chapter 1

Chapter 1.

 

      The safe house roof stood out starkly from the surrounding halo of light, a grey monolith against the crimson bleed of the rising sun. Klaus rubbed the bags under his eyes, fingering the small knife he kept for self defense. He felt the adrenaline course through him, the trench coat providing less than adequate protection against the freezing cold of the morning, and the icy cold wind whipped into the bottom of the trench coat. Klaus shivered involuntarily. Nazi were everywhere, not to mention their spies. Those sorts of people were more populous than the rats. His eyes strained for every kind of movement, the slightest rustle of rubbish sending shivers of alarm up his back, he kept the knife hidden, and hurried to the safe house door.

 

      “Password?” the gravelly, booming voice behind the door whispered. Klaus winced. For once, he was sick of the regular protocol.

     

      “Valkyrie,” he replied wearily, letting his head droop for a moment, then, the creaking of the barn door brought his head up again.  He looked around one more time, and then hurried into the barn. Somehow, his sixth sense tingled, and the familiar feeling of danger flowed through his being. Something caused him to turn around, and then he saw it. A flash of steel gray metal against the red bricks of the adjacent building.

 

      Klaus threw himself forward, the grenade barely avoiding braining him. It clattered noisily to the floor directly in front of him, and then, all hell broke loose.

     

      The next few moments were a blur for Klaus. His ears were filled with screaming and bright splashes of red spattered the walls. Pockmarked craters peppered the ceiling and people wearing red armbands streaming into the room. Women crying, children screaming, mayhem had broken out in the small safe house.

 

      Then, there was another burst of gunfire, scything over the refugees head. One by one the Nazis began to fall. Klaus found himself screaming, and then, a steel capped boot slammed into the side of his face. Bright spots danced in front of his eyes, the pain as though a red hot poker had been shoved in through his ear. He tasted warm, coppery liquid, and realized with shock that his lip had split. Blood ran down his chin, and he coughed, expelling the salty liquid from his mouth.

 

      “Stand!” a voice barked loudly in German. Klaus complied. He had no wish to die today. His hands reached inside his trench coat, pulling out the knife.  The German was not in the least afraid, and he showed it in the arrogant leer, leveling the AK-47 straight at Klaus’s head, pulling the trigger. Klaus ducked, and like a prizefighter, rammed the knife straight through the Nazi’s throat. The gurgling sound was followed by a veritable shower of blood as the severed artery burst, splattering the room in blood.

 

      Klaus grabbed the Nazi’s shirt, hoisting his body above him, dropping the knife and catching the Ak-47 instead. The catch released and the spent clip dropped to the floor. Klaus unbuckled the ammo belt as well, all too aware of the bullets whizzing over his head. Then he ran for cover, slapping in the fresh clip.

 

      A Nazi ran across his path, shouting in German. He aimed, and let fly, the recoil driving him back by a few steps. The Nazi’s body jerked several times, and then he collapsed into the dust, his green helmet rolling away on its side. The Nazi’s were shouting in German now, running backwards, and spraying fire around the refugees’ heads, every now and then, a burst would rip into the Nazi ranks, repudiated only by a concentrated burst of Nazi fire in that direction. Klaus hid behind the stone, shrouded in a haze of dust and gun smoke. Then, the steel-toed boots disappeared round the corner. The assault was over.

Reviews

[razormuse]

Ok..now you're getting somewhere, I liked it. Looking forward to reading more. I enjoy when a writer presents graphic scenes that you can picture in your head. I know it's probably a very rough draft (as is my book on here) so it helps when people help keep continuity flowing. Don't give up on this one. I'm not a huge war fan, but I really enjoyed this.

[Undying Glory]

great chapter man, really really compelling. sure is a vivid scene. a point to note though, if this was world war 2 than the nazis probably won't be using AK-47s. maybe you could change the weapon to an MP-40, or "Schmeisser" as it was also commonly referred to. nice work