Chapter 4 Life Saver

Maria was in the tunnels sitting in the communication room playing with her cane. "This sucks! I have never been one for hiding." A light on the switchboard went on indicating that someone was on the phone. Maria decided to listen in.

"Hello. Heil Hitler…Yes Klink just left… Make sure it looks like the underground did it. I want them to get blamed with his death. Soon the Gestapo will be in control and we can do something useful with these prisoners."

"Oh no I have to do something." Maria went to the emergency tunnel that lead out of camp and checked to see if there are any guards around. The coast was clear. Maria snuck into the woods. It was very dangerous for them to be out during the day, but she had no choice. She turned around to give one last look at Stalag 13. No wonder there isn't any guards outside. They have all the prisoners occupied in the compound. Looks like Hogan has his own problems to worry about.

Maria hurried the best she could through the woods with her bad leg and avoiding the patrols. Maria went into the hotel and casually went up to the front desk. "My name is Sarah Bowman and I am here to see my uncle. Could you please tell me what room Colonel Wilhelm Klink is in?"

"He just arrived. He is in room 235."

"Thank you"

When Maria turned the corer she hurried up the stairs. When she reached the second floor, she saw Klink starting to put the key in the lock. "Klink get down!" Maria yelled as she tackled him. When they hit the ground they heard gunshots and felt the splinters from the bullets going through the wood hitting them. "Run Kommandant!" Maria stood up and pushed Klink toward the fire exit. She took out her sword and got ready for whoever would come out that door.

The door opened and she saw a hand with a rifle in it coming out. Maria brought the sword down cutting off the hand. She picked up the rifle and started running as another person came out into the hall.She started shooting at the person who was coming out of the roomandhit themjust before she went out the window after Klink. She caught up with him at the bottom of the stairs. They started running down the ally. Both slid to a stop as another man came running around the corner with a gun. Maria shot back hitting the man in the chest. They could hear more men following. Maria ducked behind a large trash pile and jerked Klink down with her. When the men got in range. Maria shot and killed both of them.

Both of them waited there to see if any more would show up. None did. Maria started to relax and Klink looked at her. "What are your intentions?"

Still out of breath she looks at him puzzled. Klink looks down at the rifle, which she didn't realize she had pointed at him. She looks back at Klink and hands him the rifle.

Klink motioned with the rifle for her to get up. When she did, a sharp pain went through her side. "OUCH!" Maria put her hand where the pain was and it was wet. She looked at her hand and it was covered in blood.

Klink looked at it "You've been shot!"

"Good deduction Einstein."

"Start walking" Klink prodded her. Maria was using her cane to help her walk. They kept mostly to the ally trying to avoid as many people as possible. "Stop" Maria collapsed against a wall. "Wait here." Klink went into the building and came back out with a bottle. "Turn around." Maria too tired to argue or question did as ordered.

"OUCH! What the heck are you doing?" Maria yelled

"Keep your voice down. I am putting alcohol on your wound to help keep it from getting infected. It can't be any worse than what you had Carter do to cauterize the bullet wound in your shoulder." Klink also dressed the wound temporally

How did he know about that? Who cares I'm too tired to worry about it. Maria started to fall asleep when Klink nudged her. "Drink this." Klink handed her the bottle.

"Sorry Kommandant, but I don't drink."

Klink raised the rifle up "Drink."

"I can always start." Maria took one swig and almost choked.

As they were walking, Klink asked her "What was all of that about?"

"I overheard Gruber tell someone to make it look like the underground killed you. So I took off to try and prevent that"

"Why do they want to kill me?"

"To take over Stalag 13"

"That figures. I can only imagine what will happen to the prisoners."

They walked for a long time. It didn't take Maria long to get drunk. "Where here." Klink pointed to a house.

"Ayyyy, I know this pwace. Itsure ouse."

"Yes now go inside. Maria, why did you tell Colonel Hogan that it wasn't because you are a civilian that you didn't have to obey his orders?"

Maria patted Klink on the cheek "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Maria went inside and started to sit on the couch when Klink grabbed her. Not there. I don't want blood on the furniture. Maria stood up and fell flat on her face. " I am glad she waited to pass out here. Now I can remove that bullet."

Hours later Maria woke up with a killer hangover. "Did anyone get the plate number of what ever ran me over?"

"Good your awake. I called Stalag 13 and told them that the plan worked. I had some friends of mine take the bodies and make it look like an accident. Now that they believe I am dead, what do we do?"

"First you can stop moving, I'm getting dizzy. Second I don't know. Wait a minute. I have an idea. I think." Maria grabbed her head in the hopes it would help things to stop spinning "Now I know why I don't drink."

KOMMANDANTUR

"Captain Gruber, I am going to go into town and pick up Kommandant Klink."

If I tell him no he might get suspicious. "Sure Sergeant."

Shultz left to pick Klink up from the hotel. When he got out of the car, a person came up behind him "Don't turn around. Just do what I say. Go down the ally until another person meets you. If you turn around you will be shot."

"Y…Y…e…e...e...s...s." Shultz stuttered. He started to walk down the alley.

He then heard a familiar voice say "Halt."

Shultz turned around to see Klink standing behind him. "Am I glad to see you Herr Kommandant."

"Keep your voice down. Get in the car and meet me on the road to my house. We have a problem."

Shultz did as ordered. When he got there, Klink, Maria and General Burkhaulter met him. "Kommandant what is going on?"

"Gruber tried to have me killed in order for them to run Stalag 13. Maria overheard their plan and escaped to save me. We have to have proof of their intentions. Here is what we are going to do…" Klink went up to Maria "Let me look at your wound." Klink removed the bandage and then punched the wound.

"OUCH! What you do that for! That hurt!"

"For this to work it has to look fresh.."

"Warn me the next time."

"Well Klink you are not such a softy after all. I would have never thought you capable of even thinking about hurting a prisoner." Burkhaulter laughed.

Shultz pulled in the front gate and got his rifle. Maria carefully got out of the car. Gruber had kept the prisoners so busy that none of them noticed that Maria was not in the tunnel.

"Walk" Maria held her side and limped in the direction that she was prodded to go.

"What's going on here Shultz?" Hogan asked with concern as he saw Maria holding her side.

"Captain Gruber I beg to report that I have caught the escaped prisoner. However I could not find Kommandant Klink."

"I didn't know you had a female prisoner here? This is interesting."

"Permission to take her to the infirmary?"

"Why?"

"Because the overgrown trigger happy oaf shot me." Maria said letting the anger come out in her voice.

"No Sergeant I think we need to show her the penalty for escaping. Bring me some rope and my whip."

Do all of these men carry whips with them Maria thought?

"Now wait just a minute Captain. The Geneva Convention prohibits such treatment. Policy is prisoners caught escaping get thirty days in the cooler. Wait until Klink gets back to pass judgment." Hogan commented

"Oh I am afraid Colonel that Klink will not be coming back. I received a call saying that he was killed by members of the underground."

Everyone stated their disbelief. "Captain, I saw him a couple of minutes before I ran into Mr. trigger happy."

"Tie her to the posts." Gruber ordered

"You cant do that!" Hogan yelled

"Now that I am in control of the camp, I can do what ever I want and to who ever I want." Gruber walks up to Hogan with an evil grin. "I think that since you are the senior POW and responsible for all the prisoners, I think you need to be the one to punish her."

Hogan's jaw dropped. "If you think I am going to discipline a prisoner like this you are crazier than noodle brains."

Gruber walked up to Newkirk and yanked him to his knees and put his side arm to his head. "Either you punish her or you watch him die."

What is going on around here? With Klink gone, so goes the operation and everything else. Hogan looked at Maria with hurt in his eyes. I can't let this crazy person kill Newkirk. "Please forgive me." he mouthed to her.

"Klink will be here I saw him less than an hour ago. He will be here any minute." Maria said trying to stall

"I told you Klink is dead I ought to know, I am the one that had him killed." Gruber paused realizing what he said. "No use in trying to hide it any more. It doesn't matter, no one will believe a bunch of POW 's over some one in the Gestapo. Now Hogan you better do as ordered."

"I believe her." said a voice from the back of the crowd. Everyone turned and parted to see the source of the voice. There stood General Burkhaulter and Klink.

"That's impossible your dead."

"Guards arrest this man." Burkhaulter ordered.

Relieved that the plan worked, Maria collapsed. Hogan and Carter ran over to her and untied her.

"Shultz have her taken to the infirmary and bandaged then put her in the cooler for thirty days for escaping." Klink ordered

"Kommandant as I recall this is the second time she has saved your life. I think that given the circumstances we can wave the thirty days." Burkhaulter stated.

"Like I said, take her to the infirmary and get her bandaged up, then take back to her barracks to rest." Klink ordered

In the infirmary, Wilson got the instruments out to remove the bullet. "You don't need that. Klink already removed it."

"I can't believe Shultz would have shot you. Most of the time he keeps his gun unloaded." Carter said with surprise.

"He didn't. The bullet was meant for Klink."

"Why would Shultz want to shoot Klink?" Carter asked more confused.

Maria rolled her eyes with everyone else. "Shultz didn't really shoot me. Whoever Gruber hired to kill Klink shot me."

"Oh."

Wilson bandaged the wound and shooed everyone out. Maria was thankful that all was over with for now.

When I get better, I need to ask Klink for a weekend pass to London, Maria thought to herself.