The Escape

3/28/2024 11:47:51 AM
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I could hear the rattle of gunfire over my head. Lying in a trench, the snow behind me exploded as bullets ricocheted off it. I looked to my right and saw four other remaining soldiers. Three of them were huddled together, looking at something out of my view. The other was further away from us, trying to stay alive.

 

Suddenly, I saw a grenade fly in, straight towards the huddled group. Before I could open my mouth, it detonated. I felt the shockwave from ten metres away. Snow and mud flew towards me and a tear welled in my eye. Where there were three men before, there was now a crater.

 

As the scene settled, I looked across and saw that the soldier sitting at the other end of the trench was still alive. I looked into his face and saw the look of horror as bullets continued to fly over our heads. As we stared at each other, we simultaneously realised that we would not make it out alive. 

 

Ever since the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour, Roosevelt had been after everyone to retaliate. I had been sent to Germany for this? I thought about my family, who were hundreds of miles away but I was brought back to reality as a bullet narrowly missed my head.

 

I had to run towards the trees; it was my only way out. I was already tired before we got to the trench, which was after a gruelling day’s trek. I signalled to the other soldier, whose name was Ron, to follow me. Ron was new, so I didn’t expect him to do much. It was sad he was going to die so young.

 

We ran towards the trees, ducking and dodging bullets. I was panting as we reached our destination. Our chances of survival were now slightly better because we had the opportunity to hide in a better place. Of course this wouldn’t work against bombs, which they had an abundant supply of, but it was better than staying in the trench.

 

I felt somewhat reassured by the fact that I still had someone by my side. Bang! Another grenade exploded behind me. They had seen us trying to escape, and we were now being hunted. As we ran, Ron saw a big tree and decided it was a good hiding spot.

 

“George, head towards that tree!” Ron barked at me.

 

I was barely able to run because I was so dehydrated, but it was about a hundred metres away. It would provide adequate safety for a few minutes because the Germans only had a vague idea of where we were.

 

The tree was in clear view now. I could see its massive trunk. When we reached it, we were so tired that we fell over. I was so thirsty so I ripped open my bag and gulped down half a bottle of water. The cool water ran down my dry throat, rehydrating me. I leaned into the tree and decided to rest for a minute. I closed my eyes.

 

I was woken by gun fire. How long had I been asleep? I looked to my left and noticed Ron was gone. If he was captured, I would be in deep trouble. The Germans’ torture techniques made sure that they got whatever they wanted.

 

Judging from the position of the sun, I assumed I’d been asleep for more than an hour. This meant that Ron could be long gone by now. I had made such a rookie mistake.

 

One good thing came out though - I was rejuvenated. I jumped to my feet, packed my bag and left immediately. I didn’t know where to go but I had to get as far away as possible from the tree. After a few minutes of running, I came to a dirt road. I looked to my left and right and saw that this road extended over the horizon. If I followed this road, it could lead me to safety or it could lead me to the enemy. I decided to rely on my luck.

 

I realised there was no point in running any more. This road was either controlled by the Americans or the Germans. I chose to walk west, knowing that the closest base was in that general direction. Looking at the sun’s position, it was about 3 o’clock. I had been walking for a long time and my shirt was sticky and drenched in sweat. I put my bag back down and took a few sips from my bottle again. That’s when I saw it.

 

In the distance, there was a jeep coming my way. I quickly stuffed my water bottle in my bag and found a hiding spot beside the road. As the jeep came closer, I recognised it was American! I ran onto the road and waved my arms to get attention. The jeep pulled over.

 

“Hey there soldier,” said the man inside. He wore a dirty khaki uniform. “What are you doing out here?”

 

There were also a few other soldiers on the jeep, all staring at me with stunned looks on their faces. “I just escaped. Take me home,” I said.

 

“Uh… I’m sorry to say this but we’re heading into the war zone. There ain’t gonna be anyone coming back for hours.”

 

My jaw dropped. “Then take me with you!”

 

“Sure, hop on.”

 

I climbed onto the back with the other soldiers and told them about my situation. They listened interestedly, until we heard a shout. “Die!”

 

We all quickly looked to our right but before we could react, there was a rocket coming straight towards us. We jumped out of the moving vehicle and as the rocket hit the jeep, it exploded. We were trapped. As we dusted ourselves off, a dozen more Germans emerged from the roadside, their guns aimed at us. We raised our hands. Everyone except for the driver. He pulled out his pistol and started firing at the enemy. This caused pandemonium.

 

The Germans fired at us and we fired back. I wanted to help but my gun was in my bag that I had left on the jeep, so I tried to escape. The Germans thought my sudden move was offensive and aimed at me. I didn’t get far. I was hit in the chest and fell to the ground. I touched my ribs and felt the bullet.

 

I focussed on my breathing as the shooting continued in the background. After a few minutes, it was over. We had won this battle.

 

The surviving soldiers tried to heal me but they had no success. They had called for help but I wasn’t conscious by the time they arrived. When I woke up, I was in the war hospital. There were injured people all around me. I tried to get up but winced as pain shot up my back.

 

I looked around for help but didn’t find any. Instead, I found someone better. It was Ron. I croaked his name. He snapped his head towards me and smiled. He called a doctor and they came over. As he hugged me, my organs started to burn and give up, as I closed my eyes for the last time. The last thing I heard was Ron saying “your family loved you” as doctors frantically tried to keep me alive. It was no use.