CHAPTER THREE: FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND…SNIPERS?

Recap: "Wait here and stay close to me." He said softly. We actually did as we were told, not knowing what lay ahead.

Sanji's POV

He ran, and we followed, hiding behind half blown walls and large bunkers, all the while being hailed by bullets and 'shells' as Puskov referred to them. We didn't know what else we could do. I saw men, running for their lives down the hill or toward us. Suddenly, their bodies would contort and seize upon itself, like one having a seizure. Then they would fall to the ground in an unnatural slump, never to rise again.

It was the kind of thing I never want to see again, and yet the images haunt my dreams on silent, cold nights. The worst part was the screaming. I never knew a man who could scream at such a high pitch for so long. The screaming was painful to hear, bloodcurdling and all around scary. Men were dieing, becoming just another thing that sinks into the soil. Just another soul, wasted, gone forever.

The scariest part: I knew that could have been, or could be me.

Finally, Puskov reached a large pipe and hustled us into it. My legs were aching by this point, and ducking to get in the small tube made my neck hurt like hell. Emerging from the pipe, I popped my now stiff neck and took a good look around. We were in a building, large and square, with pipes coming out of the floor. Said pipes were on fire, and the roof which it probably had once was destroyed, gone.

The glow coming from those pipes was a warm red in most places but a glaring fire-red in others. I knew what was in those pipes with tops had to be flammable and dangerous. Gun-powder for the pistols and those other things? No, they definitely wouldn't want those burning. I guess I was walking without knowing it, because I heard a shot go off and felt a hand on my arm. I was tugged backwards onto the ground with a loud thump.

I glared up at Zoro and smacked at his offending hand on my arm. He didn't let go, just stared, bewildered by something on my face. I scratched at an itch on my nose involuntarily and a sharp pain erupted from it. I looked at my hand. Blood, wet shining dark red blood, graced my fingers. I found a reflective surface by the wall, and just gaped at my reflection. I had a small cut on the ball of my nose.

I had actually been that close t death and I never knew it.

My horror at my near-death experience was cut short by shouting, loud and obnoxious. Sometimes I wish people would let me think. This was the second time in a good number of hours someone had interrupted my thought. I resigned to look over with a scowl.

"Die you Nazi devils!" A man was standing right in front of me, in the line of fire. He shot twice to my right, past my line of vision, which was blocked by a make-shift wooden blockade. I closed my eyes, but I knew what happened when I heard the rapid ratta-tatta of bullets, and that awful sound of metal ripping through flesh. I could see in my minds eye, his body contorting and twisting, mouth open in a scream he could never get to let out. I winced, and from the pressure on my shoulder, I'm pretty sure Zoro noticed, and understood.

That's why I'm glad he was with me, he understands.

"You two, take his rifles!" I looked up, wrinkling my nose at the awful stench of blood I thought we were free from when we left the battle field, and sending a sharp pain though my nose. Puskov was pointing at a pair of those long, thin pistols everyone had. He called them rifles, not sure why. They're just guns.

Zoro bravely rushed past me before I could stand and grabbed the rifles, a hailstorm of bullets raining down upon him. One sliced his uniform on his shoulder but drew no blood, and for that I was thankful. He handed me one gently and I held it for a moment, testing it. It was light, made of polished wood and metal, yet it had a substantial weight in my hands. I gripped it like I had seen Puskov doing with his 'rifle', and was surprised how nicely it fit into my hands. The trigger was incredibly pressure sensitive, and it was almost scary how easily I could mess up and hurt myself or Zoro. I crouched, resting the gun barrel on the blockade top and looked right down the barrel at my targets.

There was a stone door and a window carved a good twenty feet away from us. Two Germans stood in the door frame, half hiding behind the door, gray uniforms barely visible against the dark behind them. Every so often one would lean out, take a look and maybe fire a decent shot. I noticed their helmets had mesh rope on them and stuck out like a sore thumb.

One stood in the window, I could see him clearly. I'm not sure he knew I could see him. I could see a few more scattered silhouettes about the room behind them, pacing. All seemed armed to the teeth with guns, small and compact, made entirely of metal. I took careful aim at a helmet when one leaned out and I felt my finger squeeze the trigger hard. His helmet flew off and he fell to the ground, another one taking his place. Zoro shot him in the chest, but every time one went down, another took his place. I thought we would never stop shooting them.

"Alright, storm the Refinery! Kill them all!" Puskov suddenly yelled, shaking me from my methodical routine of wait, shoot, dead, wait, shoot, dead. It took me a moment to realize I was killing people. Men with families, probably children and wives.

And yet I never realized how nonchalantly I was doing that; killing men one after another, like beasts to a slaughter.

I started feeling sick. Zoro helped me to my feet and made sure I didn't fall over into the blockade or the bunker. I felt better after a moment, and we headed into the dark, wooden room beyond the door.

Upon entering the room, we ran to the windows to stand beside everyone else. Germans ran in the street, some stopping to shoot at us, some continuing to run past my line of view. Everyone was firing, some at those running, some at those firing back. I fired once, twice, and was back into a routine. I never actually had control over my limbs during those few moments; they just did what they needed to do. If I had stopped for more than the second it took to reload, I would have died.

Finally, after who knows how long, more men, dressed like we were, appeared out of the gate before me and chased the last remaining enemy men past where I could see. I didn't care. I was feeling sick again.

"Yes!!" Puskov said, running past us to a hole in the wall. I watched him, the sick feeling fading. Zoro glanced at me, worried.

"Are you alright, Sanji?" He asked. "You're starting to look really green." I shook my head slightly, indicating I was fine.

"I'm not fond of this." I muttered. He nodded, understanding as always.

"Watch my back as I clear out the rubble." Puskov yelled from behind the wall, planting a bomb. It began to tick ominously, enough to drive one insane. "Explosive! Look out!" He ducked back to where we stood just as the whole wall exploded. The dust hadn't even settled before he ran through it. I couched as we made our way through the fine dust and debris, lungs wanting to reject the small bits of finely crusted stone in the air. We reached behind Puskov and after I caught my breathe; all we could do was stare.

A large wall stood to my right, with a large opening in the middle. Hundreds of men stood, lined up against the wall, and another man was rallying them together.

"Forward!" He cried, pumping his fist in the air high. The men let out a cheer of 'Forward!' after him, making the same hand motion.

"Defend you mothers!" He cried, as a loud, shrill whistle blew somewhere far off. 'Forward' came the cry of the soldiers once more.

It was like the man was preparing them for a suicide charge.

"Death to the German invaders!" This cry was answered once more by the men. The silence after was stifling. Puskov scowled as the men swarmed through the opening. I could already hear them dieing, mingled with faint cries of 'Forward!'

"It's a mass attack. They're heading straight for the machine guns. I know a better way in. Follow me." Puskov said gravely. We had no choice but to follow him past the wall and through an opening farther from the mass murder that was occurring near us. We stopped atop metal rails in the ground and a wheeled machine was tipped over near them. In front of us several men stood guarding a door way, all armed. Zoro, Puskov and I shot them down easily. That was scary.

"Take out the machine gun! Kill them all!" Puskov cried. We ran into the next room and Zoro bravely smacked down the man firing the really fast gun, I'm pretty sure Puskov called them 'machine guns'. I let out a heavy sigh. We seemed safe here.

"You're still alive comrades. I'm impressed. Follow me." We followed Puskov through another door into another room, unsure of the future ahead of us.

"Mamev Kurgen is just ahead. But first we need to flush the Germans out of this building. Give us the signal to go." I looked at Zoro with a confused expression on my face, and he pointed quickly to the door. I shrugged and kicked it in, hoping that was what he ment. It came down with a thud, instead of crushing like most doors I kick, and scattered dust everywhere. I was puzzled; either that door was strong, or my kick wasn't as good as it used to be. I stood there for a moment and Zoro had to yank me out of the door frame by my shirt. Bullets rushed by where I had just stood.

"You really need to pay more attention Sanji. You could get killed out here." He whispered in my ear as the troops rushed in past us. The close proximity made me turn red, and I prayed Zoro would either not notice or overlook it like it was nothing. We cleared out two rooms in the same fashion and descended a flight of stairs to a room with many windows.

"There is the park! Quickly comrades, set up the machine gun in this window!" Puskov said, leading two men with 'machine gun' parts to one window. They set it up quickly and began shooting. Puskov crouched in the other window, and we stayed in the covered space in between so we wouldn't get shot. The man shooting the gun was suddenly killed with a blow to the chest and I took his place. I shot every gray-clad man that I saw and Zoro helped me see the ones that were obscured by my view.

"German Sniper! Look out comrade!" Puskov said, shoving me out of the way. I had no time to blink. He got shot once at that very moment and fell to the ground in a tattered slump. I rushed over to him and shook him once. He was dead.

Well, now what do we do?

Suddenly, a lady came through a hole in the ceiling. I recognized the boots and for a second thought it was the pretty girl from earlier. But her hair was darker and her eyes were darker too. And she was taller looking with a bigger chest.

"There you are..." She said, firing at the man that had shot Puskov. "I've been hunting that bastard all day. I'm sorry you lost your sergeant, comrade. We won't let his sacrifice go to waste…" He accent was thicker than the others, and she was barely understandable.

"TANYA!" The shout startled me, and I jumped back away from Puskov's body and into Zoro's arms. My face lit up like a beacon. "Where are you?"

"I'm down here!" The lady called back. Her name was Tanya. Pretty name, but nothing like Nami's. "There's a hole in the ceiling… or floor for you!"

"Where?! I can't see anything in here! It's too dark!" Tanya sighed and used the slats in the wood of the wall to climb up and poke her head through the hole she had come through.

"ALINA! Borya said you were blind in the dark but I thought he was kidding. No wonder you hate night-fights!"

"Tanya!" Tanya led the battered form of Alina through the hole by the hand. Alina had a shoulder wound, and it was bleeding profusely. I stood to help her but she shoved at my chest lightly, a small sign that said 'Back off, buster.' I stepped back warily. She mumbled foreign words to herself as she tore a piece of her shirt off and skillfully wrapped up her wound.

"I have a job for you three." Tanya said to the three of us, changing the subject so quickly I almost missed it. "The Fascists are using the view from that bunker to call in artillery strikes all over the city. We can't take back Stalingrad unless we control that bunker. You three lead the men up the hill. Start by taking out the pillboxes. I'll keep you covered from here. That Nazi flag must fall." She was pointing to a large stone structure on top the hill outside the windows. Alina nodded curtly and grabbed a small, metal gun like I had seen earlier from the floor. She threw us each one as well.

The metal was cold and had a weight to it, unlike the 'rifles' we had earlier. I remembered the firepower the guns had, but it was confusing why she was giving me one to use. It wasn't mine; it belonged to a dead man.

"Drop you rifles. You're not going to need those." Alina snapped at us, and we quickly did as we were told. She then turned to Tanya with her half smirk, half scowl. "You better keep us covered. I can't afford to keep both of these boys safe. I have my own hide to protect." Tanya nodded as Alina shouldered her SMN.

"Why are you taking that? I thought you said we didn't need rifles?" I asked her as we headed down another flight of stairs. That word felt funny to me, I never imagined using it.

"You never know…" Alina smirked and led us outside. We had to follow at a fast rate to keep up. She led us around a wall and into a hole in the ground. We ran through the hole and came upon the first 'pillbox', which was just a stone room with a hole in it and a gun. Zoro smacked the gunner on the back of the head and killed him instantly. Alina grabbed her SMN and shot near the window where Tanya should have been standing. Tanya noticed and smiled, returning the shot from a different window.

"See?" Alina said proudly. We ran to the next pillbox, and then the last, killing them off methodically, before heading up to the bunker.

"I bet you there are lots of Germans in there…"Alina said, facing the door to the bunker. She had a really large gun in her hands. The metal was almost black and it looked heavy as lead.

She kicked open the door and let out a barrage of fire. The weapon shot fire from the end when it was going off and never stopped until the clip of ammo was completely gone, and it took seconds to reload. Screams of pain came through the door first, followed by bullets in a massive rate of fire. They sliced their way past Alina, sending blood spurting from the wounds on her arms and shoulders and face, one lodging itself in her shoulder.

But Alina persisted until all of the men inside were dead. The she fell backwards; dropping the gun with a loud clatter. Zoro ran in and raised the flag like we were told to do, while I checked over Alina. She was alive, but barely, and she was loosing a lot of blood, fast. I picked her up gently, smearing her blood across my arms and chest in the process. She was lighter than she looked and a lot thinner under her belt, too.

We ran back to the house were Tanya greeted us lightly. She led us up into the top rooms, not seeming very worried about Alina at all.

"Is she going to be… alright?" I asked quietly as Tanya took the ailing girl from my arms and laid her on a battered old cot. The moment Alina touched the cot she let out a groan of pain and winced. The cot was turning red with her blood.

"She's not going to die, I can tell you that." Tanya was tearing off the girl's shirt quickly, leaving it mostly intact. Alina wore a stained, off white tank-top undershirt, which was becoming red. Tanya started wrapping white cloth around the wounds until they were all covered. The shoulder wound looked bad, but the bullet had already come loose and all it needed was a bandage like the rest. After moments of silence, Alina shot up in the cot, breathing heavily.

"Ah… No, No! Stay!" Tanya commanded, prompting several obsinities from Alina. Eventually, after a few minutes of foreign cursing, pushing, shoving, and yelling, Alina finally won the right to sit up. Tanya sighed and wiped some sweat off her forehead with a weak chuckle.

"If those Krauts were anything like you, we'd all be in trouble." Tanya laughed, watching Alina pout sullenly. "You're more stubborn than Borya!" This comment prompted laughter from both woman, and the lighthearted tone in the room made me smile. I removed my own shirt and set it aside; it was covered in thick red blood and I didn't want to wear it until it was clean.

A sudden sound from below, like someone running into a chair, made Tanya groan rather loudly and Alina laugh harder than before. Anyone could tell it was Aleksandr running into the bookcase on the stairs. Moments later he poked his head past the door and grinned.

"They're up here, Borya!!" He called. A sudden rush of blue signaled the arrival of Borya, and it was Tanya's turn to laugh hard as he pulled the battered Alina into a bear hug worthy of a true bear.

"Put… me… DOWN." Alina snarled loudly, somehow pushing him off without the use of her arms. He hit the floor with a thud, almost on my legs. I think we need a bigger room.

The silence when Alina sat back down on the cot was so thick Zoro could have cut it up with his swords. I could hear the faint rattle of guns very far off, accompanied with a loud boom every-so-often. Still, the silence in the room at that time, and even outside our safe-house, was complete and utter. Not even a breathe could be heard outside.

Something didn't feel right.

Everyone looked tired; Alina was already asleep on her cot. Tanya took a sitting position beside the cot, Borya taking the other. Aleksandr had left and Zoro was half-asleep beside me. I suddenly felt tired myself, and after a moment I found myself half-asleep, head resting on Zoro's shoulder. He was asleep then too, along with Tanya. Borya was still smoking, so I knew he was awake. I closed my eyes slightly, so very tired. Stupid atmosphere. I don't want to sleep…

Movement caught my eye and I looked up. Borya was standing, and I saw his long coat slide off his shoulders and onto the floor. He picked it up and brushed it off roughly, dust scattering from the fabric. He then wrapped the garment around Alina's sleeping frame and sat back down in naught but his un-buttoned, button-up shirt. I suddenly realized how cold it was and was very glad for Zoro's warmth beside me.

Something had brushed lightly against my fingers. I looked down at the cigarette and the box of matches by my hand. I looked up and faintly caught Borya's smirk. I nodded, he nodded back. We needed no words to say 'thank you' or 'you're welcome'.

I put the stick in my pocket with a match and slid the box back over to him. Finally, I felt right in this world. Zoro beside me, a cigarette in my pocket, and some outsider who acted almost like he knew me.

And, for some reason, I believe he just might have.