The sky seemed to hang low and dank with the stench of gunpowder and death which hung over the low countries. A young girl lays in the grass still unconscious. The events of the morning still playing out through her mind over and over again.
The screaming and yelling echoing off the steel plate and the boom of the shells ringing out and cracking the air itself. she was good but tanks can only do so much against a dive bomber.
The high explosive tore through the side of the tank shredding her crew below. Miraculously she was untouched and no sooner she had realised that had she climbed out of her wrecked tiger and leaped to the ground tumbling and rolling from the pure shock her body was going through.
When she opened her eyes she had somehow moved about 20 yards away from the tank. The ground was a cushy bed of grass which welcomed her shocked nerves but the ruthless soldier that she was drove her up when she stood however she was greeted by the ammunition in the tank detonating and sending her flying with a harsh slam and the ground enveloped her.
Her eyes slowly fluttered open bloodshot from the trials of the day stared up at the clear star speckled night sky. Her tank now just a smoldering wreck, sent a column of fumes into the sky. Behind her footsteps approached. Eva reached for her pistol. When the figure dived to the ground she pulled the trigger and her luger locked back in misfire. She screamed at herself for not getting a walther.
She tried to make a break for the treeline in low crotch but fell over immediately. Her attacker has not fired and instead listed her rank and division. Lieutenant Adelina was a strong commander in the grenadiers. She weighed the odds of an allied attacker knowing all of that information.
She took the risk. She called out "Eva royce colonel waffen ss panzer core panzer lehr division". Silence filled the air as the figure stood up and walked towards her until finally her face became visible. It was indeed sergeant adelina.
The halftrack rumbled along the narrow dirt road. She hated this terrain. Armor had no advantage or place here. An infantryman's job. Not a grenadiers. The sound of planes overhead drove her to yell out orders to look for a break in the brush but none could be seen.
The colonel above her yelled for the crew to bail out as a hurricane plane flew down and as the order left his mouth the bomb wined down to them. The world went white. She awoke in the woods face down several deep pains throbbed all over her body.
She’d been hurt before El Alamein, tobruk, sicily but never had she been ejected by a shockwave before. She slowly stood her legs shaking with anxiety the smoking wreckage of her half track was about 25 yards away. No one else appeared to have survived the assault.
Well separated from the division lost and with no means of motorized transport this was a good day to die. With a final longing glance back at her tracked companion of over three years she turned into the woods and moved north by east. Night had fallen but she was determined to move forward.
Divisional headquarters was over 20 kilometers away i'd take her all day and tomorrow night to get there as she came out onto a field the wreck of a tiger tank brought a tear to her eye. What a waste she thought. Some movement in the corner of her eye drew her attention and she froze.
Could she have imagined that. You never ignore movement on the battlefield. No sooner had she jumped to the ground a shot flew over head. She tore her sub gun from her back and rolled closer to the tank wreckage. She heard someone try to stand and fall over. She also heard A slightly girly hmph.
A downed allied polit? But where was their chute. Could it be a tank survivor.
With great hesitation she called out to the unknown form lieutenant Adelina Kleiss 2nd class panzer lehr division 4th grenadier regiment. Who are you? Adelina could sense the hesitation of the other person . When the colonel responded she was amazed Eva was one of the top tank aces of the war.
With fear in her movement she stood up and walked toward the prone figure and it was indeed the legendary Eva her luger lay in hand.
Eva awoke in a shallow foxhole. In the hole were a few guns and ammo along with some rations and two rucksacks. Several parts of her body were bandaged and she could see how badly she had been hurt. Rustling in the nearby brush pulled her attention however she lifted her heavy arm and gripped her luger but before she even had a chance to defend herself Adelina came through the brush a large bundle of sheets in her arms. “Oh your up i thought you’d go into shock thank god you didn't Mam” Eva nodded in agreement,” Sergeant how far are we from our lines?” Adelina tossed down the bundle of cloth and looked down at the ground concern in her step. “ Well?” Eva pressed.
Adelina met her gaze powerful green eyes filled with doubt,” My guess would be about 30 to 40 kilometers at least.” Eva took a sharp breath. Maybe 40 kilometers! It would take weeks to cross the enemy lines let alone get back to main German formations. They were trapped in the Allied tide. Eva forgetting her injuries tried to stand only to bring a searing pain to her whole body and crumpled to the ground. Eva moaned in suffering. It was only now that she got the full scope of her injuries. She couldn't walk properly shrapnel had shredded key ligaments and tissue that would take years to grow back, not to mention the landing which had broken her arm and two fingers. She also had second degree burns on most her lower half.She would be scared for life. For the first time in a very long time she cried. Years of carnage and fighting had led to this release. Eva sobbed uncontrollably. Two warm muscular arms embraced her and she buried her head in adelina's shoulder. ‘She's my only hope’ Eva thought ‘ of ever making it out alive’. Eva cried for all she was worth until finally her whimpers and snobs came to a close. “Look mam i think i have a plan to get us out of here if your willing to give it a try.” Eva met Adelina's gaze shakily her usually glacial blue eyes now bloodshot and shadowed with terror.
The colonel pulled herself together and projected all her strength to Adelina. “ What is your plan sergeant?” Slightly shaken but still determined Adelina pressed on. “ Alright well obviously we won't be able to make it back in our uniforms. We’ll need clothes that will make us look like French refugees. Then we’ll hike back to germany saying we’re displaced people. Well how about it mam?”
Eva pondered the plan for a moment it sounded feasible but highly risky. She was very well known by the allies and they both spoke french with a heavy german accent. They weren't spies after all. “ there is one flaw Sergeant i can't walk”. Adelina's face lit up slightly with that which surprised Eva she thought it to be a crushing blow but instead the sergeant went behind the bushes and rolled out a bicycle.
Eva was stunned to say the least. On the back was a rig that looked like it was built to hold groceries and such but slightly larger and could barely fit her butt. “ I know it looks small but this could at least get us moving where we need to go commander.” Adelina seemed overcome with hope. Her face coated in dirt and blood was a glow. At this point it was all Eva could think of too so why not die trying to get back to the fatherland i mean it was better then dying of blood loss in a ditch.
” Alright Adelina where are we getting the clothes from?” Adelian kept up her dubious smile and moved over to the bundle of sheets she had tossed down earlier. She picked up the wad of cloth and unrolled it to reveal a few very cheap articles of clothing. “ Where did you get all of this?” “ I found a burned out farmhouse a few miles away and i picked up what i could carry.” More than impressed Eva began eyeing the clothes more carefully finally picking out the clothes that look like they’d fit her the best. Eva turned to Adelina,” mind helping me out seragent”. Adelina smiled and nodded.
The two took quite a while to get everything sorted out and getting Eva dressed was rather embarrassing for her but eventually they were dressed like two french farmhands and ready to go. They hid their subguns under heavy coats and put their supplies in a backpack which Eva would have to wear. “ Alright Eva are you ready?” she looked up at Adelina and nodded. She gave her support as she slowly began to stand up.
Her leg bandages crusted with blood and weak from atrophy wobbled as she finally found stability on Adelina's arm. Despite this and the fact that she was taller than adelina, however Eva was eventually fixed to the back seat which wasn't comfortable but at least she wouldn't have to walk.
Casually taking a last look around Adelina got on and with a heavy huff pushed them off into the shrubs. Maneuvering a bike through a forest is about as hard as it sounds but with a full grown person on back it was next to impossible. Eventually Adelina had to push the bike through with Eva still on it. Eva looked at the sergeant in despair she hated how much trouble she was causing her but she didn't have an option there was nothing she could do but watch Adelina suffer.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
By nightfall the two had reached a road and She was ready to take off but Eva had to order her to stop and take a rest. Adelina helped the colonel off the bike and into a small clearing surrounded by bushes. They had only made it about 5 kilometers. They couldn't light a fire they’d attract attention from miles around and with enemy units always within range they couldn't take the chance.
Adelina concealed the bike and brought the gear bag to the little hollow. They only had a few rations between them. They decided to split a consolidated nutrient bar. They only had one tent too which meant they’d be sleeping in each others laps. At least it’d keep them warm. The two soldiers snuggled up in each others arms and soon sleep overtook them.
Warm sunshine slowly came over the cusp of the world. Eva felt the heat soften her stiff clothing and sooth her frostbitten skin. The temperature had dipped the night before driving the two newfound companions deep into each other's arms struggling to maintain every ounce of warmth. Evas injuries certainly weren't helping and she could begin to feel that chill of life slowly deserting her like light leaving a weary world.
The bike ride was slow but surprisingly pleasant. The french countryside rolled by groves of trees and fields of grain lined their route home. They heard the occasional screeching of an airplane as it came down for an assault and the thump of artillery and the pitter patter of machine gun fire. Eva liked combat but at this point having been driven from two fronts and countless days of retreat fighting and praying she was glad she might be out of the war. Although home might not be that much different from the front.
Constant bombing, starvation, people that keep going out but not coming back. A German generation descending in fire. ‘But we’ll make them pay. Make them pay for everything they’ve done.’ “EVA!” Adelina yelled at her. She had been so lost in thought she couldn't hear her. “Are you okay it looked like you were passing out?” Eva shook herself a bit,” Its fine i just got lost in thought what's wrong?” “ Well i see a break in the road up ahead and was wondering if you could pull the compass out to make sure we stay on the right track.”” Eva nodded and carefully reached into her overcoat pocket She’d picked out of the pile of clothes.
Orienting the compass she determined they should follow the break in the road north. As they got closer and closer to the fork however they say little huddles of men. Not in german uniforms. They were American troops, paratroopers, guarding a new checkpoint. It sunk into them just how far behind the lines they were. As they entered the post the sergeant put up his hand up. Eva could feel Adelina tense. They both knew some English but their accents were heavy. The young man looked the pair over for a moment before considering what to do. With a heavy American accent,” pale vu france?” He was asking them if they spoke French. “We” Adelina replied.
The sergeant nodded and beckoned to another soldier. This man, a private, ran over eyeing the two girls in suspicion. The two whispered for a moment before turning to face them. “English?” The private asked. Adelina nodded,” Yes”. It came off so German sounding. Eva looked around 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 counting off the soldiers who had become hyper focused on their presence and who had begun to smile lasciviously and began eyeing them with hunger. Only one thought passed through her mind.
They were going to try and have their way with us. Fear began to eat at her with every passing second these two morons murmured at each other. It was Adelina turn to feel Evas pressure and building angst. Finally the soldiers turned back to them. “ Where are you from?” they both inquired. The two had split up the sergeant staring down Adelina and the Private eyeing Eva. “Were from Marseilles” Adelina replied.
This caught their suspicion,” Why are you traveling along this road then shouldn't you have turned south at the last junction?””We heard German soldiers were along that road and this one might be less dangerous”. The two weren't having it. The soldiers around them had gotten more serious as well. Steely expressions converged on them from every direction. “ Miss i’m sorry we didn't ask earlier but are you hurt you look very pale. Were you attacked by German soldiers?” The private knew what they were and Eva could see it in his eyes. All she could do is nodd and decided that this was it. Now or never.
She groaned in pain as she moved her long overcoat over to reveal the blood on the pants she wore. The private stepped back in surprise. Adelian pulled her pistol and shot the Sergeant in the face just as quickly she turned it on the private and shot him too. Eva pulled her subgun from under her cloak and opened on the soldiers surrounding them. The firefight lasted only a few minutes all of the Troopers lay dead. Adelina and Eva hadn't been shot once. They both took a few looks around and with a heavy sigh they both mounted their bike and pushed off the waters of the Rhine getting louder. By the time the moon had risen Eva was doing worse. When she had jumped off the bike with the subgun adrenaline had kept the pain out of though but when Adelina laid her down and redressed her wounds the stress had opened her cuts more.
As experienced as she was as a soldier and a field medic she couldn't fix this. They had taken some key supplies from the Americans but even with better equipment this required a surgeon. Adelina pulled out the map. There was a small town about 5 kilometres south. If the town didn't have a strong American presence yet she could get the town doctor to at least give her some pain killers. Eva was strong but her eyes were searing with agony and pain. Eva was passing in and out of consciousness, her mind wanders constantly. Adelina gave her a full ration knowing food was essential to her now more than ever before. As they laid down together the chill of the night slowly creeped in. Eva started to twitch and shake moaning in pain occasionally speaking to her father or mother. Reciting the words the Fuhrer had spoken to her in Berlin. Adelina was scared. There was no other choice it would take them out of the way but the town was their only hope.
Eva couldn't wake up. Adelina eyes wide and bloodshot shook her repeatedly screaming into her face but nothing could wake her. Her pulse was there but faint. She would have to work fast in order to save her life. Strapping her to the bike with cord Adelina raced towards the village. Not one solitary soul crossed her path. Even the allied planes had ceased their bombardment it was as though the war had been paused for them. In Eva's dreams she was being welcomed by Himmerler himself.
She could see the eyes of her family filled with pride and hope for the future of the homeland that lay in her arms. Her darling was in the audience shining in his crisp black uniform exalting with every step she took to heaven their blond hair reflecting the light of god into each others eyes and then all of a sudden the crowd of joy was gone and replaced by a mass of mourning faces downturned. Another beautiful maiden of our nation stripped by the dogs of war. Tears streamed and cries of anguish brought tears to her eyes. No her tears hardened. Iḿ not dying here today. She yelled and cursed finally her eyes opening blinded by sunlight as one face came into view.
Adelina was cradling her head crying that she thought she was dead. She could hear everything the sergeant was saying but her lips tuned up to a smile for that all she could do. Adelina understood clearly nodded her head and carefully lifted adelina up and tied her back into the bike. She was only half a kilometer from the village but would have to cut through the woods to avoid any possible allied forces stationed there. The sky was so beautiful Eva could see herself playing with her friends on the Berlin block naming their cloud creatures. Laughing, playing, it all seemed milenia away. The leaves of the trees danced in the wind as Adelina precariously charged through the grove. Eva had almost died she needed help tonight or shed die for sure.
Eva knew this too refusing to shut her eyes afraid that the world of her death would return. She cackled in deaths face before so shed be damned if hed get the last laugh now. The crimson glow of sunset warmed the air as the pair approached the outskirts of the village. There hadn't been any sounds of armored vehicles or large stomping of soldiers. The whole afternoon nothing seemed wrong. The silence was as peaceful as it was excruciating. This couldn't wait any longer. Adelina as quietly as she rode her bike into the village. It was small with some ancient cobblestone streets and no real modern structures to be found.
At first it looked like the whole town had been abandoned but as they came to the village center the light of a fire started to reflect off the pane glass windows. Pulling into an alley Adelina carefully peaked around a storefront and saw a mob of french country people armed with weapons speaking softly to each other. The crowd obstructed most of the bonfire but from what she could see at the side they had been burning German flags and paraphernalia. Oh god these weŕe the hunters who tracked down German soldiers for revenge killings. Slinking back into the shadows. She raced back to her bike.
Eva was holding one eye open as she'd lost the strength for the other a thin line of blood running down her cheek. ̈It's a hunter mob they'll kill us if they find our we ́re German but we have to try anyway to get you a doctor okay?̈ ̈ Adelina's whisper was faint and fear stricken but Eva heard every word and she nodded in agreement. Slowly but safely they maneuvered down the tiny alleyway and onto a business district street. There were a few passerbys here and there but they were mostly older folks out of the reconquest slaughter.
They caught one or two suspecting glances but most simply turned away clearly ashamed that their fellow countrymen could sink to this level and that others were witness to it. Across the business district most storefront weŕe sealed outside of a restaurant or two and a hall at the end of the streets with drunken cheering shaking the air. Each spin of the tire clicking between the stone steps.
A lone light in an old Victorian style home drew adelina's eye. A small oak sign hung over a short picket fence ̈ ̈Dr. Marilao General Practitioner ̈Taking a few quick looks around she stepped carefully onto the sidewalk and untied Eva. Suppressing her deep grunts of pain Eva practically fell on Adelina their sack slipping from her back. She tossed their bike and backpack into the bushes on his front lawn.
Step by step they made their way to the front. Swallowing hard and robotically lifting her hand to the door Adelina overestimated her distance and locked the door to hard. Frightened by her mistake she slipped on the stoop and no sooner had she made it to the ground Eva came down right on top of her. Dr Marilao opened his door to bear witness to the human pool of suffering and pain decorating his stoop. ̈ ̈H-Hello?̈