Guys, im in too deep. I have gotten too close to this story and I have been having my hear freak out all day for this chapter. We all know what's coming next. We all know it. Am I gonna make it quick and get it over with like you should rip off a band aid?
Hail to the mother fuckin no.
I don't know if ill be able to get through this without crying or screaming or something. Wish me luck and happy reading. Please review and let me know what you think.
Hell Hath None-12 Fire and Fury, Skillet
She knew she had no reason to feel like what happened was on her. But every so often she had a thought creep into her head.
What if I had reacted sooner?
What if I didn't react fast enough?
What if I had seen it sooner?
They were all irrational, she knew but the what if made her uneasy. Eventually, she shook the notion off as being tired or survivor's guilt. Jack looked down to the dog tags in her hands. Daniel was dead. Jack was the last surviving member of her first tank and she wondered how much longer she had.
Jack stood next to Collier, enjoying the fresh air and trying to breathe. Every now and then she would cough. The smoke from the tank had made it hard to breathe. After a while, Grady came out and stood on the back and Bible was leaning out of his hatch. Jack pulled herself up to the spot next to Collier and sat with her gun in her lap.
Don pulled out his binoculars and looked ahead. There was a house and off in the distance was their destination. Don ordered them to get up on top of the hill to cover the valley. As they began to roll past the house, something next to the tank exploded. Grady grabbed her and pulled her to the back to get her down and covered her. Everyone was yelling.
"The fuck!" Jack yelled.
"What the hell?" came Bod's yell.
"Get down! Get Down!" Don had yelled.
"Hit the fucking tank!" Grady yelled.
"Where are they?" Jack yelled?
"I don't know!" Grady yelled back as he stood, she lay on the tank with her gun ready.
"Where?!" Boyd called.
"Mine." Don said, looking exasperated and calm. He yelled it louder. "Settle down it's a mine, we hit a mine is all." She heard him say. Every began breathing and catching their breathe. They all had their wits scared out of them and Jack stood, leaning against the tank.
"Every body up?" Boyd yelled. Everyone responded and hopped down, swearing. He crouched on the ground and looked at it. Jack Leaned over and tried to see it.
"How bad is it?" She asked.
"About broke as fuck." Grady answered.
"Can you fix it?" Don asked. Grady looked at it and Gordo came over to give it a good kick.
"Yeah, why not." Grady said and spit. Gordo began speaking in Spanish and Don looked around.
"Alright, Norman I want you and Jack to check out that building-" Jack cut him off.
"Nu-uh. Fuck that, man. I don't even know why you guys got off the tank." Jack said. Don looked at her with a slightly confused look. "I'm always so close to getting blown up. I'm not up for getting blasted to kingdom come, today. No, sir." She said as her voice trailed off and she walked around the tank. Norman laughed at her. Don sighed through his nose.
"Jack. Get off the tank, it's fine." Collier told her.
"No, way man." Jack said quietly and turned to look at him.
"C'mon now, don't wuss out." Grady said as he grabbed her from behind and pulled her off the tank. She struggled and shouted until he put her on the ground. She froze. Boyd and Norman started laughing at her. She looked terrified.
"Stop fuckin' laughing! It's not funny!" She hissed. Grady nudged her along and she slowly walked to Norman, eyes on the ground. Soon she got ok enough to walk around. Took her a few minutes and the guys laughing but she did it. She had to limp though because of her leg. They held their guns up and began walking inside the building. It was just a few corpses. Jack grimaced as they went further in. After a bit, she lowered her gun and turned to Norman.
"It's clear." She said and leaned back against the wall.
"Can we go now?" He asked firmly, uncomfortable.
"They mean well." She said, catching his attention. Jack nodded her head in the direction of the guys. "They are rough around the edges, but their good men." She said and pulled out a cigarette. She offered one to Norman but he declined. She shrugged. "Grady may seem harsh, but they like you."
"Don't exactly act like it." Norman muttered. Jack met his gaze calmly but firmly.
"Can you blame us? You've seen what it's like." She said as she lit it.
"How did you put up with them for so long?" Norman asked with a small smile. Jack exhaled smoke and laughed.
"It's not that hard." She walked past him and elbowed him. "Come one, let's go." She said and the two left the building. Collier was watching them and Jack waved a bit to let him know they were ok.
"See anything?" He called. Jack shook her head before calling back.
"Nope! Nothing but dead bodies!" She called Collier took off his helmet and grabbed something.
"Kid!" He called and tossed a box to Norman. He pointed to the top of the hill. "You got outpost guard." He said.
"Don, I'm going with him. No way he's going alone." She said as she climbed up and in the tank.
"Then why are you getting in the tank?" Collier asked her with a slightly amused expression.
"Getting our fucking canteens!" She called before climbing back out. He stopped her and looked at her.
"Iche liebe dich." He said. "Stay safe." He added seriously. Jack could see the true worry and concern in his eyes and tried to offer him a comforting smile.
"If I step on a mine, it's your fault" She said quietly before she got off the tank and met up with Norman. She handed him his canteen and they began walking. It was a long walk and they need to get their quickly. Or as quickly as she could with her limp. It took them a while to get up there.
When they did they settled down and began eating. Jack set her gun down and leaned against a tree. Norman placed his in his lap and tossed her some food. She smiled in thanks and pulled something out of her coat with a wicked smile. It was a flask.
"What's in there?" Norman asked. She took a sip and passed it to him. He drank and coughed. It was really strong. Jack laughed and took it back she took a small sip again before putting it back.
"You dong ok, kid?" She asked, seeing his weary face. He looked at her with his tired eyes and nodded. She pursed her lips. "It'll get better. You just gotta hang in there." She assured. He nodded They sat for a while, listening to the wind and Jack tried to relax.
Norman sat up in his seat like he heard something. Jack looked at him and then out to the road. They both crawled to the edge of the brush and looked. There was a long line of SS soldiers marching and singing.
"Holy shit." Norman breathed. Jack began hitting his shoulder.
"Back, back. Leave the food we gotta go." She said quietly. Once in the woods again, they stood and began to run to the road. Halfway to the road, Jack stopped and swore.
"What, what's wrong?" Norman asked. She waved him on.
"Keep going, I forgot my gun!" She told him and ran back to their spot. Jack ran back and picked up her gun. She could hear the soldiers and crawled back to see if she could see the end of the line. She swore and ran back when she couldn't. She sprinted as fast as she could towards the tank. Fear pumped her heart faster and she urged herself to the tank. She saw Don talking to Norman and pushed to run harder. Jack tripped over the mounds of mud and caught their attention. She pulled herself up and hobbled over to the two.
"Norman said troops? Doesn't know how many. How many?" He asked Jack firmly. She shook her head and coughed, unable to speak.
"Two or three hundered, maybe." Norman answered. Don asked if they had tanks.
"No. Trucks." Jack said. "Just trucks." She said putting her hands on her knees. "I didn't see the end." She admitted quietly.
"Probably just a bunch of bumbs lookin' to surrender that's all." Grady suggested. Don walked past them and Jack stood as Norman disagreed with Grady.
"These are well trained, well rested. They were fucking singing. They looking for a fight." Jack told him hurriedly. Grady asked where and Norman told him. Jack looked at Don and walked over to stand next to him. He stood looking at the road, hands on his hips. They all stopped.
"Woah, you hear that?" Bible asked.
"It's a goddamn SS battalion." Collier said. Jack froze and they guys began grabbing their shit.
"We gotta go." She said quietly and went to Norman. "Grab your shit." She said. Jack looked up to Gordo who tossed Jack her bag. "Grab my pictures if you can." She said. He nodded. Her bag was small enough for her to carry easily. Most of it was first aid shit.
"Let 'em pass us through."
"Let's hit the woods." Boyd suggested and started talking to Norman. Jack saw Don turn and realized what he was going to say. She shook her head at him, pleading. He met her eyes. Please don't. She begged silently. Collier looked down and back up to his men before speaking. Boyd approached him, seeing his look.
"We ain't run before, I ain't running now." He said determinedly. Boyd cam eup to him. "We're gonna fight it out."
"We can't." Boyd told him.
"We're gonna hold this road." Collier stated, looking around to everyone. Cold fear crashed over Jack as she stood in her spot.
"What chu mean we gonna hold this, the tank's busted!" Grady yelled, pointing at the thing. Jack began climbing up the tank. She dropped her shit in her seat without a word. "The tank's fucking busted, top!" Grady yelled. Jack stuck out her hand to help Don up. He took it and climbed up to the gun.
"Yeah you said that." Don said.
"Top, what are you doing?" Bad asked. "Jack, Jack get off the tank." He said to her. She just looked at him and shrugged. Grady kept yelling gat Don. Don yelled at them to mount up. They asked how they were gonna fight if they don't got a tank.
"We got a cannon!" He yelled.
"Toooop!" Boyd yelled, shutting everyone up. "What are you doing?" He asked outrageously. Collier pulled out a tool box and set it down. He looked to each and everyone one of them, holding their gazes. Jack held his gaze with a neutral face. She looked calm and firm. How could she be so calm?
"Get outta here." He told them. "You, too." He said to Jack, making her jolt in surprise. Get to the tree line." He said defeted. Jack's mouth dropped open.
"Fuck that. I'm staying." Jack said.
"Jack get off the fucking tank and get going." He told her, not meeting her gaze. She closed her mouth and looked at him, watching him. Tears had begun to build but she forced them back and stood firm. She looked at Norman who had the same expression as her but his mouth was still open. He was shaking his head slightly.
"Boys, take care of yourselves, you hear?" He said to them. He took one look at Jack and realized not even the four men on the ground would be able to take her away from him right now. He met her gaze and nodded at her in recognition of that fact. She walked over to him and he crouched down to Boyd.
Bible looked up to the two with tears in his eyes.
"It's all right." He told them quietly, softly. Jack put a hand on his shoulder and looked at them too. Boyd backe dup and hmmed at them.
"It's all right." He repeated and Gordo came over to him. Don smiled slightly and beat the tank with his fist.
"This my home." He said. The men nodded in understanding. They didn't question Jack. They understood. She watched with horror as Norman climbed up onto the tank and met them with a look of determination that would rival Jack's. Part of her was proud of him, another wanted to push him off the tank, make him go with the others. Don looked at him as Norman stated that he was going to stay. Don nodded.
"I'll need you to load." He told Norman. Jack looked to the men on the ground and offered a small smile.
"Go, on. We got this." She shooed at them. "It's ok." She assured them quietly. Boyd met her eyes.
"Grady, c'mon." He said as he walked around the tnak and climbed up. Grady let out a strangled noise as tears slipped own his face. Jack smiled and a tear pell past her eyes as well at the sight of Bible. He came over and hugged her. "We gonna stay." He told Don. Gordo nodded and made his way up. Jack laughed and ran over to meet him with a hug, too, more tears slipping down her face. "What is you plan?" Bible asked as Don looked at them and leaned against the gun. Jack watched Collier. He stood silent for a few minutes, and Jack spun around to see Grady behind her.
"Fuck it." He said strongly. She smiled at him. He returned it and grabbed her into a strong hug. He released her and she put a hand on Norman's arm. He looked at her with a small smile. She smiled back.
Sergeant Collier thought for a few minutes before slamming his fists on the gun and pointing.
"Get us one of the dead krauts." He ordered.
They all spent the next few minutes making the tank look like a mess. Jack poured gasoline over the bodies and watched as they were lit. She grimaced at the smell but pushed forward. Grady lit a cigarette and offered her one. She took it.
Don, who had been behind them kicking burning sacks, came up behind her and pulled back a distance from the resto f them. She looked at him with raised eyebrows.
"You look calm." He pointed out. She took the cigarette out of her mouth.
"No use in panicking." She said shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, what do I have to panic about?" She asked him. He looked at her.
"You know the chance of us succeeding-" He began but she cut him of.
"Don't. We are going to get out of this and we are going to be fine." She told him firmly. He smiled down at her and stepped into her personal space. "I expect to live up to my name. No way I'll let some SS fucker kill me now." She told him quietly with a small smile. He smiled back at her for a moment before whispering quietly to her.
"I love you." He told her. The smile fell from her face and for the first time, he could see fear creep into her eyes. She put a hand on his arm and glanced down to her feet before meeting his eyes.
"I love you, too." She whispered quietly. Don exhaled through his nose and rested a heavy hand on her cheek. His gloved thumb wiped away a run away tear. She knew they were going to die. She knew now may be the only chance to tell him. He looked at her before leaning down and kissing her fir the first time. She closed her yes and kissed him back for a few brief seconds. But those brief seconds felt like a lifetime to her. He stepped back and Jack could feel warmth creeping through her veins. He smiled at her and pat her cheek before walking back to the tank. Jack smiled and rubbed at her face, following him. They all climbed into the tank to wait.
Jack helped pass stuff around and felt her stomach tie itself in knots. They were passing around grenades and explosives and talking to each other. She was up with Norman and Gordo, reloading Norman's gun for him. She sipped water from her canteen. They were all reloading everything and Gordo looked at his wooden cross.
"Boyd?" She called up.
"Yeah."
"Can I get my St. Christopher back?" She asked. He moved and undid it from that it was hanging on and gave it to her. She thanked him and put it around her neck. She slid behind Norman and tore the picture of her nephew off the wall and put it inside her inner coat pocket near her heart. Jack tried to focus on her breathing, anxiety welling up inside her. She kept sighing through her nose and Norman offered her a small smile. She returned it and turned to face the top. She could see Don from her seat. Boyd was behind the cannon and Grady was organizing rounds.
Jack pulled out her cigarettes and Don's lighter. She had pocketed it earlier and just remembered she had it. She lit up and watched as Don brought out a bottle of something.
"Might as well get a little tight. Won't be around for the hangover." He said looking at the bottle. Boyd looked at him and removed his cigarette. He looked at Grady who hung his head. Everyone sat around awkwardly. Jack cleared her throat.
"Fuck you guys, I'm gonna be around. I got a name to live up to remember?" She said quietly. They guys looked at her and a few smiled fondly. She didn't see, she was messing with her necklace. She began to hum parting glass to herself. She hummed as Don took a drink form the bottle. She opened her flask and took a sip herself. Don sighed loudly.
"Ah! Ah, that's better than good," he said with his head back. Boyd wanted some but Don took a drink again.
"What you gonn do with it?" Don asked him.
"I'm gonna drink it. I know you hear me preaching. What we are doing here is a righteous act. You hear me Gordo?" Bible preached and called out to Gordo who hummed back at him. "There's a bible verse I think about. And it goes: Then I heard the voice of the Lord, sayin' whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" Bible had to clear his throat, fighting back the tears and terror working its way through him. "And I said, Here am I…"
"Send me." Jack finished for him. He smiled at her. Norman looked at her and repeated it quietly. She rested her hand on his knee and smiled.
"Book of Isaiah, chapter six." Don said to him quietly, looking at Boyd. Boyd met his stare and began to laugh. They lit cigarettes and passed around the bottle. Jack took a good helping before passing it around. Never before had she felt this heavy pressure in the tank. The tank had become her sanctuary, her safe place. Now it would become her tomb. She pulled out the picture of her nephew and kissed it.
"I'll be home soon." She whispered to it, tears threatening to fall again. Jack tucked it back in her coat and took another sip from her flask. She snorted at Norman who grimaced at the large swallow.
"Damn, son. You a fucking, drink, fight machine aint you." Grady said.
"Machine! That's it, that's his war name." Don declared from his seat, the picture of utter ease. Jack looked at him sitting relaxed in his chair, light smile on his face. She wanted nothing more than to take a picture of him and keep it with her forever. They started laughing.
"Yeah, that's perfect." Boyd said.
"I christen thee Machine!" War Daddy called out from the top. Norman smiled at their antics and Jack laughed, hoping some of the tension would leave her. They started cheering and yelling his name. She joined in.
"Welcome to the fucking family, Machine!" She yelled as she punched him in the shoulder. They all took a breather.
"I love it in here, I do." Don confessed. "Best job I ever had.
"Best fucking job." Grady agreed. They all went around saying it and Jack drank from the bottle when it came back around her way. Her smile faded when Machine leaned up and looked out his scope. Fear etched onto his features and she put her flask away and stubbed out her cigarette. The storm was coming. It was knocking on their front door.
"They're comin'." He called to them. They all shifted around and Jack turned around to face the front. She put on her helmet and let go of her necklace. They all waited, agitated, waiting for something to shoot at them or blow up. She wished she could see outside. She leaned back and held her gun at the hatches.
Ghost was ready, and she wasn't gonna fuck around. The silence was suffocating and they heard the pin drop from a grenade. She closed her eyes and waited. The hatches opened and her, Machine, and Gordo fired.
"Now!" War Daddy yelled and he, Grady and Boyd tossed Grenades. Gordo and Jack stood, closing their hatches. Boyd fired the cannon, takin gout a truck. All hell broke loose and she could hear it raging outside. Grady re loaded.
"Clear!"
"On the way." Bible called and fired again. Norman and Gordo were swearing up a storm as they began firing, gunning down anything that moved. Don told Boyd to fire into the building.
"Gimme another, that was beautiful." He ordered and Boyd and Grady reloaded and fired. SHE watched as her boys fired and gunned down everything they could. Jack saw the moment Norman ran out and began reloading before he could even tell he was out. She opened the gun and reached for the bullets. Then she remembered they were out.
"WE got thirty outside." Don said. "Lay down some smokes. Ghost up here. Gordo, on my signal lay down some cover fire." Jack made her way to the top. Her and Bible were going to pop out and grab everything. She wondered why they didn't grab it in the first place, before they began firing. Her and Bible sat and waited. War Daddy tossed a few smokers and Jack readied her gun. Then she thought better of it and took it off, setting it on the floor.
"Alright, here we go." War Daddy said and opened the hatch. Norman and Gordo opened theirs on his signal and they began firing. Boyd went to the gun as Jack and War Daddy went to the front and grabbed the boxes, tossing them back. Don covered her when he noticed she didn't have her gun. At this point, he wasn't really surprised. "Button up!" He yelled as Jack dove into the tank. He stayed and threw his gun at the man climbing up the tank. He whipped out his gun and Jack looked up. She watched him take a bullet to the arm.
"Don!" She yelled as he began to get hit by a shovel. She grabbed her gun and pulled Collier into the tank and shot the man in the face. He fell off the tank and She stood and closed the hatch, narrowly missing a bullet. "Machine! Bag!" She yelled and Norman tossed her the bag. She caught it and set it by her feet.
"Save it." He said to her. "I'm ok." She looked at him with concern and zipped the bag back up. "They're getting' cocky." He said to them all.
"Sure as hell ain't doin' no good, leaking every where." Bible pointed out. Collier looked at him and stuck his arm out. Jack quickly pulled out the stuff to dress it.
"Where the fuck did you get all this?" Boyd asked her, seeing what was in the bag.
"You don't think I just sat on my ass for a month do you?" She said as she worked quickly. "McMurphy gave it all to me and taught me how to use it. I can patch up damn near anything." She told them. Boyd Sat next to Don after she finished fixing his arm. Jack finished quickly and left them to talk. She went to help Grady and Gordo. Before long Don was at his scope, looking around. He told them not to shoot unless they saw something. No one could see anything. Gordo yelled something that Jack didn't quite understand. They began to fire and as Grady stood, something hit the tank and shot through. It bounced inside the tank. Everyone froze or swore and Grady fell.
"Grady!" Jack screeched and climbed over to him. His had a large chunk of metal sticking out of his back. "Grady!" She called to him. When she didn't get an answer she shook his shoulder gently. A smile of relief came to her face when he grunted and swore. She grabbed the bag and began patching him up, forcing him down when he tried to move. "Stay down! I don't want to take it out. It's too close to your spine and I don't kneed you bleeding out." She told him. Boyd appeared at her side, tears on his face.
"Fuck, fuck. No." He cried quietly.
"Bible, he's gonna be ok." She told him ash she worked quickly. The piece of metal in his back looked horrible and it was questionable whether or not he was actually gonna make it. "Grady, stay down!" He ordered.
"Bible! Back to your post! You're still in this fight!" Don ordered. Jack finished up and rolled Grady on his side before helping him sit up.
"Don't fucking move." She ordered him and leaned him against something, careful not to let him lean back. He propped his arm up on the tool kit she put next to him and leaned against it. Boyd was a fucking mess. Jack didn't blame him, they all just thought they lost Grady. They all were firing and things exploded outside the tnak Grady told Jack how to load the canon and walked her through it quickly.
"How long can we keep this up?" Machine yelled. Soon enough he was out. Grady looked around for something to give him.
"She's out. That's all there is." Came the call and they all looked around in sorrow. Boyd had pulled himself together. Jack began swearing. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, we still got hand weapons and a fifty." He told her almost playfully. She glared at him. "Who's with me?" He called. She grabbed her gun and pulled it close. They all readied up and called out to each other.
Don opened the hatch and climbed out slowly. He got on the big gun and Jack followed him out. She crouched next to War Daddy and covered his back. After a few beats, heavy fire rained down on the, They all ducked back in the tank and Don covered Jack. Don stood back up and began firing. Jack peeked over the top and fired as well. She crouched back down and reloaded when Boyd came out and shot the man the fired a flare. Jack spotted Nazi's trying to sneak past them and fired, taking htem out.
"Guys, I need a weapon!" Bible called and pumped out of the tank, climbing down. Don yelled for him to go. Jack heled her gun and watched out for Bible, keeping him covered.
Jack ran out of ammo and yelled out that she needed more. She hoped Grady would be able to get her some. To her surprise, Grady stood and began firing. She watched as Boyd took out a hand gun. Grady told Jack to get back inside. She dove in and made her way to the front. She sat with her back to the front in between Gordo and Norman. She grabbed her ammo and reloaded. Jack went to reach for another clip when Gordo fell back in his seat and a grenade landed in her lap. She panicked and grabbed it, tossing it up out of Norman's hatch. She grabbed Norman and forced him down as it went off right outside the tank. She covered Norman until it was clear. She sat up and looked at Gordo. He was shot in the shoulder twice. He leaned back. Jack looked at Norman and they nodded. Norman fired as Jack stood and closed Gordo's hatch. He tried to hold back a groan of pain and Jack crawled over to Grady, tugging him into the tank.
"Here's some ammo, Gordo's hit. I'll be right back!" She yelled over the gun fire. He pat her head and pulled himself out of the tank. Jack grabbed her bag and quickly patched up Gordo. He nodded and Norman kept firing.
"Jack, take my seat, cover me!" He called. Jack looke dup to see him climbing out of the seat.
"You're fucking crazy!" She screeched as she popped out of the tank and began firing. She watched as Norman walked over and got Bible. Boyd had been fighting with a few German's and needed help. They came back and Norman climbed in after her. She breathed with relief. "You're insane." She laughed. He caught his breathe and reloaded. Jack climbed back to see Grady on the floor, now bleeding from his shoulder. "Damnit, Grady." She told him and pulled out a thing of gauze. She pressed firmly and grabbed his hand. She made him apply pressure on his own. She heard Don give the call button up and Boyd slowly climbed into the tank. He had a knife in his leg. He went to pull it out but Jack stopped him.
"Don't it's keeping blood in." She ordered and began patching it up so the knife didn't move. He put a hand on her head and smiled weakly. Norman closed his hatch but to her concern, War Daddy was still outside, firing away and throwing grenades. She leaned over to the open hatch.
"Don, get in!" He called to her.
"Not yet!" He called. He began to yell in German, taunting them. "Bible, Grenade!" War Daddy called. Boyd stood and began to poke his head out of the hatch. Jack grabbed him and pulled him back in as a bullet whizzed past and skimmed the side of his head. Boyd sat in the tank, completely shocked.
Jack grabbed what was needed and only reached her hand out, setting it down before retreating into the tank. Bible was mumbling and Norman and Gordo looked back to see him bleeding.
"Bible, Bible, you're ok. Just grazed you." She told him softly and wrapped gauze around his head.
"Just like what happened to Jack." Grady said coming into Boyd's line of sight. He nodded and tried to focus on breathing. Norman rested his head on his gun and breathed. Jack froze when she heard Don's grunt and the gun stopped firing. She leaned back in horror and looked out the hatch.
"Don!" She cried out as she heard him yelling in pain. She tried to stand out of the hatch but Grady and Boyd stopped her from making the same mistake Bible had. "Don!" She cried as her eyes began to tear and she was met with silence. "Don!" She cried again, letting tears fall freely as she struggled against Boyd and Grady. Norman and Gordo looked to each other. Gordo was still holding gauze up to his shoulder. He began to climb to the back.
Jack saw gloves grip the opening into the tank and a shot rang out. She screamed as she saw blood spray. Jack struggled harder. Don swung his legs in and began to lower himself into the tank. Another shot rang out and hit his shoulder. He grabbed the hatch and slid in, shutting it. Gordo pushed Jack's bag to her and she grabbed it, pulling it close, as she sniffed and wiped away her tears, trying to pull herself together.
She watched as Don fell into a seat and a sob broke through her as she went to him. She unzipped his jacket to get a better look at the wounds. Don watched her, silently as the guys sat around. Norman remained in his seat but turned around to face everyone. He watched as Jack shakily began to apply pressure and gauze onto one of his wounds. Don tried to hold in a hiss of pain. She whispered and apology and he looked at her fondly. Don's legs were spread and Jack had knelt between them, getting as close to him as she could. Don looked around to each one of them before his gaze landed on Norman.
"I'm sorry, son." He said gruffly, exhaustion seeping through his voice. Jack had stopped crying and went about, trying to cover his wounds. It was easy to see she would start up again at the slightest push. Nomran sighed, breathing heavily before responding.
"It's…it's ok." He breathed, looking around him, looking at Jack's dead family and looking at his dying family before him. He had spent a day with them and they were already family. "What can you do?" He whispered. He sighed twice deeply. Don grabbed Jack;s hands and forced them into her lap. He wanted her to stop fixing him up. She looked at him and slouched back to sit on her feet. She rested her head on his knee and watched him, tears starting to slip through.
Don struggled to grab his pistol before resting it in his lap. Norman watched. Gordo had leaned his head back against the tank and closed his eyes. Gordo and Boyd had set Grady in a resting position. Grady was bleeding out fast and Boyd grabbed some gauze and tried to top it, or at least slow it.
"I did my best." Don said. Jack tried to smile as she put a hand on his knee, reassuringly. Don couldn't meet her gaze.
"Yeah." Norman said. "I know. I know." Jack closed her eyes at the sounds of explosions going off outside the tank. She wondered who the hell would be firing at them. They should just come up and finish them off. Why bother wasting explosives? The thought startled her.
This was it. This was the end. They were going to die and there was nothing she could do. Jack was helpless and she couldn't call out for them to save her again. They were just as stuck as her. She felt tears slip past her shut eyes as Don began stroking her face, gently. She opened her eyes and met his calm gaze. His blue, calm eyes.
She thought back on when she first met him. Wasn't that the first thing she noticed? His eyes? They were a beautiful, wise blue and she thought back on the year she had spent with him, every look he sent her way.
"Sergeant Collier?" Norman called. Don broke eye contact with her and slowly turned his head to face Norman.
"Yeah, son." He said calmly, quietly.
"I'm scared." Norman admitted after a few breaths. Jack shut her eyes to fight against more tears. She gripped tightly onto Don's leg when he responded quietly, in a whisper, that he too was scared. Don continued to stroke Jack's face as he met Boyd's gaze. They nodded at each other in agreement. Both were scared, and both respected each other. There was so much said from that little nod.
Jack turned and buried her face against his knee as she heard someone walking on the tank. They all looked up, and Boyd and Don grabbed their guns. Gordo wasn't moving. Gordo was dazed and dizzy from blood loss. He had been shot again and Jack didn't know.
"Oh, fuck. I wanna surrender." Norman said and Don looked at him.
"Please don't." He told him. "They'll hurt you real bad. And they'll kill you real bad." Don told Norman, still stroking Jack's face.
"Fuck, what do I do?" Norman asked. Jack turned her head away from Don's knee slowly.
"There's a hatch. You see it?" Don asked. Norman did. "You and Jack. Both of you go." Don told them. Jack looked up to him in shock and the hatch opened above them. Don fired and the hatch dropped. Jack stood and grabbed the handle, shaking her head.
"Don, I'm not leaving you." She sobbed quietly in a whisper. "Please don't make me leave you." She begged. He sighed through his nose and looked at her. "I love you." She whispered.
"I love you, too." He told her quietly before turning to Norman. He opened his mouth to speak when they pulled at the hatch. Jack used all her strength to keep it closed. Norman watched in fear. She was keeping it closed, but just barely. Don looked at him in a way that urged him to go. Bible crawled over to his seat and sat, waiting for the end. He couldn't join Norman with his leg, he would only get the kid killed.
"Ready when you are top." Boyd said as he relaxed into his seat. The men nodded at each other and Jack let out a cry. Norman opened the hatch when and explosion right next to the tank shook them. Jack almost fell onto Don and looked up. No one was pulling on the hatch but she didn't let go. Boyd sat upright and looked at Norman. The tank shook with another explosion and Boyd looked through his scope. "What the hell?" He called out loud. "Holy shit!" He yelled with a laugh. They heard gunfire overhead. Jack looked up and slowly released the hatch. There was yelling and gunfire. "Calvary has arrived! We're gonna make it!" Boyd yelled. "Norman, close that hatch! We're gonna make it!" Boyd yelled. Norman did as he was told and hurried to his seat, looking out his own scope.
Norman laughed in relief as two American tanks rolled towards them with a large battalion of Americans following with two trucks, stocked with who know what. And these men weren't tired, wounded and hungry. They were fresh and ready to fight.
"Fury tank, this is Kill Roy. You guys still alive? Over." Someone called through the radio. The three looked at it.
"I thought it was busted?" Boyd said.
"Just out of range!" Jack yelled and ran over to the thing, getting on it and letting them know what was going on. "Roger, just sit tight, we'll get you boys out of there." The man called over. Jack let out a cry of relief and Boyd and Norman yelled together. Boyd got on the ground and shook Gordo awake, telling him what happened. Jack made her way back to Don, smile on her face.
She kneeled directly in front of him and placed her hands on the sides of his face, tears of joy falling down her face as she smiled brightly.
"Don, you hear that? We're ok. We're gonna be ok." She whispered to him. He smiled and rested a hand on the side of her face. She smiled and began to cry harder. Jack leaned forward and rested her forehead on his. They closed their eyes and breathed. Norman watched with a smile on his face. Boyd tried to get Grady to wake up. He did but he was worse off than Gordo. Grady grabbed Boyd's hand and they held on to each other. Norman climbed over to sit next to Gordo. The two drivers leaned against the wall together, breathing in relief. Gordo had a bottle and passed it to Norman who drank more than a sip.
Jack and Don breathed deeply, relishing in the idea of surviving together. They were both going to survive. They were going to be ok. The two rested with their heads together for a while as the six listened to gunshots over their heads. Jack smiled to herself and let her tears fall without shame. At the end of the day, she had gotten her crew through this. They were ok.
It took a few minutes before they got a call over the radio. Jack picked it up. The SS battalion was taken out. It was over. The Americans were ending medics over to help them out. Jack confirmed with them and described what was wrong with each person. After she put the radio down she walked back over to Don whose eyes were still closed. She kneeled back down and put a hand on his arm.
"Don, medics are coming. The SS are gone." She said quietly, gently shaking him awake. His eyes stayed closed and a cold wash over Jack. She felt as if someone had dumped ice water over her. She shook more firmly. "Don? Don! Don, wake up!" She said firmly. "Don! Don, it's over. We're safe!" She told him. He didn't move. "Don, baby, please." She begged as her voice cracked. She began to cry again. "No." She said quietly and rested her bloodied hands on the side of his face. "No." She repeated and rested her head against his again and began sobbing quietly. Boyd looked on, fighting tears. Gordo wasn't very aware of what was happening and Norman let tears fall past his face.
"Jack, Jack c'mon." Boyd called out to her. She didn't move. An American soldier called out to them and Norman stood and opened the hatch nearest him. They were told to get the person in the worst condition. Since they figured Don had passed, Grady was sent up first. They pulled him up and the medics put him in an emergency truck. Next was Gordo. He was a little easier to get out of the tank. Norman helped Boyd out before looking back to Jack and Don. She hadn't moved. The men outside told him to hurry and get out.
Norman stood on the outside of the tank. He told the medics what was happening. Jack was in there and she was ok, but their top had been shot and he isn't responding. The medics told him they would handle it and two men lead him down. He and Boyd stood off to the side, waiting for Jack to come out.
The two medics climbed in. Soon after, they heard Jack screaming. One man climbed up the tank and stood at the hatch. He helped pull Jack out. She was crying and screaming and struggling, begging for them to help Don and that he wasn't dead. Boyd hobbled over to the tank, followed by Norman. They stood and helped the man get Jack off the tank.
Boyd rested his weight on one leg and grabbed Jack's arm, pulling her into his arms. He held onto her and rubbed the back of her hair as he cried for Sergeant Collier as well. Norman stood next to them, crying silently as well. He cried for Don but he mostly cried for Jack.
"Sh. It's ok. It's gonna be ok." Boyd held the sobbing woman as he watched the commotion going on at the tank's hatch. One of the medics was yelling to the others and pointing at the emergency truck. Boyd watched the one of the men climb down and go to the truck. Norman watched as the man returned with a stretcher. "Fuck." Boyd said, cracking a slight smile. "I don't fucking believe it." He said quietly, still holding Jack.
"What?" Norman asked. "What's wrong?" He asked looking to the top of the tank where they were pulling War Daddy's body out of the tank.
"They don't get the fucking stretcher for dead bodies." Boyd said, letting out a laugh of relief.
Hope you guys like this. Movie is over but the story is not. Please keep an eye out for the next chapter and let me know what you think of this one. Love you guys!