A/N:

Thank you BobtheFrog for the review! She's too stubborn for her own good. I'm glad you liked the bit with her brother, I got the idea to add him last minute and I'm glad it worked out lol.

Thank you blackhawkcawcaw for the review! Your kind words really motivated me! Thank you so much! I can't believe my story was able to change your emotions so much! That means so much to me!

Thank you missavc34 for the review! I know, she can be an extremely frustrating person, especially when her fear gets in the way! Too bad Marie and Dave's reunion didn't have a better outcome, but as you said, Marie really has changed due to her experiences.

Thank you MASHlover23 for the review! I'm so glad adding Dave was a success; I wasn't sure how everyone was going to react to it. I'll try to update faster, I've just been so busy lately!

Thank you kEs-2717 for the review! Yes, poor Marie! I feel so bad for my poor things suffering so much. I'm hoping Austria will set a good pace; there are a lot of things coming up!

Thank you LauRa-ReaDing-XoX for the review! I'm glad so many liked that Dave finally made an appearance in the story. I'm glad you're looking forward to Austria!

Thank you tigerroar9 for the review, story follow, favorite, and adding me as a favorite author! Thank you so much for your kind words! It thrills me that my little story was able to bring you that much happiness!

Thank you KaylaMarie97 for the story follow and favorite!

Thank you grable42 for the story follow!

Thank you emilywd for the story follow and favorite!

TW: Suicide

Saalfelden, Austria

May 1945

The nightmares for Marie never seemed to end. Night after night her mind was assaulted with graphic reminders of the war, and all her regrets played in her mind like a horrid motion picture.

Marie found herself back in Bastogne, standing alone, without a purpose or memory as to why she was here. It was lightly snowing and Marie could instantly recognize the hill she fell down and the bush she took refuge in during that long winter night all those months ago. The only difference in scenery was her house had appeared to be resting before her, the yellow paint loudly contrasting against the white and grey shades that surrounded her. She glanced down, seeing that she was wearing the white and black dress Emilia had given her in Aldbourne. It's strange how in dreams two obscure things could come together and blend; yet to the body and mind it seemed perfectly normal. Her subconscious was so convinced that it all made sense, that she couldn't even tell she was about to have another nightmare to add to her nasty collection.

There was a pool of dried blood and disturbed snow before her house, along with bloody footprints that led directly inside. It looked like something had wrestled in the snow before getting to its feet. Marie knew she shouldn't follow the tracks, but the uncertainty had a type of magnetic attraction. She started toward her house, not realizing that she didn't even feel cold out in the snow, she couldn't feel any change in temperature at all; everything had just seemed naturally there. She entered her house, finding the furniture and set up exactly how she remembered it. There were empty spaces that seemed to be blurred from her vision, as her memory of home gradually began to fade with the passing years. The house had a powerful odor, one that filled her nostrils unpleasantly and would've choked her if she hadn't been in such a trance-like state. The smell was like fecal matter mixed with something burning, along with death and famine.

The house smelled like the camps.

The bloody tracks curved right on the cherry wood floor, leading into the kitchen and around the corner. She moved, feeling like a chess piece on a board as she obediently followed the crimson footprints. She stopped, seeing a familiar figure standing before the sink, their back to Marie. The wide hips, plump legs, and brown, frizzy hair made Marie's heart sink in silent recognition. The woman turned around, her large eyes spotting Marie coming into the kitchen. Her mother held a butcher knife, her face pinched in a formidable scowl. She pointed the knife in Marie's direction, but didn't utter a word. Marie continued on, seeing the tip of the knife and her mother's brooding eyes watch her like a painting until she exited the kitchen. Her mother remained frozen in her wicked stance, unwavering even as Marie left. Marie kept following the bloody tracks as they rounded left this time, out of the hallway and toward a set of stairs.

Stairs? My house doesn't have stairs.

On the side of the stairs stood Liesel, her hand over her mouth in mourning as she peered up the steps. She noticed Marie and instantly became infuriated. Marie could practically feel her cut on her cheek burn as she approached Liesel as a stark reminder of their last encounter. The German woman pointed up the stairs as if she was scolding a child, telling them to 'go to their room'.

"Mörderin, go see what you have done." Liesel said, her tone nasty and accusing. Marie didn't find it odd that Liesel was speaking English – dreams could be funny that way.

Marie climbed the steps, seeing that the bloody tracks did the same. As she reached upstairs, the footprints took a sharp right and led straight to a bedroom at the end of a dark hall. With every step Marie took she could feel a mounting sense of dread grow larger and larger in her chest. She wanted to turn back and run out of her house, but her legs continued to move forward, as if against her own will. As she neared the mysterious destination the house became dimmer and the awful smell became more potent. Marie gripped the door handle and gave it a twist and entered the room to find a large crowd of familiar faces.

Everyone in Easy Company that had died stood perfectly erect, staring at her with what looked like mild disappointment. There was Hoobler, his pant leg soaked with blood; Jackson with half of his face mutilated, and in front of the line was Emilia and Muck. Emilia had a bullet hole in the middle of her forehead, surrounded by dried blood that had drained and smeared over most of her face, along with a soaked patch of blood on her chest. Muck was thankfully in one piece and not in a pile of varied body parts. Marie eyed them all for a moment, eerily feeling content with the dead standing in an empty room of her house. Emilia solemnly closed her eyes, turning her head in the direction of another door. The footprints led past the closed door and Marie could sense a forewarned finality as she stared at the wooden door. Light was leaking through the creases, as if God himself were standing behind the door, waiting for Marie to open it and be bestowed upon in all His glory.

"What have you done, Marie?" Emilia's voice suddenly came, soft and quiet and slightly accusatory. Emilia kept her eyes on the door, as if expecting Marie to go forth and open it.

Marie inched her way toward the door and reached for the handle, slowly and cautiously as she felt her friends' dead eyes bearing down on her from behind. She twisted the knob and forced her way in, only to find that the room was darker than she thought. The door slammed shut behind her, and stench hit her so hard that she felt herself kneel down to retch. Something was scurrying around heavily in the darkness, she could hear it coming for her. One dusty window allowed a small stream of light to shine through the middle of the floor. A figure approached and at last stepped into the light, and the very sight of it made Marie want to scream.

The German, covered in blood, bloated from death, one eye hanging grotesquely out of his socket, limped into view. His purpled, decomposing hands were hooked like claws; his one good, dying eye glistened as it noticed her in the room. It grunted like an animal as it inched closer and closer. Marie frantically went to open the door, but the knob rattled in protest as she pulled against the knob. She didn't take her frightened eyes off of the living corpse as it neared. She went to cry for help, but her voice came out as a hoarse whistle, unable to vocalize. As Marie dared another glance back, it bounded toward her at an inhuman speed. She felt its cold hands hook around her neck and lift her effortlessly into the air. It tossed her across the room, and she felt herself land heavily and skid against the floor. She rasped for breath as it neared her again, its one good eye radiating absolute blood lust.

Right as it was standing over her, Marie awoke with a start. Birds chirped cheerfully outside the window as sunlight flooded from the cracks of the window. She sat up slowly, her head felt like it was cemented to the pillow. Hot sweat stuck to her body and sheets.

Beside her covers rested a note. She reached for it with trembling hands, and instantly recognized Malarkey's handwriting.

"Went hunting with some of the boys. Be back soon! – Love Don"

Inessential frustration rushed to her suddenly as her groggy mind was still attempting to wake up. She was just so tired of nightmares; so tired of constantly living in the same state of misery. She snatched up her pillow and chucked it across the room. It hit a lamp and knocked it over, she watched carelessly as the antique shattered to ground.

Who gives a shit? This isn't even my house, it's just another temporary bedroom Easy Company is renting. She thought, balling her fists at the newly broken lamp.

She wanted to scream, kick and punch things, she wanted to rush outside, strip down, and jump into the crystal clear lake that was next to the temporary housing, and swim until she was tired and trapped in the middle of the lake. Angry tears rolled down her cheeks as she stomped toward the pillow that lay on the floor. She hastily picked it up and started clawing at it, ripping and tearing the fabric to bits until the feathers started spilling out of it. She continued to tear up the pillow until it appeared as if the ceiling was raining white feathers. She tossed the pillow aside then kicked the nightstand that the lamp was sitting on.

Marie kept up with destroying various items around the house. By the time she was finished she was out of breath and the room looked like a tornado had come through. She dressed herself and briskly wiped her tears, feeling an odd sense of relief settle into the pit of her stomach. She left the room and went to find the rest of Easy Company.

Easy Company's previous high spirits had vanished, like they did many times before. Austria had brought the company nice living quarters, no enemies to fight, and the nearing possibility of being shipped home. Points was the topic everyone was talking about, all the soldiers were totaling up how much they had and were already discussing what they were going to do when they got home. Everyone was so wrapped up in the war ending in Europe, they forgot about the campaign in the Pacific. Now Easy Company stood huddled together watching a projector's screen of clips from the Marines fighting in the Pacific.

"Heroic dead of a grim Army and Marine Corps spark the grim battlefield of Okinawa, where one of the bloodiest engagements of the war is being fought. Thousands of yanks have been wounded, and other thousands sacrificed alive by the fanatical foe." The film announcer's Atlanta drawl narrated.

Marie watched the black and white footage of men fighting on beaches. She picturing herself being stranded on that island, feeling the humidity, hiding behind a palm tree for cover, as the Japanese came chasing her down.

"Along the Japs southern defense line, the yanks progress slowly, facing one of the fiercest artillery barrages of the war. Each small advance is gained by sheer grit in the face of withering fire from a suicidal enemy, being slowly hammered back into the hills. The going is brutal and our causalities are high, but Okinawa is the next big step toward victory over Japan! A victory that can only be won by work, war bonds, and heroic sacrifice."

The film ended, and the men started to mumble uneasily. They left the room, realizing that they could all be shipped to Japan instead of finally getting to see home again. Marie stayed, staring at the blank screen, the grainy images of Okinawa replaying in her memory. She felt someone touch her shoulder. She turned to see Abernathy, giving her a forced smile. She signaled that they had to leave, so Marie followed her out. Barbara was waiting outside the room, smoking and internally fuming by the way she paced around.

"Looks like we're going to be living in the sand soon." Barbara humorlessly chuckled, taking the cigarette out of her mouth.

"We can't be certain yet. There's still a matter of the Advanced Service Rating Score-" Abernathy started.

Barbara chuckled darkly again. "The points? The points don't mean shit." She threw her cigarette to the ground and stomped on it. "You need eighty-five to even be considered, and I don't have near enough. I've never been injured, never received a medal."

"But… you've been overseas since 1943." Abernathy piped up.

"It's bullshit! We can't keep going on like this!" Barb erupted, storming out of the room, seething.

Abernathy attentively glanced over at Marie, whom watched Barb, saddened by the grim reality of it all. "How many points do you have, Marie?"

"Fifty-seven."

"That's it?" Abernathy gasped.

Marie smiled thinly. "Looks like I'm going to be redeployed to fight the Japs in the Pacific Theater, huh? That's okay, I don't mind following Easy Company." A sharp pain erupted in her chest, knowing that Malarkey had enough points and would most likely be sent home soon. She on the other hand would have to remain behind, along with most of the replacements.

"I'll be going with you too, I guess." Abernathy replied weakly, smiling sadly.

Although the feeling of being send into combat again was unsettling, knowing that she wouldn't be alone did help her feel slightly better.

"I don't have it that bad I guess, I mean Shifty only has fifteen." Marie added, still having trouble trying to comprehend why his number was that low. "I'm pretty tired, I didn't sleep too well last night-" She began.

"You still having nightmares?"

Marie shrugged, trying to downplay the severity of her dreams. "Kind of, just restless in general. I'm going to take a nap and wait for Malark to come back."

She left the CP building and headed toward 2nd platoon's OP, feeling her insides toss around uncomfortably in her body. Nothing was how it was supposed to be. The war had ended in Europe, but no one was allowed to return home yet. The war was still raging on in the Pacific, and the damned points had to find their way into the mix. Most of her friends were either going to be discharged home or sent to fight in the Pacific. Malarkey was for sure going to return home, if not this month then soon. He had a lot of points, and had paid his dues ten times over, being the soldier with the most consecutive days in combat. He would return to the States, they would lose touch, she could never see or hear from him again. He'd go be with Bernice again as Marie struggled to survive on the bloodstained beaches of Japan, Okinawa, or somewhere out there. She clenched her fists, fighting herself desperately to keep such negative thoughts away. She reminded herself that nothing was guaranteed yet, and Malarkey had said he loved her, and she believed him.

Marie went into OP, and instinctively headed toward the room she shared with the other girls. As she went to open her door, she felt it stop, catching on something heavy. Irritated and confused, she pushed her body against the door as she attempted to force it open. She could hear some piece of furniture skidding against the floors as the door slowly pushed and opened. Marie gave one last forceful push, stumbling into the room from the unexpected give. The nightstand was blocking the door. She stared at the moved piece of furniture puzzled, until she decided to glance further down the room. Her heart stammered until it practically stopped, freezing over. Her body stilled, her mouth wordlessly gasping and trying to form words as a body swayed back and forth, suspended by a belt from the fan on the ceiling.

The body was dressed in ODs, and had long, platinum blonde hair that cascaded down to the rear, light blue eyes that were wide open and lifeless…

Marie's body suddenly became un-possessed from the shock. She let out a shrill scream, a scream that had made her own ears ring unpleasantly. Barb's body twisted with the fan, so calm despite Marie's violent cries. Marie's thoughts were to take out her knife and cut Barbara down, check her pulse to see if there was a chance she could still be living, but Marie couldn't move.

"What the hell is going on?" Talbert burst into the room, his voice more alarmed and alert than she heard in months. He saw Marie screaming, her body slightly hunched as Barbara's body was suspended a few feet from the ground by the neck. "Oh dear God…" He muttered in horror. Tab instantly was at Marie's side, his hand covering her eyes.

"Floyd? What happened?" Luz's voice rang from the hallway. He entered the room, his jaw dropping from the appalling scene before him.

Tab held Marie, whose hysterics mixed into sobs. "George, go get Speirs! Now!"Luz was just as frozen as Marie had been, his large eyes unable to remove themselves from Barbara's body. "Luz, NOW!" Tab stressed.

Luz didn't hesitate another moment. He dashed down the hallway; Marie's bloodcurdling sobs carried shortly behind him, echoing loud enough to where he swore all of Austria could hear her sorrow.