Gone in a FlashA Chapter by Steven SchroeckChapter 2 Gone in a Flash
As Phil Hurley and his gang of
American soldiers huddled together in the trench, they held onto sticks and
roasted marshmallows, telling stories to one another of their own experiences
and thoughts. Phil was the commander of the 33rd Division, consisting
of 75 men. Phil was a kind man: but when it came to war, he was as strict and
serious as anyone. Phil was thinking about his wife at
home when Greg Wollitzer interrupted his thoughts. There were only four men
around the commander’s campfire. “So Philly…” he said with a mouth
full of marshmallow. He swallowed, and then went on. “What’s the next move,
huh? We stayin’ or movin’?” Greg was the kind of person that when he
started talking, you had to put your hand over his mouth just to get him to
shut up. He was very intelligent, but at times he could be a real pain in the
rear. Phil stared down at the marshmallow
in the fire, being turned black by the heat. He spoke, still staring at it, and
said, “I don’t know, Greg. Maybe you should learn how to swallow first.” The
other men laughed. Tim Jeffers, Phil’s assistant, spoke up next to Fred. His
face showed no emotion, and the fire cast a shadow over his face. “But seriously, boss. What do we do
next? We can’t just sit here and wait to be attacked by the Germans. We gotta
do somethin’. We must be the aggressors!” “Woah there, Timmy,” Phil said,
still holding his marshmallow stick. “I’ve already received orders from General
O’Hagan. He says he wants us to stay here for the night, and then advance in
the morning. We’ll be safe here for tonight. No one knows about this place
anyways.” He put the marshmallow in his mouth, threw the stick in the fire, and
stood. “Alright, men. To your tents. We rise early in the morning to advance.
0600.” And with that, the men stood, saluted, and returned to their tents. Little did they know of the horror
awaiting them when they woke. •••
A gunshot at 5:30 in the morning was
enough for Greg to jump out of bed. “Wake up, men! We’re under fire!
Grab and retreat!” Phil yelled. They had practiced this many a time, but this
time it was real. The German Army was advancing quickly, and there was no
resistance. The attack came as a total surprise. Greg grabbed his jacket, helmet and
gun, and ran out of the tent. He looked in the German army’s direction, only to
see a parade of enemies running down the hillside in their direction. Greg
joined up with his division’s retreat. They reached another crest in the
hill, and below it was a house. It was different from other houses, and big
enough for most of the men to fit in. Greg reached the crest, and all of a
sudden, his spine tingled and the last thing he remembered was seeing the
ground rushing up towards him and rolling down the hill. “Don’t look back!” Phil yelled. “The
house is just ahead!” And it was. The Germans were very near now, and men were
falling like flies around him. He stopped Tim and yelled, “Timmy! Go see if
anyone is in there! If so, tell them we must enter under military emergency!”
Tim nodded and sprinted for the lab. He could sense that their division was
going down fast and that the Germans were very close. He ran up to the window
and pounded on it, yelling, “Hello?! Is anyone in there?” The last thing he
remembered was seeing a man in a white lab coat staring at him. His head slumped
down the window, leaving a red smear of defeat on it. All 75 were dead. •••
When Markus Eisenberg shot down the last American
soldier, he smiled and ran down to check on him and make sure he did in fact
hit him. As he was running, he noticed a figure run by the window inside the
building. He ran to the door and kicked it. It fell immediately, and he jumped
into the room. Across the room sat a man inside some type of machine. With his
gun ready, Markus fired. He had no time to react before he was on the ground,
blood gushing out of his chest. The bullet had deflected off of the man (or at
least that’s what it looked like) and hit him in the chest.
•••
Hugo Klug, commander of the German army 64th
Division, looked on as his best soldier, Markus, fired the shot that killed the
last American soldier standing. Phil Hurley lay at his feet; a yell of warning
that never quite escaped his now silenced lips lay across his face, frozen in
time. “Du, Markus. Gehen sie sehen, wenn er lebt.” (You, Markus. Go see if he
lives.) He ran down to the soldier, but slowed up a little when he neared. He
skipped the soldier and went to the door. “Was macht er?” Hugo questioned (What
is he doing?). He kicked the door down and jumped in. Hugo saw as his best man
got hit with a bullet. He was about ready to charge the building when it
erupted in a bright flash of green light. The German army was blinded, and they
sheltered their eyes as Fred’s transport flew into the air in an amazing
display of color and light. © 2014 Steven Schroeck |
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Added on July 29, 2014 Last Updated on July 29, 2014 AuthorSteven SchroeckCincinnati, OHAboutI am a junior in high school an an aspiring author. I'm currently in the process of writing my first novel. more..Writing
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