A/N: This next chapter and the first part of the final chapter are a mix based off of scenes from the chase/fight/bear attack from 'The Fox and the Hound', the witch castle chase from 'The Wizard of Oz', and the ending of 'Savage Sam'. Lots of suspense and action to take place from now until the ending of this story, so I hope you guys enjoy. And, as always, leave a review for me. :)

Chapter 14:

Thomason and Kalina had been walking for over half an hour, but they still had not reached the designated meeting point. The colonel was fumbling with a compass as Kalina came to a halt and sighed.

"Aw Colonel," she said. "Let's face it; we're lost."

"We're not lost, we're just...not there yet."

"We've been walking for almost an hour. And these trees look familiar...I think we're going in circles."

"Hey, I'm new to this, alright? We'll figure out a way to that hill if it's the last thing I do."

Kalina shifted uncomfortably in her spot, her hands clasped behind her back. "I wouldn't say that in our current situation, Sir," she answered softly.

Thomason froze and felt an eerie chill roll up his spine. He swallowed a knot forming in his throat, then turned to the little Klink and wrapped his arm around her shoulders protectively. "Come on, kiddo. Let's try this way," he said, gesturing with his head to the left.

The duo started off foot in a new direction this time, praying the whole time that they would either find Kinch and the others, or they would find Buckley before he found them.

Bahnsen finished laying out all the fire snappers that were usually thrown on the ground to 'pop' at big celebrations. This was no celebration, though. This was to alert him and Magnus that Thomason had walked into their trap while they were in hiding. While he placed the last pile of poppers onto the ground, Magnus was tied up to a big oak tree to the major's left, watching his owner as he set the trap.

"There she is," Bahnsen said, with a ghostly grin. "Jannik, you genius." He let out a cackle. "That damn colonel's no match for you this time."

Thomason and Kalina continued walking and came across a sandy, gravelly path leading towards somewhere. The colonel took a few steps forward, when Kalina paused and felt her body freeze. A nasty chill was wracking her body and felt her stomach twisting in knots. Something was off about this path, she thought to herself. Something that read 'danger', 'get out', 'go away and don't come back'. She was not sure what it was, but whatever it was was making red flags and alarms go off all over in her brain. She spoke out in a quiet tone.

"Colonel," she said, making the American pause. "Colonel, stop for a minute."

Thomason turned around and saw the anxiety ridden expression that had plastered itself onto the girl's face. He frowned and looked at her with eyes full of concern. "Kalina, what is it, kiddo?" He asked.

"I don't wanna go down this way. It seems too quiet in that direction," she said.

"Aw kid, you're just worked up is all. What could be the worst thing we run into here; a pack of wolves?"

"Buckley or the Gestapo."

It was then Thomason froze himself. He slowly cranked his head back towards the path he was standing on and gulped. He pulled out his gun, signaled for Kalina to be silent and follow, then carefully resumed walking with the little Klink close behind him.

Bahnsen was busy covering the fire snappers with fallen leaves, when Magnus picked up a familiar scent along with a new one tagging along with it. He sniffed the air a few times to make sure, then gave a loud snarl. Bahnsen looked up from what he was doing and stared off in the direction they had just come in with furrowed eyebrows.

"What the hell?" He muttered to himself. He got behind the large oak tree with Magnus and got his pistol out just in case. He soon heard soft footsteps from behind them that slowly became louder.

Thomason saw the intersection of paths ahead of him, stopped in his tracks, and held his arm out to stop Kalina from going any further. He withdrew his pistol again and cocked it, preparing for any unwanted visitors in the area. "Stay quiet and behind me," he said, in a low tone. He resumed walking, and Kalina followed, taking out her own gun and swallowing a knot in her throat.

Thomason slowly made his way deeper into the forest, wide alert and with a deadpan expression to his face. The further he walked down the path, the more tense his muscles grew. The more his chill running up and down his spine gave him goosebumps. He gulped and eventually let his shoulders fall out of fear and caution.

As Bahnsen and Magnus blended in with the tree, the colonel and Kalina kept walking closer towards them. Thomason kicked a few leaves off of the fire snappers, but not once did he step on one of the piles. He was deciding on which way to go next, when he heard Bahnsen's gun being cocked somewhere nearby. He took a few steps back, when he stepped on a huge pile of fire snappers, making him jump in the air and drop his pistol while Kalina stood and watched in horror. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was hanging to the point it could have fallen off her face.

Thomason sprinted back in the other direction, stepping on the rest of the piles of fire snappers. He swept Kalina up into his arms, making her drop her own gun in the process. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into the crook of his neck as Bahnsen fired his gun a few times. He released Magnus and had the dog chase after him, the major not being able to catch up to them.

"God damn it, they're getting away!" He bellowed.

Once certain they were far enough, Magnus's barking faintly heard in the background, Thomason set Kalina down on her feet and roughly grabbed her by the hand.

"Quick, Kalina!" He cried, the two of them running off further into the forest. They stopped near a pile of huge boulders leaning against a tall, thick tree and turned to one another. "Go on," Thomason ordered, trying to catch his breath. "Get to that cabin up the hill."

The teenager nodded and darted for the abandoned living space, while Thomason looked for a place to hide and surprise Bahnsen's mad dog. He saw one of the boulders hiding behind a larger one and a fat tree trunk. He leaped onto the giant rock and crouched down, quietly waiting for the Doberman to reach him. He narrowed his eyes and made a snarl just before jumping down in front of the dog and making his ground.

Bahnsen's dog growled as he and the colonel circled around one another for several seconds before deciding to leap for his target. Thomason was too quick for Magnus and jumped out of the way. The American made his way for the dog's hind legs and stepped on one of Magnus's paws. The Doberman yelped in pain as Thomason fled for the cabin and Kalina.

Once the shock had worn off, Magnus charged in the same direction his prey had gone in, coming to a halt as soon as he reached the cabin. Thomason slammed the door shut just as the canine was about to enter and shoved a sofa in front to barricade the entrance.

The colonel ran to Kalina's side and wrapped a protective arm around her as the two turned their eyes back to the door. Magnus was trying to dig and force his way in, somehow successfully managing to move the sofa to the side a few centimeters the first few tries. As Kalina stood in terror at what she was witnessing, Thomason spotted a door in the back, tapped her on the shoulder, and pointed behind them.

"This way. Out back. Come on," he ordered.

The duo ran for the back door and opened it just a smidge. Both stuck their heads out to check if the coast was clear. As Thomason was about to make the call, Kalina looked a few feet ahead of her and felt her heart stop.

"Colonel!" She cried.

Thomason looked in the direction she was facing, and the air in lungs evaporated. There less than twenty feet away was Bahnsen standing with his pistol loaded and aimed. The major fired a few shots, missing the two by several inches. Both Thomason and Kalina fled for back inside the cabin, the colonel slamming the door with his back and pointed to the front.

"Back, back, back!" He shouted over the gunfire. A few more poorly aimed shots were made before gunfire ceased.

Kalina reached the front and backed away a few feet, seeing Bahnsen's dog was still trying to force his way in. Thomason stepped in front of her and leaned forward, his shoulders raised and eyes brimmed with flames. He ground his jaw and snarled as the little teenager began to shake violently.

"Oh no, Colonel," she said, meek.

As Magnus continued to growl and force his way inside the cabin, Thomason lunged from his spot at the door as if to break it down. The force was enough to pinch the Doberman's front paw slightly, causing him to jump backwards and yelp again. It lasted about three seconds before Magnus began snarling and digging at the door again.

In the back of the cabin, Bahnsen was pouring a can of gasoline all over. Once he emptied the can, he lit a match and threw it onto the ground. The area quickly lit with raging red and orange flames. He took his cap off and waved it back and forth to make the fire spread faster, sending thick black smoke inside towards Thomason and Kalina. The colonel buried the girl's face into his chest and leaned over her head to prevent her from inhaling any of the smoke.

Bahnsen gave an eerie, malice chuckle, made his way to the front of the cabin, and cocked his gun. There was only one way out for his prisoners, and they would meet the exit with a few bullets straight to the head. As his dog lowered himself and made deep growls, the major narrowed his eyes, his wide grin turning into a cold frown. "Try escaping all you want, you're gonna die either way," he called out to the two inside. His hand tightened on the trigger and ground his teeth. "Just like your Colonel Hogan did when I poisoned his water with that lethal dose of amphetamine."

Inside the cabin, Kalina and Thomason were coughing and hacking as the flames and smoke thickened around them.

"Colonel," Kalina croaked. "We're trapped." She coughed violently and felt tears welling in her eyes. Whether it was from her intense fear of dying or the flames and dust stinging her eyes was mere impossible to tell. "Colonel, we're gonna die in here."

Thomason's empathetic look turned into one of will and determination. They were not dying. He had promised Hogan to protect his boys and Kalina with his life, and he was not letting the late colonel down now. Not when this little lady needed him most. "No we're not," he growled. He grabbed a tight hold of Kalina's hand. "On three, we charge. One," he wrapped his arm tight around Kalina. She did the same in response. "Two...THREE!"

The duo ran towards the back door as fast as they could, made it fly open on impact, and they jumped over the flames, their bodies flowing with pure adrenaline. They landed in the grass with only minor burns and sprinted for a large hill with several rocky ledges. The meeting spot with the boys. They had found it at last.

"WHAT?!" They heard Bahnsen scream. "HOW?!...HOW?!"

Thomason and Kalina could hear gunfire and barking in the near distance, making them run even faster. Their lungs were burning, their legs were screaming with pain, but the sooner they got to Kinch and the others, the safer they would be.

Hearing all the chaos behind them, Kinch and the others looked down to find Thomason and Kalina charging away from a burning building and two shadowy figures following from afar.

"Colonel!" The radioman called out.

"Quick! Get her up there with you guys," Thomason said, lifting her up in his arms and handing her to Kinch. The officer jumped up onto the ledge and followed the group several more paths until they reached the cliff overlooking the waterfall. The six looked around for a way back to camp, when Carter finally asked the question for all of them.

"Where do we go now?"

Kinch scanned all around them, saw a path behind him leading up to another part of the forest, then pointed.

"This way," he said, gesturing with his hand. "Come on, guys."

Thomason and the others followed Kinch up the path and were out of sight before Bahnsen and Magnus reached the point they had just been at.

"Where are they?" He asked himself. Bahnsen and his dog started walking towards the ledge overlooking the waterfall, hoping to find another trail his prisoners had possibly gone on as faint rustling was heard from the back. Out from hiding behind a bunch of bushes and shrubs came a tall, thin man wearing an SS uniform. His hair was a deep brown color, and his eyes were almost completely black and hollow. Like there was nothing left inside him. Clutched in his hand was a fully loaded Browning Hi-Power. United States AAF Captain Gary Buckley emerged onto the ledge and followed the major, knowing who his next victim was.