The Long Dark Trek

[shadowoftheheart]

Tara saw with satisfaction that Deacon remained aware of everything happening around him. The rifle barrel had not escaped her notice, and in another moment the german aiming it would have been dead. However Deacon was on top of the situation, standing in a fluid motion to throw the rifleman's aim, then throwing the german out of the house and hard onto the snow. Cooly, she watched him dispatch the enemy with his bare hands.
She noticed the rifle next, and the scope on it. It was another KAR98, and the scope was an addition to the rifle. When she had a chance, she would have to exchange weapons.
Two bullets, she reminded herself.
She continued to watch Deacon's progress, covering him with her rifle.
Movement in the second floor window, facing out to the courtyard. No way Deacon could see it. However, she was not certain that whomever was up there could see him either.
She took in a deep breath, aimed ... and held her fire. It was a woman, in civilian clothes. Foolish, to let her curiosity get the better of her in the middle of a firefight. Who was she?
No time, because Deacon was still out there, depending upon her and her rifle.

"Sarah, can you see the second storey window? The woman there. If she so much as flinches, let me know."

 

[RedHairedandFriendly]

Mary watched as Tara lined up her sights and waited to see if Deac would need her cover or not. Soon shots echoed around them, as Deac obviously had run into trouble. Mary tensed and found herself wanting to run out and help, but she knew she would only cause more trouble.

Looking back to see how Sarah and Winly are she notices, that the former is missing. She stares off into the distance, trying to determine where he was. Turning around in the snow she slowly began tracing his footsteps. As she reached the edge of the forest, she heard the sounds of more gunfire, this time very close to her.

Covering her head, she spun around and crouched low. She saw Tara's body recover from the recoil of the gun, admiring her strength as well as her aim. She watched the Russian line up another shot and one more German went down.

Mary was just about to head out on her own and search for Winly when, she saw the others motion for her to slowly advance with them on the farm. Undecided at this point what was going on, she looked at Winly's footsteps, that would be soon gone, covered by the snow that was starting to fall rapidly.

She headed back to the group, she'd wait a while longer to see if Winly found them, or if she were asked to go out and find him. Glancing at Sarah, Mary noticed her looking around for the man also. Their eyes connected and both women shrugged their shoulders. "Perhaps, the Captain would know what to do," Mary thought to herself as she waited for the signal from Deac that all was clear.

 

[shadowoftheheart]

Tara became aware of the commotion behind her. Deacon was apparently not the only one in harm's way.

"Sarah, Mary. Remain together. It is...."

She thought she saw movement, and focused on the house. Nothing serious.

"It is bad enough that we are so split apart."

Tara remains uncertain if the other women even heard her. More important, at this moment, was securing the farmhouse. For what it was worth, that is, with a shot-out window, a civilian woman on the second floor, and a squad of German bodies littering it. It would get the others out of the snow. They were clearly suffering, and even she felt the cold numbing her fingers.

She blinked back sudden dizziness. Her arm had only been grazed, but the loss of blood had effected her. They all needed to rest in warmpth and safety.

 

[TheScarletBlade]

Derek had made his way up the river far enough for his feet to finally get numb.The water had soaked through his combat boots and finally he felt freezing cold water on his toes as he slopped through the dove white snow the kept falling from the heavens.Moving deftly through the snow,the lone American followed the tracks that had been hastily covered by snow when finally,the veered off course.

Derek drew his knife as he heard the sounds of someone above in the snow covered glade infront of him.He came to a slow stop and set his back against an oak tree,still out of sight.He tipped his ear towards the glade and listened up for a German voice.He heard none comming from the glade.Peaking over the shoulder with a lightning like quickness,he noticed a figure that seemed to be having trouble walking.

The man was no soldier and seemed to carry himself pristinely.He remebered the Brit Winley had escaped with him and taken one in the leg.Winley was supposed to be getting escorted around by Deacon.Drawing his combat knife,Derek dropped the packs on the ground softly and took a step around the tree,moving slowly as he crouched into a sneaking position.Silent as death,he creeped slowly through the snow towards the slow moving figure,the combat knife spining in his hand slowly,the point towards the earth.

He moved with every step gaining speed,yet remaining silent as he moved across the glade and got behind the man.Grabbing him,he slipped one strong arm under the mans,wrapping it around to rest his hand on the back of the medics neck.Wrapping his other arm around,he set the knife to the man's jugular.As Winley jumped nervously,Derek only smiled.

"What are you doing way out here Winley? your supposed to be getting carried around by Deacon,until we find some sort of Dry area,where we can patch you up....Let me guess,Deacon abandoned you.That damn Sargent is supposed to be reliable.I think he deserves a court marshal.How about I help you out Winley?" Derek said as he let the medic go.

 

[poohlive]

"They went off on their own. I head... I heard shots and dogs and, I couldn't follow them. If I did, I would have led them right to the group. Can't risk it, not here, not now. We've made too many mistakes already. Careless, stupid mistakes."

He took another break. He'd been resting every few steps, at least it seemed that way in this deep snow and rough terrain. In truth, he had probably made it a lot longer.

"I've been going north," His voice, tempered, whispy, the voice of a man with little strength, "Following Cornica."

He pointed up at the sky, where part of the clouds disappeared to show the night sky. Brilliant and crystal clear, stars twinkled up there, like bright snowflakes that had been caught in some velvet web.

"Morning will be here soon, a few hours at least. I remember North of the camp was a small town. Was hoping to meet up with the rest of the group there... get supplies. Medical supplies, might not be much in a small town, but there's be something. Hot water, a knife, needle and thread. Shouldn't be more than a mile."

He didn't have good skills as far as fighting, but his memory was sharp as a whip. Since he'd been planning this escape, he'd memorized as much of the surrounding countryside as possible.

The dog gave out a hurrowed growl. The growling had first alerted Winly to someone else, sneaking up behind him. Had his skills at hand to hand combat been any better, he might have just caught the captain off guard. At least the dog was on guard, that much Winly felt comfortable with.

"This is Spot, he's been pretty friendly so far. Couldn't bear to part with him."

 

[VeXeR]

Deac looked around before moving any further, man that german packed quite a punch, his chest was still hurting from the impact. He slowly got up and began collecting the MP40 that lay around. He stashed them near the wall so he could find them again.

Just as he was about to leave he noticed the rifle. Tara would want that he thought to himself as he picked up the rifle and threw it over his back. With the rifle secure deac jumped in through the window again, this time no sounds could be heard.

He seached the rooms downstairs, no more germans here. Not in the stables that were connected to the room with the window and not in the room where the germans had been, which looked like a living room of some sort.

Just then he thought he heard someone up stairs and quieted down to listen. Yup, there was definalty someone there, but why didn't they come rushing down when they heard all the comotion earlier. Could be a trap, could also be nothing, maybe a POW.

It haunted deacs mind for sometime before he decided to move up the stairs and see what it was. After all he had the rifle.

 

[shadowoftheheart]

Tara took in a deep breath, not in preparation for taking a shot, but to try to keep herself focused.
She had been colder in Finland, but she had her dear Vladimir by her side.
When they were not moving, they huddled together for warmpth, winter camouflage uniforms turning them from two isolated soldiers to an oddly shaped snowdrift.
No, stay in this moment. Deacon was in the farmhouse. She had to stay sharp in case he needed cover.

Three bullets left. No. Dammit, she was losing her edge already. Two bullets.

 

[TheScarletBlade]

"Well,they left you to die? or that is what is sounds like Winley.Anyways,I have returned sucessful.If you would just wait a second my Brit friend,I might be able to get you a change of clothes,so you don't have to wear those blood stained clothes.Also,I'll carry you to where we need to be.Hopefully we can find our friends before we get to far away" Derek said as he moved away from the medic for a second and made back for the three packs he had left behind the tree.

Declining for now on the clothes,Derek only shrugged his shoulders and quickly strapped the packs back onto his back.The weight wasn't to much because there was not much in there.Sliding the knife back into its spot on his person,the weary American soldier moved over to the medic he had left there.Hefting the weight of the bags to one side,the American slid under the medics arm and slid his arm over onto the medics shoulders.

"Keep up medic,we need to get out of here" Derek said as they moved on threw the snow,not worrying about tracks.He had killed anyone in the immediate area and he could be gone before they found these tracks.The medic kept up and he moved on towards the north,in the direction of the town the medic would not stop talking about.The loyal dog kept following after them as they kept heading north.

Approuching the barn from the other side,Derek stopped suddenly as he heard the sound of gunfire from the other side.Crouching down,Derek shushed the medic as they approuched.Taking only a couple of steps,Derek slowly lowered the medic down to sit against the tree,leaving the packs there as well.Drawing his knife,the American scooped up a hand of snow,stuffing it into his mouth and deftly creeping up on the barn.

It was a two level barn with a window on the back side,two counting the one on the loft above.Keeping under the lower window,he peeked in and saw nothing but a limp looking German hanging out a window.Cautious,the American captain set his feet on the window ledge and set his hands on the one above.Pushing on his arms,he suspended his body up,to look in the window seal.All he saw was a woman on the top level.

With the window open,the American pulled himself into the top level of the barn.The woman noticed him and started to turn towards him.Setting a glove to his lips,he ushered her to silence as he heard footsteps to the left,on the stairs leading up to the loft.Drawing his knife from its sheath,he grabbed the blade and prepared to throw.

 

[VeXeR]

Deac froze for a second, he could hear running but the it suddenly stopped. Something was out of place, he wasn't sure what it was but it didn't feel right.

Slowly and silently he pulled the rifle from his back and prepared to move on. Sneaking up the stairs as silently as possible. He took a deep breath and aligned the rifle ready for a shot.

As he approached the top of the stairwell he aimed the rifle approximatly at where he had heard the sound earlier. Pausing slightly and took another deep breath and took a large stop upwards, exposing him self but quickly turning the rilfe towards the to people in the room.

If all went so fast that he didn't even see that is was derek at the first look. All he saw was the knife, "Drop the knife! now!". Deac was ready to try and dogde the knife, he knew better than anyone that a knife could be as dangerous as any rifle and short range.

Though almost instantly after he issued the orders to drop the weapon, his concentrated look turned one of surprised and confusion. "Derek?"

 

[shadowoftheheart]

She saw movement in the window. Bringing her rifle up, aiming down the barrel at the new moving figure. Dark, in shadows. She saw the glint of a knife. She took a deep breath ...
Then as before kept from firing. No helmet. Melting snow. Small flashes of information, many would miss. But for Tara, small clues like that made the difference between killing the enemy and killing comrades.
She realized that Derek had somehow circled around them, and had made it into the farmhouse without being seen.
Deacon and Derek would hopefully recognize one another. If not, their small group might well be smaller.
She felt the hairs stand up at the back of her head. Glancing around, she saw nothing, but sincerely hoped Mary and Sarah were watching for trouble.

 

[cute_girl1]

Sarah

Even though Sarah was worried about Winly, she knew she had to stay alert. She could hear gun shoots coming from the farmhouse. She wondered what kind of resistance if any was going on down. She looked over at Mary, it was only her and Sarah left there, she hoped Tara and the others would hurry and come back.

 

[RedHairedandFriendly]

Mary continued to scan the area, looking for signs of movement, as well as trying to hear anything out of the ordinary... besides, gunfire. She thought to herself, that gunfire, these days was anything but out of the ordinary. Perhaps, one day... everything would be normal again.

She watched Tara, tense once more and though she couldn't make out the movements with just her own sight, she could see dark shapes in the window. "Another German?" she wondered? She waited for the gunshot, then she saw Tara relax. She knew better then to ask what was going on, she didn't want to break the woman's concentration, just incase she needed to react quicker on one of the shapes, then she had thought.


Mary tucked her hands under her arms, and shivered, then suddenly she heard a dog. Very close. She looked at Sarah, wondering if perhaps one of them should discover the source of the bark. The new fugitives, all knew what the sounds of a trained German Shephard sounded like, and this was one of those sounds, usually where there was a dog, there was a German close behind.

Her eyes wide with a mixture of concern and uncertainty, she began to second guess whether or not to leave the two women and head over to the sound of the barking dog. Perhaps, Sarah would accompany her. Leaning over to her she whispered in her broken English, "The dog... should we see.. if it has a German master or stay here." Muttering under her breath, "Je me mourrai avant les prises hybrides allemandes en arrière."

 

[cute_girl1]

"We should check it out. Do you have a gun?"
Sarah pulled out the pistol that was given to her at the start of the escape and looked towards Mary. She knew Tara and the rest of the group had other missons to carry out. Sarah knew that they needed to take out this German soldier.
"The dog is close, we need to take care of it and the German. Now."

 

[poohlive]

His old clothes were soaked with sweat and blood, not all of it his own. He winced as he sat there, his back against the tree. The clothing started to freeze in this conditions, attaching to his skin, and making him cold to the bone. He couldn't stay in them any longer.

He quickly got out of the coat, and shirt, dropping them near the tree. Insinde one of the packs by his side, Winly saw the clothes Derek had been talking about. German scout clothing, the usual coat, pants, and hat a soldier walking the perimeter or carrying a dog might wear. With only a second thought of how horrible it would be to wear these clothes, he put them on simply.

He took the hat, and pulled it lower around his head, the feeling of warmth enveloped him. He couldn't ask for more.

An MP40, not many bullets, half a clip at best. He could use that. Again a german weapon. He thought for a wonderful moment that perhaps if they did get stopped by germans no one would notice he was an escapee anymore.

Although, an ally? Nah, but that was crazy. No one was out here on their side, except for his friends... and they had headed in another direction. Unless... for some odd reason Derek had doubled back instead of heading onto the town?

Winly shook his shoulders, the feeling of warmth deep in his belly.

He noticed the dog had begun to make noises. Not outright barking, but mewling, growling from time to time. Enough noises for someone to investigate. Searching through the packs, Winly also got a few rations, scraps of jerky the dog was more than happy to chew on.

Taking Spot with him, leash in hand, and keeping the hat low on his head for warmth, Winly looked out at the farm they were now looking at. Derek had gone in there. Winly didn't hear a struggle or anything, but that could be a good or bad thing. He decided to go around the perimeter, make sure no one was around the other side. He could still try to help, at least.

Winly closed off his coat to the cold outside, buttoning it up as high as possible, and walking around the farmouse, looking for any sign of trouble. The dog at his heels did too, alert and watchful by his side.

 

[shadowoftheheart]

Tara saw the German trooper come around the side of the farmhouse.
MP40 in one hand, leash in the other. Trotting alongside, a dog.
She lined up her shot. Took a deep breath, emptying her lungs of air.

In between heartbeats ....

 

[cute_girl1]

Sarah started off towards the barking dog. The noise lead her around the farmhouse. She saw a man and the dog. It took her a few moments to realize who was, the person didn't act like the Germans.
"Winly?"

 

[RedHairedandFriendly]

Mary had crept slowly following quietly behind Sarah. They had moved together one step then the other. Mary followed each snowy print that Sarah left behind. Finally they reached the man and his dog.

The dog had heard them first, spinning around he growled low and long. Mary stopped as did Sarah. She watched the man turn around and crotch down. Recognizing Winly, the same time she heard Sarah say his name.

She sighed for a moment, seconds before her eyes widened and she saw the dog lunge for Sarah's throat. Yelling at Sarah to look out, she pushed her out of the way, as the dog's teeth bared down on her arm. Her screams filled the air as it locked its jaws down on her arm. His head thrashed back and forth.

Mary heard the yells of Sarah and Winly. She caught Winly moving towards her quickly yelling something about a Spot. "Obtenez-outre de moi vous chien stupide ! Vous damnez le morceau allemand de merde. Je veux votre coeur foutu pour mon petit déjeuner," Mary continued to rant and rave at the animal as she tried to throw him off of her. Finally she recalled the command that she had heard the guards use when they had teased and tormented her with the dogs, " Cessez et libérez!" The dog suddenly stilled and released Mary's arm. It sat there obediantly.. while Mary crawled away.

 

[poohlive]

It happened in the space of a heartbeat. The dog began growling softly, and then turned on a dime, lashing out. Winly could barely hold onto the leash, his strength near depleted. He swung around in a funny comical cartoonish way, on his heel, slipping in the snow.

That's probably what saved his life. The dog turning him around so fast. If he had stayed there, stayed hulking forward looking around the farmhouse, the bullet surely would have ripped through his heart, leaving him a cold and leathery husk on the snow.

As his heel slipped, as the world spun to a terrifying climax, he felt the bullet before he heard the repot. It hit his chest, not his heart, but his chest. Too far right, busting through him, tearing apart its own entrance and exit. He screamed, without knowing it was his voice, almost surprised to hear such pain and torment come from his own mouth.

At once he was on the ground. Laying flat. He didn't know how he got there, but he didn't care either. He couldn't breath. Breath stopped short in his lungs. It was like some huge ape had just sat on him, and refused to get off. He tried, using all his strength, dragging in a piece of air, hoping against hope it would come.

And then he heard it, a wheexing. Winly looked up, through blood splattered spectacles as his chest. As he breathed, blood bubbles came from the hole in his chest. A hole too far right to have hit his heart... but damned close.

"No," He screamed again. Not the lung, anything but the lung. He would have preferred the heart. The heart was easy, quick. A bullet in the lung, that was a long and painful death.

"No..." The dog, Spot? Was it Spot. He didn't remember. The dog loved him, licking his face, hearing the pain. When he screamed, the dog howled as well. They both cried at the moon, such a cruel princess out in the dead of night.

Lung... He tried to find out where the bullet was. Still in his body? God, such pain. He couldn't, all his right side was nothing but fire. His breath came in sippy and shallow, already he felt like he was drowning. Blood coming into his lungs, he could see it in his mind's eye. Blood seeping through the wound? Just one? Was there an exit wound?

He didn't know which would be better, or which worse. He had no tools, nothing to help. Doing this sort of bastard operation like fixing a lung was fucking risky even with good tools and some other patient, much less on himself?

God, he had nothing. Abruptly he screamed for a third time, trying to move, to do something with himself, but nothing came. Winly leaned part of his body up, and new pain ricocheted through him, black stars coming into his vision, threatening to eat him up alive.

"Help..." He coughed, red blood spluttered out onto his chin. Already? So soon. God, it was all happening so soon. A fucking good shot... not a kill, but he was down. Winly wasn't getting up any time soon. That thought struck him as funny, the funniest fucking thing he ever heard. He would have laughed, if he wasn't already screaming.

And that, ladies and gentleman, was even funnier.

 

[cute_girl1]

Winly had been shot. No doubt by Tara. She was one damn good shot. Sarah rushed over to where he was lying in the snow. The snow was now red from all the blood spilling out of Winly. Sarah no real medical training was a going balistic. She wanted to help but didn't have the know how.

"Winly is there anything I can do for you?" Sarah started looking through the pack that Winly had been caring looking for really anything that would help her. She looked at Mary and saw were the dog had biten a good portion of her arm out. "Are you going to be alright?"

 

[shadowoftheheart]

Yet again, I withheld my shot.

I saw Mary and Sarah approach the "German," who crouches. Then she can see it is the British Medic, Winley.

The dog suddenly lunged at the women, latching onto Mary's arm. They struggled, and Tara took aim at the dog. Not firing, for fear of hitting the flailing Mary, Sarah who was also too close to the line of her shot.

Then, almost as abruptly, the dog stopped, and sat, allowing her to crawl off.

Enough, and too much. Certain that Derek and Deacon had the situation in the farm house in hand, and becoming sick of what increasingly felt like a farcical play instead of an escape attempt, she rose up from her crouch, holding her rifle at ready just in case, and started to run forward to where the others were, at the side of the farmhouse.

She took 3, 4 steps when she fell back to her knees wincing. Her arm was aflame, her knees weak, and her core felt like it had been drained of every last ounce of liquid.

A year of captivity had certainly dulled her capacities.

It was then that she heard a rifle shot, and saw Winley fall.

"Ce qui dans l'enfer va sur ici !"

She surprised herself, as French was not a native or natural language. It must have been seeing Mary get attacked.

Too much was happening. This is not what was supposed to happen.

She felt the air change. Pressure adjusting, as something tore thru the air.

Mercifully, the enemy sniper was far less precise a shot than she, for the bullet missed her by inches. She felt it fly past, inches in front of her.

She fired her own rifle, down the path of the bullet. Not waiting to see what happened, she rose, groaning in pain and fatique, and ran toward Winley and Mary.

 

[shadowoftheheart]

Tara fell again, flat onto her stomach. She was within a few feet of where Mary and Winley lay injured.

She looked up at Sarah, who was in the best condition of any of them.

Winley was in far worse shape, and while she, like Sarah, had no idea what she might be able to do, crawled over to Winley's side. The rifle lay unattended for the moment.

 

[cute_girl1]

Sarah was getting more stressed out as the moments were passing. "Any one other than this poor bastard (pointing to Winly) have the slightest idea to help either one of them? I was trained to fly, not to be a medic."

Even though it sounded like it was supposed to be funny, what Sarah had just said was in all seriousness. She looked at Tara for answer, or for help. But she knew she wasn't going to get either one, because Winly was the only one with any real medical training. The rest just got everyday basic first aid training, nothing that would help Winly, they could maybe help Mary.

 

[RedHairedandFriendly]

Mary looked up at the dog, now licking Winly and whimpering. Then she saw the pool of blood oozing from him. She saw Tara with her gun and Winly in his german clothing. Yelling at Tara, Mary launched into her native tongue once more, "Pour ce que la baise vous l'a tiré. vous Russe stupide. Vous l'avez probablement tiré que les morts pas vous.... idiot foutu... comment soyez nous avons supposé pour sortir d'ici.... si vous ne pouvez pas baisant pour dire qui sont des ennemis êtes et nos amis. juste parce que vous étiez jusqu'ici parti... vous avez figuré que vous tirez mieux l'homme....chienne russe stupide..."

She glared at the Russian. "Stupid Russian," was the only English she offered out of her tyrade of French. Quickly she removed her jacket, though it was dirty they had to try and put as much pressure on the wound. She wrapped it up and pressed it against Winly's chest. Her arm ached and oozed blood, but her own pain was nothing and was numb to her as she saw the man's eyes close and his breathing became shallow as he slipped into unconsiousness.

 

[shadowoftheheart]

Tara blinked, watching Sarah panic.

She had seen plenty of wounds, most of them she had caused. She had seen a chest wound similar to Winly's once as close as this. More than a year ago, when Vladimir had been hit. She hadn't been able to do anything for him then but hold him as he died.

Mary's arm looked pretty bad, but she imagined first aid could be applied to her arm. Tara looked over to see if Sarah had found anything useful.

"Bandages or gauze. Cover the wounds. It's all we can do."

Her own arm burned, and she saw blood drip from her sleeve to the white snow below. Why not? Knock down everyone, easier for the Germans to take us back that way.

She sighed, and turned to Sarah to help her.

 

[shadowoftheheart]

"Il n'était pas moi. C'était un Allemand. Je ne tirerais aucun d'entre nous. Nous devons venir ensemble pour ne pas être déchirés."

Tara had intended a stronger response, but she simply didn't have the strength.

She helped the others as well as she could, in caring for Winley.