The Way Back

- 18 -

A drop had come in the following days that brought it supplies the American paratroopers desperately needed. It gave the men some fraction of hope. They were still cold and miserable, but they had hope. For a short time at least.

The snow fell heavy the night before the tanks arrived from the German lines. Fresh snow littered the grounds and covered the trees. It was beautiful save for the unnerving rumble of enemy tanks. The unmistakable sound drew Lia from her foxhole quickly, running to the front of the lines and making sure everyone was up and ready.

"It's about to get real busy, Creed." Lip stopped next to her.

Lia only nodded in agreement, eyes glancing in the direction of the oncoming tanks. The tanks broke through the tree line, spitting up clouds of white behind them as they moved. As they pushed on forward to threaten the American line, Lia patted Lipton's shoulder and pointed in order to tell him to get a move on. She ran in the opposite direction, yelling for the machine gunners to open fire.

One single shot rang throughout the air on the American side of the line, alerting Lia to Piper's presence. She were somewhere alive and that's all that mattered.

"Train your mortar fire on those tanks, let's go!" She shouted.

Lia threw herself down into a foxhole at the front of the line and unleashed bullets on everything that moved for the rest of the day. 

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"Men!" General Sink shouted, his voice carrying over the group of soldiers trying to keep warm. The General arrived from a jeep carrying a message that would hopefully help boost the morale of the men on the line. 

"General MacAuliffe wishes us all a merry Christmas. 'What's merry about all this, you ask? Just this. We've stopped cold everything that's been thrown at us from the north, east, south, and west. Now, two days ago the German commander demanded our honorable surrender to save the USA encircled troops from total annihilation." General Sink paused for a moment and everyone listened intently.

"'The German commander received the following reply. To the German Commander, nuts!" All of the soldiers let out soft laughs at a single word. More laughing than Lia had heard since they arrived, and the moment felt lighter than it ever has out in these woods. 

"We're giving our country and our loved ones at home a worthy Christmas present, and being privileged to take part in this gallant feat of arms, we're truly making for ourselves, a merry Christmas."

Lia nodded her head absentmindedly, looking down at her boots buried in snow. Nothing better than spending Christmas Eve on enemy grounds for yet another year.

"Merry Christmas to you all and God bless you." Sink spoke, glancing around to the soldiers.

The group exploded in a rounds of 'merry Christmas' and 'nuts'. The soldiers were smiling. Something Lia was hoping to see. She glanced around, her eyes landing on Roe who was the only man not smiling or joking around. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Lia saw Winters noticing the same thing.

"Think he'll be alright?" Winters asked her, staring at their medic.

"They see a lot more shit than we do. Takes it's toll not being able to cure every man who gets injured. I can't imagine what he's seen back in town. They can't evacuate those men." Lia spoke lowly, the images of that damned hospital flooding her mind. So many men were forced to stay put in those horrible conditions. 

Winters only nodded, deciding he'd check on their medic later.

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A German rendition of 'Silent Night' broke out along the enemy line. Their voices carried across the open field, flooding the American's with the all familiar tune. A tune that Lia could faintly remember from the days spent back at home in Tennessee with her family.