"You listening?"
"Yeah".
"Good". Toye said, "here's what you're 'gonna do, kid. You're 'gonna stick close to the fellas, right? And you ain't 'gonna wander off and get lost, are you?"
Rory shook her head while trying to match her Sargent's pace.
"I'm glad we agree". He muttered, "lastly, you get whatever supplies you can get your hands on. Blankets, coats, rations, ammo…fucking napkins. I don't care. Grab it all, capeesh?"
Again, Rory nodded and replied with;
"yeah".
At the end of the woods, Rory was met with a jeep.
Stepping onto the road, she could feel the light from the sun hit her.
Looking up, Rory felt thankful for the clear sky. Just an hour ago, planes flew above them for a supply drop. The men stepped out of the line, cheering and waving and letting off smoke grenades to welcome their friends. However, the guys flying the planes confused them for the enemy and began to shoot at 2nd Battalion. The shock wore off quickly though and the men began to hunt for the supplies which were dropped.
Toye wanted Rory to go with Lipton, Roe and a few others.
There, they'd head into Bastogne and search for more supplies.
Hand going on the jeep, Toye warned her again;
"don't mess around, kid. Got it?"
"Alright, Sarge". Rory replied, "I ain't 'gonna".
Taking her arm, Lipton hoisted Rory on the back of the jeep.
He gave her squad Sargent a smile;
"don't worry, Joe. Rory will be back".
"Oh, she will, Lip". Toye said, sending Rory a knowing look, "or I'll head into town and find her myself…and I ain't 'gonna be happy 'bout it".
She was a little excited to be leaving the forest. Even if it was for a supply run.
Rory hadn't left the forest since they arrived.
She was eager to see the town again.
Even if it was partly damaged. It was still a town, where other people lived.
Sitting herself down, she turned around and looked at Toye.
When the jeep roared to life and followed the road, Rory gave her Sargent a wave. Which he smirked at but waved back. Rory faced the front again and rubbed her hands together, looking at Lipton, she asked;
"what's it like, 1st Sargent?"
"What's what like, buddy?"
"The town, Sarge. Ain't you been?"
Lipton shrugged;
"looks the same when we last saw it, Rory". He told her.
"But…ain't their people there?" Rory asked, "like…normal folk?"
Lipton chuckled;
"Christ…you sound like you're suffering from cabin fever, buddy".
A tiny smile reached her lips;
"sorry, Sarge". Rory said, "but…I ain't ever seen a normal person in ages".
"Just remember and stay close, alright?" Lipton told her, "if I come back without you, your Sargent will kill me".
The jeep bumped along the road, taking the troops out of the forest.
Sitting on her knees, Rory turned around and watched, while the jeep rolled towards the town. She grabbed onto the railings, eyes lightening up when she saw civilians outside their homes, helping the soldiers gather supplies. The town did look the same as she last saw it, only, it was a lot busier that morning. The civilians were eager to help, they even gave some of the men hot soup or coffee.
When the jeep stopped, Rory quickly jumped down.
Boots landing in a slushy puddle, she quickly stepped out.
Lipton must have thought she was running off, for his hand grabbed her shoulder;
"ah – not so fast". He said.
Facing the rest, he gave them the orders;
"alright, you help the doc. The rest of you, come with me".
Rory followed Lipton and the rest further into town, while Roe and another man entered the church, in search for medical supplies. Following behind the men, Rory's eyes were constantly distracted. She had thought coming into town would do her some good. But when she saw a pile of frozen dead bodies, her stomach tightened with a horrible sickly feeling. Rory slowed down a little, Grant took hold of her arm;
"come on, Roo".
The civilians didn't appear to be smiling either. Most of them were crying.
And some soldiers even demanded the townsfolk to give them food.
Which left the women and children frightened.
Rory even spotted one soldier grab a woman by the arm and roughly drag her into a house. He slammed the door shut and Rory felt like puking. Because one little boy was left outside, crying for his mother. Rory tried to break free from Grant's hold. But he tightened his grip;
"come on, Roo".
"Stop, Sarge". She said, "something ain't right!"
With a sigh, Grant decided to listen.
He turned around and faced her;
"alright, what is it?"
Rory dug her heels into the road.
Forcing them to stop.
She took hold of her rifle;
"over there". She hissed, nodding towards a house.
Grant followed her gesture and saw the crying boy.
Frowning, he asked;
"what about it?"
"His mom's inside with a GI!" Rory exclaimed, "we've 'gotta help her".
"We don't have time". Grant said, "come on, keep up".
He grabbed her arm again, pulling her along.
But Rory's gut told her to check on that woman.
So, she kicked Grant behind the knee.
His hold dropped;
"Jesus!"
Rory turned around and ran towards the house.
"Rory!" Grant yelled, chasing after her.
Rushing towards the house, with Grant right behind her, Rory kicked the door open and stepped inside. Grant entered a few seconds later and grabbed her shoulder;
"what the hell are you-"
But he was cut off when they both heard a muffled scream.
It was coming from behind the last door, at the end of the hallway.
Grant let go of Rory's shoulder;
"wait here". He told her quietly.
"But, Sarge I-"
"wait. Here". Grant repeated, firmly this time.
Frowning, Rory nodded and watched the Sargent walk to the end of the hallway. When the door opened, she could make out the other soldier inside, with his hand covering the woman's mouth. She also saw his other hand, resting against the woman's thigh. That's all she saw before the door closed. However, she did hear what was said.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Grant demanded.
The soldier didn't reply.
Rory then heard a loud smack.
"Piece of shit". Grant muttered.
The door opened again. Only this time, Grant was dragging the soldier.
He had knocked him out, using the butt of his rifle.
Giving Rory a nod, he told her;
"calm that woman down…I'll take care of this asshole".
When Grant stepped outside, he pushed the soldier onto the ground.
Rory looked away and started walking down the hall.
Opening the door, she peaked inside and saw the woman leaning against her kitchen counter. She had a cut lip, a bleeding nose and a few marks on her neck and arms. Rory frowned and gently closed the kitchen door. The woman gasped and looked at Rory.
But she didn't look overly tense.
Rubbing her lips together, Rory walked towards a sink and turned on the taps. There, she ran a dish towel under the water and rinsed it out until it was damp. Watching the girl closely, the woman soon took a seat on a chair, while Rory walked over to her.
Very carefully, Rory pressed the damp cloth against the woman's lip.
The woman let out a shuddering breath, while tears filled her eyes.
Rory could tell she was still frightened. And she felt a little out of her comfort zone, having never dealt with a woman who had been assaulted by a soldier. Rory then moved the damp cloth towards the woman's nose, pressing it against the cut. The woman hissed.
"Sorry". Rory whispered.
Shaking her head, tears soon rolled down the woman's cheeks;
"it's…fine".
"I'm sorry for…him too".
The woman sniffed;
"it wasn't the first".
Rory frowned and felt her stomach twist.
The woman then whispered;
"and it will not be the last".
Rory felt a little betrayed. She thought they were supposed to respect the innocent and protect them. It made her realise that not all of their allies were good people. Rory suddenly felt very childish for thinking otherwise. She could forgive a mistake, but she couldn't forgive someone intentionally hurting another person. Especially someone innocent, like a mother who was only trying to keep her child safe.
"I'll get your baby". Rory told her.
She remembered that the woman's son was still outside, crying.
Leaving the woman to clean up the rest of her cuts, Rory left the house.
Turning to where she had last seen the boy, her face dropped.
He wasn't there.
Hand hovering over her mouth, she shook her head;
"no…no…no". Rory moaned.
Memories of the day she lost her cousin flooded back to her;
"PATTY!" She could hear her Aunts screams, tormenting her.
"What did you do?! What did you do?!" Rory could feel her mother's hands grip her arms, while she shook her, "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
With her racing heart, Rory turned around on the spot, trying to find the boy.
And when she didn't, she placed her hands over her face. And shook her head.
She was reliving it all over again. And it was all her fault.
Rory bit down on her lip and tasted blood, while she stopped herself from screaming out. Her body began to shake, while a fit of panic, rage and desperation leapt up in her throat from her stomach. When someone touched her shoulder, Rory yelled into her hands;
"it wasn't my fault!"
"Wow – Jesus…hey, what're you talking about?"
Rory took in a shuddering breath.
She had to remind herself that she wasn't eight and she wasn't back in Indiana.
Lipton's hand went back on her shoulder;
"hey…come on, what's going on?"
Rory mumbled into her hands;
"I lost the kid…".
"What kid?"
"The mom's kid, I lost 'um".
Lipton frowned;
"well, he wouldn't have gone far, buddy".
Rory's voice broke;
"it's my fault…I knew he was there, Sarge".
With a sigh, Rory uncovered her face.
Shaking her head, she mumbled;
"I did it again…I can't believe it".
But just as Lipton was about to open his mouth, a voice sounded from behind them.
It was the woman from inside the house. And she wasn't alone.
She was holding her little boy.
His head was resting against her shoulder, eyes still watery from crying.
The woman gave Rory a small smile;
"thank you".
When Rory didn't reply, Lipton gave the woman a nod;
"it's okay…stay safe".
He wrapped his arm around Rory's shoulders and led her away from the house.
She felt like an idiot. And embarrassed.
Lipton gave her arm a rub;
"see, kids fine, huh?"
Sighing, Rory nodded.
She then remembered why she was in Bastogne, to begin with. She had to start searching for supplies before they headed back to the line. Fortunately, Rory managed to find a few blankets but that was it. She couldn't find anything else. Rory got back onto the jeep and sat towards the back, so she could rest against the tailgate. And while she got herself comfortable, Grant sent Lipton a stare;
"you tell 'um".
"I ain't telling him". Lipton argued, "she didn't do anything wrong, Chuck".
Sighing, Grant looked over at Rory.
She was sitting heavily in her seat, looking ready to fall asleep.
Shaking his head, Grant mumbled;
"I guess you're right". He said, "she only wanted to help".
"What happened to that woman?" Lipton asked him.
Grant rubbed the back of his neck.
And he looked pretty disgusted;
"that fucking asshole almost…you know…her".
He didn't want to say it in front of Rory.
Though, Grant figured she had an idea of what might have happened.
Lipton frowned;
"God…war brings out the worst in people sometimes".
With a sad sort of smile, Grant looked over at Rory.
Her eyes were closed. She was sleeping.
"Or the best". He mumbled, "she's a brave kid, huh?"
Lipton snorted;
"Christ…I didn't think Roo would be such a problem".
Grant huffed;
"sort of reminds me of Wild Bill sometimes".
Lipton shook his head;
"we only need one Guarnere".
Chuckling quietly, Grant agreed;
"yeah…I didn't think I'd be pulling her away from danger".
"Says something, huh?" Lipton smirked, "we are Paratroopers, after all".
Looking away from her, Grant looked back at Lipton;
"Jackson and Heffron like her a lot".
"Yeah, they're pretty close". Lipton agreed.
"Wouldn't surprise me if Winters adopts the kid once this ends". Grant pointed out, "I ain't sure about her home back in Indiana".
Frowning a little, Lipton said;
"it ain't good, Chuck". He told him quietly, "her parents attacked her with acid when she was only eight".
Grant's eyes widened;
"what?" He whispered.
Nodding, Lipton continued to frown;
"Winters won't see her back in Indiana, Chuck. He probably will give her a home".
Sighing, Grant looked back at Rory;
"I hope she gets out of this alive, Lip".
"Me too".
…
Rory woke up when they reached the line again.
Jumping down from the jeep, she grabbed some blankets and headed back to their position with the others. No one mentioned what had happened in town to Toye, the Sargent seemed too relieved to see Rory had come back and didn't runoff. Though, he did frown a little, when noticing her distant look. With a sigh, he thanked Lipton;
"thanks, Lip. See you around, huh?"
He smiled small;
"see you, Joe".
What did make Rory feel a little better was seeing Jackson.
He was sitting with Heffron, the pair of them even managed to smile.
Feeling relieved to have their friend back, Rory went over and sat down next to them. Jackson tossed his arm around her shoulder and she asked him;
"you feeling better, Jack?"
He nodded;
"yeah, loads, Roo".
"You find anything out there?" Heffron asked her.
She shook her head;
"just some blankets".
"No coats?"
Frowning, Rory sighed;
"nope".
Heffron groaned;
"what 'bout food? We ain't eaten in over a day".
"They found rations". Rory told him, "Toye's 'gonna hand 'um out".
"Thank God". Heffron mumbled, "bit of good news, huh?"
"Just in time, huh?" Jackson said, lightly.
"In time for what?" Rory asked.
"Christmas". Jackson said, "it'll be Christmas Eve tomorrow".
Heffron huffed;
"shit…I lost count of the days".
"Me too". Rory murmured.
Snorting, Heffron then said;
"remember when they said the war would end by Christmas?"
Rolling his eyes, Jackson smiled a little;
"listen, Babe…don't trust a word the army tells us, huh?"
"Glad I didn't get my hopes up". Rory said, "so…how we 'gonna celebrate?"
Jackson shrugged and looked at her;
"what do you 'wanna do, Roo?"
"I ain't sure". She said, "but folks have 'gotta be cheered up somehow".
Heffron sighed;
"I don't feel cheerful enough to cheer the fellas up".
Grinning, Jackson teased;
"looks like we found our Scrooge, huh?"
Huffing, Heffron gave his shoulder a shove;
"shut up, man".
Frowning, Rory asked;
"who's Scrooge?"
Her two friends stared at her as if she had asked what grass was.
"You've…you've never heard of Scrooge?" Jackson asked her.
"Holy shit". Heffron whispered, "everyone's heard of Scrooge-"
"yeah, old Ebenezer…the old guy who hates Christmas". Jackson finished.
Rory shook her head;
"ain't heard of no Scrooge".
Sighing, Heffron said;
"how we 'gonna explain this without taking forever, Jack?"
Jackson hummed in thought;
"well…let's see, Scrooge is a guy whos' really greedy-"
"yeah, the mick loves money".
"And he hates Christmas". Jackson added, "he's real mean, you know? He don't treat people nice and he talks bad to 'um".
Heffron nodded;
"yeah…he's an asshole". He said, "just a straight-up dick".
"So, his nephew, Fred, invites him over for Christmas dinner". Jackson said, "now, Fred is the son of Scrooge's dead sister, Fan. But family don't mean nothing to him-"
"he basically tells Fred to fuck off". Heffron grinned.
Jackson shrugged;
"yeah, pretty much, huh?"
"Well, that night". Heffron said, "this ghost comes to visit him".
Rory frowned;
"a ghost?"
Jackson nodded;
"yeah…some ghost called Marley. He comes in with huge chains dragging 'um down, huh? And he tells old Scrooge that three spirits are 'gonna visit him".
"Yeah, and he's 'gotta listen to 'um". Heffron said, "or else he'll carry heavier chains than Marley".
Rory raised an eyebrow;
"wow…".
"So, the ghost of Christmas past comes along". Jackson explained, "he shows Scrooge stuff that happened to him as a kid…takes him back to when he was at boarding school, with his sister Fan. And then to his old fiancé, Belle. Who Scrooge pretty much ignored-"
"yeah, cause he's an asshole". Heffron said, "Scrooge loved money more than Belle. So, the ghost takes 'um to Belle's house. Where she's all happy and has a good life with a huge family".
"Next, is the ghost of Christmas present-"
"INCOMING!"
"Shit – never mind!"
The three of them ducked into their foxhole, hugging the earth.
Heffron yelled to Jackson;
"WE DIDN'T GET TO TINY TIM!"
"OR CHRISTMAS YET TO COME!" Jackson added.
Huffing, Heffron said;
"IF A SHELL DON'T GET US, WE'LL TELL HER AFTER!"
The shelling's never lasted long. But during that time, Rory thought it went on for hours. When it did end, her body was still jumping around, as if the earth was still shaking. And she often felt confused, as if she had left her body during the shelling because she was just too damn scared to stay.
"Stay alert! Stay alert!" They could hear Winters yell, "they might be coming! Keep an eye peeled out in front! Get those machine-guns ready!"
If it wasn't for Winters giving out orders after a shelling, Rory might have stayed inside her foxhole, feeling a little lost and confused. Blinking a few times, she slowly sat herself up and grabbed onto Heffron's arm;
"need me?"
He nodded;
"yeah, fuck knows where Eddie is".
"Go on, I'm good here". Jackson assured them both.
Climbing out from the foxhole, Heffron placed the ammo around Rory's neck. He then reached down and grabbed his machine-gun and its stand. Giving her a nod, the pair of them headed towards the front of the line.
Rory's hand fell onto his arm.
Neither of them knew what to expect.
The Germans could have brought up their infantry.
Or, they might have only just wanted to drop a few shells on their line.
Either way, Rory wasn't scared.
She wasn't frightened or worried.
Not with Easy around.