The mountains continued to stretch farther east as the trucks drove through the rocky Alps. The sky was clear with only a few clouds surrounding the peaks, but the road was full of heartache. There were also abandoned houses left to only the mountains and nature. Families, mothers, children, and other refugees continued to flood from the east. We could already see the devastation of the war with many of them in bloody bandages. Only a few looked up from the ground, but most kept their eyes down trying to avoid attention or fear. It had been like this for miles.
Up ahead you could see the black smoke tainting the evergreen trees along the ridge. There weren't any birds chirping or bushes rustling. The only sounds you could hear were the light hum of the car's engine and the sounds of explosives in the distance. The man driving the truck turned around to tell us to get ready.
"There should be gas masks under your seats. The Russians do not fight fair and there are a lot of them. They can take casualties we are not willing to afford." The man slipped on his mask and tightened the strap. We all followed his movements and tightly secured the masks onto our faces. "Also... we don't want the Russians to know the UN is fighting in this 'passive revolution.'" Nobody called it that but the Russian revolutionaries used the phrase as an excuse for all their actions. "Keep yourself out of sight and hidden from the Russians enemies. Nuclear tensions are already extremely high so we don't need to fuel the fire anymore than it is."
Elena looked over at me desperate for an answer or some remark. I was one of the only Americans in this special unit which put everyone else in a lot of danger. American and Russian tensions were rising everyday. Although this special force team was made by the security council, America, France, and Great Britain hid it from Russia and China. Unfortunately, America funded most of this project so they wanted to add their own asset to the field. If Russia discovered that America was involved in the European fronts they would likely strike back with nuclear force.
The car stopped in front of a long ash field. Large clouds of pitch black smoke filled the area with shadows. In the distance you could see gunfire and explosives but you couldn't tell if they were Russian or German. You jumped off the truck sinking into the ash. There were tanks tracks aligned chaotically across the pitch black ash. Although the ground was completely tarnished and destroyed, this was a good sign that the Germans were pushing the EEF forces back into Austria.
You and Elena walk out into the ruinous pit holding your breath even though you are wearing a gas mask. The commander walks in front with a device that can detect land mines and other harmful devices. Everyone makes their way farther into the smoke towards the sounds of gunfire and explosions. You take your steps carefully following the footprints of the commander in front of the group.
Suddenly, a bullet whizzes past your commander and everyone immediately stops. The commander turns around to make sure no one was injured.
"We are about 100 meters away from the German frontlines. Although we aren't directly fighting in this battle I suggest you all have your guns ready to fire." Everyone took out their assault rifles in response. "Good. Now, our goal is to help refugees and civilians cross the German-Austrian border. The German troops are pushing the EEF back but they have taken two important prisoners with them. If you see them, report back to me immediately. Do not engage the Russian troops directly. Nobody wants a hero, never mind a dead one."
Everyone sits in silence recognizing the danger ahead of them. We all knew the risks when we signed up for this mission. If we were successful in helping refugees and civilians flee from the front without the Russians knowing, the UN would probably send more of these units to other parts of the world. We were their first gambit. Everything was riding on this next battle and how many lives we could save.
Before we all made our way to the battlefield, a man from the back of the group walks to the front. "Sir, you mentioned two POWs (Prisoners of War) trapped within the Russian forces. Could you tell or describe to us who they are so we can accurately find and pinpoint their location if we spot them?"
"Oh yes, their names are Ludwig and Gilbert Beilschmidt. Also formally known as Germany and Prussia." Everyone immediately started to whisper about the captured brothers. You yourself were in shock by the news. You remember seeing both of the brothers at UN meetings and conferences. Ludwig was often very levelheaded and was not easy pushed around. You doubted that he was captured by EEF troops because of how unlikely it sounded.
"Alright that's enough! Again if you see them make sure to find a safe place to call me before you try to help or engage." The commander turned back around and heading deeper into the smoke. "Good luck everyone!" His voice trailed off into the sounds of gunfire.
Everyone followed behind quickly rushing into the smoke with a cautious but steady speed. You and Elena decided to make your way to a small group of refugees fleeing on your right. A German soldier was helping them away from battle. You run towards them quickly ducking and dodging anything that looked or sounded harmful. As you both grabbed medical materials from your backpacks, the German soldier fell to the ground from a gunshot. He was bleeding from the stomach, holding onto the wound. You rushed over and applied pressure to the gunshot wound. Elena hands you the medical supplies as you try to keep him from bleeding out to much.
"It's going to be ok, we are here to help," you say to him in German. His blood-stained lips smile as you continue to apply pressure to the wound. Blood continues to poor out gushing over your hands and onto the ground. The man reaches for his neck and grabs a silver locket from under his uniform. As he opens the locket he starts to whisper something you can't make out. You continue to apply pressure hoping he will hold out until more help arrives. The man's voice slowly starts to descend into silence. His eyelids drop and his hands slam on the ground with the locket open.
"No! No! No! You aren't done yet!! Come on get up get up!" You check his pulse, but the heartbeat isn't responding. Your hands start to shiver as you try to resuscitate the soldier. A pool of blood starts to form around your knees sticking to your uniform. You continue to give the soldier CPR hoping he will come back; however, after several minutes Elena comes over a pulls you off the man.
"LET ME GO! He still has a chance Elena, please let me go!" You start to sob as Elena pulls you away from the man's chest.
"_... he's gone. Let him rest you can't do anything to save him..." Elena says to you with tears in her eyes.
You couldn't let yourself believe it. You looked over and picked up the locket from his hand. There was a familiar face on one of the locket openings. A small 10 year old boy with bushy hair was smiling in the picture.
"Fitz..." you whisper to yourself. If only you were a little quicker you might have saved his life. If only you had ran to him first you might have saved a father. If only you had called out to someone to help you save him. You had let Fitz's father die right in front of you. You let a husband and father slip away from a young family. You had broken your promise to a hopeful young kid. You had destroyed his last hope.