Hell Hath None Chapter two
Ok first of all, to those who review, yall damn near made me cry. I am having a crappy day and I need sleep but you guys are being so encouraging and loving and you guys think this is an amazing story. Like all I ever wanted from this site was to hear exactly what you guys are saying and it just really helped me out today. Thank you guys so much I hope this chapter is to your liking. And please feel free to put in plot suggestions!
Jack woke up to Grady kicking her shoulder. She groan and sat up straight. Her side was still very sore. While she slept, they had arrived at a small town. It was completely deserted. They couldn't even find German soldiers. It probably had something to do with the fact that all of the buildings were in ruins. It was a literal ghost town.
"There ain't even a dead body." Grady said looking around. Gordo agreed. "Yeah, man. It's fucking creepy." Jack saw this opportunity to scare the two. She snuck up silently behind her group and breezed past them, right in between Gordo and Grady.
"Looks like home to me." She said eeirily. None of them heard her coming and Grady and Gordo jumped a bit.
"Damn, girl, you sure you ain't some monster from hell or something?" Gordo asked. "You don't act like no normal girl." Jack looked over her shoulder and tilted her head, flashing a toothy grin. She did not answer. She heard Collier chuckling and the group split up to check the area, just to be sure.
Bible, Collier and Jack entered a nearby building that still had the first floor intact. Jack headed into the kitchen while the boys checked a few other rooms. Once she found it clear, she began looking in the cupboards and pantry for food. She found canned beef and canned vegetables. In the pantry she found a few good potatoes. Perfect. She soon set about looking for a large pot.
"What are you doing?" Collier's voice sounded from the doorway. She spun and saw Bible and Collier standing there, watching her with amused expressions. She smiled at them.
"I found some food in the cupboards and pantry. Thought I'd make us some real food." She explained as she tested the tap for water. Somehow, a little bit still came through. She got just enough and set about making them a good dinner.
"Well, I sure as hell ain't gonna argue." Bible said and left to go gather Grady and Gordo. Collier stood in the doorway. She placed the potatoes in water and somehow managed to light the stove. It may sound like she was working in a fully functional kitchen, but that was a lie. There were only two cabinets still on the wall and a small section of the counter near the sink remained. She had to step over many piles of debris to get from the sink to the stove, and even more to get to the half destroyed pantry. The stove was the only thing that appeared untouched. It was an interesting scene. Now if only there was an apron. Collier stepped into the kitchen and starting scanning the debris for an apron. She looked over her shoulder to him.
"What you looking for?" She asked and she pulled out her large knife to start working on the cans. Collier did not look up from the ground.
"Looking for an apron." He stated teasingly. She sent him a glare as she struggled with the can.
"If you find it, you can wear it. I'm not going to wear a stupid apron in a half destroyed kitchen when I'm dressed as a soldier." She insisted. She yanked the knife out of the can and they heard the other three men entering the house. Jack stabbed another can.
"The upstairs is completely destroyed. In the study behind the drawing room, there is still a chaise. You can stay there for the night." He told her as he leaned against the counter net to the sink. She glanced his way.
"I can stay with you guys the night. I'll be fine. I've been sleeping with men for the last few months-" She stopped for a beat after she realized what she had just said. Her face went red as a tomato and Collier gave her a humorous look. "I mean! That's not-" she stuttered before scowling and glaring daggers at her Sergeant. "Oh, you know what I mean!" She huffed and turned back to her can of vegitables, struggling with her knife and the can. Collier watched her, still smirking.
The two turned their attentions to the doorway where they heard heavy footsteps clomping in their directions. Grady appeared with a big grin on his face.
"Aw, shit! We gonna get some real fuckin' food tonight!" He called down the hall energetically as he jogged away. Collier and Jack could hear Gordo yelling in the sitting room excitedly. Jack smiled to herself at how easy it is to please these guys. In her last platoon, they were very serious, no-nonsense. They didn't care if they were eating gourmet food or dirt, the reaction was the same. They were such a boring and stuck up group. There were other issues she had with them, but none pertaining to food.
She was glad this unit liked good food. It was the easiest way to make them happy usually. Who doesn't like food? She thought to herself and yanked the knife out of the can. When she finished with the cans she set about trying to pull the metal upwards. In retrospect, she should have used the knife to help her. Because of the water in the can, she could not get a good grip on the metal. Her hand slipped and skid across the metal. She swore loudly as she put her hand over the sink quickly. Collier saw her looking for something around her to wipe the blood and maybe use it as a bandage. He approached her and pulled out a rag.
"Lemme see you hand." He said and grabbed her wrist without her approval. He set his gun down and took his small bag off his shoulders. He dug around and pulled out the first aid kit. Jack still held her hand over the sink and turned on the water. It came out slowly but it was enough to start washing the blood. "Gimme your hand." She heard him say. She turned and looked at her Sergeant and froze when she saw the bottle of iodine in his hands. He noticed her look of fear and tried not to laugh. "What, don't tell me you scared of it." He asked.
"I'm fine, I don't need it." She said firmly and began washing her cut. Collier walked towards her.
"No fucking way. I'm not having one of my damn drivers die because they didn't clean their fucking cut." He paused and looked at her side. "Should probably put it on your side, too." She stepped away from the sink and Collier advanced. He grabbed her arm and wrapped hit under his arm and held on tightly. Jack struggled and kicked at the wall, trying to get away from the sink. Collier undid the bottle.
"Stop fucking complaining. You just got a big chunk of shrapnel pulled out of you. Why the fuck didn't you freak out then?" He asked firmly. She kept squirming. "Hey, hey, hey. You still want to be treated like a man?" He asked and looked at her. She glared.
"Men don't use iodine on their cuts! They suck it up and keep going! I am fine with that!" She tried to yank her arm free and Collier laughed at her quietly.
Boyd, Grady and Gordo were in the sitting room. They had pulled the dinning table out of the ruble from the dining room and dragged it into that room. They found a few chairs and set them haphazardly around the table. Bible was looking for some plates to use in the mostly destroyed dining room. Grady and Gordo sat on the couch smoking cigaretes and passing a bottle of something back and forth. All three jumped when they heard a quick, pained shout. They quickly made their way to the kitchen and saw Collier holding her arm over the sink and pouring iodine over it. The three men laughed at Jack.
That evening, the five sat at a table and passed around the pot of food. She had tried to bake it all together but the oven wouldn't work so she cooked it over the stove. The men didn't mind, they just wanted something good to eat. She watched happily as they enjoyed their dinner. Someone had found a few bottles of wine and opened them up. It was a nice quiet evening inside their make shift home. Outside they could hear men being loud and obnoxious. Jack perked up when she heard someone do a mail call.
"I got it. Be right back." She said as she hopped up from her seat. She was out the door before anyone could say anything. Collier looked to her seat and saw she left her gun. Again.
"Goddamit." He said and stood. He grabbed her gun but before he could do anything, a bullet whizzed past his head. All four men hit the floor. "Shit!" They cursed.
Jack was running towards the man who held their mail. He turned to her and was about to ask her name when a bullet ripped through his neck. Blood sprayed onto Jack as she hit the floor. To her left was the tank. She quickly rolled under it and cursed herself for forgetting her gun. Collier was going to rip her a new one. She looked above her and saw the hatch she could use. She opened it and sat up. As a grenade rolled past her she hoisted herself up and rolled away from the hatch to the other end of the tank and held a hand over her ears. The blast shook the tank and dirt and shrapnel flew into the tank. She was not hit. The grenade was not directly under the hatch. The blast disoriented her a bit and she shook her head to try and get her sight and hearing to work again. When she got her bearings she closed the hatch and slid into her seat.
"Jack's under the tank." Bible shouted. He saw her duck and roll. Collier found himself sighing in relief.
"I'm gonna fucking rip her a new one after this!" Collier yelled and Bible smiled. She did need to stop leaving her gun. The men rolled to the other side of the room where there were no windows. They could still see outside through them but they would not be seen. They heard a grenade go off. Bible looked out the window and felt himself go cold.
"Oh, shit." HE breathed quietly as smoke and dirt flew from beneath their tank. Collier looked to him and then out to the tank, realization dawning on him.
"No! Goddamnit!" Grady yelled and hit the yall behind him hard enough to leave a hole.
"Fuck." Gordo said quietly. The four watched the tank, their new friend was dead under it. She didn't even last a day.
The four quickly put it aside and began firing at the Nazi soldiers they saw. They were silent and they were angry. Jack had quickly made her place in the group and it hurt when anyone they knew got killed. None of them expected one fo the guns from the tank to begin firing. You can imagine their surprise.
"Either she's haunting it, or Jack's alive!" Gordo yelled excitedly.
"No such thing as ghosts!" Bible yelled excitedly. "God's word! She's alive!" He yelled. The four celebrated loudly and didn't stop even after the enemy had been defeated. The four ran outside and to their tank. Jack was emerging from her hatch and Grady reached up and punched her in the arm.
"You son of a bitch! We thought you was fucking dead!" He hollered and she smiled at him and climbed out.
"Yeah, we thought you was gone for sure." Gordo added. "Forgot about the hatch at the bottom."
"Good thing I didn't then." Jack laughed.
"Ma'am, you have God on your side. That's twice you almost got yourself blown up yet here you are." Bible said and removed her hat to her. She nodded and laughed with the three before turning to Collier. She hung her had slightly.
"I forgot my gun." She said as she put her hands on her hips and kicked the dirt. Collier nodded.
"Fucking told you not to. Boyd, make sure she puts iodine on her side tonight." Collier said to Bible before walking back to the house. He wanted to finish his dinner. Jack sighed in defeat before turning to Bible.
"You're name's Boyd?" She asked.
"What, did you think it was actually Bible?" He teased she laughed and shook her head.
"No. Let's go get this stupid iodine done with." She said as the four went back to the house. Before they could a few men came up to her and the group of men. One man was talking with War Daddy off in the distance.
"Damn, girl, who said women shouldn't be in the army!" One man said and clapped her on the arm. She looked at him, shocked and in fear of getting reported. Her jaw hung open and Gordo laughed.
"What, did you think our yelling about it would go unnoticed? You don't exactly act like a boy." Gordo said. Jack just stared at him, jaw open, as a few more men came over. Apparently, everyone they were traveling with knew she was a girl. Some had figured it out before she got blown up, some were just now learning the news.
Later in the evening, the guys started claiming spots to sleep. Sergeant Collier put his stuff on the couch. Jack had picked a corner and set her stuff down. She was going to use her bag as a pillow. Grady walked over and pulled her bag out from under her head. She smacked her head on the floor.
"Ow! What the hell!" She yelled as she stared up at Grady.
"The fuck you on the floor for?" He nudged her with his foot. "Get up." He urged. She sat and glared at him.
"I'm fucking sleeping here. Give me my shit back." She demanded.
"Edwards, go sleep in the study." Collier ordered. She stood, outraged.
"Why the hell should I?" She challenged. Collier marched over to her.
"Because I said so. I'm not having a woman sleeping on the floor when she can have a decent spot to sleep." He argued. Jack scowled. She thought there was going to be a problem.
"Why? Why can't Gordo or Grady or fucking Boyd take it!" She challenged. Collier stared her down. She stood firm and glared at him. "I am Jack. You call me Jack. This morning you looked about ready to bite my head off!" She turned to Grady. "You're the one who shot me down when I tried to say where I was from. Gordo, you tried to take my shit. You do that to a woman back home? No? Didn't think so! Bible, you are the only one who is even remotely close to treating me the same way! But you still try to act likea fucking gentleman!" She yelled. She turned back to Collier. He had stood still besides to shift his weight to his rear foot. "This morning you thought I was a man! Nothing has changed!" She yelled. "The only thing that changed is the fact that I got metal in my side!" She finished. She didn't mean to go all out and rip their heads off but her patience had been running thin. All day they had tried to remember their manners and be more gentlemanly. Grady stopped nudging her head in the tank. Gordo insisted he drive and let her rest. Even Collier had been nicer and less intimidating. She didn't want to say anything but she was so tired of it. "No more gentlemen. Treat me like you would treat anyone else. Trust me I can handle it. I'm pretty durable in case you haven't noticed!" She stated and put her hands on her hips. Collier looked at her and she could see him exhale in defeat. He was wrong and he knew she had a point.
"Get the fuck over it girl. All you women do is bitch and-" Grady began but was cut off when Jack pulled back and punched him as hard as she could. He stumbled back.
"You shut up! I'll fucking rip your throat out! You ass!" She yelled at him. "DO I fucking punch like girl?" She asked. She kicked out her foot and kiked him in the gut. "Do I fucking kick like a girl?" She challenged.
"Grady. She just bitched us out for treating her like a girl. Do you learn nothing man?" Gordo asked. Grady had doubled over. "Shut up, man." He groaned. Collier picked up the bag and tossed it back in Jack's corner.
"Fine. Sleep on the floor." He said and turned to go back to his couch. She briefly worried that she had pissed him off, but quickly dismissed her guilt. She didn't really care. She just wanted to be treated as an equal. Was that so much to ask? If he had an issue that was on him. Her first platoon understood it and this group doesn't seem like her second one, so hopefully they would get over themselves.
Jack got down on the floor and focused on getting some sleep. She put a protective hand over her cut on her side. She curled in on herself and used her coat as a blanket. She could hear the guys settling down and heard Grady and someone (probably Gordo) pushing each other around. Before long they all settled down or at least got quieter. Bible leaned against the couch and smoke a cigarette while reading his bible. About an hour later he heard Sergeant Collier grunt and roll over. He dug out his cigarettes and tossed it up to Collier. Her heard the man shift and light one. The cigarette pack landed back in his lap. He put it away before speaking.
"Still not sleeping good?" He asked. Collier grunted. "I know what you mean. I know we've been at this since Africa, but even four months is enough to mess with someone. How is she sleeping?" Bible commented. Collier sat up, leaning on one of his elbows.
"Aren't you supposed to be the one with answers, now?" Collier asked. "You're the one who's married." Bible nodded and twisted his wedding ring on his finger. His wife was still with him, even though he hasn't been home in so long.
"You were married, too." Bible said quietly. Collier nodded.
"Yeah, look how well that turned out." Collier said gruffly. Both men jumped slightly at the sudden sound in the corner. Collier had his hand reaching for his gun until he realized it was just Jack. She had bolted upright and kicked the wall in the process. They could hear her inhale sharply and her alarmed eyes scanning the room. Collier sat up and Boyd put his Bible down. They both had seen this before and recognized the reactions. "Looks like you were right. Four months does get to ya." Collier commented before whistling sharply. Jack Jumped and twitched in her panicked state and her head snapped to them. Collier had his hand moving to tell her to relax.
"Jack, you doin' ok?" Bible asked slowly and quietly. Jack stared at them. Bible tried again. "Jack?" She looked at Bible. Jack had began scanning the room again. "You good?" She nodded.
"Yeah." She said and leaned against the wall. She tried to calm her breathing. She had just seen her best friend get blown up. This must have been the hundredth time. Nothing was different. It still scared the shit out of her. She closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep. It must have worked because the next thing she knew, Grady was knelt down and shaking her leg.
"Rise and shine buddy." He said loudly. She sat up straighter, she had fallen asleep sitting up and took the cup of coffee Grady had offered her.
"Grady, you're a saint." She said to him. She couldn't remember the last time she had a cup. Boyd had been up for a while and made some.
"Alright boys. Mail. They got the letters that survived last night." Collier said as he walked in. "Grab it and your gear. We gotta move out." He ordered and dropped the mail on the table.
"Been called a lot but ain't ever been called a saint before." Grady laughed.
"It's 'cause you act like an animal." Boyd said as he sipped his coffee and opened his mail.
"The fuck did you just say to me?" Grady threatened and moved forward. Gordo passed him and smacked his letter to his chest, stopping him in his advancing. Gordo past him and walked over to Jack who was picking herself off the ground. Gordo handed her the letter. It was from her nephew. She smiled and put it in her pocket. She would read it in the tank. The five of them made their way to their tank quickly, the sound of bombs echoing through the empty town like thunder.
The next day, after they had left the town, the five were riding through Germany in their tank, followed by a few other tanks. Jack was driving whle Gordo got some rest. They day had been pretty uneventful which everyone was grateful for. Boyd was reading from his Bible (go figure), Grady and Collier were talking about something, Jack had tuned them out.
"Hey Boyd, sing me something." Grady demanded. "Sing one o' your preachy hymns." He laughed. Boyd looked up and stared at Grady.
"Which one? I know a whole slew." Boyd asked as he leaned back in his seat, setting his Bible down.
"Oh, I don't know, surprise me." Grady said. Boyd frowned. That wasn't really helpful.
"Boyd, don't sing anything. If he don't know what he wants he won't get anything." Collier said, while keeping a look out. It was raining and they all hid in their tanks. Jack decided to speak up.
"Do you know the hymn I Know A Rose Tree Springing?" She asked. Boyd shook his head.
"No I do not." She wasn't surprised. Her church used an old hymn book. "If you know it, you can sing it. Be nice to hear someone else sing for a change.
"I like that idea." Grady agreed. "C'mon, sing us something." He said and nudged the back of her head.
"No, I can't sing." She tried to brush them off and regretted saying anything.
"Anyone can sing better than Boyd. Hearing him for the past two years gets old." Collier said.
"No, trust me. I don't sing. I just sing in church when everyone else is louder than me." She said. She really didn't want to sing.
"Hey, Jack. Would you sing for a chocolate bar?" Grady asked and nudged her head again. Jack laughed, it reminded her of him asking if Hitler would fuck them for a chocolate bar.
"Sure, Grady, sure. Too bad you don't have one." She said. A few seconds later something hit the back of her head and Grady hollered.
"He don't but I got one." Collier said. She turned and saw the chocolate bar on the floor. Jack stared at Collier in disbelief. Traitor. "Go on. Sing it. Sing something." He said and leaned back.
"Don't worry. We won't tell anyone when your voice breaks something." Grady teased. Jack sighed and rolled her eyes. She began humming to tune that always played before the singing started.
"I know a rose tree springing, from an ancient root…" She began to sing. The men listened and Gordo had woken up. They listened as she sang the slow hymn and they enjoyed every minute of it. When she finished, Bible began clapping at her proudly. Collier gave a small clap, too.
"Damn, girl. What else can you sing?" Grady asked. She glared at him.
"I'm not singing anything else." She said firmly. She jumped when Gordo spoke.
"Aw, c'mon. Sing something." HE begged. She thought about it for a moment. She enjoyed singing, but she didn't sing in front of people.
"Fine, but as long as I'm singing, you're driving." She said to Gordo.
"Worth it." He agreed and took over driving. She began another hymn. It was called All Things Bright and Beautiful. It was a happier song usually sung around Easter or spring. After a while she even had to sing some Christmas carols and Amzagin Grace.
"I know a few others ,but they aren't hymns." She said apologetically. They assured her it was ok. She thought on what she should sing.
"Oh of all the money, that ere I had, I spent it in good company." She began as she leaned back in her seat. "And all the harm that ere I've done alas it was to none but me. And all I've don't for want or wit, to memory now I can't recall so fill to me the parting glass. Goodnight and joy be with you all." She paused. She turned to her group.
` "Oh of all the commarades that ere I had, they are sorry for my going away and all the sweat hearts that ere I had they would wish me one more day to stay." She turned to face Boyd at the next line.
"But since it falls unto my Lord that I should rise and you should not, I'll gently rise and ill softly call good night and joy be with you all." She sat back in her seat.
"A man may drink and not be drunk," She looked to Grady.
"A man may fight and not be slain," She looked at Gordo and smiled.
"A man may court a pretty girl," She looked at her sergeant with a fake serious look. "And perhaps be welcome back again." She smiled and tried not to laugh. "But since it has some where to be, my time to rise and a time to fall, come fill to me the parting glass, goodnight and joy be with you all. Good night and joy be with you all." She finished. There was silence in the tank for a few moments before she spoke again.
"I'm hungry." She said quietly and Grady and Gordo laughed. "Eat your damn chocolate bar." Grady said teasingly. She grabbed it and stuffed it in her bag. "Why ain't you eating it?"
"Maybe I wanna save it. Maybe I need to bribe someone else to sing for once!" She huffed.
"What was that song called?" Gordo asked. "Parting Glass. My dad used to sing it all the time." She explained. There was silence for a few seconds.
"Jack? I've been meaning to ask, what's with the scarring on your stomach?" Boyd asked. "You said you got burned but that scaring is too old to be from you burn." Collier and Grady turned to look at her. She had slightly frozen and gone pale. "You don't have to say if you don't want to." Boyd explained. She shook her head.
"No. It's ok." She paused and sighed. "Right out of highschool, my boyfriend proposed. We were going to get married the winter after graduation. A few months before the ceremony, he was giving me a lift back home. It had been snowing and the roads were icy. In retrospect, I should have told him to slow down. We went around a turn too fast and he slid off the round and the car flipped around when it rolled down the hill. We hit a fence and it went right through the wind shield." She paused and the men listened patiently. "He was dead. Broke his neck. One of the posts had gone through me. Not all the way. The doctors had to take out uterus, it was too damaged. So, I lost my future husband and any hope of having kids." She said lightly as if it had been no big deal. Gordo looked at her.
"Damn. I don't know what to say to that." He spoke honestly. He stared at her. She offered him a small smile.
"You don't have to say anything. It was a few years ago." She offered.
"I was wondering why you ain't back home, looking for a man to marry." Grady said from his spot. "Shouldn't 'ave just given up like that." He said bluntly.
"Trust me, I tried. No one wants a girl who can't have kids. At least not where I'm from. No where really for me to work, too. Except the farm and I don't really want to get old just working there. So I came here." She admitted.
"Where you have no future." Collier said, realizing something. He looked away from his little windows and looked at her knowingly. She met his stare. "You came here to die." She stared at him, silent for a moment, just realizing it for herself. It was a grim thought.
"Yeah. But it hasn't really worked so far." She smiled and joked. Grady and Gordo snickered. Bible smiled.
"And it's not gonna if we have anything to say about it. Don't you worry, ma'am. We'll get you home and get you a future. Man or no man, that's up to you. But we will get you home." Bible assured.
"Man, she ain't gonna want anyone back in the states. She been through war. She tough like us. Better be a pretty good som' bitch before she even looks his way." Grady joked, but he wasn't wrong. If she made it home, her choice in men would be much more challenging to fit. She would be even pickier if that was possible.
"So, Bible." She stated, wanting to change topics and get to know her guys better. "Tell me about your wife."
The day went on with them getting to know each other and being ambushed twice. They settled down for the evening and rotated someone on watch with some of the other men from the other groups. The next day she was able to read her letter. It was a nice day so they sat on top of the tank. She read them what her nephew had written with her father. She wrote back, describing her new group and even got them all to sign it for Norman. When they got to a base a few days later, she gave it to be shipped out.
Weeks went by in a blur. She had gotten to know them very well and they learned a bit more about her. They dealt with good days and they helped each other through the rough days. They got her to sing a few more times and she even sang some songs with Bible. They sounded pretty good together. On one of the days where they had nothing to do but sit around, Boyd had convinced her to teach Grady how to dance. It was pretty funny to see but she helped him get the hang of it pretty quickly. It probably did not help that most of them were slightly intoxicated by then. She had settled in well with them and even got pretty close to Collier. He had approached her one day about her nightmares. He could empathize with her and shared his own nightmare with her. She understood completely. She had unfortunately also gotten the boys into a habbit of hugging her. She really didn't mind, she like them, but sometimes she just wanted to be left on the ground.
They were paused at a base and one of the men from Jack's first platoon was there. He picked her up in a hug and she hugged him back. It was good to see him again. After he left to go do his job, she returned to her group.
"Why you huggin' him?" Grady asked as he fiddled with something.
"One of my friends from the first platoon I worked with." She explained.
"How come you never hug one of us?" Gordo asked teasingly. Jack laughed. "You never asked." She said as she walked over and hugged Gordo. He hugged back. Grady walked over and picked her up in a bear hug and spun her around. The two laughed. Collier returned then.
"The hell are you two doing?" He asked, trying to fight a smile. "She givin' out free hugs, man. No chocolate bars needed." Boyd answered through his chuckling. Jack turned to Collier, arms open.
"You want one two, War Daddy?" She joked. He smiled. "Why don't you kill me an SS officer, then we'll talk." She smirked, up for a challenge. "Deal." She said as she climbed into the tank. The day after, when they were done taking a town, she approached Collier with the badge of an SS Officer.
"I'm here to collect." She said with a smirk. Collier laughed quietly and gave her a one armed hug. Now, when they were on down time and messing around, they would sneak up behind Jack and pick her up in a hug. Grady would spin her so that she fell over when he set her down. They were so easily entertained.
The weeks flew by and they fought battles. They lost good people and took over towns. They were dirty and tired but that wasn't any different from when she first came into the group. Nothing out of the ordinary happened until her platoon and two other tanks were headed to a town that was two days away. They had stopped next to an old farm house for the night. Everyone settled down for the night near or in their tanks. There was a tree line near them on all sides. They had checked to make sure no one was hiding before they settled in. No one liked it, but they didn't really have a choice. Three people would stay up and on guard. They would switch every two hours.
Jack was shaken awake by Boyd around midnight. It was time for her shift. She got up, grabbed her gun and began walking. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. It was a full moon and for once there were very few clouds. It was nice. Cold, but nice. Her boots squished in the soggy earth and she saw the other two walking around the tree line. She began walking on her own stretch of trees. Halfway through her shift, she heard something moving around in the woods. She froze and listened. She tried to see what was making the noise but couldn't tell if it was human or an animal. She squinted as she saw something dart between the trees. She brought her gun up and slowly made her way into the woods.
Jack hadn't gone in deep when someone jumped behind her and grabbed her. Before she could scream to alert the others, the man put his hand around her mouth. She struggled and kicked. A second man fought with her for her gun. She tried to make as much noise as possible. The man holding her forced her onto the ground face first into the dirt. He tied a rag in her mouth and cuffed her hands behind her back. She kicked, trying desperately to do something.
"Jack?" One of the other guys she was on watch with called into the woods. Everyone turned to see the two soldiers she was on watch with peering into the woods. Without warning, one of the Nazi's opened fire and gunned the unsuspecting soldiers down. Jack screamed but it came out quiet and muffled. The Nazi's began whispering harshly at the man who fired but they picked her up off the ground and forced her to run. The Americans would be waking up at the sound of gunfire and be out looking for them soon. They had to get out of there and they took Jack with them. They took her gun and brought it with them. She couldn't understand what they were saying and for the first time in a long time, she could feel fear rising in her chest.