Chapter 3:
The next day, Newkirk, Kinch, and LeBeau were playing a game of basketball, and Carter sat on the bench outside barracks two reading a book in the sunshine. Hogan was inside his quarters doing paperwork for Klink.
The young man kept reading his book in peace, when a shadow blocked the sunlight and hovered over him. At first, Carter thought it was just a cloud passing in the sky. As soon as he realized the cloud hadn't moved for so long, he looked up and gasped upon seeing Walters grinning at him with a vicious look in his eyes. The young sergeant shot up from the bench and latched onto the side of the barracks with his back pressed hard against the wall. He looked at Walters like a deer in headlights. He was frozen and had no idea what to do.
"Well, well, well," Walters said. "Didn't think you'd ever see me again, did ya, Sergeant?"
Carter was too terrified to answer. His lip quivered, but nothing more. He just continued gaping at the man before him. For a moment, poor Carter forgot to breathe.
"Let me tell ya a little secret, Sergeant. I'm never gone. Couldn't get rid of me if you tried. Not even your little Colonel Hogan could get rid of me."
"You...you leave Colonel Hogan alone." Carter softly pleaded.
"Or else what?"
Carter licked his lips, but did not answer.
Walters chuckled softly.
"Chicken...just as I thought. You haven't changed a bit, Rat."
"...Colonel…" Carter whimpered softly. He knew it would not work, but had hoped saying it would get Hogan to show up and get the man away from him.
"Don't think he can hear you, when you speak so quietly, kid."
Carter began to shake. His body was locking up and shutting down from pure fear. He feared this man more than Hochstetter and the Gestapo.
"You! What do you think you are doing?!" A familiar voice asked from behind Walters. The lieutenant turned to see Schultz standing behind him looking fierce. He was glaring hard at the lieutenant and had noticed him making Carter uncomfortable. He now looked like he was suffering from a severe phobia of the man.
Carter somehow shook out of his stage of unresponsiveness and ran to Schultz. He dodged behind the big guard and hid to the right of him, while latching onto his jacket tight. He knew Schultz would not let Walters harm a single hair on his head. If Hogan was not there for the moment, he was certainly glad Schultz was.
"Who and what are you?" Walters sneered, crossing his arms.
"I am Sergeant Schultz, Kommandant Klink's Sergeant of the Guard! Now, what are you doing to Sergeant Carter?" Schultz demanded.
Walters gave the German guard one quick look, then shook his head.
"You, sir, do not frighten me. My own mother scares me more than you do." He hissed.
"You leave Sergeant Carter be or else."
"What? You'll tell Klink?" Walters burst out into laughter. "The man couldn't frighten a fly! He's a coward!"
"Don't you say such things about the Kommandant! He can be very vicious!"
"Uh huh, and I bet you can be just as well?"
Schultz was not fond of this man. The minute he laid eyes on Walters, he instantly disliked him. He was cold hearted, arrogant, disrespectful, and did not know when to shut his mouth. Hogan and the men would give Schultz grief from time to time, but they were not rude and corruptive like Walters was proving to be.
"Lieutenant Walters, I am going to count to three and if you do not move away from Sergeant Carter, I will have Kommandant Klink escort you to the cooler!" Schultz replied sharply.
"Oooooooo! I'm so scared of a big teddy bear!" Walters taunted, thinking Schultz was nothing more than a big joke. In fact, he was trying to figure out how in the world no one had escaped from Stalag 13, not once. He could do it in broad daylight while a guard was looking right at him. There had to be something else there he was missing, but he would worry about that later. Right now, he had a fluffy guard irritating the hell out of him and was determined to get him to leave and get back to his sergeant.
"I take it you find this amusing, Lieutenant," a cold voice from behind said. Walters turned to find Hogan standing directly in front of the barracks door. He was glaring right into his eyes and held an expressionless look to his face with his arms crossed.
He sneered at Hogan.
"And where did you come from, may I ask?" Walters asked, snooty.
"I was in my office doing paperwork assigned by Kommandant Klink for me to do on a work detail. And I assume you were going against my warning?" Hogan replied smugly.
Walters simply stared at him.
Hogan took one step closer to Walters and made himself very clear with what he was about to say.
"Stay the hell away from Carter."
"Or else what?"
"Or else you'll be dealing with me and Kommandant Klink. He doesn't put up well with prison riots!"
Walters gauged that the low words Hogan had rumbled were a sinister promise rather than idle threat. He glanced at the German sergeant, looked back at Hogan's intense gaze, then stormed off in a surly huff.
Once Schultz saw Carter was alright, he left Hogan to take care of the rest, while he returned to guard duty outside the Kommandantur.
"You alright, Carter?" Hogan asked, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.
"I'm alright now, Colonel...thanks," Carter said softly.
Hogan smiled at the young sergeant.
"No problem." The commanding officer looked over to where LeBeau, Kinch, and Newkirk were playing basketball. "LeBeau."
The little Frenchman turned to look at Hogan and hurried towards him and Carter.
"Oui, Colonel?" He asked.
"I want you to take Carter over there with you. I want one of you around with him at all times. I don't want him alone with that man walking around unattended. Also, keep your eyes aware of Walters. I sense deep trouble lingering with him," Hogan ordered quietly.
"Oui, Colonel. Come on, André. You can be the referee," LeBeau said, smiling.
Carter nodded and followed his little friend.
Hogan smiled in their direction and walked back into the barracks to continue his work. Unknown to him, he had a set of eyes watching him from afar. Walters leaned against a post of the Kommandantur, and glared at Hogan. His eyes burned just looking at the man.
"Colonel Hogan...you're a problem...and I hate problems." Walters growled.
Night finally came, and the gang of five were sitting at the table talking with one another.
"Colonel, you should've seen it! I took Pierre down like a professional!" LeBeau cried. He was rejoicing over his win in basketball against Kinch and Newkirk.
"I still think you bloody cheated." Newkirk grumbled.
"Can't take a loss like a man, Newkirk," Kinch teased.
"You're real funny, ya know that?"
Hogan chuckled.
"Alright, guys. That's enough," he said, grinning.
Newkirk turned to Carter and gave him a friendly smile.
"Did a good job reffing, Andrew," he said.
Carter twiddled his thumbs and seemed worried about something. He was not even looking at his best friend.
"Carter, what's wrong?" Kinch asked, concerned.
He did not answer.
"Carter, you alright?" Hogan asked.
Still nothing.
Hogan turned to look at the others, worried.
"Was he acting like this all day?"
"He was fine up until now, Colonel," LeBeau said.
"Even at dinner, Gov'nor," Newkirk said.
Hogan looked back at Carter, who got up and made his way to Hogan's room. He gently closed the door behind him without making a sound. The American officer looked back at Kinch, Newkirk, and LeBeau anxiously.
"You three stay here. Let me know if Walters comes in," Hogan ordered.
"Oui, Colonel," LeBeau said.
Hogan rose from the table and made his way into his quarters. He found Carter sitting on his bunk gripping onto Hogan's blanket for dear life. The colonel closed the door and walked in front of his technical sergeant, then kneeled down before him. He looked at Carter with friendly eyes. He wanted to help him, he wanted to make him feel better, but unless Carter told him what was going on, he could not do that for him.
"Carter, you okay?" Hogan asked softly.
The young sergeant shook his head 'no'.
"Why not?"
Carter swallowed a knot in his throat, but continued to stay silent.
"Carter, I wanna help you, I really do...but I can't do that, if you won't tell me what's wrong."
"I...can't, Colonel," Carter croaked.
"You can't tell me. Why not?" Hogan asked.
"He'll...he'll kill you."
"No one's gonna kill me, Carter. I'm just fine."
"He will, Colonel. If I tell you, he'll kill you!"
"Who, Walters?"
He did not answer.
"Carter, look at me," Hogan spoke quietly.
The young man lifted his head and met Hogan's eyes.
"Walters is not going to kill me. I'm fine, Newkirk's fine, LeBeau's fine, and Kinch is fine. We're all okay, Carter. I'm not gonna let him hurt you, I promised that...and I don't break my promises, do I?"
Carter's lip quivered and nodded.
"Please, Carter...tell me what's wrong. Why are you so afraid of Lieutenant Walters?"
Carter opened his mouth to say something, when Hogan's door opened and there was standing Walters. Hogan stood to his feet, and Carter jumped up and wrapped his arms around Hogan like a five year old to his dad.
The colonel turned to look at him, feeling horrible for Carter. Out of all people, Carter did not deserve to suffer through something like he was now. It intensified Hogan's anger, as he returned to look at Carter's old commanding officer.
"What the hell did you do to him?" Hogan demanded.
"That is just between me and Carter here...isn't it, Sergeant," Walters hissed.
Carter leaned his head against Hogan's shoulder and started shaking a little.
"You're alright, Carter," Hogan said, keeping his eyes on Walters. If there was anything he would do, he would never let this man hurt Carter again. He would not let him hurt any of his men.
"You can't protect him 24-7, Colonel," Walters warned.
"I've taken care of that problem already. Who's protecting Carter is none of your concern." Hogan growled.
"He's one of my men!"
"He became one of my men the day he came to Stalag 13! Now, I'm the commanding officer in this camp, not you! And while we're on that topic, let me remind you that I outrank you by quite a bit, Lieutenant!"
"Colonel, stop! Please!" Carter begged softly.
"You hear how he's talking to me, Sergeant?!" Walters snapped.
Carter grabbed onto Hogan tighter, afraid he was starting to hurt him from squeezing so tight.
"Get out of my quarters," Hogan said roughly.
"I'm not…"
"I said 'Get out', Lieutenant! I'll permit you to enter my room when I wish for it, understood?!"
Walters grinded his jaw, then stormed out of Hogan's room, quickly replaced by LeBeau, Newkirk, and Kinch.
"We're sorry, Colonel. We were coming here to warn you, when Walters gave us a warning he'd set the barracks on fire that made us stay put," Kinch said apologetically.
"It's alright, Kinch," Hogan said softly.
"Is Andrew alright, Gov'nor?" Newkirk asked.
Hogan turned to look at Carter, who was still grabbing him firmly.
"Carter, you're alright now. Walters is gone," Hogan said.
He looked up into Hogan's eyes. They held terror and frightening memories that the commanding officer wanted nothing more than to know in order to help his friend.
"I'm alright, Carter...we're all alright." He continued.
"Yeah, mate. We're all here with ya," Newkirk said friendly.
"We won't let the filthy bosche hurt you, mon ami," LeBeau said.
Carter nodded, then slowly let go of Hogan's arm.
Hogan patted Carter's shoulder gently, then looked back up at his men.
"We've gotta do something about Walters," He said, firm.
"But how, Colonel?" LeBeau asked.
"I don't know. I'm thinking of something...but I won't let him hurt one of you men, especially Carter." Hogan replied. "Tonight, I want all three of you to take turns at night watching for Walters. I have a feeling he'll find any opportunity to try and cause harm to Carter or anyone of you he gets. Keep doing it every night until I say otherwise."
"Gotcha, sir," Kinch said.
"No problem, Gov'nor."
"Oui, Colonel."
Hogan nodded and turned to look at Carter. "You alright with that, Carter?"
"Yes, Colonel...just please don't make him angry, sir. I know you're trying to protect me, but please don't put yourself in danger because of me, sir...I couldn't handle it, if something happened to you." He whispered.
"I told you, Carter. I can take care of myself. You don't need to worry about me," Hogan said.
"But, Colonel-"
"Carter, I said stop worrying about me," Hogan ordered more sternly.
He nodded sadly.
"Yes, sir," the young sergeant said softly
Hogan nodded, then looked back to the rest of his men.
"Why don't all of you go to bed? You guys could use all the rest you can get," he suggested.
They agreed and started to file out of the room.
"See you in the morning, Colonel," Carter bade.
"I'll take the first shift, guys," Kinch said, following the men out.
Once the door had closed, Hogan sat down in his desk and rubbed his face with his hands. Knowing one of his men or more of them were in danger always stressed him out. He needed a plan to get rid of Walters, but oddly enough, nothing was coming to him. He decided to sleep on it and see where he would be in the morning with it. He put on his pajamas and crawled into bed. Having not realized how tired he was, he fell fast asleep the minute he hit his pillow.