The morning after they lost three great men, Dike appeared.
And no one was happy to see that man.
Their so-called leader, who abandoned them during a shelling.
Their so-called leader, who was always off taking walks.
A leader who didn't care enough about them, to learn their names.
It made Rory sick just thinking about it.
The next day, on the 5th, Easy was pulled back into reserve, south of Foy. They dug in close to Winters CP, where they were given a warm meal of navy white beans and black coffee. It was nice that they were given a short break. But it didn't feel like much of a rest, considering they were still sleeping outside and could hear the occasional shell going off from the distance. Still, they made the most of their break and could almost relax because Winters wouldn't be calling them for a patrol or an attack.
With Guarnere and Buck gone, Malarkey was promoted to Staff Sargent and now commanded the entire Platoon. He was acting as both Platoon leader and Sargent. Malarkey wasn't overly thrilled about the promotion, seeing as he was replacing his good friends. But he remained strong and resilient. A good backbone for those who needed it.
When Rory joined 2nd Platoon, they had around forty guys.
It seemed that each day, the numbers got smaller.
Men left the line from wounds, illnesses or combat fatigue.
It was scary, just how little they had left in their Platoon.
Looking over towards HQ, Rory spotted Dike under the canopy, talking with Winters. She felt frustrated that Dike was still around and hadn't been kicked out of leading the Company due to his constant absences. And she felt angry that Dike looked a little happy, to be standing under some shelter, talking with Winters, as if he wasn't the worlds worst Company commander.
"God, we stink". Heffron stated.
Jackson snorted;
"speak for yourself, Babe. I smell like damn roses".
"Yeah…if roses smelt like shit".
Jackson ended up chuckling quietly;
"right…yeah".
Looking away from Dike, Rory faced her two friends.
"I hate him".
"Dike?" Heffron guessed, "yeah, we all do, Roo".
She shook her head with a frown;
"you're right, Babe. He don't care 'bout us". She whispered, "if he did…he would've stuck around when we lost 'um".
Again, Rory was talking about Toye, Guarnere and Buck.
She often did. It was a topic she always brought up.
Nodding, Heffron said;
"well, we can't do anything about it, Roo". He told her, "we've just 'gotta get on with it. We've still got Lip and Foley, right?"
Rory ignored that comment and said;
"Shames is just as bad".
"Oh, I wouldn't say that". Jackson said, "sure, he's a screamer but…at least he don't abandon his Platoon".
Heffron nodded in agreement;
"right…so, we've still got hope".
Rory frowned;
"I ain't…this ain't ever 'gonna end, huh? It don't feel like things'll ever change".
They soon grew worried about Rory's current mental state. She didn't show any physical signs of combat fatigue but mentally, she was beginning to lose hope. Rory might have lost some hope, but she'd rather stay on the line and keep trying to find hope again. She was finding things hard without Toye. The snow, trees, cold, lack of warm food and Dike, made Rory miserable.
Glaring at her boots, she muttered;
"how come Winters is being all nice to Dike?"
"I doubt he is". Jackson said, "he's probably just trying to keep him around".
"He'll be gone when we go back to the front".
Heffron rolled his eyes;
"Roo!" He complained, "quit it, alright? God…it ain't helping with you talking like that".
Her glare moved up to Heffron;
"shut up, Babe. I can't help it. It's how I feel".
"Well, keep it to yourself, huh?"
Jackson shook his head;
"Babe, stop it". He said, "we're all feeling shit. Roo's just 'gotta talk about it".
Heffron got on his feet;
"I don't 'wanna fucking hear it right now, Jack. I'm sorry".
When he walked off, Rory looked back down at her boots and mumbled;
"he's always 'gotta argue with me".
"You're both as bad as each other". Jackson said, "I think you're too similar".
"Well, I ain't saying sorry". She muttered, "I didn't do nothing wrong".
"I'll go talk to him". Jackson said, "sure he'll come around eventually".
"Yeah…he usually does". Rory agreed quietly.
When Jackson left, Rory's eyes moved back towards HQ.
Dike wasn't there anymore.
And neither was Winters.
With a frown, she wondered where they had both gotten to.
But that question was answered, when someone sat next to her on the edge of the foxhole. Rory looked up and was met by Winters stare, which remained kind, like always. She tugged on the corners of the blanket, wrapping it tightly around her body. Giving her a tiny smile, he asked her;
"how're you doing, trooper?"
Rory shrugged.
She wasn't sure how to answer that.
Sighing, he said;
"yeah…me too".
Rory frowned a little;
"you feeling good, sir?"
A sad smile reached his lips;
"are any of us feeling good right now, trooper?"
Rory shook her head.
Winters's hand fell on her shoulder;
"you have to believe that things will get better, Rory. Your friends rely on comfort".
She frowned again.
Shaking her head, Rory whispered;
"it's hard".
"I know it is, Rory". He said softly, "you're a kid, living in combat with men who are sometimes terrified. And that might make you feel uneasy. But instead of wallowing with them, why don't you try something different?"
"Like what?" She asked him quietly.
"Well, you could always talk to them…make them smile again". Winters said, "ask them about their sweetheart back home, or their family. Keep them busy and distracted. Bring them away from this place, with conversation. Right now, we can't afford to lose any more men from combat fatigue, Rory. And I need your help with keeping 'um here".
Rory's spine straightened a little;
"you need my help, sir?"
Winters nodded;
"yup. The whole Company is depending on you, trooper".
She looked around and spotted a replacement sitting alone on the edge of his foxhole.
With a nod, she said;
"alright, I'll go and help".
Winters smiled;
"thank you, Rory".
He watched Rory make her way towards the lone Private. She sat down next to him, asked him a question and he soon brought out a picture from his pocket. With another smile, Winters got up from the foxhole and walked back over to HQ, where Nixon was waiting for him.
"Well?" Nixon asked, "what do you think?"
"Give it a few days, Nix". Winters said, "then we'll clear the woods west from Foy".
"Fine". He said, "how's your kid?"
Winters sent his friend a tiny glare;
"she's fine". He said, "like the men, this place is getting her down".
Smirking, Nixon picked up his cup of coffee and asked;
"did you write to 'um?"
Winters shook his head;
"sort of". He replied, "I'll wait until we're out of here…you know, in case something happens to me".
Nodding slowly, Nixon took a sip from his coffee.
He then said;
"well…as your friend, I will say you're doing a great thing".
"Thank you". Winters said, with a tiny smile.
"But also, as your friend…the war ain't over, Dick".
"Yeah, I'm aware". He said, "but I've written the letter. I've just 'gotta find the right time to send it".
"Have you asked the kid?"
Winters shook his head;
"I'm 'gonna wait until I've got things organized".
Nixon huffed;
"smart". He then asked, "what about your parents?"
Raising his eyebrow, Winters said;
"they know". He replied, "and as my parents, they think I'm doing a nice thing".
…
Later that night, Rory found Heffron sharing a foxhole with Roe and Spina.
Sitting down on the edge of the foxhole, Heffron curiously looked up at her.
With a sigh, he asked;
"what?"
"Oh, I just thought you'd be talking to me by now is all". She said, "how come you ain't?"
Heffron shrugged;
"cause I'm sick of feeling bummed out, Roo. It ain't good for my mental well-being".
Nodding, she said;
"yeah I get it, Babe".
He raised his eyebrow;
"you do?"
Again, Rory nodded.
With a sigh, she clasped her hands together and said;
"if I can't feel happy, then I'll make others feel better".
Heffron's eyes softened;
"Roo…you can feel sad and everything I just…maybe I was being a little harsh earlier". He admitted, "or maybe I just don't 'wanna miss Joe, Bill and Buck all the time, you know? I just 'wanna get on with it and survive this fucking place".
With a frown, Rory nodded;
"me too, Babe".
There was a moment of silence.
Which was soon broken by Spina, who said;
"just say you're sorry and move on, huh?"
With a small smile, Heffron got onto his feet and opened his arms;
"sorry, Roo".
"Yeah, me too".
He pulled her into a quick hug.
Rory smiled small against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him.
But the smile soon fell.
Rory held onto him that little bit tighter.
And buried her face into his shoulder, hiding from the world.
Frowning, Heffron rubbed her back.
Feeling a lump form in her throat, she croaked;
"I miss 'um, Babe".
He placed his chin on the top of her helmet;
"me too, Roo". Heffron told her quietly.
Taking in a shaky breath, she closed her eyes.
And felt a tear roll down her cheek.
Heffron gave her back a gentle pat;
"it's 'gonna be alright, Roo". He murmured, "you'll see. We're 'gonna get through this".
But things had to keep on getting worse before they got better.
…
After clearing the woods west of Foy, the men dug themselves a new hole for the night.
They had plans to reoccupy their old positions the next day. And the men could tell the attack on Foy itself, was coming. It struck them with unease, knowing Dike would be leading the attack. Rory went over countless of worst-case scenarios in her head, which kept her up most nights. If they weren't getting shelled, they were too anxious to sleep.
Sitting in the foxhole with Heffron that night after clearing the woods, Muck and Penkala was in the foxhole in front of them. Occasionally they'd turn around, call them over and invite them to join their conversation. Muck was telling them about his great swim across the Niagara. And according to him, Muck swam the river at night. It was almost hard to believe but Rory didn't find a reason why he would lie to them. After hearing his tale, Heffron and Rory got back into their foxhole to find some sleep.
But then came the familiar cry of;
"INCOMING!"
Diving into their foxhole, Heffron and Rory hugged the earth.
Much like every other shelling, it was intense and frightening.
Tree's burst, the shells screamed, earth and snow spewed up into the air.
It was hellish.
But it was different for Rory because that time around, her body allowed her eyes to close. She hugged into Heffron's chest, arms gripping his jacket tightly. Her face was pressed up against him as if trying to escape the woods. One shell sounded extremely close and Rory ended up screaming into Heffron's chest. It was at that moment, where she suddenly felt very vulnerable and powerless. The next shell could have hit their foxhole.
Teeth baring together, Rory cut off that next scream.
She took in short and hard breaths.
Every muscle in her body tensed up. Which caused her body to shake.
She felt stiff, like a plank of wood.
Eventually, that scream ripped right out of her throat.
And was muffled into Heffron's chest.
"STOP!" She screamed, in terror, "STOP!"
Heffron couldn't hear her screams but he could feel them.
Holding her tightly, Heffron took in a few deep breaths and pressed his face against the top of her helmet. Closing his eyes, he prayed the shelling would stop. And that they'd both be spared.
None of the shells hit their foxhole that evening.
And when it ended, the forest was left in silence.
Pieces of fabric fell down from the sky and landed on the top of Heffron's helmet and shoulders. With a tiny frown, he looked up. Releasing his hold on Rory, he stuck his hand up in the air and caught a piece of fabric. Frown deepening, he recognized the fabric from their blankets. He was stuck in a world of questions and didn't realise Rory had moved away from him.
Looking up, he saw her running towards the foxhole in front of them.
Which was now empty.
She dropped to her knees in front of the foxhole.
And began to dig around.
Heffron watched her shake her head, before looking up towards the snowy and cloudy sky.
The fabric fell out of his hand and landed in the snow.
Heffron's hand was shaking, while it covered his mouth.
"Oh…shit". He whispered, sounding on the verge of tears.
With a tearful moan, he rubbed his eyes.
"No". He groaned, "no…come on, man!"
Heffron ended up yelling;
"come on!"
Rubbing the back of her neck, Rory looked over at Heffron, who was desperately trying to hold himself together. She watched him punch the frozen mud. And saw his shoulders shake, while suppressing his cries of grief. Feeling a tear roll down her cheek, Rory let out a shaky breath. Looking into the empty foxhole again, she could feel her heart sink.
Muck and Penkala were gone.
The hope that Heffron had tried to keep alive, died.
He felt the whole world crumble down and a great weight land in his chest.
The feeling was heavy, cold and damming.
And that feeling spread around the Company, once the men had found out about Muck and Penkala. Tears were shed, men grieved and truly felt loss for the first time. There was no morale, men felt doomed. Replacements crumbled, while their Sargent's tried to keep their heads above the ground. And the Toccoa men kept a close eye on Malarkey.
Malarkey and Muck had been as close as brothers since Toccoa.
They were all worried about Malarkey.
But he refused to be Winters runner for a few days. Malarkey knew that he to stay on the line, he had a Platoon to lead. And in just a few days' time, Easy was expected to take the town of Foy. Because her friends suffered, Rory tried her hardest to keep them from drowning. It was important for Easy to take Foy. It would put an end to this hell and perhaps, they'd get a break after. The end was in sight. They only had a few more days to survive the cold and harsh forest.
"We're almost there". She told Heffron and Jackson, "we just…we have to stay alive".
Jackson let out a long and exhausted sigh.
Shaking his head, he said;
"I 'dunno if I can do it anymore, Roo". He said, "I'm sorry".
"You've just 'gotta". She told him, "cause what else are we 'gonna do, huh? We just 'gonna sit around and wait for those shells to get us, or the snow to bury us?"
"That's what we've been doing". Jackson pointed out, "for weeks, Roo".
"No, that ain't true". Rory whispered firmly, "we've cleared the damn woods, Jack. We've had everything thrown at us and…and we're still here".
Eddie Joint was lying down inside the foxhole, staring up at the sky.
It was still snowing.
Snowflakes landed on his eyelashes, which he didn't blink away.
"I can't do this without you guys". Rory said, "you've 'gotta…keep going".
"It ain't the same". Heffron mumbled, "Bill ain't here…we don't got Joe and Buck around. What the hells the point, Roo? I ain't feeling like moving forward. I just want this shit to end".
Her eyes moved towards Heffron.
The three friends were sitting on the edge of their foxhole, allowing Eddie to lie down.
Licking her bottom lip, she said;
"you want it to end, huh?"
He nodded;
"yeah…I do".
"Well, it ain't 'gonna go nowhere on its own". She said. "Problems just don't leave, Babe. You 'gotta take care of it. We all 'gotta take care of it".
Jackson and Heffron remained quiet.
Rory sighed softly;
"we're a team…Joe says so. And I don't 'wanna let 'um down. Do you?"
Running a hand down his face, Jackson cleared his throat;
"no". He said quietly, "I don't 'wanna do that neither".
"But what the fuck are we 'gonna do?" Heffron asked, "we've got a Goddamn idiot leading us out there, Roo. He don't know what the hell he's doing".
…
Rory found Lipton walking away from the line.
Quickly, she jogged over to him.
And hearing rushed footsteps nearing him, Lipton turned around.
His shoulders relaxed a little;
"you okay?"
Nodding, Rory came to a stop beside him.
Running her jacket sleeve under her nose, she asked;
"you 'gonna see Captain Winters, Sarge?"
"Yeah…I am". Lipton replied, "I'm – uh – going over things for tomorrows attack".
She nodded;
"that's good, Sarge".
Staring down at her, he asked;
"nervous about tomorrow?"
Rory shrugged;
"maybe…I 'dunno".
Lipton frowned a little;
"don't worry about it, alright?"
"Uh – tomorrow. Think you could lead our Platoon, Sarge?" Rory asked him, "just…we don't got no Lieutenant leading us no more".
Lipton nodded, with a small smile;
"don't worry, Rory. I was already 'gonna do that".
She let out a tiny sigh of relief;
"thanks, Sarge".
"Yeah…anything else?" Lipton asked her, "you've been pretty quiet round here".
Her face formed into a worried frown.
She thought back to her friends.
Who were still sitting inside their foxhole, knowing tomorrow could end up hurting the entire Company. And she thought about that small possibility, that taking the town of Foy, could put an end to their misery. But then her mind wondered back to the tears she had seen falling from her friend's eyes. And the hope they had lost, with the misery they shared. And for the first time, she thought about death.
Lipton placed a hand on her shoulder;
"Rory?" He called out gently, "you okay?"
Staring back up at him, Rory could feel her eyes burn.
"If I get hit tomorrow". She whispered, "is it 'gonna hurt?"
Lipton could feel his face drop and the colour leave his cheeks.
He could feel her body start to shake under his hand.
"What'll happen to me?" Rory asked, "will I just…fall asleep?"
Lipton was at a loss for words.
"Will…will someone be there when it happens?" She asked, very quietly.
He placed both hands on her shoulder and crouched down a little, so they were eye level.
"I promise you won't be alone, Rory". Lipton said, "and it might hurt but we've got doc, right? He'll make sure you ain't in pain for long".
Rory never asked for Lipton to promise to keep her alive tomorrow.
She asked for him to make sure she didn't die alone.
For someone to hold her, while she slipped away.
When Rory walked off back to the line, Lipton could feel his heart grow heavy.
He continued to walk towards Winters CP, with a new weight on his shoulders.
Lipton had one more idea up his sleeve. And he knew there wasn't much their old CO could do about it, but Lipton had to try. When he approached the canopy, Lipton stubbed out his cigarette before following Winters inside.
"Lip, didn't figure you for a smoking man". Winters said.
"Neither did it".
Picking up his radio, Winters gave out an order;
"D Company, Lieutenant Speirs. Patrol order".
Placing the radio down, Winters gave the 1st Sargent his full attention;
"so?"
"We've been watching Foy all day, sir". Lipton told him, "not much activity".
"Want a coffee?"
"No, thank you, sir".
Winters poured himself a black coffee and asked;
"how's Easy's status?"
"The men are good, sir". Lipton replied, "they're prepared. I'm 'gonna be leading 2nd Platoon tomorrow. They're probably the weakest after losing Buck, Toye, Guarnere, Muck and Penkala. But all in all, I have every confidence in the men, sir".
Winters nodded;
"good".
Lipton took in a deep breath, before telling him;
"but on the other hand, I have no confidence in our CO, sir".
Winters looked at him.
Lipton continued;
"Lieutenant Dike is an empty uniform, Captain. He's just…he's not there, sir".
"Well, he's 'gonna be there tomorrow". Winters said.
Lipton nodded;
"yes, sir, I understand he will be there physically. But tomorrow's 'gonna be the real deal. And he's 'gonna have to lead those men. He's 'gonna have to make decisions, sir and…".
The Sargent thought back to what Rory had told him.
Feeling himself frown, Lipton said;
"I 'gotta tell you, sir, I think he's 'gonna get a lot of Easy Company men killed".
Winters admired the hell out of Lipton. He was one of the strongest and most reliable NCO's he had in the entire Battalion. But Winters couldn't give Lipton any words of comfort when it came to Dike. He couldn't get rid of Dike because he didn't like him or thought he was an incompetent solider. Winters had to go with the hand the army had dealt him. It didn't matter how Winters, or anyone from Easy felt.
"Thank you, Sargent". Winters said, "that'll be all".
"Yes, sir".
When Lipton next, Nixon looked over at Winters.
"He's right, you know". Nixon said, "Dike's a bean counter. He's not cut out for this".
Winters sighed and spoke his thoughts out to his friend;
"I'm aware of that, Nix, but what can I do? I can't relieve Dike because I think he's an incompetent and I don't like him. No, I have to go with the hand the army dealt me, and it doesn't matter how I feel".
Shaking his head, Nixon said;
"it should…you're practically leading this Battalion now".
Winters drank the last of his coffee.
He said;
"I've made a plan. If Dike follows it, things should go smoothly".
"And if he doesn't?"
Shaking his head, Winters mumbled;
"then I'll go out there myself and pull him off the damn field".