. They weren't supposed to cross a road. Caje
threw a look over his shoulder asking the same question. But the open was no place for a
conversation. Saunders waved his hand forward towards the trees on the other side of the
road. Once under the relative shelter of the trees, Saunders fished out his sodden map. He
realized the ink and paper was losing the battle against the water that had found a way
underneath his poncho. Squinting at the blurring lines, he saw they had swung to the
north. But not too far. They were still under a mile away from the rendezvous. |
"Don't
tell me we're lost, Sarge," Kirby muttered, rubbing at where a stray branch had
whipped across his face, leaving a red welt behind. |
"Not
too bad." Saunders beckoned Caje closer and pointed out the angle they needed to
follow. |
The
scout nodded as Saunders patted himself trying to find a relatively dry place to stow the
map. He finally settled on underneath his belt inside his shirt. The foilage above was
thicker, and as a result the mud was shallower, allowing the men to move at a faster pace.
Finally, the dim outlines of a ramshackle house and barn could be seen through the
thinning trees. That was their rendezvous point. But Lady Luck's evil twin wasn't through
with them yet. The thunder had died away enough to hear voices....speaking in German. |
WGKirbycat... |
Saunders
realized that the voices were coming from inside the house which was where they were to
pick up the demolitions team. The sergeant could only hope the demolitions guys got out in
time. |
"I
don't speak German, Kraut." A voice rang out and Saunders closed his eyes for a
second. English....that's what he was afraid of. The demolitions men had been captured. A
fact they had all realized. |
"What
do we do, Sarge?" Caje inquired. "We need them in order to complete the
mission." |
"We
do what we have to, Caje," replied Saunders. "We get them out of there." |
EagleLady... |
"What
do you have in mind, Sarge?" Kirby asked. |
"Caje,
think you can get a look inside without being seen?" |
"I
think so." He nodded. "I don't see any guards, do you?" |
"No.
Move out, Caje. We'll wait here." |
Careful
to step on vegetation instead of the slippery mud, Caje worked his way around to the side
of the farmhouse. He crouched underneath the window for a moment, listening, then very
cautiously stretched up to peer inside. |
TXMedic..... |
Peering
over the window sill, Caje could make out three Americans. The three were kneeling
on the floor with their hands clasped behind their heads. Caje counted five Germans,
and there was likely another one out patroling the area somewhere. Caje would have
to be careful going back. |
Taking
a final look, Caje could see the demolition packs piled up in the west corner. That
was good, because if they managed to pull this off, they were going to need those packs. |
Slipping
back into the darkness, Caje made his careful way back to the others. The German
sentry was almost on top of him before Caje saw him. Fortunately, Caje saw the enemy
first. Whipping his bayonet free, he jumped the startled German. Clamping a
hand over the man's mouth, Caje slid the bayonet between the unfortunate soldier's
ribs. When he felt the weight of the body sag, he lowered the dead man to the ground
and wiped off his bayonet before returning it to it's sheath. |
Caje
encountered no other trouble on his way back to his squad, and hurried to kneel next to
Saunders. "There's three of our guys in there and I saw the demo packs.
They're definitely our demolition guys. I saw five Germans in there. I ran
into a sentry on the way |
back, but he won't be a problem any more." |
Picking
up a stick, Caje drew the farmhouse's floor plan. "Three of the Germans
are here in the main room with the demo guys. I saw one through the door into the
kitchen. And the last one I saw walking into this small room, here." |
Saunders
wiped the rain from his face and stared at the makeshift map. How to kill the
Germans, without killing the Americans? |
Impatient,
Kirby leaned forward. "Well, Sarge? What do we do?" |
WGKirbycat... |
Looking
at the map Caje drew then to Kirby, the sergeant said, "Well for starters we need to
figure out how to kill those Germans, without the Americans getting caught in the
crossfire." |
"Sarge,"
Doc said after a few minutes of thought. "Is there anyway we could use that German
sentry that Caje killed?" |
"Yeah
Sarge," Kirby said. "Can't we use him as a decoy....." |
"To
bait the Krauts out," Caje finished. |
Five
Germans. Saunders had to admit to himself that the idea did have potential. If they could
get the Krauts out of the farmhouse and away from the three demolition guys the Germans
could be killed without the Americans getting caught in the middle. There were only two
questions.....how would they do it and would it even work. |
Shadowcat... |
"But....,"
came a thoughtful voice, "in this mess, we don't need a decoy, do we?" Every
head turned toward Doc, sending small showers of water cascading off of helmets. "I
can barely see you guys and you're right in front of me. I don't think they could tell
friend from foe in this weather." |
"Huh,
maybe we all ougta eat some mud. Sure is makin' Doc smarter." Kirby mumbled. |
Unsure
whether he had been insulted or complimented, Doc decided not to waste a glare on the
private. He wouldn't be able to see it anyway. |
"Caje,
do you remember anything about that Kraut you killed? Tall, fat, anything like that?"
Saunders asked as he stamped out the remains of Caje's artwork. |
The
Cajun furrowed his brow as he thought. "Shorter than me, kind of scrawny." |
Immediately Kirby moaned, "Oh no....." |
|
|
******* |
|
|
*How
do I keep getting myself into these things?* Kirby said to himself as he picked his
way along behind Caje. The two were heading to the spot where the bayoneted German lay.
Once there, Kirby reluctantly shucked out of his poncho. *Not like it was keepin' any
water out or anything.* Whatever part of him hadn't been soaked before was now. Caje
peeled the raincoat off of the body and handed it to the smaller man. Kirby tossed it on
and buttoned several of the buttons. It was a bit too large for him, but it was close
enough. Replacing his netted helmet with the plain steel one, Kirby passed his BAR to Caje
and picked up the German rifle, resisting the urge to cringe. He hated these things. He
had used one or two in the past, and they kept jamming at the worst times. Caje gathered
up the helmet, poncho, and BAR. He gave Kirby a whispered "Good luck" before
melting back into the murk. |
Kirby
swung around toward the back of the house. He was to get close enough to the small window
looking into the kitchen, get the one Kraut's attention, draw him out, get rid of him, and
go from there. Sarge made it sound so easy. Sucking in a deep breath, he strutted past the
window, hopefully more confidently than he felt. Looking in, he saw the dark haired German
with the insignia of a captain rummaging around in a cabinet. Two more trips by. No
reaction. This wasn't working. Muttering under his breath, Kirby thought about heading
back to the squad. But then an idea hit him. It was pretty stupid, but what was it they
said? "If it's stupid and works, it ain't stupid." He was going to test that
out. Striding up to the window, he rapped on the glass. |
|
|
|
Eagle Lady... |
Looking
up, the captain could barely make out the shape of one of his men standing outside the
window. Shoulders hunched and helmeted head tilted against the sluicing rain, the soldier
was motioning for him to come outside. Kirby held his breath while the captain obviously
debated about stepping outside. Hoping to convince him, Kirby glanced over his shoulder
then motioned more urgently for the captain to come out. |
Intrigued,
the captain slipped into his raincoat and started for the door, calling out something to
the other men who simply nodded in response. Amazed and pleased that his 'stupid' idea had
worked, Kirby squelched across the yard. He paused far enough away that the captain
wouldn't realize he wasn't one of his men, but close enough that the captain could still
see him in the heavy rain. |
Kirbycat... |
As
the German captain came out the door of the farmhouse and began heading toward Kirby, the
private realized he was going to be in some serious trouble if the captain got close
enough to see his face or begin speaking to him in German. Kirby knew he had to come up
with a quick way to take out the Kraut, if he was given the opportunity to double back and
raise the alarm to his men, those demolition guy's wouldn't have a chance. |
Kirby
raised his hand, beckoning the officer to follow him as he began slowly walking away
toward a tree he had noticed making his way to the house. Kirby had gotten far enough
ahead that he had slipped out of sight of the German just long enough to duck in behind
the tree and, withdrawing his bayonet from its sheath, he waited. |
TxMedic... |
Huddled
behind the tree, Kirby strained to hear anything over the noise of the rain hitting the
leaves above and around him. He heard the wet footfalls of the German and gripped the
bayonet tighter, ready to spring. As soon as he heard the Captain draw even with his
hiding place, Kirby sprang from behind the tree and thrust his blade into the surprised
enemy. Clamping a hand over the kraut's mouth, no sound was heard except the rain. |
Dropping
the limp body into the mud, Kirby pulled the dead officer behind some bushes and left him
there. He wondered what he should do next. Should he go back to the Sarge, or return to
the farmhouse and pretend that nothing was amiss? With a long-suffering sigh, Kirby
decided to go back to the farmhouse. Even if someone came out to ask him questions, that
was one more dead German. |
Picking
up his discarded rifle, he slung it over his shoulder and trudged back to the farmhouse.
Kirby hoped Saunders had a plan to get him out of whatever jam might be waiting for him
back at the farmhouse. |
|
|
Shadowcat... |
Kirby
hunched his shoulders forward, trying to keep his eyes on the house while also keeping his
face turned away from the raindrops that the wind had made into tiny needles. |
He
wasn't really sure what he was going to do, but things were going to start happening fast
now that the captain was dead. As soon as the others realized the officer was gone.... |
Suddenly,
a long string of guttural German came out of the darkness right behind him. Kirby jumped
in surprise and just managed to catch himself before he instinctively spun and fired. The
voice continued in a friendly tone, and he realized that the other man believed him to be
his comrade. The German repeated something, a question. And he was waiting for Kirby's
answer. |
For
a split second, Kirby contemplated just opening fire and taking his chances. *Yeah, and
you better hope you die in the shootout, otherwise Sarge is gonna kill you.* |
Resisting
the urge to cross his fingers, Kirby replied, "Ja?" |
Apparently,
he'd guessed right. The German chuckled quietly and clapped his hand on Kirby's shoulder.
Then, keeping his hand on Kirby, he started walking toward the house. |
***** |
Saunders,
Caje, and Doc huddled under the dripping tree canopy, silently keeping watch out for
Kirby. Saunders shifted his shoulders beneath his poncho as he told himself not to look at
his watch again. That feeling, the one he always got before things went to |
hell, was creeping up on him. Kirby was taking way too long. Something was
wrong. |
Making
a decision, he whispered loudly to the other two men. "Stay here. I'm gonna see if I
can get close enough to see what's keeping Kirby." |
Even
through the murk, Saunders could see the relieved looks on Caje and Doc's faces. They too
were feeling uneasy, and he fleetingly wondered which one of them would've brought up
going after Kirby first. |
Slipping
over the fallen tree, Saunders wove his way closer and closer, ready to flatten out at the
slightest human sound. He could see the faintly lit house, but nothing else. He didn't see
anything at all. The proverbial hairs on the back of his neck would've been |
standing on end if not for the rain. |
Two
shadows suddenly became outlined in the dim light. Saunders froze, immediately recognizing
Kirby's slightly sidewheeling walk. The second shape was walking slightly behind Kirby,
his hand on his shoulder. It was just too dark to see anything else, but when the door
swung open and Kirby was ushered in, Saunders cursed colorfully under his breath. |
As
soon as the door shut, he whirled and beelined back to Doc and Caje, miraculously not
falling as he flew through the mire. Lunging over the log, S~ |
|
|
TXMedic.... |
|
|
Heart
pounding, Kirby stepped through the door. He made a quick headcount of the Germans and his
stomach began to knot up. Counting the one who'd ushered him into the house, there were
five of them. Nobody bothered to spare a glance at the two newcomers. Three were
guarding the windows, while the fourth questioned the Americans who were seated on the
floor. |
Having
no clue as to why he'd been brought inside, Kirby sidled over against a wall and tried to
blend into the woodwork. When two of the men by the windows reluctantly donned their rain
gear, Kirby understood why he'd been led inside. It was a changing of the guard. Knowing
how his own squad would do things, made it a little easier to keep up the charade. |
Taking
a place by the window vacated near him, Kirby pretended to focus intently on the driving
rain. Maybe Sarge would attack the farmhouse now. Since Kirby was inside, there was a
chance he could get himself and the American prisoners out this mess. During a firefight,
everyone would be too busy trying to defend the house to notice one of their comrades
wasn't a comrade. |
There
were only three left inside. Kirby thought briefly of trying to take them out right then,
but was afraid the prisoners would get caught in the crossfire. No, he needed a
distraction. 'Come on, Sarge. I need a little help, here.' |
|
|
EagleLady... |
|
|
Kirby
nearly dropped his gun in startled response to an explosion just outside the
farmhouse. The old building shook violently, knocking a picture off of the
wall. Instinctively, the prisoners dove for the floor, their arms covering their
heads. Quickly recovering, Kirby spun around and fired, taking out one of the window
guards with a lucky head shot. The other was still staring at Kirby in shock when
his chest blossomed red and he wilted to the floor as Kirby turned to the last German
whose face registered shock, disbelief, and finally fury. |
Kirby
pulled the trigger on his borrowed gun and nothing happened. It was jammed. He
watched in terror as the German brought his gun up, carefully aiming it at the American's
stomach. Oh God, Kirby thought, not in the gut! He'd seen men die from a gut
shot and he didn't want to have to go through that. In the head or the heart, but
please, not in the stomach! Grinning maliciously, the German slowly tightened his
finger on the trigger. Unconsciously, Kirby braced for the impact, closing his
eyes. There was a burst of gunfire and he automatically clutched his stomach.
He felt no pain, but maybe that would come later. |
A
hand clasped his shoulder as he heard a familiar voice. "Take it easy, Kirby.
You're okay. Sarge got him." Doc assured him sympathetically. |
The
relief was so great that Kirby swayed against the medic, nearly passing out. Doc slipped a
supporting arm around his shoulders, turning him away from the others to give him a chance
to recover. |
"Great
job, Kirby!" He praised enthusiastically. |
Pulling
himself together, Kirby straightened and looked around to find Saunders talking to the
demolitions men as Caje entered the building. |
"Sorry,
Sarge." He said. "One of them got away. I couldn't follow him
in this rain." |
"All
right. Good work, Kirby." Saunders eyed Kirby's pale face. "You
okay?" |
"Yeah,
Sarge." Kirby managed a wan smile. "Just don't ask me to do that
again, okay? My nerves aren't what they used to be." |
"Let
move out. We're already late. We've got an OP to take out." Saunders
grinned. |
"In
this rain? You can't even see a tank comin' at you in this stuff!" |
"What
rain?" Doc asked, looking at Kirby as if he was crazy. |
"What
rain? THAT rain!" Kirby turned to point out the window and stopped with
his mouth hanging open. The rain had stopped completely, along with the wind and the
lightning. "Damn! Even the weather in this country is crazy!" |
Chuckling,
Saunders waved them out the door. |
|