D-Day Plus 2
Somewhere in Normandy
The roar of a jeep filled the air while the three men inside were trying their best to stay alive. As the jeep crested the hill it caught a fair amount of air as it jumped the bump in the old dirt road. Coming down with a powerful thud, the three passengers jerked violently as the jeep began to regain control.
"DIE, YOU KRAUT BASTARDS!!" Screamed the gunner as he opened fire with the massive Browning .50 BMG.
"WHERE THE HELL DID THEY COME FROM?!" Screamed the driver.
"I DON'T KNOW!! JUST SHUT UP AND DRIVE!!" Ordered the passenger.
As the jeep and panicking men race through the forest, Nazi troops began to funnel out of the tree line. The only thing they could rely on was the speed of the Willys jeep, and the cover fire being provided by the gunner.
The three soldiers are as follows:
The driver, Corporal Wade Charles, a 21-year-old from San Francisco, California. A college dropout, he decided to join the 101st Battalion, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He started in Africa and has survived through everything, even the D-Day landing. The kid's smart and knows his way around a gun. Hell, he's even the squad's best sharpshooter; he stole an M1903 scoped Springfield rifle from a dead trooper and has been using it ever since. He's a crack shot at 550 yards.
The passenger, Sergeant Daniel Parker, a 20-year-old from Richmond, Virginia. He joined the 101st Division, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment in early 1943. Yet he survived D-Day, too. Rose through the ranks and became a Sergeant just after the invasion of Sicily. He was a former wood worker and decided that he wanted to see the world, and this was all he got.
The gunner, Private First-Class Cody Reed, was the same as Wade. A 19-year-old college kid from Deadwood, South Dakota; fortunately for him, he missed the D-Day landing by a day, but he was soon placed with his new squad. He was eager and gung-ho to fight, but being a new kid, he hasn't experienced combat like Parker and Wade have. At this moment however, he was the only one that could keep them alive. Like right now, they have driven right into the heart of an entire Nazi division.
"ARMORED CAR!!" Screamed Reed.
"LIGHT IT UP!!" Parker ordered while reloading his gun.
Reed immediately pointed the massive machine gun and unloaded on the Nazi armored car. Of course, it wouldn't penetrate it, but they desperately fought for their lives. The massive vehicle retaliated by firing on them, but by some miracle, the German gunner missed every shot. Wade pressed on the gas trying to get every ounce of power out of the jeep. Bullets whizzed over their heads, but by some miracle, they kept on going.
"FUCK!! FUCK!! FUCK!!" Reed screamed while shooting at the armored car.
"IN THE TREE LINE!!" Wade shouted. Then multiple Nazi troops poured out and made a line in front of their jeep.
"I GOT 'EM!!" Parker shouted while shouldering his Thompson and firing at every soldier he could get in his sight. He didn't rely on accuracy, as he was just shooting the living hell out of the Krauts to keep themselves alive. They continued to race down the old dirt road as the massive, armored car was still chasing and firing them. The Americans didn't know where the hell they were, but they knew for sure that they were miles from the nearest reinforcements and were surrounded by Nazi soldiers.
"PANZER!!" Parker screamed as he looked at the massive tank.
The beast came out from the tree line right in front of them and blocked their path. Its turret was slowly turning to the jeep, and they could only watch as the 75mm gun pointed at them. Parker saw a small path into the forest on the right just a couple of meters away before the Panzer. Without a second thought, his left hand took control of the steering wheel and quickly jerked it to the right. Wade wasn't expecting this as his hands moved on their own accord and just accepted the movement. Reed stopped firing as he leaned over to the machine gun in an attempt not to fall off the vehicle.
"WATCH IT YOU SHITHEAD!!" He shouted to Parker as he went back to his original stance and started shooting again.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP AND KEEP SHOOTING!!" Parker yelled back. The panzer seemed not to notice this as it fired a single shell and hit the armored car that was still chasing just behind, making it explode and stop his pursuit.
"WHOOO HOOO!! EAT SOME!! HAHAA!!" Wade shouted in glee as he looked back. The cheer soon died as they were swarmed by another rain of bullets.
Parker could hear Reed grumble something while he continued to swivel the machine gun left and right. The massive .50 caliber rounds blew holes in the dirt path and any unfortunate trees, sending small pieces of branches in all directions. Those that connected with bodies tore through the flesh, thus bringing the attacker to their knees, and ultimately… the ground.
The jeep continued to run with its maximum speed and the Panzer was still on their tail, cutting down the trees that were in its way and continuing to shoot them with its machine gun. Parker reloaded his gun as quickly as he could and continued to shoot anywhere, he could predict the enemies were. The dirt road was coming to an end. They could see it. All that’s left are some bushes.
"SHIT!! WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TRACK!!" Wade shouted while Reed continued to fire at the tank.
"JUST GO THROUGH IT!!" Parker shouted back while looking behind. The Krauts were still shooting at them while Reed fought all the troops, including the Panzer itself.
"FUCK!!" Reed shrieked. "YA BETTER KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING, SERGEANT!!"
"HOLD ON!!" Wade shouted, getting both Parker’s and Reed's attention. When the Sergeant looked back to the front, they were going to go through the massive bush.
"THE HELL DUDE?!" Parker shouted while gripping the door and his Thompson tightly.
"YOU TOLD ME TO GO THROUGH IT!! REED, YA BETTER HOLD ON TO SOMETHING!!" Wade shouted again.
Grabbing his M1 Garand, Reed immediately ducked down and held on for dear life. The jeep then went through the bush and the inevitable happened. Behind it was a slope. Despite the lack of trees and bushes, the track was bumpy and uncomfortable while they were running down the slope.
"SHIT!!" Reed shrieked from behind. The jeep bumped here and there while the paratroopers were driving forward and let the slope lead them to its destination. Forest. They saw another forest in front of them. Great.
"DUDE!! WATCH OUT!!" Parker shouted while pointing at a huge trunk laying on the ground. Wade didn't see this, and he had no time to react. The right front tire hit the massive trunk, sending them flying into the air. The jeep flew four feet from the ground, and it hit the ground, the three of them threw off the vehicle and were rolling until the end of the slope, along with the jeep. They rolled and rolled until Parker stopped when the back of his head got hit against a tree. His vision became blurry before he blacked out.
~
"Parker?"
"Shit! He's not waking up!"
"He's breathing dammit! Parker, can you hear me?"
"Dammit! Parker, can you hear us?!"
"Wait, Reed! Stop! Did you hear that?"
"What the-"
"INCOMING!!"
Parker groaned while regaining his own vision. His eyes were blurry, and all his body was in pain. He felt himself being dragged and he could hear explosions everywhere.
"THEY GOT US ZEROED IN!!" He heard Reed shrieking from behind. He must have dragged him. "THOSE BASTARDS WON'T LET US ESCAPE!!"
"KRAUTS INCOMING!!" Wade shouted. Then, he heard lots of gun fire in front of him. Parker held his head and let out another groan. He tried his best to regain his own vision. Stretching out his hands to try to reach his Thompson, he nearly passed out again, but he reached it nonetheless. When he took a hold of his gun, he put it on his lap and tried his best to gain his composure.
"DAMMIT, SARGE!! GET UP!!" Reed shouted to his ear. Parker winced and immediately covered his left ear. After his vision was clear enough, surely, he saw the Nazi troops were shooting at them while Wade tried his best to hold them.
"COME ON!!" Reed shouted again. "GET UP, GET UP, GET UP!!" He helped Parker to get onto his feet. It took a moment for Parker as he leaned on Reed's shoulder for balance. "WE GOTTA RUN!! WADE COME ON!! GET THE FUCK OUTTA THERE!!" Parker shook his head to clear his vision one last time and nod at Reed. Confirming him that he was okay. He let go of the Sergeant and looked at Wade. "WADE!!"
Wade looked back at them and nodded. He shot until his last bullet and when the time came for him to reload, he immediately joined his squad and ran from the enemies, deeper into the forest. Explosions caused the dirt to fly everywhere while trees fell after they got hit. Parker looked around him as they were being bombarded, he couldn't believe at the time that he was still alive in the middle of it, but they continued to run as fast as their feet could get. Another big explosion behind Reed caused him to stumble forward but his feet luckily caught him just in time before falling. Quickly regaining his balance, he adjusted his helmet a bit and started to run again.
"SHIT!!" Wade shouted through the explosions. They ran for what felt like eternity, but then the barrage suddenly stopped.
"Wait!" Parker stopped, followed by his other two friends. They turned their gaze to him.
"What is it?!" Reed replied, panting heavily.
"It stopped." Parker simply said while looking at the sky. Wade and Reed followed his gaze as they looked up. Yeah, the barrage did stop. Only the sound of rustling from the leaves could be heard around them. Finally... So that means...
"Uh oh." Parker realized something bad, still looking up.
"What?" Wade asked and looked at him.
"If the barrage stops... that means-" He couldn't finish his words as he heard them talking behind him. They weren't English, of course. They were still being chased by an entire group of Nazis.
"Do they fucking know when to just give up the chase?!" Reed whispered in annoyance.
"We need to get out of here, now!" Parker whispered back to them. They nodded and immediately ran forward as quietly as possible. Leaving the German troops behind.
~
Parker had absolutely no idea for how long they had been walking in the forest. But they could see the sun was slowly setting on the horizon. The day will turn into the night and that is just going to mess things up more since they have no lights to guide them. Especially a map. At least the Germans haven't found them, yet. That was one less thing to worry about. Luckily for these paratroopers, they found an old dirt path and decided to follow it.
"Hey," Wade started, breaking the silence, "We're pretty fucked up back there, aren't we? “He chuckled a bit at the thought.
"Well, we lost ten men already." Parker replied with a sigh.
"Damn those artillery," Reed chimed in, "If it weren't for them, they might still be alive by now."
"Hey guys, I think the forest is about to end." Wade said as he pointed at a light in front of them.
Parker and Reed looked forward and saw the dirt path going straight to the light. They smiled in relief as Parker quickened his pace. But when they got closer, Parker instantly stopped and raised his hand, signaling his friends a halt position. The three of them crouched down while gripping their weapons tight.
"Stay low." Parker whispered. They nod and proceed moving forward. That's when Parker saw a small shack, with multiple Nazi soldiers on its lawn were talking to each other. He looked back to his friends, who were wearing the same expression as he did. Serious, yet nervous at the same time.
"Alright," Parker began, "We need to eliminate all of them."
"What? Are you nuts?" Wade almost shrieked at his order, "We're only three of us."
"I count ten Krauts," Reed added as he counted all of them, "Are you sure about this Sarge?"
Parker sighed. "I know, but we need a place to stay, and this is the only place we could find. I believe no one else lived at the end of this forest." Reed and Wade paused for a moment. "So, are you with me or not?"
His squad looked at each other before nodding.
"Alright," Wade said as he looked back at Parker, "But I need to find a perfect spot for my sniper here."
"That should do it." Parker said, pointing to a tree. But, instead of the ground, he pointed it at the top. Wade looked at him with confusion.
"Are you saying that I-"
"Don't lie to me," Parker cut him off, "I know you're a good climber."
He sighed before nodding. "Fine. But this better be working."
Parker nods in approval. "I'm sure this will work. Before that, the signal is when you fire the first shot."
"Me?"
"Yeah, after that, me and Reed will get up from this bush and spray them with bullets."
"Charging your enemies when they're not ready. Classic." Reed said while checking his weapon.
"Then it's settled," Parker gripped his Thompson and looked at the grey soldiers, "Let's send these guys straight to hell."
With that, Wade immediately walked to the tree Parker had told him to be and climbed it with ease. His friends watched in awe as he climbed the tree and sat on one of the branches within ten seconds, making sure that the leaves were thick enough to make him unnoticed.
"No wonder you like monkeys." teased Reed.
"Says the one who was jumping up and down when he saw an ape." Wade retorted.
Parker chuckled and looked back to their targets. All of them didn't seem to notice the paratroopers.
This is gonna be easy.
Parker looked at Wade, who was looking through his scope and ready to take the first shot. He turned his gaze to Reed, who was gripping tightly his M1 Garand with a smirk on his face.
"They don't know what will come." He whispered.
"I know," Parker returned the smirk and looked back at them. A few moments of
waiting, Wade finally took the first shot.
BANG!
A helmet could be seen thrown off from the head of an unfortunate soldier. Blood spurts from his head as he quickly drops to the ground. The other soldiers looked at their teammate, but before they could react, Parker and Reed suddenly appeared from the bush while pointing their guns at them. Without warning, both fired relentlessly at the soldiers; whilst screaming. They could hear the marksman firing his sniper behind them and one by one, the Krauts dropped to the ground.
"Cease fire! Cease fire!" Parker shouted as all the German soldiers were on the ground; didn't move. He got out from the bush and walked closer to the dead bodies, crouching down, he checked the pulse for any signs of life. He got up as he was sure they were all dead and looked back at Reed. "Let's get these bodies to the bushes. I don't want to get ambushed again by those Germans." His friend nodded and quickly helped him carrying the dead. Wade came out from the tree line and immediately helped them with it. It only took a few minutes to hide the dead Krauts from the sight of any passer-by.
"We should check the shack," Reed said as he and Parker threw a dead body, "I think it's not safe. Someone's probably hiding in there."
Wade let out a chuckle. "Reed, if they were in there, they should've come out when they heard the fight."
Reed grabbed his weapon and looked at the corporal. "Yeah, maybe you're right."
"There's nothing wrong about being cautious Corporal," Parker said, "We still need to check that shack."
Wade shrugged. "I'm just saying what I had in mind."
"Damn right you are. Alright folks," Parker said while clapping his hands, "Tomorrow morning, we'll be out of here and regroup with the others."
"And how are we supposed to know where they are?" Wade asked.
"That's why we'll be going at dawn. We're gonna need a lot of time if we want to find them fast."
Reed shrugged. "Aye. Damn, I really need to take some rest." He sniffed his own armpit. "And some showers as well."
Parker chuckled a bit. "Me too." He then began to walk to the small shack, followed by his friends behind. Once they were at the door, Parker gripped his weapon with his right hand while the other grabbed the doorknob. He took a deep breath before looking back at the others, who were pointing their weapons towards the door as well.
"Watch my back."
A nod was his only response before he turned the doorknob.