Chapter 8---Demons
Hogan had nodded off, tossing and turning restlessly. It was then the dreams started.
The Colonel was stranded in the woods outside of the camp. The mist was very thick like fog, preventing him from seeing in any direction. He was in pain but he wasn't wounded. He was so anxious and stressed. Looking around, he couldn't seem to get his bearings. The cramps were getting worse. Wiping his watery eyes and the watery discharge from his nose, he fell to his knees with both hands on his thighs. He was sweating profusely, and the shakes were getting worse. He needed a shot badly and Kinch and Carter refused to get it for him, despite all his begging and pleading. Even Klink and Schultz refused. That was why he left camp after evening bed check. He needed to find Captain Diels. He would get it for him. But where was he? Which way did he go?
Wrapping his arms around himself, he ran his hands up and down his arms. He was cold, yet was sweating. The tears started running down his face. He fell over sideways on the ground and curled up into himself.
"Where are you?" he asked out loud, slurring his words. "You said you'd always be there for me. You said you were my friend. I need you."
"I'm right here, Colonel Hogan," a calm voice said.
Hogan, though curled up in a ball, managed to look around and saw a figure emerge from the dense mist. He recognized the figure of Captain Diels immediately. Approaching Hogan, the Captain knelt down beside him. The Colonel was trembling terribly.
Diels, reaching inside his coat pocket, pulled out a syringe containing a white, milky liquid. "It's been seven hours since your last injection, Colonel Hogan," he said. "You seem to be in terrible pain. Wouldn't your friends help you?"
"Not my friends," Hogan muttered in a whisper. "You…friend…" He licked his dry lips and looked at the syringe hungrily. He tried to reach for it, but his hand was shaking too badly.
"Do you want it, Colonel? You know how the game is played. Just tell me your Stalag. That's all you have to do. Just tell me your Stalag and you'll feel better immediately. Trust me."
Hogan tried to control his tremors but couldn't.
"Just tell me your Stalag, Colonel Hogan," Diels said, watching Hogan trying to curl up into himself. He knew he had Hogan where he wanted him, but he would keep feeding him the drug until the American was at a point of no return. He held up the syringe. "Colonel, it has been seven hours since your last injection, and I can tell you are not feeling well at all. I can change that. Just tell me your Stalag."
Hogan, his eyes unfocused, tried looking at Diels.
"Thirteen….Stalag…thirteen…" He slowly nodded off. He didn't even awaken when Diels rolled up his sleeve and jabbed the syringe in his arm.
Hogan's cramps and pain were nearly unbearable as he tossed and turned on his bunk. His face drenched in sweat and his hands shaking badly, he managed to look around his surroundings. They looked familiar to him, and it took awhile before he realized he was in his quarters at Stalag 13. He then noticed Kinch and Carter standing nearby, staring at him disapprovingly.
"Help…me…I need…" Hogan didn't finish as a cramp overtook him. "Captain… Diels…find him…need…him…"
Neither Kinch or Carter moved from where they stood. Kinch folded his arms.
"Sorry, Colonel," he said. "You don't need Captain Diels. In fact, Carter and I have taken steps to make sure you never see him again."
"Noooooo!" Hogan cried out in agony. "He's…my friend…friend…"
"Nooooo!" Hogan cried out as he struggled against the manacles holding him. "My friend…no…can't…can't…" He fell back on the bed looking around. He looked around and noticed he was no longer in his quarters. He spotted Diels sitting calmly in a chair beside the bed, legs crossed, arms folded. A faint smile appeared on Hogan's face. "Friend…" he murmured.
Diels smiled at the Colonel. "Yes, Colonel Hogan. I am your friend. Your only friend. I will never desert you. But you must be very hungry. You haven't eaten in two-and-a half days. There is a plate with a sandwich and a glass of water on the nightstand for you."
Hogan turned away. Besides not having any appetite, the thought of food was revolting to him. His head turned again when he heard Diels approach the bed. Looking up, he watched Diels unshackle both arms. He then helped Hogan sit up and shoved several pillows behind him to prop him up. He then placed the plate on the Colonel's lap. Hogan looked at the sandwich and then up at Diels.
"You need to maintain your strength, Colonel Hogan," Diels told him. "You must eat."
Hogan pushed the plate away. "Not…hungry."
Diels suddenly produced a syringe from his pocket. "Colonel Hogan, do you see what I have in my hand?" The Gestapo officer noticed Hogan seemed to look at the syringe yearningly. The Colonel licked his lips as if transfixed.
"You know the rules, Colonel. You must answer a question if you want this. But this time, it's going to be a bit different. If you want this, you must eat everything on your plate and drink all the water. If you do, I will reward you. If you do not, I will withhold this from you and let you suffer the pain." He put the syringe back in his pocket.
"Noooo…." Hogan cried out in anguish.
"You know what you must do, Colonel. I will leave you alone for an hour and give you an opportunity to decide what you want to do." That said, Diels turned and left the room leaving Hogan alone. He wasn't concerned about Hogan's hands being unshackled, because he now knew the American was hooked and wouldn't want to go anywhere since he knew he was able to get what he needed so readily right here.
Diels went downstairs to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of hot coffee. He had just sat down at the kitchen table when the door opened, and one of the two guards, Corporal Reinhart, entered, a concerned look on his face.
"Herr Captain, we may have trouble."
"What is it, Corporal?"
"I was in town checking on things as you asked me to, and I heard some things."
"What things?" Diels was interested now. "What's happened?"
"Major Hochstetter is looking for you. I overheard some people talking. He is also looking for Colonel Hogan and has orders to bring him back to Stalag 13. What do we do?"
Diels remained silent for a long moment as the wheels in his mind turned. Finally, a sly smile appeared. He looked at Reinhart. "Corporal, if Major Hochstetter wants Colonel Hogan so badly, then we will give him Colonel Hogan."
"But…but…I don't understand, Herr Captain."
"You will. And very soon. Go find Sergeant Schuler and both of you report back to me. What needs to be done will require both of you."
"Right away, Herr Captain." Reinhart quickly turned and left.
Diels finished his coffee. He really hated to do what he was about to do. But it was a necessity. He slowly got to his feet, and removing his weapon from it's holster, checked to make sure it was fully loaded; it was. Then, replacing it back in its holster, he headed back up the stairs to Hogan's room.
Hogan stared at the sandwich on his plate for awhile. He really didn't want it, but if he didn't do what he was asked, he wouldn't get what he really wanted which was what Diels had. So, even though he didn't have any appetite, he grabbed the sandwich and took a bite. He winced. The mere taste of food revolted him. He took another bite. As he forced himself to chew the food, the bedroom door opened and Diels entered. A smile appeared on his face.
"I'm glad to see you are eating, Colonel," Diels remarked as he entered the room. He sat down in the chair and crossed his legs. He noticed Hogan looking at him. "Please, continue eating, Colonel. I want it all gone. That is the only way you will get rewarded." A sudden knock on the door caused both men to look up.
"Enter," Diels said. The door opened, and Corporal Reinhart and Sergeant Schuler entered.
"I have found Sergeant Schuler and we are reporting as ordered, Herr Captain."
Diels glanced at Hogan for a moment and got to his feet. "I shall return shortly, Colonel. Continue with your meal." He turned and left the room with the two guards following. When they had returned downstairs, Diels told them what he wanted them to do.
"You want me to dig a grave, Herr Captain?" asked Schuler.
"Yes. And I want it near the area of Stalag 13 where it is sure to be found. But I don't want it done until later tonight. I'll tell you exactly when."
"It will be done, sir," Schuler.
"Meanwhile, you will help the Corporal with what I want. And I want it done exactly as I said. Understood?"
"Jawohl, Herr Captain."
"Excellent. Get started and once it has been done report back to me. I must return to Colonel Hogan."
Sighing, Diels slowly mounted the steps to Hogan's room. What he was planning he hoped would throw Hochstetter off his trail for good. Also, it wouldn't bold well for Hochstetter in the eyes of his superiors, but Diels didn't really care. Hochstetter was nothing more than a thorn in his side. It would be a shame really, what he was planning, but in war, one was often called upon to do things that one didn't necessarily want to do.
