The woods were dangerous.
Every corner they turned, they chanced death.
Shells, bullets, splinters from tree bursts. Or the weather.
They only had a foxhole to keep them safe. When the Germans started shelling them, all the men could rely on for safety, was a hole in the ground. At night, the men used to feel secure in movements but then the enemy began shelling them at night, preventing anyone from moving.
And sleeping.
It was either too cold or too noisy to sleep.
And when it started to snow, the temperatures dropped once again. Bodies shook, teeth rattled, toes and fingers froze. Morale was so close to dropping. After only three days out in the forest, men could have easily started to show signs of breaking. The weather was unbearable. It was like they had been submerged into icy and freezing water. It could have easily driven them mad.
Moving around all the chaos, Rory felt like a small snowflake, lost in the white.
She got up, followed whatever orders Toye gave her and tried to find a place in her mind, to stop herself from falling into a great black hole. Rory had felt sad before and she had felt scared. But she had never felt anything like the way she did, out in Bastogne. It was always dark. The sun never shone, and it was hard to smile. It was hard to remember what warmth felt like. Or what a hot meal felt like once it reached her belly. Rory missed the smell of rain and the sound of birds.
And it had only been three days.
The tall fir trees cast a shadow over their line. They were all lined up, like still soldiers. Between the trees, the men had dug foxholes. And near the front of the trees, were the outposts. Things looked the exact same in the forest, it gave her a headache. She was sick of snow.
Toye sent Rory and one of the new guys, Garvin, out on a scouting mission.
They were warned not to go far but ended up losing their way.
The constant falling snow and heavy white fog confused their travels. It took Rory longer to realise that they had taken the wrong turn. In fact, they were near an opening. It wasn't a very big opening, but it looked huge, after being surrounded by trees for three days. A random piece of chicken wire met the tip of Rory's boots. And, tangled up around the wire was a little rabbit.
Having not seen any wildlife for days, she felt herself smile a little.
"Look". Rory whispered to Garvin, "it's a rabbit".
Garvin bent down.
And Rory watched, while he brought out his knife to set the rabbits legs free from the wire. But instead of watching the rabbit run off, she witnessed Garvin snapped the animal's neck. Gasping, she took a step back;
"why'd you do that?!" She hissed.
"We've 'gotta eat". Garvin mumbled.
Shaking her head, Rory pushed him;
"you idiot!" She yelled, "we ain't allowed to set up fires!"
She pushed him again and Garvin stumbled back.
Face forming into an angry frown, he snapped back;
"we'll find a way!"
Garvin stuffed the rabbit into his pocket.
Turning around, he walked further into the opening.
But Rory remained where she was.
Taking in sharp breaths, she lowered her eyes towards the chicken wire.
That small smart of brightness left her.
It left as quick as it came.
"Come on, Rory!"
Rory sharply looked towards him.
He turned to face her, his back to a tree.
"Look, I'm-"
His foot pressed against something.
And he let off an incredibly loud boom.
Rory fell back into the snow and hugged herself from the explosion.
Dirt, snow and wood fell around her.
As well as blood and pieces of flesh.
When the earth settled, Rory scrambled onto her feet.
"Garvin!" She called.
She was about to walk towards him but stopped.
Thinking back to training, she reminded herself of the lecture on mines. Garvin had obviously stepped on a Schu-mine. And she assumed there was more randomly dug under the snow. Carefully, she took a step back. Her boots crunched against the snow. Rory searched the area and eventually found Garvin. Soon enough, she heard him;
"FUCK!" He screamed.
Rory flinched.
And soon saw what caused him to scream out in pain.
His leg was missing.
Garvin let out another cry;
"ah…HELP ME! HELP ME!"
Rory's eyes looked back down towards the snow.
Biting her bottom lip, she brought out her knife.
And decided to get Garvin.
Very carefully, she got down onto her belly.
Using the knife, she could gently probe the snow for other Schu-mines. Rory knew that pressure could easily set the mine off, so, she had to be very careful and progress towards Garvin slowly. But it was hard when all she could hear was the young man scream and cry out in pain.
Gently crawling, Rory checked every inch of the snow in front of her.
And when her knife did touch something solid, she stuck a cigarette in the snow and pointed the tip towards the sky. During her tense and slow travels, Rory located around five Schu-mines, which she managed to mark. From there, she had created a safe crossing to get Garvin back.
Rory must have held her breath the entire time because, by the time she reached Garvin, she exhaled very loudly. Reaching into the man's pockets, she brought out an aid-kit. While the guy cried and moaned, Rory applied the sulfur powder on top of his wound. Once the powder was applied, she brought out a bandage and tied it tightly above the wound, to help stem the bleeding. Of course, it would only work for a few minutes. Rory had to get him a medic fast.
Using the same tactic, she had done with the men in Holland, Rory got behind Garvin and started to drag him. He squirmed around; the pain must have been horrendous. But in order for them to reach safety, Garvin had to keep as still as possible.
"You have to…stop moving so much". Rory told him, "you might set off another one".
He screamed again;
"FUCK!"
But he did stop moving around so much.
Garvin breathed heavily, trying his hardest to stay awake.
Rory carefully followed the narrow line back to safety. And once again, she held her breath the entire time. When reaching safety, Rory accidentally let go of Garvin because her body was shaking so much. Hands going on her knees, she panted, as if she had just finished running nine miles. That was the single most tense moment of her life.
Rory barely got her breath back.
But she forced herself to carry on.
Getting back behind Garvin, her hands went under his armpits and she continued to drag him.
He was slowly starting to lose consciousness but there was nothing Rory could do about it. The man was going into shock and she didn't have the supplies or the knowledge to help him. Though, he did manage to mumble;
"sorry 'bout…the rabbit". Before he lost consciousness.
Shaking her head, Rory mumbled;
"don't worry 'bout it 'no more".
Because Rory was walked backwards, she ended up away from their line.
But luckily for her, she stumbled into Battalion HQ, instead.
"Rory!" Winters exclaimed.
Soon, he and Nixon rushed over to help.
They never asked what had happened right away, their main concern was getting Garvin a jeep to take him to the nearest aid station. Nixon handled the radio call, while Winters called for a medic. Moments later, Roe and Spina arrived on sight. Rory took a step back and watched the medic stabilize Garvin before he was taken off the line.
She wiped her bloodied hands onto her trousers while watching Roe and Spina carry Garvin towards the A-jeep, which was waiting to take him away. And it quickly drove off, wanting to get Garvin away as quick as possible. Rory watched the jeep go until it disappeared in the fog. Her eyes remained staring at the road. With glassy eyes and a distant stare, her stomach felt heavy, with a sick feeling.
"Rory?"
She opened her mouth, intending on responding.
But instead, she gagged and vomited up watery bile.
Coughing, she spat out the sour taste in her mouth;
"sorry". Rory croaked.
"No, it's alright". Winters assured her.
He was soon by her side, hand going on her back;
"what happened?"
Wiping her mouth with her jacket sleeve, she said;
"he stepped on a Schu-mine".
Winters soon looked serious;
"where?"
"An opening, sir". Rory told him, "I marked the mines out with cigarettes".
Nixon huffed quietly with a tiny smile;
"good job, kid".
Nodding, Winters said;
"I'll mark that area off…Nix, you 'wanna call in the engineers to take care of it?"
"We'll probably run into more". Nixon said, while walking towards the radio, "we should get 'um to scout out more of the area".
"Alright". Winters agreed.
The adrenaline left and Rory started shaking.
And not just from the cold.
Roe walked over to the young Private and offered her a warm smile;
"let's get you back to the men, huh? Get you wrapped up".
Rory nodded;
"alright, doc".
Winters gave her back a little rub;
"well done, trooper". He said with a tight smile, "I'll let you know how Garvin's getting on when I hear something".
"Thanks, sir".
When the two medics led Rory away, Nixon had ended the call with the engineers.
"Well…they're sure not happy to be coming here". He grumbled, "lot of whys and…heck, they don't 'wanna be around this place".
Winters snorted and turned to face his friend;
"can you blame 'um?"
"Nope". Nixon said, "but they've got a damn job to do, Dick".
Heading towards his foxhole, Winters sat on the edge;
"I'll make the rounds soon". He told Nixon, "see how the men are doing".
"They seemed fine last night". Nixon said, "you know, just the usual talk about the weather".
Winters huffed out a tiny laugh;
"yeah…".
"You 'gonna speak with the Platoon leaders?"
"I thought you could do that". Winters replied, "tonight".
Nixon sat opposite him;
"yup…I'll do that". He agreed, "I ain't so sure about Peacock leading the men though".
Snorting, Winters agreed;
"yeah, me neither".
Shaking his head, Nixon mumbled;
"what the hell does he do up there all day?"
"His buddies are back in Division". Winters remarked, "he's probably in Bastogne".
Nixon sighed;
"what a sorry excuse for a leader".
"Easy wasn't blessed with Dike". Winters said, "we were all cursed".
…
"So, what'd they say?"
"1st Battalion pulled out of Foy, heavy casualties".
Spina huffed;
"so, if they're pulling back, what the hell are we still doing here?"
"Holding the line". Rory mumbled quietly.
The two medics looked down at her.
Shaking his head Spina mumbled;
"we don't even got enough to help you guys".
Roe gave Spina a tiny frown;
"we'll be fine".
Pulling a face, Spina looked back at him;
"no, we won't".
Roe wrapped his arm around Rory's shoulder and said;
"we're 'gonna find more supplies, alright? I'm taking the fella's aid kits".
Once back in their position, Rory went off to inform Toye of what happened. Of course, the man was gutted to have lost a man but thankful that Rory wasn't wounded. It made the guys a little uneasy about future scouting missions, fearing that they'd run into a group of Schu-mines. But gaps had to be closed, the line was stretched thin and the Germans could easily walk right into their position.
Sitting on the edge of a foxhole, Jackson and Heffron looked at her.
"You know what they 'wanna do to us, right?" Jackson said, "the Krauts…they're 'gonna make our lives hell".
Heffron sighed;
"Jack…come on, man. Don't look too deep into it".
Shaking his head, Jackson muttered;
"they're 'gonna drive us insane with shelling us at night, Babe. And then we're 'gonna have to leave the line…or we'll kill ourselves".
Rory sharply looked up at Jackson's, eyes widening slightly.
Frowning, Heffron shook his head;
"stop it, man…you're scaring Roo. It ain't fair. We're already scared".
Jackson stared straight ahead;
"just how it is, Babe". He said softly, "just how it is…".
Rory was worried about Jackson. She wondered if he was trapped inside a dark hole, where the life was sucked out of him. Rory worried that Jackson would try just about anything to get off the line. And it had only been three days. If things didn't get better, Jackson's state of mind would continue to get worse.
Softly biting down on her lip, her eyes soon spotted Lipton.
He was crouched down by Malarkey's foxhole, talking with him and Muck.
Frowning a little, Rory got onto her feet.
"Where you going?" Heffron asked her curiously.
"Won't be long". She replied quietly.
Making her way over to Lipton, Malarkey and Muck quietened down their conversation, when they saw the girl approach them. Standing behind them, she called out;
"1st Sargent?"
Lipton turned around and looked down at her;
"okay, Rory?"
Nodding, she then asked quietly;
"can we talk, Sargent?"
"Of course". Lipton agreed, with a tiny smile, "sure".
Hand going on her shoulder, Lipton led her away from Easy's position.
They went far enough away so the men wouldn't hear their conversation.
But Rory could still see Jackson. He was still staring blankly ahead.
Frowning, she looked back up at Lipton;
"I'm worried, Sargent".
Lipton nodded, countless of men had told him that over the past three days.
"Alright". He said, "what about? The shelling at night? Or the lack of supplies?"
Shaking her head, Rory mumbled;
"none of those, Sargent". She said, "'bout Jack".
Frowning a little, he asked;
"Private Jackson? Why…what's he done?"
"He's talking like…like he don't 'wanna be here no more, Sargent".
Clearing his throat, Lipton said;
"I don't think anyone wants to be here right now, buddy".
Rory wasn't sure how to put her concerns into words.
Because they all felt powerless at times during the day. It wasn't uncommon for a man to question why they were left to hold the line. But something pulled on her gut, whenever she looked at her friend. Something about his stare or the way he worded things, it caused Rory to worry. And she only wanted to help Jackson get better.
Fidgeting with her fingers, Rory shifted her feet.
Lipton could see the battle going on in her eyes.
With another frown, he asked;
"is there something more?"
Rory nodded;
"yeah…but I ain't sure how to…talk 'bout it".
"Okay". Lipton mumbled, "well…has he said something to you, buddy?"
Again, she nodded;
"yeah…he thinks that…that the Krauts are trying to make us lose our minds, Sargent. And that they want us to…to kill ourselves".
Lipton's eyes widened a little.
Rory was back to frowning deeply again;
"that bad, Sargent?"
"I'll have a word with him". Lipton promised her quietly, "thank you for telling me, Roo".
Very quickly, their 1st Sargent made his way to Jackson.
Rory remained where she was and watched.
Lipton's hand fell into Jackson's shoulder, causing the younger man to blink and come back to earth. A few quiet words were exchanged before Jackson nodded and rose to his feet. There, Lipton soon led him away from their position and headed for Winters CP.
Rory hoped she had done the right thing.
"What're you thinking, boy?"
Blinking a few times, Rory looked up.
Bull gave her a tiny smile;
"ain't you got something to do? Someplace to be?"
She shook her head;
"I came back from a scouting mission, Sarge".
"Yeah, I heard". Bull said, "with Garvin".
Rubbing her lips together, she asked;
"when…when 1st Sargent takes the fellas to Winters, what happens to 'um?"
Shrugging, Bull said;
"they come off the line".
Rory felt like a brick had just landed in her gut.
Her face pulled down into a frown.
Bull sighed;
"some folk can't stand it, Roo. It ain't their fault".
…
When Lipton didn't come back with Jackson, Rory jogged over to CP.
There, she found her friend sitting on the edge of a foxhole, drinking a hot cup of coffee. Winters and Nixon were both going over a map inside another foxhole, unaware that Rory had turned up. Her boots softly crunched against the snow while making her way over to Jackson. And once she reached her friend, Rory took the spot beside him.
Jackson blew into his hot coffee.
Rory watched him for a few moments in silence.
Waiting for him to say something.
And when he didn't, Rory grabbed a hold of his hand, which lay still against the snow.
Blinking, Jackson looked down at their hands.
He let out a shaky sigh.
Rory could see tears fill his eyes.
"Jack". She whispered.
Jackson closed his eyes.
One tear rolled down his cheek.
"I'm sorry". He croaked, "I should be…stronger".
Shaking her head, Rory gave his hand a squeeze;
"you are…strong". She murmured quietly, "it's okay, Jack".
Only two years stood between them. Like Rory, Jackson joined Easy at sixteen. He was only eighteen, the men would always see him as their kid brother. Back in Arnold Pennsylvania, Jackson had two loving parents and two younger siblings. And he had only ever been nice to Rory.
So, Rory was nice back to him.
"You sleep here tonight?" She asked him quietly.
Jackson nodded with a sniff;
"I'm 'gonna be Winters runner for a few days".
"That's good". Rory whispered, "how come he can't run himself?"
Jackson choked out a tiny laugh;
"that's not what it means, Roo…I'm 'gonna be doing some jobs for 'um".
"Oh". She said, with a sigh. "I get it".
Putting his cup down, Jackson wiped his face and eyes.
With another sniff, he let go of Rory's hand and opened his arms;
"come here".
Rory leaned into his side; arms wrapping around his waist.
Holding her tightly, Jackson mumbled;
"thanks for caring 'bout me, Roo".
She shrugged;
"you care 'bout me too".
Sitting in the foxhole a few feet away from them, Winters frowned and looked up.
There, he could see Rory sitting with Jackson.
"What?" Nixon asked, not looking up from the map.
"When did Rory get here?"
"Oh, she's here?" He asked, "I figured she might come down to see Jackson".
Winters smiled a little;
"he looks a little better".
Nixon nodded;
"that's good – but I 'gotta speak with you".
Sighing, Winters looked away from Rory and Jackson.
Facing his friend, he asked;
"what?"
"I spoke to the Platoon leaders from Easy". Nixon said, "Compton'll take over till the happy wanderer returns".
"Between him and Carwood, I'm not concerned for Easy". Winters said, "the Company's much better off in their hands than Dike's".
Turning off the small flashlight, Nixon pulled the poncho off from above them.
"Well". He said, "I don't have a hope for Dike".
Winters shook his head;
"me neither, Nix. But I can't exactly chuck him out now, can I?"
"Like you said". Nixon got out of the foxhole, "least they've got Buck and Lip, right?"
Winters got onto his feet and pulled himself out the hole.
"I'm 'gonna walk Rory back to the line". He told Nixon, "keep an eye on Jackson".
"Will do". Nixon agreed, "get back in one piece, huh?"
Making his way towards the two Privates, he watched the hug shared between them end. And Jackson gave Rory the smallest of smiles. She nodded in return, before getting onto her feet. Not looking surprised to find Winters standing behind them, she said;
"time to go, sir?"
Winters nodded;
"yeah…I'll walk you back, Rory. It's getting dark".
Turning around to face Jackson again, Rory told him;
"see you tomorrow, Jack".
He nodded;
"see you, Roo".
Following a familiar trail towards the line, Rory and Winters walk among the trees and falling snow. Rory wondered if it would ever stop snowing and if it didn't, she wondered if the snow would bury them all. Those types of thoughts kept her mind away from more serious matters. Like the fact that Garvin lost his leg earlier that day, or that Jackson was going through a mental battle.
"How come Lieutenant Dike ain't 'round?" Rory asked Winters.
He wasn't surprised by her bluntness. Being subtle wasn't one of her strongest points.
"Don't worry about Lieutenant Dike, Rory". Winters assured her, "you just keep following orders from the others, okay?"
Nodding, she said;
"I do".
"Good". He mumbled, "have you done much else today?"
Rory shook her head;
"Sargent Toye told me to chip away at my foxhole…and then me and Babe went on OP for two hours. And then I came to see Jack, sir".
"Sounds like you've done a lot today". Winters pointed out lightly, "that's good, trooper. You've 'gotta keep yourself busy out here".
She sighed and said;
"oh, I'm real busy, sir".
Feeling his lips twitch, Winters nodded;
"well, that's good, Rory".
But then, she admitted;
"I just…I don't like nights".
With a tiny frown, Winters agreed;
"no…no one does, Rory".
She could already feel her body tense, knowing the Germans would start shelling them right after supper. It made her stomach hurt too. Rory stared down at the snow. Her mind started to set off an alarm as if warning her that panic and chaos was just around the corner. Rory's arms wrapped around her stomach as if she were giving herself some comfort. Chewing the inside of her mouth, her eyes got lost in the snow. And her heart began to pick up in speed. Her ears could already hear exploding shells and men screaming for a medic, despite it being so quiet.
Reaching the line, Rory got into a foxhole.
Winters checked in on the men before leaving.
Supper was handed out to the men, to save them from leaving their positions.
But by the time their food got to them, it was cold.
Like most days, Rory couldn't stomach the food.
She knew what was about to happen.
Rubbing her lips together, she pulled the blanket around her body and curled up.
Liebgott jumped in beside her;
"it's 'gonna be alright, kid". He told her.
His arms went around her, while her face pressed up against his side.
Closing her eyes, she held her breath.
"INCOMING!"