The pace of activities increased around camp with the outbreak of war.
The need for men and officers took a new urgency. Men who enlisted or were drafted, no longer waited for induction and were almost immediately sent to camps like Croft. And the lucky recruits who were drafted into Croft that December, were instructed by Trent, Winters and Holly. They were from Chicago. And the three friends had to make soldiers out of them. It was their first task of true leadership.
It wasn't so bad. But the men from Chicago were wide-eyed, much like Holly was when she first arrived at Croft. She could empathize with the recruits. Holly's way of training was different from her friends. If she had been totally left in charge, then the men would be in no condition to fight in a war. She wasn't a totally confident leader, let alone person. But Slusher saw something in her, so Holly had to at least try to do better.
The men seemed to like Holly. Half of them knew about her father, while the other half knew they could get away with almost anything when it came to Holly. So, whenever Holly took MP duty, the men could drink all the beer they wanted. It was Holly's job to throw the men out, who had one too many to drink and to make sure their uniform was straight and appropriate. But she failed to do so. The men liked Holly for all the wrong reasons.
Slusher gave her hell for allowing the men to get away with the amount they drank.
And he warned her;
"if you don't get your men in order, then you'll be shipped down to Panama with the rest of your old class!"
Holly felt her shoulders drop;
"I've never led anyone before, Sargent". She told him.
He sighed;
"look, you're good with the men but they need discipline from you, Duffy. They like you but they wouldn't follow you into combat. Not with your laid-back attitude".
With that kick up the arse, Holly left his office and tried harder.
She got the men ready for lunch and had them marching towards the mess hall. Once lined up, Holly waited until every man was served and sitting down, before she joined the back of the line with Winters and Trent. They had split the men up, so they each had a handful to train. Between the three of them, they had around twenty to twenty-three each.
"Your guys are looking sharp today, Holly". Trent pointed out, "what changed?"
Holly sighed;
"Slusher gave me hell…said if I don't change my attitude, then I'll be shipped down".
Winters shook his head;
"I told you, Holly-"
"not the now, alright?" Holly half snapped, "I know I fucked up, Dick. I'm working on it".
"Well, I have some news that might cheer you up". Winters said, "we're going home for Christmas".
That did cheer Holly up;
"when?" She smiled.
"We leave on the 21st of December". He told her, "and we're 'gonna hitchhike the whole way".
The smile left Holly's face;
"you ever heard of a bus or a train, Dick?"
Winters chuckled;
"yup – but we've 'gotta save money, Holly". He reminded her, "it's cheaper to hitchhike".
With their plates full of food, the three friends found a bench and sat down to eat lunch.
"What about you, Trent?" Holly asked, "you going home?"
"I am indeed". Trent said, "only, I'm 'gonna take the train".
"Yeah…like a normal person, eh?" Holly said, sending Winters a tiny glare.
But Winters chuckled;
"come on, Holly…it'll be fun".
"You said that about the shit show". Holly reminded him, "remember?"
"I did". He agreed, "but that turned out to be fun".
Trent looked at the pair of them;
"alright…what's this shit show you keep on bringing up?"
Holly shuddered;
"you don't 'wanna know, mate…it was a musical".
"You don't like musicals?" Trent looked a little offended, "why? They're great".
"No…no – they're not, okay?" Holly argued, "no one in real life would burst out into song about an event that took place in their life, Trent".
"But that's what makes it fun, Holly".
Winters smiled at him;
"you'll never change her mind, bud". He said, "Holly's set in her ways when it comes to musicals. Even the good ones".
After a quick lunch, the three friends were back on their feet to get their men ready to leave the mess hall for more physical training. They had a march around the camp and then moved onto the obstacle course. Holly's men ran the course first, she had to run with them, making sure they completed each obstacle. All the while yelling and encouraging them to go faster. For the men who had no confidence in climbing up the rope, Holly was there to be confident for them. The same went for the wall, or any other obstacle.
"Help Sam!" She yelled to Clark, "help Sam! He's struggling – get him over that wall, Clark!"
Clark reached down for Sam's arm.
And Holly stared at him;
"Clark, don't be a prick!" She yelled, "your arms haven't suddenly grown – climb down a bit and then help him! For God's sake, where's your common sense, lad!"
Frowning a little, Clark climbed down and reached for Sam's arm.
The smaller man grabbed hold of his friend.
"Good!" Holly praised, "now, pull him up! Sam, place your feet on the wall and help him!"
Her eyes then watched, while two other men jumped down from the wall;
"over to the next wall!" She yelled after them, "help each other up!"
Holly raced for the wall with them and jumped up;
"come on, boys!" She encouraged while climbing up, "almost finished – let's beat our last time!"
While on the top of the wall, she looked down and saw the other men jumping and climbing up.;
"good!" She said, "almost at the top – let's go!"
Holly reached down and helped a few of them up;
"cross the finish line – go! Go!"
Jumping own, she chased her men towards the finish line;
"last sprint, get going!" Holly yelled, "don't fucking slack – get going! MOVE!"
Sam, the smaller man, was practically dragging his feet.
Holly sent him a firm look;
"if you do not shift your arse, then you'll all be doing this again!" She warned him, "come on, Sam! Don't you fucking fail me!"
"Christ, Duffy!" Sam puffed.
"Don't Christ me, lad!" Holly yelled at him, "Jesus can't save you out here – move it!"
Sam smiled and almost laughed;
"you're getting better at this –"
"if you can talk, then you're not working hard enough!" Holly snapped, "get your goofy fucking feet over that damn finish line!"
Sam was the last to cross the finish line.
Holly's stern expression softened.
She took in her men, who were all huffing and puffing.
Nodding, she said;
"good job, lads". Holly smiled, "we beat our last time. We'll run it again tomorrow morning. Catch your breath. Let's watch the rest of them complete the course".
She then added;
"and remember, that last sprint counts. So, don't slack off. You all did great. Even you, Sam".
While Sam beamed, the other men laughed.
It seemed Slusher's warning did Holly a lot of good.
She changed dramatically and her men started to respect her more as a leader, rather than a friend, who let them drink until they couldn't stand. Which was just as well, because Slusher allowed her to take that ten-day furlough with Winters for Christmas. Her old Sargent was impressed with Holly's, Winters and Trent's work. He could see a lot of potential in the three close friends.
…
When the 21st of December approached, Trent had a change of plan. Dorothy decided to travel down to Croft instead of Trent heading back to Lancaster. It was five hundred and thirty miles back home; Winters and Holly had a long way to go. So, on the 21st, the pair of them got up at six-thirty in the morning and began their journey.
They made it to the highway at seven-thirty.
Winters stuck his thumb up in the air, while the pair of them walked along the road. It was a cold day and the clouds looked heavy and rainy. Still, they were both optimistic and happy to be heading home. However. After ten miles of walking, no one stopped to offer them a ride. Licking her bottom lip, Holly looked at Winters;
"can I be honest?"
Sighing, he nodded;
"okay…".
"I'm tired". She said, "and cold, Dick".
Frowning, he looked at her;
"me too".
"This was a bad idea".
Winters shook his head;
"don't worry, Holly…someone will stop eventually".
A woman did eventually stop.
And they were both so cold and tired, that they took the ride. She was heading for Louisville, but the two friends didn't care, they'd take any ride. Holly got in the back and closed her eyes, catching up on some much-needed sleep, while the woman told Winters all about the history of her hometown. And Winters was so polite, that he listened to every word she said.
When they reached the city, Holly and Winters checked in at the local YMCA, where they were treated to a chicken dinner. It was a lovely homecooked meal, reminding Holly of the meals she and Winters used to cook back in their old flat. They had a glass of orange juice each and clinked their glasses together, for making it to a nice and warm place.
"See? It's not so bad, is it". Winters said, "it's an adventure".
Holly hummed;
"feels that way, eh?"
She settled in with the way of hitchhiking. Especially if they had a chicken dinner at the end of each day. After exploring the city, they settled into their room and lay in a bed each. Holly stared up at the dark ceiling. Until she turned her head to the side, looking over at Winters. Feeling her stare on the side of his face, Winters turned to meet her look.
He smiled softly;
"okay, Holly?"
"Are you tired?"
He shrugged;
"a little…are you?"
Holly shook her head;
"I was thinking about Ryan".
Winters raised an eyebrow;
"oh, Jesus, yeah – do you think he's alright?"
"I hope so". Holly mumbled, "we should visit him when we get home, Dick".
"Good idea". Winters agreed, "if he's home".
She frowned;
"oh, yeah". Holly whispered, "he got drafted".
The pair of them went quiet for a few moments.
"Holly?"
Blinking out of her thoughts, Holly whispered back;
"yeah?"
"Remember your cousin's wedding reception?"
She sighed;
"unfortunately".
But Winters didn't smile at her remark;
"that guy…Barry…he hurt you".
Holly frowned again;
"what about it?"
Winters shrugged;
"I just…I'd never hurt you, Holly".
"I know, Dick". She mumbled softly, "you're the best person in the world".
Winters snorted;
"no, I'm not".
Holly's face turned serious;
"you are". She argued, "and Barry – I don't know what Barry is, Dick-"
"an asshole". He cut her off, "he hurt you, Holly".
"Why are you thinking about him?"
Winters sighed;
"sometimes I forget you had a guy like him in your life".
"Everyone makes mistakes, Dick". She said, "and he tricked me, you know? He was the sweetest for the first two months of dating". Holly told him, "and then – well, his true self appeared, and I was too scared to walk away at first".
Winters frowned;
"why?" He asked, voice cracking.
She smiled small and sadly;
"I didn't have someone like you to help me". Holly whispered, "I needed a safe place to go after leaving him, Dick. And the only person I could rely on, was my Auntie and Uncle. They agreed to let me come back-"
"come back?" Winters whispered, "you lived with him?"
She nodded;
"yeah…for three months". Holly said, "I should have left him after he hit me the first time but – well, he was sorry and…and he cried in my arms. And he promised he wouldn't do it again".
Her eyes looked away from Winters as if she felt too ashamed to look at him;
"but he did". Holly whispered, "a lot…he said it would help me. And that I had all these issues cause I didn't have any parents, or a father figure. And I believed him".
When Holly caught sight of Winters, his eyes glistened in the darkness.
She frowned, feeling her own eyes well up with tears;
"when I did leave him…I cried. Because I felt so relieved. And maybe a little lost".
Biting his bottom lip, Winters asked her;
"wanna share tonight?"
Holly pulled back her blanket;
"get in, then – you softy". She croaked.
Winters was soon in her bed. She pulled the covers over them.
And she turned to face him.
His hand went on her arm;
"can I hug you?"
A tear rolled down her cheek, while she nodded;
"okay".
They embraced each other tightly.
Holly was pressed up against his chest, arms wrapped tightly around him. Winters closed his eyes, head buried in her thick and growing blonde locks. Holly's fingers dug into his bareback, while he held her tighter. Opening his eyes, Winters kissed the top of her head;
"we should get some sleep". He whispered.
"Yeah". She breathed into his chest.
The embrace ended.
The two friends stayed close together and fell asleep.
After sleeping for over six hours, they got up at six in the morning and caught a bus to take them to the edge of town. Sticking out their thumb, they almost immediately caught a ride and were headed for Charles Town, West Virginia. It was a married couple who collected the two hitchhiking soldiers. Holly and Winters sat in the back of the car, while the husband told them all about the history of Charles Town. But after fifteen minutes, the wife finally said;
"hon, I don't think the kids care".
The husband sighed;
"I'm trying to educate them, Sandy".
The wife smiled;
"don't pay any attention to Carl, he skipped breakfast".
Holly gave the man a smile;
"don't worry, we've all been there".
Grinning, Winters wrapped his arm around her shoulders;
"Holly's favourite pastime is eating".
"It's true". She confirmed, while leaning into his side, "I spent the whole day eating a block of cheese once".
The husband looked impressed;
"did you really? That's incredible".
They reached Charles Town as it was getting dark, but Winters wanted to keep moving. He wanted to reach Clarksburg, which would only give them three hundred miles left to go. Holly agreed and the pair of them walked along the highway, thumbs in the air. One car pulled up beside Winters and rolled down the window;
"looking for a ride, son?"
Winters nodded and smiled;
"we sure are…we're heading for Clarksburg".
"I can get you near there". The man told him, "hop in, it's getting dark".
Holly got in the back and Winters sat up front with the man.
The man seemed nice enough and could hold a conversation. Holly spent most of their ride staring out of the window, however, while the two men talked about baseball and football. Those subjects couldn't hold Holly's attention for very long. Which was fortunate for the man.
He placed his hand on Winters thigh and said;
"we can find a nice hotel up ahead and have a good dinner".
Holly raised an eyebrow, looking torn between amusement and concern.
But the man didn't stop there.
He then added;
"then I can make you feel happy".
Blinking a few times, Winters eventually said;
"here's a better idea". He lifted the man's hand away, "do you see that crossroad up ahead? I'll be happy if you just stop right there so we can get out".
Both of his hands went on the steering wheel. It seemed the man had forgotten about Holly in the back. She was fighting back a smile and then said to him;
"don't worry, man". Holly assured him, "this never happened, alright?"
"Right". The muttered.
And he didn't say anything else.
Out of the car now, the pair of them were standing on the dark highway in the West Virginia mountains. Winters was shaken by the unfamiliar experience with the driver. And he even shuddered a few times. Holly watched him, with a raised eyebrow;
"doing okay?"
He shuddered again;
"I don't even know, Holly". He mumbled, "but it's so damn cold out here".
"Yeah". She agreed, "we should keep walking before we freeze, Dick".
"Alright". Winters replied quickly, "keep an eye out for any cars or trucks".
They began to walk, for the first few moments in silence.
Until Holly said;
"we ever 'gonna mention that?"
"No!" Winters exclaimed, "no, Holly. We never mention that!"
Holly stopped walking and turned around to face him.
With a small smile, she placed her hands on the side of her face and shushed him;
"alright, calm down". She said, "we'll never bring it up again".
Winters sighed;
"thank you".
Holly's thumbs rubbed against his jawline;
"except at family gatherings".
He groaned;
"no, Holly-"
"sh…I'm kidding, you numpty".
He sighed again;
"it's not funny".
Her lips formed another smile.
Winters shook his head;
"no – no, it's not funny".
Not saying a word, Holly stood on the balls of her feet and kissed his cheek;
"come on". She said, "let's get the fuck home – it's freezing".
They did manage to catch a ride into Spencer.
And come the next day, it rained heavily. It would be their longest day. They didn't get a ride straight away and they didn't arrive in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania until midday. There, they hitched east along Route 30. The famous Lincoln Highway was heavily travelled, but rides were hard to come by. Winters was angry with his own home states hospitality that evening. Holly was too drenched and tired to care.
They arrived at the Winters family home at midnight, on the 23rd of December. There, Edith and Richard were there to greet them. Edith had run them a hot bath and had their beds all freshly made. Once their uniforms were stripped, they took turns in having a bath. And after soaking in hot water, they got into bed and fell asleep for fourteen hours.