《DECEPTION》


 Prologue

    Prologue


    My name is Robert Kastner. I grew up in a bakery shop in a town called Sachson. I was young and naive, it was a great time. That was twenty years ago... I was only eight back then, but I held great responsibility. I have a younger sister named Elsa. I¡¯m four years older than her and as her big brother I held the responsibility to protect her. I was thankful that she was a joyful child and loved me much. Our parents needless to worry about neither me nor Elsa; they have confidence and great trust in me to take care of her.


    By the time I was about the age of ten, Elsa started school. I was in my fifth year in elementary school and Elsa began first grade. She enjoyed school very much, made many friends and many of her teachers liked her. I, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t such a school lover. Though, my teachers liked me quite well as well as Elsa when I bring her to visit, even though we go to the same the school, but it wasn¡¯t generally allowed for students to be on the grade section they didn¡¯t belonged to. There is however one thing that I am worried about Elsa in school: bullies. One of the reasons that I disliked school is because of the existence of bullies. I myself am sure to be not one of them. I do hope that her friends will stand up for her if she is ever in trouble with a bully.


    About five years later, I was in high school. I was growing up to become a young adult as many would say and Elsa attended middle school. She was growing up to become a young adult as well. I have to admit, she is becoming more beautiful and mature. I can tell that she is attracting numerous boys in class; many of them either follow or escort her to me as I pick her up from school. It wasn¡¯t like elementary school or middle school anymore, there is an abundance of work that are needed to be completed and because of that, I lose some of my time to be with Elsa. She wasn¡¯t upset however, Elsa understood that I have many assignments that needs to the completed and instead, she stayed beside me, to be with me while I worked. I was very contented to see my little sister becoming a young woman.


    After for another four years, I graduated high school and Elsa graduated middle school and moved onto high school. There is news however; Kaiser Hoffman III had been assassinated by a mercenary hired by the Russian military. Our nation¡¯s response had yet to arrive and placed the event on hold until the next leader is elected. That would be the end of this month. The mercenary was soon captured and the interrogation remained confidential. I was beginning to think that Germany would soon be at war with Russia and the biggest fear I have is not war, but soldiers needed for war. I feared that I would be drafted to this upcoming war and leave Elsa. On that same day that I heard the news, Elsa worried me much. She was asking me many questions of what is happening and what would happen between us. I couldn¡¯t tell her what I had in mind; I wouldn¡¯t tell her at all, but before I could think of my options, I began weeping. For nineteen years of my life, I haven¡¯t shed a tear for Elsa or in front of her, but I couldn¡¯t control myself. This overwhelming thought that I may be separated from Elsa is just unimaginable. She has already lost her parents; I don¡¯t want her to be alone. As she watches me raining on the ground, she couldn¡¯t help but join me. At that moment, my body was weak; I couldn¡¯t move my body as this thought of separation takes over me through tears. It was......unbearable......


    The inevitable had occurred. The war between Germany and Russia had finally broken out. Kaiser Hoffman IV, the heir of the previous Kaiser and now our nation¡¯s new leader, had been elected and officially declared war on Russia. Just like what I had in mind, the military began to draft men and women starting at ages of twenty-two years. I felt relief when I heard the news as I was still only nineteen years old. I told Elsa about the news and was she contented. As I was about to finish my last sentence, she was too excited to let me finish and ran straight into me with a great warm hug. I couldn¡¯t help myself but to wrap my arms around her and let some droplets go from my eyes. I was too focused on Elsa to think about the war that was about to begin.


    I received a letter from my mother and father on the next day. I was surprised to see a letter from them; it was in the middle of the month as they usually send letters either in the beg-inning of the month or toward the end of the month; and so I opened the envelope.


    To My Dearly Children Robert and Elsa:


    How have you been? It must be hard to live alone out of home isn¡¯t it? We¡¯ve heard news over the radio. Is Elsa alright? She must be worried about you. I have plans to visit both of you with your mother on Elsa¡¯s sixteenth birthday. We are worried that the war may bring chaos to the town and we don¡¯t want you in any harm. At this time of war, I don¡¯t think you or Elsa to attend school. It would be dangerous and the army is looking to recruit many students at school. I do not want to see my children at war......I¡¯ve already lost too many because of war, I don¡¯t want to lose anymore. Your mother and I will leave for train tomorrow. We will see you soon.


    Love,


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Father


    It looks like they¡¯ve already know about the upcoming war. I¡¯m sure Elsa would be happy to see them. It has been quite some time since their last visit. I¡¯m quite excited to hear them visit us again, especially on Elsa¡¯s birthday. She would be very happy to see them come celebrate with her.


    And so it was the third of August and our mother and father came first thing in morning. It was still dusk and the sun had only began to rise. As the golden rays seeped through the curtains and into the house, Elsa was already awake. She must¡¯ve been too excited and couldn¡¯t sleep long enough to wait for them to come. In few short moments, the sound of arrival had finally come. The doorbell rung greatly and Elsa was knocked off her bed, running for the door. I looked down the hallway with a smile on my face, but the smile soon faded away. The person standing at the door was neither mother nor father. With confusion, I walked to the door, moving Elsa slightly back and I spoke with the person. My confusion quickly transitioned to shock and worry; our mother and father¡¯s train was hit by artillery fire and the status of the train and passengers were currently unknown. The person I spoke with was apparently a neighbor from our old hometown. He heard the news and came to us to notify us. It was said that the wounded would immediately sent to the nearest hospital. Without thought, Elsa and I left the house to the nearest hospital around the train station.


    We soon arrived at the hospital by the name of ¡°Hospital of Anhalt¡±. We entered the hospital only to find an enormous crowd. We made our way through the wave of people to the front desk and asked for our parents¡¯ name. They were on the list, currently in Emergency Room 48C. We quickly left the front desk and headed for the emergency room. Reaching the door, Elsa suddenly stopped and held back. I stopped as well, thinking what she might be thinking. I was scared just like her. I took a deep breath and opened the door. It was bright, too bright to be true. They were sitting there totally fine, looking at us as we walked in......but, it wasn¡¯t true, it wasn¡¯t reality......what I can only see that is so bright......is the white covering over their bodies. I...I was speechless, motionless as ocean waves rushed out of my eyes. Elsa, beside me, covered her eyes as she didn¡¯t want to see this as the truth. I brought her to my arms as the waves rushed down onto my hands and soon onto her shoulder. Her tears, like water rushing out of a hose, began to soak my chest. We were soon brought out of the room by corpsmen, which would be bringing the bodies out of the hospital for the incoming wounded. We only stood in the corner in silence......


    It was then three years after our parents¡¯ death. I am now at the age of twenty-two; my long gone fear has finally returned. Shortly after Elsa¡¯s eighteenth birthday and our parents¡¯ anniversary, I received a letter. It was the inevitable, it was the draft. I have been drafted into the military to undergo training and soon join the battle. I didn¡¯t know what to do. I couldn¡¯t tell Elsa, but she will know sooner or later. I kept the letter, away from her, until the very day when soldiers from the army visited us. I remember very well that it was Elsa who opened the door. They saw her and politely asked for me. I quickly headed for the door and moved Elsa away.


    ¡°Are you Robert Kastner?¡± one of the soldiers asked me.


    I simply replied, ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    ¡°As you may know that we are recruiting young men and women for combat service and I am sure that you have received a letter for recruitment. I am here to let you know that a transport vehicle will be here by tomorrow morning to pick you up that is traveling to the military training camp. Do you understand Mr. Kastner?¡±


    I gave another simple reply, ¡°I understand.¡±


    After hearing my confirmation, they turned around and left. Elsa in the back was looking at me the entire time. Even in a distance, I can see her tears rushing out as she is trying her best to keep them in. I...didn¡¯t know what to say. The only thing that comes to mind is walking towards her and wrapping my arms around her. Her breathing was starting to fall short and became more frequent. I couldn¡¯t help myself, but letting out my own tears and telling her that I¡¯ll be alright. I had no choice now, but to pack my belongings and wait for the morning ride...


    The last day with Elsa was short. It only felt as if I was with her for a couple hours until the day passed and watch as the transport truck arrive in front of our home. Before I left, I turned around to Elsa as she was approaching me and gave her one last hug. She was starting to cry again as she spoke to me in a very low voice.


    ¡°Please come home safe, please, promise me.¡±


    I looked into her eyes and replied, ¡°I promise.¡±


    Before I left for the truck, I took off my necklace with a tooth of a wolf and handed to her. She held tightly and said her farewells as I stepped out of the house. It......had finally begun......

 Chapter I

    Chapter I


    It wasn¡¯t much of a bright day today. The sun didn¡¯t show up as it usually did. I was on this truck along with other recruits, about nine boys and three girls. It seems like they¡¯re just like me: drafted. I looked towards the back of the truck to only find myself moving further away from home. It was probably only about three minutes since I got on board, but it felt like an hour already. I can¡¯t help myself but starting wondering about Elsa. However, a short moment later, the boy sitting in front suddenly spoke. I was startled by him. Apparently he was taking a nap as I thought he was sitting there daydreaming like me. I didn¡¯t understand what said with his low voice so I ignored him. The thing is, he was mumbling through the whole trip......I don¡¯t know how long I can handle that.


    In about an hour later, we finally exited Anhalt. I supposed it was still far away from our destination so I figured that I rest for a short while, clear my mind until we get there. Before I shut my eyes though, I overheard the driver¡¯s conversation.


    ¡°Did you hear the news from yesterday?¡± (Driver)


    ¡°Yeah, they hit Sachson right.¡± (Soldier)


    ¡°Not just that, they actually took out a train too.¡± (Driver)


    ¡°A train? Any casualties?¡± (Soldier)


    ¡°Fifteen dead and more than forty wounded.¡± (Driver)


    ¡°Wow, who knew they¡¯d strike so quickly?¡±¡± (Soldier)


    ¡°Yeah, those Russians don¡¯t waste any time, especially with the Hoffmans¡± (Driver)


    ¡°What¡¯s with the Hoffmans and the Russians?¡± (Soldier)


    ¡°To be honest with you, I¡¯m not too sure about their history, but I¡¯d advise you to just keep your nose at where it is.¡± (Driver)


    ¡°Alright alright.¡± (Soldier)


    It appears that the Russians took the initiative and struck first. Would I soon be part of the battle? I don¡¯t even want to know, not until I know where I¡¯m headed right now. As I turned my head back, the boy, or rather man in front of suddenly spoke again and it was directed towards me.


    ¡°Hey. You¡¯re drafted?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I replied.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re all the same here.¡± he said as he sat up and let out a sigh. He then raised his right hand towards as he told me his name. ¡°I¡¯m Conner Deagon.¡±


    I met his hand with my own to give him a firm handshake as I replied, ¡°Robert Kastner.¡±


    Apparently, Conner knew quite a few people on board this truck. Sitting next to me on the left was Herrick Fischer, who was toolmaker. On the right was Anna, Anna Holschmidt, a student nurse working at the Hospital of Anhalt. Next to Conner were Heinrich Werner and Gisela Schmid. Heinrich was watchmaker, who worked in his parents¡¯ shop. Gisela was a college student studying at the University of Anhalt, but was unfortunately drafted. It was quite a diverse group people that have ever met in such a short while. They were friendly as we spoke to each other and got along rather quickly. As we chatted, the surroundings passed by unnoticed. Soon, we reached the training camp.


    The truck stopped in front of a checkpoint with about six to eight soldiers. After


    the soldier in the front finished speaking with the driver, the gates opened and we continued on. The camp was very large in size: there were many buildings in the camp itself. Without much time to take a quick view, the truck stopped and the two soldiers from the front of the truck opened the rear door of the truck to let us off. As we go off, another soldier was waiting, ordering us to stand in line with a total of three rows. I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but I followed the majority of the people, standing in line with the same people I was on board the truck with. I was standing in the front row on the fourth spot on the left next to Herrick and Anna. A soldier soon walked up in front of the lined up recruits.


    ¡°Attention!¡± the soldier yelled. All of the sudden, the people around me stood firm and still; and so I followed. Another soldier walked up next the other soldier and ordered him to leave. He then turned to us, moving his eyes left and right as if he was attempting to recognize every single one of us. After a few seconds, he held up a book, a thin black book and began to call out names. As I observed him, every time he called a name, a response of ¡°Sir!¡± followed it. And so when my name was called, I gave the same response. He soon finished reading all the names and closed the book. He placed the book down to near his legs and began to speak to us.


    ¡°As you all may know that Germany is now in war with Russia and yesterday the Russians attacked Sachson, destroying a civilian train in the process inflicting more than fifty civilian casualties. All of you are brought here today to prepare yourselves for the war. I, Sergeant Schwarze, will be your instructor over the course of these weeks and perhaps even months. Keep one thing in mind at all times: this is the army; your every step will lead to a consequence. Do you understand?¡±


    Suddenly the group began to answer with the response, ¡°Sir, yes sir!¡±


    ¡°Any questions?¡± (Sgt. Schwarze)


    Schwarze scanned the group after he asked the question and no one neither answered nor showed a sign. He then stopped and said, ¡°Good. If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s begin with a five kilometer run. Let¡¯s get moving!¡±


    I followed the group as it was being led by the Sergeant. We began to run, following the instructor. We ran for about forty five minutes around the camp on a road nearby. Boy was I exhausted. That last time I ran like that was when I was in high school in a track and field tournament. It wasn¡¯t just me, almost everyone around me is on the ground taking a breather and some even collapsed.


    ¡°Alright, alright. That¡¯s it for the new meeting, Corporal!¡± (Sgt. Schwarze)


    ¡°Sir!¡± (Corporal)


    ¡°Take them into barracks. They¡¯re going to need some rest.¡± (Sgt. Schwarze)


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± (Corporal)


    Am I glad to hear him say that. We stood up on our feet and followed the Corporal into a building and inside were many bunk beds. We were finally able to settle down.


    ¡°Alright, all you boys settle in and assign yourself a bed. The rest follow me.¡± (Corporal)


    The rest of the group consisting of all the girls followed the Corporal to another building. I settled myself down on the fifth bunk, right under Herrick.


    My bag wasn¡¯t that heavy, but after that run, I thought I brought rocks with me. I placed my bag beside the bed and lied down on my back. Looking at the bottom of Herrick¡¯s bed, I suddenly started to think about Elsa. I wonder what she¡¯s doing right now. I took a look at my watch and it¡¯s almost noon. Usually at this time I would be cooking, preparing lunch for the both of us. We didn¡¯t have much money to spend on livestock, so I usually made bread and soup with a vegetable base. Her favorite was carrot tomato and potato soup. I¡¯m already missing that feeling. After about ten minutes of resting, the barracks door opened and Schwarze walked in, followed by the Corporal.


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    ¡°Everyone, settle down your belongings and meet me outside at the yard in five minutes.¡± (Sgt. Schwarze)


    The Corporal then walked towards us, handing a uniform to each of us as Schwarze spoke.


    ¡°These are your uniforms. Treat them like your children and stay in it every day. That¡¯s your nationality, your pride and honor for this country.¡±


    When he finished, him and the Corporal left the barracks. I did as he said, settled my belongings and put on the uniform. It was a grayish green uniform with dark green helmet. It fit me well, the uniform. Once I finished tying my boots, I walked out the barracks and headed towards the yard. I stood in line next to Herrick in the front row once again and waited.


    The Sergeant was standing there in front of the group waiting for everyone to join. As the last person came and stood in line, Schwarze began to speak.


    ¡°You all know what you¡¯re here for right? That¡¯s right, you¡¯re here for war. You¡¯re here to get yourself ready to go out there to either out a bullet or a knife into a Russian or be killed by a Russian. To do that, you¡¯re going need to train your body to handle that situation. Corporal.¡±


    ¡°Alright, everybody listen up! Starting from now, you¡¯re going to get asses down and give me a hundred pushups. What are all waiting for?! Get your asses moving!¡± (Corporal)


    At his order, we all dropped down to ground to a pushup position and began the exercise. For over ten minutes, I was continuously pushing myself up and down, not even counting as the Corporal began to shout again. I turned my head a little towards him, noticing that he was shouting at a recruit who wasn¡¯t keeping up. ¡°Come on! Keep your ass moving! What do you want me do, babysit you?¡± I only took a quick glimpse as I was focusing on my pushups. For about another thirteen minutes, we were finally finished with one hundred pushups. I was really exhausted. I¡¯ve done so many pushups in one go, especially not long after the five kilometer run. As I picked my head up, I was startled by the fact that the Corporal was right in front of me, watching me as I was taking my breather.


    ¡°You tired?¡± he asked. I nodded my head, though only slightly.


    ¡°Good. But we¡¯re not done here. Everyone move to the weapons range northeast of here and meet me there. Come on, let¡¯s move, we ain¡¯t got all day!¡± (Corporal)


    ¡®When would this ever end? It¡¯s only the first day!¡¯ I thought to myself. I let out a sigh and stood up on my feet ready to move on to the next phase. With the group, we ran to the weapons range. Schwarze and the Corporal were already there, standing next to a table with some long and short guns. As we settled in front of them, Schwarze picked up the long gun and began to speak.


    ¡°This is a Karabiner 98 Kurz (Kar 98), one of our primary battle rifles in the German Army. This bolt action rifle can deliver five powerful 7.92 x 57mm Mauser rounds and has an effective firing range of over five hundred meters. It¡¯s light and easy to use; take a cartridge of five Mauser rounds, push it into the receiver, and load the rifle by pushing bolt back in. After you fire, pull the bolt out, cock in a second round and push the bolt in again and you¡¯re ready to fire.¡±


    As he finished demonstrating, he placed the rifle down and picked up a smaller gun.


    ¡°This is a Maschinenpistole 40 (MP 40), the submachine gun of the German Army and your best friend. This gun will give thirty-two rounds of 9 x 19mm Parabellum rounds and has an effective range of two hundred meters. Fire it in any way you want, single shots, bursts and automatic. Once you¡¯re dry, pull out the cartridge, replace it with another, pull the bolt back and you¡¯re ready to fire.¡±


    He then placed the gun down after the demonstration called us seven at a time to move up to the range to practice.  They each picked up rifle and got down into a prone position. The Corporal called out the commands and they fired. There were people in the back of the targets to call out the score. I was next along with Herrick, Anna and Conner. We picked up the Kar 98 and got down to a prone position. The Corporal again called out the commands, ¡°Aim!¡± as I placed the iron sight in front of my right eye, seeking the target. A second later, the Corporal shouted ¡°Fire!¡± and I pulled the trigger. The rifle punched me in the shoulder as I fired along with a loud explosive sound. The people in the back then shouted, ¡°Eight! Nine! Eight! Seven! Eight! Eight! Four!¡± I scored an eight, Herrick scored a nine, Anna scored an eight and Connor scored a seven. I was surprised that my first shot wasn¡¯t so bad. After the score was called, we got up and stood back in line. The next seven recruits goes. After that came the MP 40s,


    After a long afternoon of training, we finally got back into the barracks. I was exhausted, but I was still able to move. It was starting to get dark; I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s about six o¡¯clock right now. I just realized that I was starving after all that training, but who knows when we can eat. The barracks door suddenly opened and the Sergeant walked in.


    ¡°Helluva job today for a bunch of clay.¡± he said, ¡°Settle down quickly and move to the cafeteria. Get yourself fed and ready for tomorrow.¡±


    Once he finished, he walked out of the barracks. I waited for Herrick and Anna as they finish unpacking the rest of their belongings and after they¡¯re done, we went together into the cafeteria. They were serving quite some food: Goulash. There was pork, beef and onions in the combination. I haven¡¯t had meat for about almost four months. As I sat down with my meal with Herrick, Anna, Conner, Heinrich and Gisela, I sat in silence for a moment. Looking into the blurred reflection of my face had I only remember Elsa. The loneliness at home, I could feel the shivers just thinking about. If only I could go home and share such a meal with her. I hesitated for moment to eat. However, I soon overcame my hesitation as I promised her to return home safely; then I must be strong and not let her down.


    After a filling meal, I returned to the barracks. I sat on the bed under Herrick and took out a pen and a piece of paper.


    Dear Elsa,


    My beloved sister, I hope you are well. Do not worry about me, I have arrived at the camp and made many new friends. It is actually quite a home here, but do I long to return to my true home and see you. I will miss you very much.


    Love,


    Robert


    I folded the letter and put into an envelope. However, there is one problem: how would mail this letter? But before I could think of a solution, Schwarze came into the barracks. I quickly hid the letter under my pillow.


    ¡°That was filling meal isn¡¯t?¡± he asked, ¡°Alright. No time to waste. Lights out!¡±


    I suppose that was the signal to go to bed as everyone began to cuddle up in their bunks. And so I followed, sliding myself under the sheet as the Sergeant turned the lights off. I shut my eyes and thought to myself, ¡®It¡¯s the end of the day first day.¡¯

 Chapter II

    Chapter II


    As I thought it was the end of the day, during our sleep about five hours in, a disturbing sound was being played loudly. I was startled by it, but I didn¡¯t know what it was at first. As I stood up and listened carefully, I suddenly realized that it was an alarm, coming from the siren outside of the barracks. Then suddenly, I heard explosions; that woke everyone up. I was nervous and confused of what was going on and I didn¡¯t dare to look outside. Above me, Herrick, on the other hand, was just sitting there and looked pretty calm. I think he knows what is going on, but I didn¡¯t ask. I was too scared to ask.


    The barracks door suddenly busted open and about four to six men came inside. Then another person stepped in, it was Sergeant Schwarze. He didn¡¯t look quite worried as far as I can tell; matter of fact, he looked disappointed. ¡®Now just what is going on?¡¯ I thought to myself.


    ¡°This ain¡¯t vacation son. I¡¯m pretty sure all of you heard that siren, and that explosion, and all your asses are still on that bed, looking like a midnight snack? Now get asses up and move out to the yard. Move it!¡± (Sgt. Schwarze)


    As scared as I was, I quickly dressed up and walked out of the barracks and stood in line under the dark sky. I was tired as my eyes didn¡¯t want to open. When all of us arrived outside in after a couple of minutes, Schwarze began another running exercise of five kilometers. After about a little more than half an hour of running, we regrouped once again, waiting for the next exercises. First came a hundred pushups, and then came a hundred sit-ups, and finally a hundred pull-ups at the training yard.


    After all that training, we got back into the barracks for some rest. I sat down on my bed and reached under the pillow, realizing that the letter was missing. I searched up and down all over the bed and floor, but I had no hope in finding the letter. The door opened again, but I didn¡¯t even notice as I was too focused on the letter. Schwarze walked, but I still wasn¡¯t paying attention until he called my name.


    ¡°Kastner.¡± he called and immediately, I looked up, ¡°Come outside.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± I replied as I put on my boots and followed him out the barracks.


    ¡°Is this envelope yours?¡± he asked as he pulled out a white envelope out of his pocket. I recognized it as it was the one I had under the pillow.


    I replied, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Take this back first.¡± he said as he handed me the envelope, ¡°Take this to the front post. They¡¯ll take care of the mailing. Be sure to have the mailing destination address. Understood?¡±


    And once again, I replied, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, dismissed.¡± he said as he walks away from me.


    After he leaves as I saluted him, I walked to the front post as Schwarze told me and handed them my letter. They took my envelope, stamped it and placed it into a box with other envelopes that are to be mailed. With that being taken care of, I returned to the barracks and continued my resting. I really hope that this was the end of the first day.


    As the first day passed by, we continued training day after day. We did the routine running exercise, pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups and there was a new exercise that was introduced to us. This exercise required much balance and speed in the combined form. The objective was to cross a narrow platform placed about two meters above the ground and reach the other side in the shortest amount of time possible. Schwarze was yelling at us for almost the whole exercise and of all the things he said, I thought one of them was actually quite funny. He was yelling at the recruit right before me saying ¡°You can that running? My grandma can run faster than you and she¡¯s ninety years old!¡± I have to admit, his grandma can run pretty fast then. After this training exercise, we moved onto target practice with the Kar 98, MP 40, and grenades. I had to admit, this was actually kind of fun compared to the other exercises. The meals are great, especially after all the training. Many recruits have been transferred away from the camp as new recruits joined. I wonder where they¡¯re going.


    As almost two weeks have passed, Herrick was transferred away along with Connor. I didn¡¯t see Heinrich or Gisela around either; they probably got transferred too. The only one I know that is still in the camp was Anna. Even so, the day just went on like usual: training, training, and training. I feel like I¡¯m improving through these days; my stamina increased, I¡¯m doing more pushups, sit-ups and pull-ups than my usual self and my speed in the exercise increased too. I guess there are changes after all through training. By the end of the day, I would usually go to the front post to see if Elsa had returned a letter. I¡¯ve been there probably about eleven times now since I gave in my letter, but there was none. I was beginning to worry if something has happened back at home. Tonight, however, I received a letter from Elsa; my worries can now leave. I got back into the barracks on my bunk and opened the envelope. Inside was a white piece of paper.


    To My Most Loved Brother:


    Oh Robert! I missed you so much! Is everything alright? It¡¯s quiet and lonely back at home without you. Oh how I long for your return. I hope you are having some good sleep and rest. In a few days, I will be returning to our parents¡¯ home with their remains and have them rest back home at Sachson. Do not worry Robert, I will be back to Anhalt in a few days. I can take care of myself. I long to see you come home brother. Please...come back safely...


    Love,


    Elsa


    After I finished reading the letter, I folded the paper to its original form and placed it back into the envelope and with the envelope, I then placed it into my section of the drawer next to the bunk. Soon, the Sergeant came in to call the night. I slept well that night and the next day, I was going to be ready for any training.


    After about a few more weeks of training, I found out that there was a test. It¡¯s not exactly a test, but rather live training. It was supposed to be some sort of simulation of the actual battlefield where we are in a given scenario and we will need to fight through it. For this training, special rounds for our weapons were made. There is one thing however; the training is not only involving with the recruits in this camp, but also other recruits from other training camps. Those who were transferred away would also be joining us in this training. This ¡°test¡± was scheduled on the next few days, three days from today to be exact, but until then, our training continued; it only got harder and harder, from five kilometer runs to twenty kilometer runs, a hundred pushups, sit-ups and pull-ups to three hundred, it just never ends does it?


    As the last few days until the live test starts, I grew more nervous each day. I¡¯ve been training and improving, but I just don¡¯t know what it would be like to be on an actual battlefield, even if it is just a simulation. And so it is, a very bright clear morning, as I stand with the group of recruits from this camp alongside with another group of recruits that is from another camp. As I was looking, I saw Conner in a group and Herrick and Gisela in another group. I didn¡¯t see Herrick though. However, I did hear that this test is separated into two opposing groups. Herrick might be in the other group. As time passed ever so slowly, everyone has finally gathered together. As everybody settled down, a group of people walked through the path between the two groups. Sergeant Schwarze was there standing beside another officer with the Corporal on his side. There were two other officers on the other side of the middle man. They stopped and they stood on the side of the group they are assigned to. Schwarze and the Corporal were taking over our group. I kind of took a slight hearing of what the people are saying. Apparently, the officer in the middle was Herbert Himmler; as far as I know, he is quite famous in the army. We all saluted and I believe that the test had officially begun.


    Schwarze and the officer of the opposing group walked up in the middle of the two groups and began to speak.


    ¡°As all of you know, today we have a simulated training. There will be two combat groups in this training, each with an armored platoon, an artillery platoon, two infantry platoons, one engineer platoon, one medical squad, and one machine gun squad. Sergeant Schulz will debrief the entire operation.¡± (Sgt. Schwarze)


    ¡°This training exercise will be called Operation Borderline. The operation will be taken place in the southern woods of Anhalt. The two groups will be separated as Groupmente East and Groupmente West; Groupmente E will be held as a defensive force and Groupmente W, offensive. Groupmente W¡¯s objective is to break through the defenses of Groupmente E before reinforcements arrive and Groupmente E¡¯s objective is to the hold the defensive line until reinforcements arrive. The defense line is set fifteen kilometers behind Groupmente E¡¯s defenses. For this training and the safety of all of you, your weapons will not utilizing live rounds, instead there will special rounds. Your rifles, pistols, submachine guns, and machine guns will be utilizing a hard paint round, leaving indication of any wounds along with leaving a somewhat painful feeling to bring you out of combat. All tanks will be utilizing shell similar to the paint round, leaving indication of damage upon impact. Artillery guns will be utilizing a paint shell capable of travelling long distances like the live high explosion shell. Flamethrowers will not be available for this training exercise. Grenades will be modified to meet the safety standards of the training exercise. Any questions?¡± the crowd stood in silence, ¡°......Operation Borderline will begin at 0800 hours.¡± (Sgt. Schulz)


    Once he finished, he went back to his group. Himmler walked toward Schwarze and began to speak to him. I couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying, but Himmler threw something into the air and landed back on his hand. Maybe it was a coin to decide the groups. Himmler then walked back to the center and spoke.


    ¡°Sergeant Schwarze will be leading Groupmente E and Sergeant Schulz will be leading Groupmente W.¡± He turns his head to Schwarze, then Schulz, ¡°Go on.¡± (Maj. Gen. Himmler)


    ¡°Alright everyone listen up! Those who are in the infantry platoons, engineer platoons, medical squads, and machine gun squads, head into the barracks to get yourselves ready. The transport vehicles will be arriving in fifteen minutes. The rest, follow the overwatch platoon to the headquarters.¡± (Sgt. Schwarze)


    At his order, the armored platoon and the artillery platoon left with another group and the rest of us went back into the barracks. I sat down on my bed and fixed myself up. I was really nervous. I couldn¡¯t even tie my shoe laces without my hands shaking like a generator. Then, I waited. After about thirteen minutes later, I heard a whistle blow coming from outside. It must be the signal for us to leave. I got off my bed and followed the group to the trucks. There were about three trucks and two half-tracks. The machine gun squad, medical squad, and engineer platoon got on the trucks and the rest of us got on the half-tracks. I followed and stepped up onto the truck. Once everyone was on board, we began to move. It was early in the morning at about six o¡¯clock maybe.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    We travelled for about half an hour until we finally reach the woods. The place seems to be prepared; there was a trench that stretches across the woods as far as I can tell and craters and barbed wires. There¡¯s still about an hour and a half until the operation starts. As the trucks unloaded us, Schwarze gathered us around to give us our positions.


    ¡°The area of operations will taking place in these woods. The operation will be starting shortly, set up your positions. The machine gun squad will set up in the central positions. Infantry platoons take the sides. Engineer teams, set up the defenses along trenches and craters. The artillery platoon will arrive soon in the rear. The tanks and armored vehicles, take the sides along the infantry platoons. Double time! The enemy won¡¯t wait!¡± (Sgt. Schwarze)


    At his order, everyone began to mobilize. I followed the infantry platoon I was assigned to and headed towards the left side of the giant trench. For about a minute of travelling, I finally reached the destination. There were many wooden crates stacked on top of each other at the end of the trench. I took a peek above the trench seeing barbed wires not too far away along with craters. I settled down with the others away from the open path as the other recruits continued the preparation for the operation. A few short moments later, the recruits began to stop moving around and opened some of the crates. Inside were ammunition, grenades and supplies. I took a look at my watch and there were only seven minutes left before the operation begins.


    I checked all my equipment before starting the operation. Everything was intact; I cocked my rifle and waited. I last few moments was very quiet, almost peaceful as I can only hear the wind and my heart beating. As still as it was, only until the silence broke; a whistling sound was heard as I saw a smoking light reaching to the skies. That was the signal; the operation had begun. The first moment of the operation was silence. I couldn¡¯t see any signs of the opponents in the far distance. Our squad leader was on the lookout with his binoculars. We waited for about six minutes until the next event occurred. I didn¡¯t see it clearly, but I saw a flash in the distance, and at the same instance, our squad leader yelled ¡°Incoming!¡± and we all took our measures. I placed myself down to the trench leaning on the wall as the whistling shells came closer and impacted the ground. Many explosions landed as they poured out paint. More and more shells came like rain for the next few minutes, bombarding the trench. I didn¡¯t see any tanks around, but I didn¡¯t have the chance to check. As the last shells landed, I saw some recruits from our platoon leaving. I supposed that they were killed in battle.


    As I got myself up from the cover, suddenly in the distance were shadows, large and small. I turned my head to the squad leader, who was also seeing what I¡¯m seeing.


    ¡°The enemy is approaching, infantry and tanks. Everyone get ready.¡± (Squad Leader)


    I heard another from a distance, which sounded like a command, in the back, and shortly after, our artillery guns began to fire. I took another look at the battlefield in front of us, only this time with explosions. Our guns are scoring hits on the opponents. After about twenty explosions, our guns stopped firing. The enemy is getting closer. I can even start to see the enemy tank¡¯s model which resembled a Panzer IV.


    ¡°Enemy tanks approaching fast. Panzerfausts up!¡± (Squad Leader)


    I didn¡¯t really know what he referred to, but after his order, some of the recruits came to the front holding something that resembled a stick with a grenade shaped like an arrow that wasn¡¯t sharpened. Our artillery guns soon fired again as we began to engage. There were too many for me to shoot especially with my poor aim, but I just kept on firing. The machine guns in the center were not just firing, but roaring at the enemy. It was much louder than I thought it would be. There was a tank that was closing in at a range about fifteen hundred meters and began to spray its machine gun. I didn¡¯t take the risk and immediately ducked down. Next to me, the recruit stood up and fired his Panzerfaust at the enemy tank, but did it hit, I don¡¯t know. The only thing I know was, there was less ricocheting sounds, so I took a look. The enemy tank stopped, but only because it was hit on the caterpillar. Its turret was still turning. Suddenly, machine gun fire came from the trees area near us. I got down again and noticed that we were taking casualties.


    ¡°Panzerfausts!¡± (Squad Leader)


    There was a recruit running to the front, but was shot at and he dropped the Panzerfaust in front of me. I thought about it and came up with a conclusion that it was risky, but I still grabbed it and without much aim, I fired it towards the enemy tank. I missed of course, but at least I hit some people. As the tank came close to the trench, about less than seven hundred meters, it stopped and turned. The tank was moving away, but behind her were the enemy troops.


    We continued to fight and paint was all over the place left by the shells and grenades. I was starting to run short on ammunition for my rifle, but I couldn¡¯t obtain any from the crates. The enemy troops are pinning us down. Out of nowhere all the sudden, was an explosion near the group of enemy troops. What the hell was that?  I thought to myself. Then machine gun fire followed the explosion. A tank?  I ducked down and looked towards the back. It was a tank, our Panzer IV. It was about time they showed up. We probably lost like half of our platoon. The Panzer rolled forward with high speed bringing suppressive fire and cover for our platoon as the enemy slowly falls back. I believe that we¡¯re saved, well at least on this side. Just before I could take a quick breather, the tank was hit by a shell on the side. The tank was still moving, but only shortly before it was hit by another shell. I took another look out of the trench. It was kind of clear on our side, but towards the center were five more tanks. Oh shit!  The tank closest to us fired its gun towards us, landing a hit on the destroyed tank. I was searching for another Panzerfaust, but there was none. I only found out that our squad leader was killed. There were less than twenty people remaining in our platoon counting myself. We¡¯d be done for if the enemy showed up again. The other sides were still fighting fiercely; I can still hear the loud machine guns and explosions. With a little bit of breathing time, I took a look at my watch. It had been almost an hour of fighting already. As I took a breath, there was suddenly a loud whistle behind and before I could react, an explosion landed on the ground above the trench in less than a meter away from my position, knocking me down to ground. My ears were ringing and I can¡¯t hear anything but my ringing ears. As I opened my eyes, there was a recruit in front of me. I can see his mouth moving, but I can¡¯t hear what he¡¯s saying. He gave me hand and helped me up. I lost my rifle and there was another group of enemy troops approaching from the trees area again. I still have a few grenades on me, so I grabbed my two stick grenades and tossed them towards the enemy. I took a peek and saw myself score a kill. I got back down and saw a MP-40 on the ground. I ran for it and picked it. As I turned around, I saw Anna in the trench all of the sudden. That was a bad idea; I was too focused on her and I didn¡¯t even notice the enemy that was coming towards me. He took a shot and to me was the most accurate shot ever. It hit precisely on my right elbow. As he was loading his rifle, I quickly switched to my left arm and fired the submachine gun. Embarrassingly, it took me the whole clip to land two rounds on him. I guess I¡¯m just not a lefty after all.


    I walked back to my spot and sat down as the area cleared. We lost another two recruits during the fight. As Anna finishes patching up with the recruit next to me, she came to me next. For some reason, I asked a pretty silly question.


    ¡°So you¡¯re a combat medic?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she replied as she patches up my wound.


    As she finishes, I thanked her and she left for the central area of the trench. They were still fighting apparently and our reinforcements still didn¡¯t arrive yet. They¡¯re probably stuck in traffic. As I finished that thought, explosions, many of them like about at least ten, hit the central area. I took a look and saw nothing but smoke and dust. Following the explosions was another flare into the sky. I think the test is over. Everything suddenly calmed with no more explosions and gun fire. I stood up and climbed out of the trench. What a mess. We all gathered together, the dead and the alive. Schwarze ordered us to get all the equipment and supplies and get ready to head back to the camp.


    Back at the camp, we all lined back up like usual in our groups. Himmler stepped up.


    ¡°All of you have performed well today during Operation Borderline. Both Groupmente E and Groupmente W have suffered heavy casualties, but the operation was still a success.  Your remaining days of training are few until you truly see a battlefield. You must always keep in mind that there is no mercy in war. You either kill or be killed; don¡¯t let your guard down at any time. Alright, Groupmente E, report.¡± (Maj. Gen. Himmler)


    ¡°Operation Borderline was success. The enemy is successfully held back. Heavy casualties: forty-eight dead, thirty-two wounded, four Panzer IVs destroyed, one Pak 42 destroyed.¡± (Sgt. Schwarze)


    ¡°Very well. Groupmente W, report¡± (Maj. Gen. Himmler)


    ¡°Operation Borderline was success. Groupmente E successfully held their position. Heavy casualties: seventy-one dead, fifty-nine wounded, eight tanks destroyed and no artillery guns damaged.¡±


    (Sgt. Schulz)


    ¡°Very well. Sergeant Schwarze, I¡¯ll hand over the calls back to you.¡± (Maj. Gen. Himmler)


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± (Sgt. Schwarze)


    As Himmler walked through the open path between the groups, we all stood firm and saluted. The recruits that are not originally in this camp also began to leave.


    ¡°Helluva job back there, but don¡¯t get comfortable, we got work to do. Get yourselves to the waters and wash the paint off. I want to see a clean uniform when we start our next training. Move out!¡± (Sgt. Schwarze)


    This ought to be fun. To the river!

 Chapter III

    Chapter III


    It was only until today I find myself enjoying my life here in the army. I made many new friends in battle with my fellow comrades. All the hard work we¡¯ve done wasn¡¯t for nothing. Fresh clothes and people from the river, we¡¯re ready to head back to the camp. There was apparently some news back at the camp and it didn¡¯t seem pleasant. I think I know what¡¯s up.


    As we returned to the camp and aligned ourselves, Schwarze, who was standing in front of us the whole time, stepped forward.


    ¡°As you all may already know, the Russians are attacking in the northeast near Sachson. The town was damaged, but we were able to push the Russians out of Sachson and assemble a counterattack. The 57th Panzer Division however, has taken moderate casualties and would need additional support to fight the 51st Tank Army. The 8th Panzer Division led by Major General Himmler to reserve the 57th Division. You will be assigned to the units of 8th Division as new arrivals. Now this is your first battle, expect anything to happen as we approach the eastern front. It¡¯s important to remember your training, but you must also know how act upon unusual situations. We will leave this camp at 1400 hours at noon. Pack everything and standby. Best of luck.¡±  (Schwarze)


    This is it; it came sooner than I thought it would, but this is it. We returned to our barracks to pack our belongings. I didn¡¯t have much to pack, but some of my old clothes and a few letters. There was still some time, but I figured I rather not write a letter right now. About five minutes later, we waited outside for the trucks¡¯ arrival. The trucks soon arrived, with about six Opel trucks and three 251-halftracks. I boarded one of the trucks along with one of the infantry groups of the camp. A short moment after I sat down in the truck, we began to move. We were heading out of camp, not for any training purposes, for the first time.


    It was quite a long journey. We reached our destination after for about a four hour ride. As I stepped out of the truck, the brightness outside blinded me for a second, but as my vision was clear again, I found myself in another camp. This camp, however, didn¡¯t look like the one back at Anhalt. There were pillboxes, towers, foxholes, bunkers and a building near the center of the camp. I didn¡¯t have much time to take a tour, but we have a tour guide; it was Schulz. I stood in one of the big groups of people from our camp as Schwarze walked up to Schulz. He was whispering to Schulz about something and then he nodded, walked up towards us, and spoke.


    ¡°As you already know, you¡¯ll be joining the 8th Panzer Division for this operation. Your assignments will be given accordingly. Once you received your assignments, regroup and standby. The operation will begin at 1900 hours.¡± (Schulz)


    There were about five soldiers in each of the groups handing out our assigned groups. I soon got mine; I was assigned to the 153rd Infantry Regiment. I met up with the group and waited. It was getting really dark out here, especially when it¡¯s starting to get cloudy too. It wasn¡¯t for long until everyone is called by a signal. Himmler was there along with six more officers.


    ¡°Operation Night Trail will begin at 1900 hours. Our objective is to reach and assist the 57th Panzer Division to repel the Russian 51st Tank Army. To encounter minimum resistance, we will be mobilizing at night. Keep your focus and don¡¯t stray off from your unit. Lieutenant Bosch will be leading the artillery battalions along with the supply units through the longer route in west and reach the 57th Division in the rear. I will be leading the rest of main force through a shorter route to flank the 51st Tank Army and regroup with the 57th Division along the way. Any questions?¡± (Himmler)


    Silence...


    ¡°Commence operation Night Trail!¡± (Himmler)


    At his word, we all began to mobilize. The artillery guns and trucks along with some tanks left the scene before we did in the west. The rest of us, with about six halftracks, thirty tanks and more than a few hundred troops as far as I can count. Himmler however, ordered about a third of his division to stay behind at the headquarters. Schwarze, who was leading the 48th Assault Battalion took point with the rest of us following. It was quite peaceful for the first few moments with only the exception of the rolling tanks shaking the ground near us. It was dark; I can barely see what was in front of me. Suddenly, we stopped when there was sound coming from the far distance. Himmler also suddenly gave out a command to take cover in the nearby forest. I was quite confused and scared of what the hell was going on. It was only then I realize that there were Russian planes in the air patrolling the night skies. Thanks to the trees, those pilots couldn¡¯t see us down below.


    As the roaring engines of the planes passed by, we continued our journey to 57th. It was oddly quiet as we moved on for almost two hours without much of resistance from the Russians. Daylight was far from reaching us which I suppose should keep us safe. We neared the third hour of travelling, only this time with some company. I heard some roars in the far distance, probably from artillery guns. Before we could see what lies ahead of us, an obstacle halts the division.


    ¡°Major General...¡± (Schwarze)


    Himmler raises his hand to hold Schwarze.


    ¡°Schulz, take the reconnaissance squad down the road. Schwarze, you take the assault battalion and search for different route for the tanks to pass. We¡¯ll hold here near the forest and contact the Luftwaffe for support.¡± (Himmler)


    ¡°Yes sir.¡± (Schulz/Schwarze)


    The road ahead of us was apparently covered by heavy snow. It seemed almost like a hill, a few feet high, not even can the tanks move through it without trouble. So Himmler sent Schwarze and Schulz ahead while we tried to contact for aerial support. I waited on the side in the forest for quite some time. Himmler and his radio squad had been rolling ever since. Even Schwarze and the others returned, but still without hope.


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    After a short moment, the convoy and artillery battalions appeared from the left side of road. As confused I was as Himmler, it turns out the two roads lead to this same location. So, a new plan was formulated.


    ¡°Operation Night Trail will continue as planned. However, with the obstacle ahead of us, the artillery battalions will station here as long range supportive fire. The main force will be divided into three forces; two smaller parties to cover the flanks of the artillery guns and the remainder larger party will continue enroute to the 57th Division. Colonel Germanaro, you will be leading the two parties. The rest of us will continue on once preparations are complete.¡± (Himmler)


    Just like Himmler said, we stayed put to cover the artillery guns until they¡¯re ready. As preparations continued, the Russian planes returned, only this time with a surprise. The artillery guns were still being set up and are exposed to the planes in the open field. The Russians were hasty; within a few moments after they spotted the guns, they¡¯ve already came down to attack. We didn¡¯t have any anti-aircraft guns around; maybe that¡¯s why they¡¯re so reckless. However, what they didn¡¯t know that we had were skilled machine gunners, at least that¡¯s what I thought. The planes dove down and landed a few shots and a few bombs which took out two of our guns. The machine gunners however, immediately counterattacked and managed to shoot down two planes that were flying low enough. Explosions were imminent and it revealed the artillery battalions¡¯ position. Not losing any time, we began to mobilize even before the preparations were completed as planned.


    On the way there, we were repeatedly attacked by Russian planes causing us even more delay. However, as we counterattacked and took down a few planes, the Russians finally left us alone. We were somewhat late as we finally reached our destination; nevertheless, we still had an advantage over the enemy. Himmler ordered his tanks over to a hill to provide support for the flanking forces and the 57th Division. There were about twelve tanks moving uphill in a two roll formation and about another seven tanks followed the flanking party. The tanks took point and aimed for the enemy tanks¡¯ flank so that we, the infantry forces can move up without being chewed up by machine gun fire. Our first shots were fired. I couldn¡¯t see the field with everyone else and the tanks blocking my view, but I did hear explosions. After a short moment, black smoke appeared in the sky signifying a hit on the enemy. The rest of us, the 153rd Infantry Regiment and the 48th Assault Squad advanced with the tanks. The ambush succeeded. The main Russian attack force penetrated the defense line of the 57th Division which gave us a chance to surround them once the supporting forces were eliminated. Himmler quickly made an order for the 153rd to hold off the supporting forces which lost their tanks in the ambush and the remaining tanks and infantry to flank the main force. I immediately took cover behind a giant boulder covered with snow as enemy rounds bounced off of it. I was too scared to take aim with all the chaos; so instead, I took a look at the other half.


    As planned, the tanks on the hill appeared with synchronized timing and fired upon the Russian forces simultaneously with the flanking forces. The attack was proceeding smoothly, but Russian aircraft appeared once again and took a few bites on the German salad. One of the bombs was actually less than eight meters away from me that knocked me onto the ground; exactly the same thing as the training session. This time, I was lucky to be behind the boulder. I couldn¡¯t help but to take a peek and start firing my rifle. I couldn¡¯t see the majority of my regiment, but I do see a lot of Russian corpse. I waited a little until I saw flashes appearing from the nearby woods. They were hiding in there the whole time?! It was getting quieter on both sides until the Russian planes came back again; only this time getting a higher score. The planes managed to take out three of our tanks that are attacking the main force. The next thing that happened......


    ¡°Look out!¡± (Voice)


    Before my reflexes kicked in, I was brought to the ground by someone. In less a second later after I was down, a bomb, which was about five meters away, landed. The shockwave nearly rendered me unconscious. My eyes were so blurry and I think I was deaf for a moment. As quickly as I could, I got up from the ground and dragged the soldier who saved me further in behind the boulder. My ribs were killing me with pain as I tried to get a medic. The main force was nearly suppressed, but the supporting force was reinforcing and striking back. I couldn¡¯t get out of cover; I nearly got shot just by peeking. I still couldn¡¯t hear a thing which scared me even more. All I could tell is that there are a lot of bullets coming at us. It was very impressive to see that the other soldiers were still firing under these bullet storms and not get hit. The main force was completely suppressed and the rest of the division along with the 57th Division turned their guns towards the remaining Russian forces.


    Still observing, I noticed that the 153rd which was hiding in the woods was coming back towards the main force. They couldn¡¯t reach us however under this condition. Himmler¡¯s tanks were firing furiously at the enemy and the enemy returned the favor leaving both sides casualties. When the third Panzer IV was knocked out, our support fire finally came. The barrage from our artillery guns rained on the enemy forces. With the artillery barrage at hand, our tanks continued to advance and provided us cover ¡ª I was finally able to get a medic to help him; it was Anna. She quickly analyzed his wounds. Tragically however, there was no hope; he didn¡¯t make it. I suddenly felt my ribs again and lost my balance. I felt very dizzy on the ground along with my ribs trying to kill me again. My vision was very blurry; all I saw was whiteness and some other colors like stain. I soon lost my consciousness......

 Chapter IV

    Chapter IV


    ¡°Lieutenant, report.¡±


    ¡°We suffered minimum casualties; three Mark IVs, four Mark IIIs, six dead and twelve wounded from the 153rd and no casualties from the artillery battalions. Of the 150 new recruits however, we lost more than eighty men, twenty-four missing and sixteen wounded.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s Wagner¡¯s 57th doing?¡±


    ¡°Most of the Mark IIIs were knocked out from the frontal assault against the 51st Army, about fifty KIA and two MIA. Ammunition is not a problem with the supply convoy.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Bosch, stay here and check on the recruits¡¯ status. We need all the soldiers we can get.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


    It was dark, very dark; I would¡¯ve thought that I lost it for a moment. As I start to open my eyes, I saw a blurry wall. It looked like a wall, but apparently a ceiling actually. There were footsteps nearing; it was only then I realize that I¡¯m in the medical center. I tried to move and sit up, but I was held down by the nurse who was nearing me.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake! You shouldn¡¯t be moving too much, your ribs aren¡¯t fully intact.¡± (Nurse)


    ¡°I figured,¡± I replied as if I knew better, ¡°Is Anna alright?¡±


    ¡°Why yes, she is. Is something wrong?¡± (Nurse)


    ¡°No, no. I was worried if she is hurt. She did save us after all before the bomb fell upon us.¡± I explained.


    ¡°It must¡¯ve been harsh back there...¡± She turns her head. ¡°Anna!¡± (Nurse)


    Anna rushes to the nurse ¡°What¡¯s wrong Isabel?¡± (Anna)


    ¡°I think you might want to talk with him. He¡¯s been looking for you.¡± (Isabel)


    Confused, Anna nears me. ¡°Robert?¡± (Anna)


    ¡°Anna, I...are you alright?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Why yes, it should be I who should be asking. How are you feeling?¡± (Anna)


    ¡°My chest is still giving me hard time, but I think I¡¯m fine.¡± I replied.


    ¡°You should get some rest. The Lieutenant said that he needs all available soldiers to join the forces. I should go on to check how the others are doing.¡± (Anna)


    And so she was on her way to the other wounded recruits. I guess I should put my lights out before I get called back in.


    By the time my lights were on again, it was the next day. The others who were wounded are still here; it seems like they don¡¯t need us to get out there yet. As I continued to sit there for another minute, I suddenly remembered my sister. It¡¯s been quite a while since I last written to her; I wonder how she¡¯s doing...... I thought I¡¯d take a walk outside to grab a piece of paper and pen and get some fresh air. However, when I walked out, the division was gone; a unit of about a regiment was left stationed here. On the other side, I had no luck finding paper or a pen as I was pushed straight back onto my bed by the nurses.


    ¡°Anna, do you know what happened to the division?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No idea, I¡¯ve been troubling with the wounded all day; however they do seem to be still fighting with the withdrawing 51st Army.¡± (Anna)


    ¡°The Russians are stubborn aren¡¯t they?¡± I commented. An explosion breaks out outside of the tent


    ¡°What was that?!¡± I asked worriedly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t ¡ª¡° (Anna)


    ¡°We¡¯re under attack! Get the wounded out of there!¡± (Anavel)


    ¡°Leanner, Kimpfer, give me a hand.¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°Anna, Isabel, take the ones that can move. We¡¯ll take care of the others.¡± (Anavel)


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡± (Anna)


    More explosions were heard as I followed Anna who was bringing one of the wounded out of the tent. As we rushed out, on the right were the advancing Russians. The outpost was engulfed by flames; many of the ammunition crates were hit along with the few vehicles there was. We had no choice but to head southwest into a large forest outside of Sachson with the wounded. As we got close to the forest, I looked back for the last time; the outpost was overrun by the Russians.


    As we got far enough away from the Russians, we settled down. There were about eight of us left; of the eight, two were wounded.


    A deep breath. ¡°We barely made it.¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°The road leads straight to the 8th and 57th Division. We have to let them know.¡± (Anavel)


    ¡°The radio equipment is at the outpost, there¡¯s no way we can get it.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to head into Sachson and access the radio station.¡± (Anavel)


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna have to make it quick, the Russians will reach the divisions in no time.¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°Kimpfer and I will head into Sachson. The rest of you stay put and stay out of the Russians¡¯ sight.


    We¡¯ll be back the next day.¡± (Anavel)


    Anavel and Kimpfer soon left and headed northwest towards Sachson. The day began to slow down after the two of them left. Every now and then however, there was gunfire. I hope it¡¯s not what I think it is. As the sun rose to its peak, we planned to search the forest for any supplies, food or water. I headed further south into the forest; it was an endless path of trees, many pests as well. I managed to find some edible plants after some rigorous searching. It wasn¡¯t easy to take it from its roots with all the insects around it. They took a few bites off me while I was grabbing the plant. As the sun was setting, I started to make way back; I happened to stumble upon some fallen wood. I¡¯d figured we can use some fire or the least make some use from the wood. However I did forget how heavy the wood was especially with my partially broken ribs. I made it back a little while after the sun set.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°I found some fruits hanging around, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s edible.¡± (Leanner)


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    I picked up one of the fruits and examined it.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. They¡¯re one of those pear-looking fruits with a rather sour taste.¡± I said.


    ¡°Plants?¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°It¡¯s one of those good recipes you can make with the proper ingredients. It¡¯s a little minty, but with the fruits it¡¯ll be just fine.¡± I explained.


    ¡°Who knew we had a chef here.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°You think we¡¯re far enough to set up a fire?¡± I asked Tinroy.


    ¡°There¡¯s enough trees around here, hopefully the Russians won¡¯t notice anything.¡± (Tinroy)


    Picking up the wood I brought, we set up a pile and lit it up. Seeing the fire, Anna and Isabel came over from their posts.


    ¡°How was the search?¡± (Isabel)


    ¡°We managed to find some food.¡± Hands over a pear to Isabel. ¡°Here.¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Takes the pear. ¡°It¡¯s been quite a long day, I could use some refreshment.¡± (Isabel)


    As we sat near the fire resting, I suddenly heard an engine; it was a plane.


    ¡°Did you here that?¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s definitely a plane. You think it¡¯s one of ours?¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°I doubt it. The Russians probably radioed in air support on the counterattack against the divisions.¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°Let me take a look.¡± (Leanner)


    Leanner got up and walked away, looking at the sky the entire time. After about nine minutes, more planes flew by.


    ¡°They look like Sturmoviks, it¡¯s definitely the Russians.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°Alright lights out, lights out.¡± (Tinroy)


    At his command, we put out the fire.


    ¡°We should get some rest; Anavel and Kimpfer are coming back tomorrow. We don¡¯t want to have any delay when we regroup.¡± (Leanner)


    That marks the end of our day. Good night.


    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


    ¡°Hey Robert wake up. Robert!¡± (Tinroy)


    I opened my eyes as I was startled, but then I was fully awake when I saw the morning light.


    ¡°Sorry. Anavel¡¯s back?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s not.¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°What? I thought ¡ª¡°


    ¡°I know what she said, but she¡¯s not back now. We need to do something.¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°What are we gonna do?¡± I asked worriedly.


    ¡°Hang tight. Leanner¡¯s on recon, let¡¯s see what he¡¯s got then we¡¯ll formulate a plan. For now, get yourself fed up and be ready to mobilize. Your wound alright?¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°It¡¯s been better these few days, I¡¯m not sure if I run too smoothly yet.¡± I said.


    Under the morning sky, we waited for Leanner¡¯s return along with Anavel. It¡¯s been almost about thirty minutes and the sky was getting brighter; soon, Leanner is back.


    ¡°How is it?¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look good. The outpost¡¯s almost empty.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± (Isabel)


    ¡°That means the Russians are counterattacking. They must¡¯ve been able to regroup with the main force and flanked the 57th and 8th Division. Now I¡¯m worried about Anavel and Kimpfer; the Russians may have already pushed the Divisions back to Sachson within these two days.¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°In two days? Is the 51st Tank Army really that powerful?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You have no idea what you¡¯re up against. The last joint attack was only against one of the tank corps of the 51st Army. With the whole army counterattacking, we¡¯re outnumbered five hundred to one. We lost many of our tanks too during the last battle; that makes us even weaker without armored support.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°......then, what can we do?¡± I asked without much of hope.


    ¡°Tin?¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°We can¡¯t really do anything. We have no choice but to head back to the outpost and try to establish radio contact with the Divisions or Division HQ. How many Russians are left at the outpost?¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°There isn¡¯t that many; I count about seven or eight that¡¯s left.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem; we¡¯ll just have to take them out one by one. We¡¯re going to need everyone in this. Ana, Isabel, I want you to the take the wounded with you when we go back to the outpost. Grab any medical supplies you need when the outpost is clear. Robert, you¡¯re coming with the rest of us to assault the outpost. There¡¯s only about eight of them, but they outnumber us two to one. We¡¯ll have to do it quietly.¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°When are we moving?¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°We¡¯re moving in five; we can¡¯t waste any more time. Get yourselves equipped.¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°Hold on tight to this. You don¡¯t wanna lose it.¡± Hands us a knife. ¡°I also sharpened a few of these in case anything goes wrong.¡± (Leanner)


    He handed to us each three sharpened wooden sticks in a shape of an arrow. I slid them into the pencil-sized pockets I had on my vest and my knife into the knife pocket on my pants.


    ¡°Tin, we¡¯re set.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°Alright, give me second.¡± To Isabel and Anna. ¡°Wait for our signal before you bring the wounded in. Got it?¡± They nod their heads. ¡°Good. Remember, the signal.¡± Turns to us. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± (Tinroy)

 Chapter V

    Chapter V


    Under the great yolk, we arrived at the outpost. It was quiet and empty just like Leanner said. There doesn¡¯t seem to be any signs of life left in this outpost.


    ¡°This is it.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°You think that radio equipment still in there?¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°I hope so.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°This place looks emptier than my backyard...... Leanner, how¡¯re we going to get in?¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°I took look in. There are three possible entrances: the two in the east and the one in the southwest. It¡¯s still early in the morning, I doubt all of them are awake; plus with only eight of them, there¡¯s no way they can cover the entire outpost.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°Alright then. Robert and Leanner, the two of you will enter from the east. Danyl, standby at the southeast entrance and regroup with Leanner and Robert. I¡¯ll move in from the west and set up a diversion once the eastern section is clear. Here...¡± Takes out a gun and a rather big bullet. ¡°Once the eastern sector is clear, give me a signal with this flare. It¡¯ll probably catch their eye too, but it¡¯ll play out just fine.¡± (Tinroy)


    Takes the flare gun. ¡°Alright. Leave it us.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°Set your watches...... 0915 hours.¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°Set.¡± (Together)


    ¡°Listen up. At 0940, I¡¯ll set up a blast. Once you hear the blast, move in from the east, we should be able to completely surround them.¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°Got it. Robert, Danyl, let¡¯s move.¡± (Leanner)


    Tinroy first left the group and moved towards the left side of the outpost. I followed Leanner and headed towards the right side. As we passed the southeast entrance, Danyl left behind. There were no signs of any Russians so far near the outpost. As we neared the eastern entrance, we slowed down. I peeked over a corner of the outpost wall and saw two Russians standing near the entrance.


    ¡°How is it?¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°Two on the watch near the entrance.¡± I replied.


    Looking down at his watch. ¡°We got fifteen minutes. We¡¯re going to need to take ¡®em out.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°How are we gonna do it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re not going to move anytime soon......¡± Disrupted, he looks up. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡± (Leanner)


    I peeked over the corner again and the two Russians were gone.


    ¡°Come on.¡± (Leanner)


    I followed him to the entrance. We took a look inside the outpost. Near one of the tents, there were several Russians who gathered together. I took a closer look.


    ¡°Leanner, that¡¯s the radio equipment.¡± I said.


    ¡°Who the hell are they contacting? We don¡¯t have time to wait and see; Tin¡¯s setting up the diversion on the west gate. Take cover near that tent on the right.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°Should we let Tin know that we¡¯re in?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, it¡¯ll drag the attention here completely; the entrance isn¡¯t exactly clear and there¡¯s just too many of them.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°Roger.¡± I replied as we continued into the outpost.


    As he walked into the outpost, I did as he said; I made my way to the tent near the entrance. I took a look at my watch; it was nine thirty-five. I looked back at Leanner who was giving me a hand signal. He held up a fist and pointed at his watch; it appears that he¡¯s telling me to wait. I waited as my watch ticked every second I stood there. One second, two seconds, three seconds......one minute, two minutes, three minutes......as the second hand on my watch reaches for the sixtieth second of nine thirty-nine, I looked up at Leanner. He nodded at me and we waited for the diversion. A quick moment passed as we heard the explosion. It startled the Russians who were dealing with the radio and half of the group headed towards Tinroy¡¯s position. Leanner suddenly approached me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move. You take the one on the right. I¡¯ll take care of the one on the left.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°Copy that.¡± I confirmed.


    I took out my knife and approached the three Russians with Leanner. We moved slowly; bending ourselves and approached them. As we are almost three meters away, one of the Russians suddenly turned around towards us; he was surprised to see us. Almost at the same instant, Leanner threw his knife towards the Russian which struck his head. To chain the attack, as the other two Russians soon noticed his fallen comrade, I lunged towards the Russian on the right and stabbed him on the chest; Leanner took out the sharpened sticks and stabbed the other Russian. He looked into my eyes......through my pupils. I saw horror in his eyes as it was on my face. The blood coming out from the wound I gave him......was ¡ª was still warm. He slowly descended to the ground as I pulled the knife out; without a spoken word......I stood frozen looking at him; it was the first person that I ever killed. I heard a voice yelling at me, but it wasn¡¯t clear. My concentration was fully restricted to the now dead Russian soldier. Soon, I was brought to the ground by Leanner. He was speaking to me, but I couldn¡¯t hear him or understand him. I believed he was frustrated to continue to speak with as he threw a rifle at me and he turned around firing. The Russians had turned back and discovered that we are here. I grabbed the rifle, but my hands ¡ª they were shaking very intensely; I couldn¡¯t aim at all. Under fire from the Russians, Leanner ducked down for cover behind the crate to reload his rifle. Danyl soon arrived, flanking the Russians. With only a knife, he never stood a chance. He ran towards us, regrouping, and I gave him the rifle I couldn¡¯t handle. Together they traded fire with the Russians.


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    ¡°Robert! What the hell are you doing?! Robert! Robert!¡± (Leanner)


    Without hesitation, Leanner grabbed me by the arm and pulled me towards him away from the Russians¡¯ line of fire. The Russians, one equipped with a submachine gun, were still shooting at us; a few bullets actually pierced through the crate; Danyl, he took a few hits.


    ¡°Shit! Danyl!¡± (Leanner)


    I couldn¡¯t help but continue to sit there frozen while Leanner continues to fire back. As he scores a kill, Tinroy returns from behind and together, they took down the remaining Russians. As the last Russian of falls, the wind calms......my freezing hands began to warm up; Danyl on the other hand......we lost him.


    ¡°Danyl, hang in there.¡± Places his hands on the wound. ¡°Come on, come on!¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°What happened?¡± Noticing Danyl on the ground.  ¡°Len, we lost him...¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°Shit...¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°


    Hey, Robert...¡± He pats me on the shoulder. ¡°Look, it¡¯s going to be alright; everything¡¯s going to be fine. Get a hold of yourself.¡± (Tinroy)


    I slowly turned my gaze towards him, but it reversed half way there. It soon returned to the Russian corpse.


    ¡°Come on, we gotta go get the radio. Look, forget about ¡ª¡° Interrupted. (Tinroy)


    ¡°Tin! Russian convoy, it¡¯s coming here! Quickly, hide!¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°Come on Robert, we have to go! Robert!¡± (Tinroy)


    I wanted to move, but my body held me back. I couldn¡¯t get up. Leanner, however, gave me all his support......


    Holding both shoulders, he shakes me. ¡°Get a hold of yourself soldier! We¡¯re in a warzone; people live and people die, but we¡¯re not ready to die here you hear me?! Forgot about the Russian, you¡¯ll be killing more of them. I lost Danyl already; I don¡¯t want to lose you too! Move it! ¡± With great strength, He grabs my arm and pulls me up. ¡°Come on!¡± (Leanner)


    I followed him closely as he dragged me into a crater somewhere not far away outside the outpost.


    As we hid in the crater, the Russian convoy, as Leanner mentioned, arrived at the outpost. The convoy contained three tanks and four transports. As the tanks moved into the outpost, we made our escape as they blocked the view to the crater we were in. We headed back to the forest to regroup with Anna and Isabel. As we approached the camp, Anna and Isabel were waiting with their rifles pointed at us.


    ¡°Don¡¯t shoot, it¡¯s us.¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°Are you guys alright? We heard a lot of gunfire...¡± Looks around. ¡°Where¡¯s Danyl?¡± (Isabel)


    ¡°He didn¡¯t make it...¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°I ¡ª I¡¯m sorry...¡± (Isabel)


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°Robert, are you alright?¡± (Anna)


    ¡°He¡¯s....I don¡¯t know. Maybe you can help him Anna. I¡¯ll go ahead and pack everything.¡± (Tinroy)


    As I sat down staring at a pile of rocks, Anna approached me. She stopped and took a look at what I was staring at, but with confusion she continued towards me.


    ¡°Robert, what happened?¡± (Anna)


    ¡°He......¡± I mumbled, ¡°I......killed him......¡±


    She sits down next to me and puts her hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright. You didn¡¯t have a choice; it was either you or him. Don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡± (Anna)


    He approaches us. ¡°We¡¯re gonna move into Sachson and try to establish radio contact with the divisions. Everything¡¯s packed; we¡¯ll move out in fifteen minutes.¡± (Tinroy)

 Chapter VI

    Chapter VI


    ¡°Sachson¡¯s right up this road.¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°Great, let¡¯s hurry.¡± (Tinroy)


    It didn¡¯t take us too long until we reached the town. Once we were in Sachson, we immediately searched for the radio station. I actually never knew there was a radio station Sachson, I was quite surprised when we found it near the hospital; I never took notice of it. At the entrance, Tinroy is trying to persuade the staff to allow us to use the radio, but I think we were too late.


    Startled. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± (Leanner)


    ¡°Shit, they¡¯re here.¡± Runs inside the building. ¡°Sound the alarm!¡± (Staff)


    The microphone at the top of the building started to sound. It was like a siren and the moment that sound reached someone¡¯s ear, panic showed up.


    ¡°We are under attack! I say again: we are under attack! Everyone evacuate to the southwest out of Sachson and away from the east gate. Everyone please evacuate immediately!¡± (Microphone)


    It was chaotic; everyone is running in panic, in packs swarming the southwest gate. Before long, I saw a Mark IV Panzer moved into town. It¡¯s the divisions; they¡¯ve been pushed back. As the remaining townspeople left, more soldiers moved in of which one of them approached us.


    ¡°What unit are all of you in?¡± (Soldier)


    ¡°We¡¯re part of the 17th Utility Regiment of the 8th Panzer Division. We had an outpost southeast of Sachson but it was overrun by an armored platoon of the 51st Tank Army.¡± (Tinroy)


    He salutes us as we return the salute. ¡°I¡¯m Staff Sergeant Reiner of the 49th Motorized Infantry Regiment. The Russian forces had suddenly increased their ranks pushing our forces back from the northeast hills. Did you say you were from the 17th Utility Regiment?¡± (S. Sgt. Reiner)


    ¡°Why yes, sir.¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°We had received radio contact from Corporal Anavel and thanks to her we were able to call for air support to delay the Russians¡¯ advance.¡± (S. Sgt. Reiner)


    ¡°Anavel?! Do you know where she is?¡± (Tinroy)


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; she¡¯s with us along with another comrade by name of Kimpfer. She caught in a firefight and our men brought her with us to safety.¡± Looks over his right shoulder towards the entrance gate. ¡°Speaking of the devil.¡± Turns back to us. ¡°Our supply convoy is up ahead, go on and grab yourselves some equipment; we need everyone in this fight.¡± (S. Sgt. Reiner)


    ¡±Yes sir!¡± we responded together.


    As Reiner turns around to regroup with the main force, we approached one of the Opel trucks filled with boxes and crates to equip ourselves. I grabbed a Kar 98K and a few clips each holding five rounds along with a few stick grenades. Once ready, we too joined the main force. While passing through in between our trucks and tanks, Reiner stopped us on the way to the frontline.


    ¡°Alright listen up. The 31st Armored Platoon is holding off the 51st Tank Army¡¯s advance, but they won¡¯t last long. We need to call in support from our artillery. Here (hands us a piece of paper) deliver these coordinates to the 2nd Artillery Platoon and they take it from there. The platoon is currently three kilometers north of the town. You¡¯re going to need to hurry before the frontlines are overrun by the Russians. Good luck.¡± (S. Sgt. Reiner)


    After his word, we immediately turned back and headed north for the artillery platoon. I would¡¯ve thought that the battle was mainly taking place in the east where the frontlines lie, however it seems that even the artillery platoon which is three kilometers away from the frontlines is also fighting a fierce battle. Just about a kilometer away, another unit is defending the artillery platoon southeast of them. Upon arrival, we were escorted by a comrade to the coordination team. Within the team, an officer approached us.


    ¡°Second Lieutenant Bosch. You must be the messengers with the coordinates, yes?¡± (2nd Lt. Bosch)


    ¡°Affirmative.¡± Taking out the paper. ¡°The coordinates, sir¡± (Tinroy)


    Takes the paper and reads it. ¡°Vickers!¡± A comrade approaches Bosch. ¡°Bring this to the artillery teams and commence firing immediately.¡± (2nd Lt. Bosch)


    Nods. ¡°Yes sir!¡± (Vickers)


    ¡°We¡¯ve lost radio contact with the main force and ever since, we had been waiting for the coordinates to direct our guns. And now, the Russians will have it. I¡¯d like to ¡ª¡° (2nd Lt. Bosch)


    ¡°Report!¡± (Soldier)


    Startled. ¡°What is it?¡± (2nd Lt. Bosch)


    ¡°The Russian forces are increasing their strength. A number of T-34 tanks had appeared and are breaking through our defenses.¡± (Soldier)


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    ¡°What¡¯s the scale?¡± (2nd Lt. Bosch)


    ¡°We¡¯re outgunned by approximately two to one.¡± (Soldier)


    ¡°Dammit. They won¡¯t be able to hold off much longer......send the message: Pull the first and second lines of defense back to the last line of defense. We need to delay the enemy as long as possible until we can secure the artillery.¡± (2nd Lt. Bosch)


    ¡°Right away sir!¡± (Soldier)


    Turns towards the coordination team. ¡°Beck!¡± Another comrade approaches Bosch. ¡°Send the order down to Vickers and the artillery teams: Disengage and retreat to the west. All long range artillery move first, anti-tank guns move last. Go on, hurry.¡± (2nd Lt. Bosch)


    He nods his head and runs down with the message to the artillery teams. Bosch then turns back to us.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to return to the main force and deliver the message: the 2nd Artillery Platoon would need to relocate and the artillery support would need to be halted. We would wait for the next set of coordinates after relocation is complete.¡± (2nd Lt. Bosch)


    Bosch quickly heads back into the team to assist the platoon¡¯s fall back as he finished his last words. We, with the new message at our hands, also began to mobilize and return to the main force. Our return to the main force however, would be delayed as the route back is now a battlefield. As said by Bosch earlier, the first and second lines of defense would be falling back and merging with the last line of defense. Our way back is through the trenches dug for the defense stretching about a kilometer long and five feet deep. There were still soldiers falling back to the trench and pursuing them were T-34 tanks. Making haste, Tinroy moved first and the rest followed. Moving quickly, we managed to make it through half of the trench before the firefight started. I was following behind Leanner and behind me was Anna. It becoming increasingly difficult once the firefight began; we started become distanced away by all the gunfire and explosions thrown at us; I was soon separated from the group. ¡°Leanner? . . . Anna? . . . Isabel?¡± I shouted hoping to get a response, but it had only proved that I was separated. Lost and afraid, I attempted to continue to move through the trench, but I was brought down by a distant explosion. My mouth opened wide as if I was to shout, but the sound was trapped within me internally as I was reminded of my wound. Slowly trying to get up, I grabbed my chest trying to suppress the pain inside me. Almost standing, I was brought back down by comrade.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± (Soldier)


    Not noticing my surroundings, I would¡¯ve been shredded by machine gun fire if I had raised myself another centimeter. On the ground I shook my head, trying to rid the blurred vision I had as I lifted myself up. Still feeling the pain, I sat on the ground and leaned onto the dirt wall resting.


    Shouting over the sound of gunfire and explosions. ¡°You don¡¯t like you¡¯re from this unit. What are you doing here?¡± (Soldier)


    Taking heavy breaths, I barely noticed him talking to me; I was too focused on the pain on my chest. With my hand still on my chest, I started to feel moisture.


    Looks at my wound. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding!¡± Looks around. ¡°We need a medic over here!¡± (Soldier)


    He soon gave up shouting for a medic and left the scene to search for one instead. I caught a glimpse under my blurry vision of him trying to move away from his position. I soon closed my eyes to the world around me still trying to suppress the pain on my chest. The battle was becoming fiercer ¡ª I can tell even just by listening. The tanks must be very close by now; their engines are roaring quite loudly and the sound of bullets bouncing off their armor is also becoming more frequent. Very short moments have passed, but they felt insanely long. It was only a matter of minutes until he found a medic and brought her to me. As I opened my eyes again to see the medic, I found myself surprised; the medic was Anna.


    Being able to her again was a relief; I guess I¡¯m not alone after all. As she kneels down to take a look at my wound, I let out a slight smile.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s g¡ª¡° I attempted to speak.


    Stops me from speaking. ¡°Robert, don¡¯t, don¡¯t say anything right now. Your old wound is becoming worse.¡± (Anna)


    She took off her medical box and placed on the ground to obtain some supplies. As she began to perform her first-aid, the pain had become more unbearable. My eyes shut rapidly; I held my breath as the pain got to me. It was going through every door: my chest, my ears, my mouth, my nose, and my eyes, they soon fell before him; it was too overwhelming. Before had I been taken away by him, the last I heard was Anna......

 Epilogue

    Epilogue


    Within the deep darkness, there was a light, a small spot of light lies to the very end. With the inability to see my arms and legs, I began to move or rather try to move my muscles towards the light. After a few seconds, the spot of light grew slightly bigger, proving that I am moving. ¡®This isn¡¯t what I think it is......right?¡¯ As I continued to ¡°walk¡± towards the spot of light, the darkness suddenly disappeared; a light had flashed and covered the darkness leaving nothing but an unusually bright light. The light had me blinded, but it slowly dimmed, revealing a clear night blue sky. On the ground, I picked myself up; I must¡¯ve fallen when the lighting changed so suddenly. ¡®Hm?¡¯ As my eyes rise back to the default position, I saw several blurry black figures in a distance, but one; I recognized her. ¡®E-Elsa?!¡¯ Confused, I began to walk in the direction towards her and the figures.


    ¡®Those figures, they¡¯re......¡¯ As I walked, my mind continues to speak and the figures continue to disappear one by one. When finally I reached her, the last black figure vanished. At about a distance of two meter away from her, her image becomes crystal clear. With her back facing me, I approached her in a slow but rapid pace.


    ¡°Elsa? . . . Is that you? . . . Elsa? . . . ¡° I asked with concern.


    She didn¡¯t reply. However, when I was about to place my hand on her right shoulder, she turns her head and looks at me......right at my eyes.


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    Gasps. ¡°. . . R-Robert?¡± (Elsa)


    ¡°Is, is that really you?¡± I asked with doubt.


    With less than thirty centimeters of distance between us, our eyes froze on each other. Her right hand slowly rises from her side and it soon reaches my left cheek. I held on to her wrist with my right hand and I placed my left hand onto hers. This moment of reunion, it felt priceless; the two of us standing there, giving each other silent thoughts...but the moment had short lived...


    As we embraced this moment, her eyes began to change in color...from a bright grayish blue to a shining red. Rushing out of her eyes were red shining tears as if there was blood within it. Seeing the red tears, my eyes were struck and my hands reached for her cheeks to wipe them off. With curiosity, I quickly took a look at my hand, but the tears I had just wiped left no stain. When I turned my eyes back to Elsa, I saw a horrified expression with her mouth covered by both of her hands. She was looking at my chest. Confused, I placed my hand on my chest; it was moist along with a rusty odor. Without any doubt, it was blood. It must¡¯ve been the wound I had earlier... But something wasn¡¯t right, when I looked at my hand again for the blood on my chest, the stain had disappeared. ¡®What is going on?¡¯ Moving away from my hand, I looked up. Elsa, she was gone. And in this dark place, it was quieter than just a moment earlier. Where am I?


    ¡°Elsa! Elsa!¡± I yelled towards the empty snow plain as it echoed throughout.