[MillietheWarrior]

She cringed inwardly, but her face remained cold, impassive, and blank. She stood, unhappily of course, and left the relative comfort of the chair. Going rigid once more, she offer the commander a salute, and he nodded once more. "Take care, miss," he called wearily, as she followed the man out the door.

He said nothing, but she assumed he knew where he was going. They weaved around buildings an rubble, until they came to a house that looked relatively intact. She balked at entering, for such rickety foundation made her nervous, and she wondered about the stability of the roof and the walls. But the man ushered her forward, his face scrunching up in annoyance and irritation as he pushed her through the door.

[MillietheWarrior]

She stumbled through the entry way, but caught herself before she fell. The glare she focused upon her young escort went unnoticed as he began to heave boxes out of a corner. She glanced at them, and then at her own hands. She could not carry something so heavy over such a great distance.

But she would endure. If he thought she could, then she would. A grim expression settled over her troubled features, and she bent to pick up one of the boxes. The man rushed over and slapped her hands away.

[MillietheWarrior]

"No, not this one. It's not for you." He handed her a small box, light, and poorly filled. There were a handful of bandages, a few rounds of ammunition, and only a couple boxes of rations. Not what the commander had promised.

"What is this?" she demanded instantly, her heavy eyes lighting up with a stubborn indignation. They flashed dangerously. "This is not what I was promised. Where are my supplies?"

[MillietheWarrior]

The man scoffed, and set his hands on his hips, his dark eyes glowering down at her. "Those are your supplies, woman. Take them or leave them. Now get out of my sight. I have more important things to do than baby-sit some wayward nurse." He turned his back on her, and the woman was left to stand in the middle of the drafty hall, mouth agape.

The nerve!

[MillietheWarrior]

If she wasn't so certain she'd be shot, she'd have leapt over the boxes and snapped his neck in two. One of the many perks of her physical training. Controlling her temper…yet another perk. But no one was to know of it, not even her own family…

She snorted hotly, and pivoted, marching out of the old building with a furious growl erupting from her throat. They had no right to treat her like this! She had done just as much as any of them! Her brows knit dangerously as she quickly made her way to the outskirts of town.


Turning around, she gave Foy one last backward glance, and turned her lips downward in an annoyed frown. She was glad to be rid of this place, once and for all. And when the enemy attacked, she wouldn't be the least bit sorry to see that young man become a prisoner. But her thoughts then turned to the commander, and his kind smile and tired eyes. She prayed for him, and for the rest of the poor souls trapped in such a merciless place.

She hoped they would find peace when they were gone.
[20]

[MillietheWarrior]

"Finally!"

The man rushed towards the woman, and took the box from her hands. She said nothing, but took her customary place near the back of their camp, a small, but deep, foxhole her only comfort, her only welcome. She watched as the men dug around in the box, each face so eager, and then so disappointed.

It was not my fault, she reminded herself. And why should she care what happens to them? Just because she was their nurse, did not mean she had any affection for this particular company. She didn't know them, and they made no effort to get to know her.

She had no love for this place, or these men.

[MillietheWarrior]

She watched, uncaring, impassive, as they emptied the box, never thinking to offer her food, though she had trekked long and far to retrieve what they now ate. She wondered how long it had been since she'd had more than a stale slice of bread and that damnable canned cheese. And when was the last time she had fresh, clear water? Not some snow that had to be melted off the ground.

It was ridiculous.

She watched them eat, she watched them rifle through the box's contents, and then leave the empty crate there. And she stared at the box, so alone, left in the snow, and she noted just how like her it really was.

Uncared for.

Dismissed.

Overlooked.

Forgotten…

[MillietheWarrior]

She hadn't expected her commander to remember her. She hadn't expected him to care. But she had expected relief. At least once. One time. One letter home. One letter from home. To talk to some one from her own home town. To talk to some one from her former battalion, for Christ's sake.

But no. None of it came. It would give away her position, give away the objectives. And she couldn't risk it. This mission was far too important to allow her emotions to screw it all up now. But still…It would have been nice to know some one cared…

Just one word was all she wanted. Just one God damned word of comfort. Was that too much to ask?

[MillietheWarrior]

The sound of an explosion rocketing overhead shook her awake.

It couldn't be the enemy, could it? She wondered on this briefly, as she unraveled herself from her blanket, and hauled her frozen body from the foxhole. She was stiff, and sore. Her limbs and shoulders ached, and her torso felt like it had been folded into thirds.

She doubled over for a moment as she heaved out of the foxhole, and was nearly knocked over by a solider who hurried past her.

[MillietheWarrior]

Her hand shot out to steady herself, and caught on a tree. Nobody cares, she reflected grimly, before straightening her body, and flexing her stiff muscles. Her dark eyes followed the path of the fumbling solider, and she watched, wide eyed, as she realized that they weren't running in front of her, but behind her.

They were retreating…

The thought echoed glumly in her mind, and her first instinct was to run. But no. She would be cut down if she did so. She was far too easy a target. Her legs propelled her forward of their own accord, and she found herself running almost perpendicular to her company's frantic retreat.

[25]

[MillietheWarrior]

She was hunched over, clutching at the shoulder bag that hung in front of her. In his bag, was her objective. Everything she had fought for tooth and nail for nearly two years would be lost, if she were to allow herself to lose this bag.

She could have run faster if she had dropped it. She could have gotten away. She could have been free. But she would never, ever let this fall into the wrong hands. She felt her legs burning, her muscles aching from the constant force of their exertion. And then, without warning, she dove behind a boulder. It was huge, covered with snow. But most importantly, it was safe.

[MillietheWarrior]

She watched, helplessly, as her fellow soldiers were cut down as they ran. She knew it would have been inevitable, and she knew she had made a good choice in the direction of her own retreat. Her arms trembled as her lips formed the words of a song that had kept her comforted through the long, cold nights.

"Oh, I'd like to see their faces
When they reach the Devil's door,
But even down in Hell
There is no torture such as war...

[MillietheWarrior]

I am the Unknown Soldier
And maybe I died in vain,
But if I were alive and my country called
I'd do it all over again."

She shivered violently, from shock, and from the cold. And she heard the shouts of the enemy as they advanced past her position, oblivious to the presence of a lone woman, whose soul mission was to bring back victory for her country. What she clutched close to her chest so desperately, was intelligence. Intelligence that could make, or break the soldiers around her.

[MillietheWarrior]

Wearily, she lifted her head to stare into the eyes of an unknown solider. Not an enemy, she told herself warily, but a friend. Slowly, slowly, she stood up, dropping the bag at her feet, but making sure he couldn't get to it, unless he went through her. That bag was life. That bag was everything. Her gaze locked onto the man in front of her.

There was an eagle on his shoulder.

[MillietheWarrior]

Their eyes met, and he blinked, quietly, before he realized that she was no man. She was no solider. She wasn’t supposed to be here. So why then, was she? A smile warmed her lips, the first real smile she had ever worn in Europe, and those words, those few, dreaded words that she had never dared to utter in this God-awful place, passed through those lips.

"I'm an American."
[30]

(Next chapter)