A/N:

Thank you Norsegirl17 for the review! Wow, really thank you for your kind words! I'm glad you're enjoying the story (and the awkwardness lol) :)

Thank you BobtheFrong for the review! Sorry for the cliffhanger lol, I was hoping it would be suspenseful enough! And thank you for pointing out my mix up between Penkala and Skinny, I was thinking that before I typed it but thought I was wrong. I went back and edited it :)

Thank you kEs-2717 for the review! I hope you're ready for what's coming next!

This chapter was very emotionally draining to write, but I wanted to get it out there and not wait as long for an update like last time! Enjoy!

TW: Violence/Gore

Marie slowly opened her eyes, her vision fuzzy and mind too muddled to focus. Her head throbbed as she lifted it off the snowy floor; it pounded mercilessly with every slight twitch. Her body convulsed, the muscles jerking rapidly in a meek effort to get warm. She was dangerously cold she realized, seeing that the tips of skin under her fingernails have started to turn a faint blue, and the rest of her skin paled with red splotches all over. Her hair had come undone in the fall and had frost hanging from the messy blonde locks. She fully pushed herself upright, groaning in pain as she did so. Marie's body was badly banged up and bruised from her fall, she could even see some blood soaking from her uniform where the roots had cut her. Marie continued to shiver violently, hugging herself as she sat in the snow. She looked around, realizing with a sinking feeling that the only way she could get back to Easy Company was to climb the hill. Even worse it was already dusk, nightfall would be coming very soon. Marie knew she couldn't stay out here too much longer, hyperthermia was a threat, not to mention she could be injured internally somehow. Marie attempted to stand, but collapsed immediately back onto the snow. Her body was far too stiff and sore to even stand under her weight.

How long was I out for? She thought, grabbing her throbbing head. She leaned forward, placing her hands on the snow, trying her best to ignore the stabbing pain it brought to her fingers. She started to crawl forward, hoping to find some kind of shrub that she could seek refuge in until her body relaxed. The involuntary jerking of her body terrified her; she stifled a sob as she slowly made her way on her hands and knees. Her helmet was long gone, buried in the snow somewhere in the distance. She was thankful that her medical pack was still on her, though its small contents probably wouldn't be enough.

You have to find somewhere fast Marie, or you'll get frostbite. She told herself, though she couldn't will her fatigued and cold body to go any faster. As she crawled she noticed a small bush and a tree by the hill. She let out a sigh of relief and started in the direction of it. Sudden footsteps crunching in the snow made Marie stop in place. They were headed in her direction. She lowered herself down toward the snow as she remained frozen in place.

"Es ist niemand in der Nähe!" A masculine voice huffed. To her horror she realized whoever was approaching was German. In a panic she laid herself on the freezing ground completely and pretended to be dead, not knowing what else to do. She prayed that her jerking body wouldn't give it away. She brought her hand down her thigh and toward her knife for protection. She clenched her eyes shut and listened with mounting dread as the footsteps drew closer and closer. She heard the German man exclaim in surprise, knowing that he'd seen her. She could feel his presence over her and felt his eyes on her as he leaned over to inspect her body.

"Ein Amerikanisches Mädchen?" He said in disbelief. Marie felt him touch her arm, knowing that he was going to turn her over to get a better look.

What do I do? Do I attack him? What if he's armed? Marie thought, her mind racing with ideas on how to get away or defend herself. She knew he would eventually notice that she was alive. She couldn't risk him taking her back as a POW, or worse… but there was also a chance that this man wouldn't be a soldier, he could just be a traveler. But she couldn't take that chance.

Right as he flipped her on her back her eyes flew open. Before the man could speak she whipped out her knife in one swift motion and drove it into his forearm. The German fell backwards, howling in pain and clutching his wounded arm. Marie turned back over on her hands and knees and tried to stand, but her body was still far too weak. She heard movement from behind her and knew that the German was coming towards her. She felt him strike her on her back; the blow made her fall forward on her stomach. He roughly turned her over again so she was staring eye to eye at her attacker. He was dressed in civilian clothes, he wasn't a soldier. But now it was too late to take back her actions.

"Schlampe!" He spat. Marie could see the fury and intent of murder blazing in his piercing blue eyes. He had a young, innocent face but the look of bloodthirstiness of a fully grown raging man. The German drew his fist back and punched Marie directly in the face. Marie's head whipped to the side by the force of the strike. She whimpered in pain, already feeling her cheek and left eye swell up. She tried to grab her knife, which had slipped from her hands and was now lying in the snow above her, but she couldn't get a good grip on it. The German placed his hands roughly around her neck, digging his thumbs into her windpipe. Marie's eyes opened wide as she felt the air being strangled out of her. Marie struggled against him but his grip only tightened the more she fought.

I'm going to die! She thought in a panic as the German choked her. She gagged as her weakening body attempted to swallow in any amount of oxygen it could get. The German glared down at her, gritting his teeth as he attempted to snuff the life out of her. Marie knew she'd be unconscious in a matter of seconds and be doomed if she didn't reach her knife in time. Using the last bit of her strength and pure willpower she encircled her fingers around the handle of the blade. She brought the edge of the knife to his face, cutting him on the cheek. He drew back in pain, yelping as he hid his face in his hands.

With a scream of anger Marie lunged at him, driving her knife into his arm again, slicing deeper than before. The force knocked him fully on his back. She pinned the German down with her legs and raised the knife over her head. Marie brought the blade down again and again, stabbing him in multiple places. Every time the steel made contact with his flesh she let out a cry of satisfaction. Marie was completely blinded by her fury to see how much she was violently mutilating this man with every piercing. Blood splattered upward, spraying her face and BDU with every sickening stab. Finally Marie sunk the knife down, her eyes clenched shut as she performed the coup de grace. She heard a crunch of breaking bones as the blade inched lower and lower into his skin. The man had finally stopped struggling. Marie dropped the knife and rolled off of him, lying on her back spread eagled beside the bloody body. She panted heavily, tears spilling down her cheeks as she caught her breath. The knife lay idly beside her, the silver splattered crimson as if it had been dipped in paint. Marie's mind was blank; the only thing that filled her head was the sound of her heart hammering within it. The woods were still as all activity around the vicinity had ceased, as if the trees had witnessed what she'd just done. As she lay there, realization and reality had slowly started to come back to her.

Did I just… kill someone? She thought to herself in horror. It took her a moment to fully comprehend what happened – it was as if something had possessed her body in that crucial split-second when she reached for the knife. Marie felt like she was floating outside of herself, watching her body murder an unarmed man that she had provoked first. No, this couldn't be happening. No… it couldn't of happened!

Marie shuddered, sitting up and daring herself to look over at her gruesome handiwork. Marie glanced over reluctantly at the now lifeless, dormant corpse of the German man. He had deep and bloody stab wounds seeping through his overcoat, draining out and staining the white snow under him. Many wounds littered his chest and face. His face had become so disfigured that he didn't even look human anymore. The only thing Marie could distinguish from him was one of his blue eyes in the bloody mess, somehow untouched from all the blood and torn flesh. Marie lurched forward, heaving until she threw up from the horrific sight. She had killed a man… she had taken a human life. Marie shook the thoughts from her head, though the adrenaline had started to fade and was being slowly replaced with heavy guilt. Marie started to sob, her body now trembling from her cries while still being freezing. She wiped the vomit off her mouth and tried her best to collect her frantic thoughts.

As she tried to calm down she knew that she had to find warmth soon or she wouldn't be able to survive. Marie noticed the German had a pack beside him that he most likely dropped in the scuffle. Marie stiffly crawled toward it, being careful not to step in the pooling blood that was still draining from his body. She opened it to see that he had more clothes and food inside. Marie almost wept with relief from her discovery. She pulled the pack close, embracing it like she'd never let it go. Marie picked up her knife from the ground and sheathed it back into its strap. With her pack she crawled back toward the bush she originally was trying to reach. She reached the bush and tree and settled herself behind it, though it wasn't as comfortable as a foxhole. Marie stared at the pack for a long time, unable to bring herself to rummage through it right away. She'd killed a man and took his belongings like some lowly scavenger. Marie gazed down at her trembling hands, noticing the early warnings of frostbite starting to worsen. She gulped, knowing that she didn't have a choice in order to survive. She opened his pack and pulled out a black, wooly overcoat. She put it on over her Army overcoat and BDU, already feeling the warmth being trapped inside. A pair of mittens was folded under the coat, which she gratefully slipped onto her hands. She rubbed them together, trying her best to warm them up. The German's pack contained a few cans of dried fruit, a canteen of water, a cap, a pocket watch, and a leather-bound pocketbook. Marie pulled the cap over her head, happy to keep her ears warm.

Marie took out the pocket watch and turned it over in her hands, inspecting it. It reminded her of Malarkey. She felt a deep pang of guilt; he had told her to be careful and she'd done the complete opposite. She wished he was with her right now, if he were here she wouldn't feel so scared and alone. Marie placed the pocket watch back in the German's pack, feeling tears well up in her eyes once again. She feared what Malarkey would think of her now that she killed a man in cold blood. If she'd ever see Malarkey again, that is. Her chances of surviving out here all night in her state were slim. Marie trembled, the thought of never seeing Malarkey again made her feel so miserable that she thought she'd be sick again. Marie clutched her stomach and keeled over, vomiting once again as tears stung her eyes. She sat back, opening her medical kit and pulling out the last bit of bandages in her possession and a tube of Foille ointment. She shakily inspected her body, bandaging up her cuts and applied the ointment on her skin where frostbite seemed most prominent. When she was finished she hugged herself, bundling herself up as much as she could. It was getting darker and darker by the minute and the temperature had already started to drop at a drastic rate. Marie wished she could build a fire, but if she was truly in German territory than the risk would be too great. She leaned up against the trunk of the tree, shivering rapidly, but not as badly as she was before. A pungent odor was carried in the windy chill, filling Marie's nose with its sharp smell. She shifted forward, pulling back the branches of the bush to peek out. She saw the body, noticing for the first time just how close it was to where she was resting. She saw that the German's pants were soaked, most likely the bladder had let go of all its contents at the time of death. Even with the light fading in the sky Marie could still see the savage detail of the corpse. She quickly retreated back into the shrub, feeling her stomach churn. She clenched her eyes shut and tried to force herself to fall asleep and escape her current state.

Trying to fall asleep only kept sleep away, in frustration she hastily opened one of the cans of fruit and started to eat. She shoveled the food down with a few large gulps of water, hoping a full stomach would help her fall asleep faster. Marie was still horribly nauseous, and instantly started to regret eating so quickly. She waited for the wave of nausea to end, though it remained inside her, eating her alive like a dirty secret. She reached for the pocket book, searching for anything to keep her mind off of the terrible deed that she had committed. She opened the book only to see notes scribbled down in German. She flipped the pages, unable to read the foreign language but stopped when she came upon a photograph. The photo was wedged in between two pages. She picked up the photograph and brought it closer to her good eye. It was the German, standing beside a pretty woman whom was visibly pregnant. His arm was slung around her, with a blissful smile spread across his face. The woman held her swollen belly, excitement of being a new mother plain on her face.

A moan of agony escaped Marie's lips. What had she done? She hadn't just murdered an unarmed traveler, she'd murdered a father. This woman was probably waiting anxiously for him to return with food or supplies, but little does she know her husband was killed by an American paratrooper that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Marie dropped the photograph and book back into the pack, her hands trembling so badly now that she couldn't even make a fist. Surely she'd be damned for this, she knew she'd never forgive herself for what she'd done.

Marie's eyelids opened stiffly from the crust around the edges and frost. She let out a low groan as she forced her battered body out of submission. She was vaguely thankful to have survived the night, but she felt worse than before she'd fallen asleep. Using the tree as support, Marie stood up, her legs quaking with so much intensity that she almost slipped several times. Her skin had gone almost completely white, while her nose, lips, joints, and around her eyes remained a striking red color. Marie had to get back to Easy Company, if not she would surely parish amongst the snowy ground. With her medical pack and the German's pack she left the shrub, taking unorthodox steps as she stumbled in the snow. Marie once again came face to face with the body and her guilt. Rigor mortis had set in a few hours before, leaving the body looking creepily petrified.

Marie turned away and went to face the grueling task ahead: climbing the hill and making her way back to Easy Company. Grabbing onto the roots jutting out of the snow she pulled herself up with what little strength she had remaining. Her boots tried to grip onto the sloping hill as the snow tumbled from below them. It was clear that she'd have to relay on her upper body to pull her way up the hill. Tears of pain and exertion ran from her eyes; she was already feeling winded and she wasn't even halfway up the hill yet. Marie stopped a minute, trying to catch her breath but the algid air froze her throat and lungs. She continued to gulp down for air, pushing her sore body to keep climbing. She grunted and lifted herself, almost pulling a root from the ground.

You can't give up. A little voice in her head repeated over and over again. She wasn't sure if it was the discipline the Army and Sobel instilled in her to help her persevere, or just plain instinct to survive, but she managed to climb all the way to the top of the hill.

Marie rolled over on her back as she panted heavily. Her body shook with exhaustion from being overworked in such freezing temperatures, but she knew she couldn't quit now. With great effort she rolled herself onto her knees and stood up. She wandered blindly through the snowy haze, praying that she was somehow heading in the right direction. She felt like she was traveling outside of her body again, like she had been when she was killing the German. Marie's body couldn't take much more; soon she would succumb and become unconscious once again, left alone. As Marie approached the line she heard a voice call to her in the wind, but part of her didn't know if it was her mind playing tricks on her. She slumped against a tree, trying to see if she could make out anything beyond the haze.

"Flash! Flash!" The voice called. "Whoever you are you better respond or you will be fired upon!" She knew that voice…

"Thunder…" Her voice came out as a desperate croak. She stumbled forward, her gait similar to that of a drunkard. "Thunder… thunder…" Marie's hoarse voice couldn't rise above a whisper.

"I mean it!" The voice warned. As she approached she could see two figures in a foxhole. Marie took another step forward, raising her hands. She could see the glimmer from an M-1's barrel aiming at her.

"Flash!" Another voice boomed, more aggressively than before.

"Thunder…" Marie continued to rasp, she struggled forward, hoping whoever was ahead could hear her and wouldn't kill her on sight. As her shape materialized, the men could see the slight definition of curve under the clothes the person wore and the smaller height of the figure. They lowered their weapons as Marie stumbled closer. They saw her covered in blood, looking as pale as a ghost, and wearing a stranger's clothing. The ends of her unkempt hair stuck out from beneath the cap she was wearing.

"Holy shit, is that-" McClung started.

"Marie?" Toye asked. He got out of his foxhole just in time to catch the fainting woman as she fell into his arms.

German translation:

There is no one around!

An American girl?

Bitch!

I used a translator app for the German, so sorry if it isn't accurate!