Okay, here is the new chapter, it will be up here and in the OP so people don't have to navigate everywhere to find it. Enjoy!
Chapter three: Stolen
Hans was struck dumb by the sudden motion. The roar of the engine and the truck beginning to drive away from the battle. After a few seconds, the situation sank in. He saw the Panzer behind the moving half track, as he drove away; it fired another round, the explosion a muffled boom in the distance. Hans had to get off the half track, it was heading back to the rebel base most likely and he didn’t want to be caught on it when they arrived. He took up his rifle, and aimed it through the small slit that looked into the driver’s compartment. He took a careful aim at the driver, and delivered a single, lethal shot. Blood painted the window, and the driver slumped onto the wheel heavily, causing it to veer sharply to the left, the vehicle did the same. Hans was thrown into the armour plated side, knocking the breath from him; he collapsed to the floor wheezing. There was a deafening crash, a slight moment of weightlessness and then total darkness.
He awoke at night. He was out for hours; he had been unconscious through the day. He could taste blood, and there was a murderous pain across his forehead and lower back. He was lying on grass; wet with what he hoped was water and not blood. He blinked several times to clear the haze, and tried to sit up. As soon as he tilted his head up, a sickening dizziness came over him. He was caught unaware by the sudden effect, and let his head fall a little too quickly. He smacked it hard on the cold earth. “Ah! Sh*t!” He decided to lie and let his body prepare itself. He dared not look around, the pain was already too much to bear, and any more would probably make him black out. The stars were out in force that night, lighting up the sky like a thousand burning fires. He took in their otherworldly beauty, and decided to try and sit up again. This time, he did it slow. Besides a little aching in his neck, he managed to get upright this time. He exhaled a huge breath, and examined the surroundings.
The half track was in complete ruin. Its remains charred, the fire had extinguished hours ago, ashes lay in heaps around it, the ground blackened. The metal was twisted in most places, and the driver compartment was completely smashed inward, if the driver had been alive at the crash, the metal would have crushed him like someone stepping on a bug. To his right was a small copse, which housed the tree the half track had veered into. The only scar the tree bore was a large chunk of wood missing from the impact point. To his left, was the road, and after it lay the forest that stretched on into the distance, eventually coming to an end five miles from where Han was sat. He wondered how the battle had gone, and what happened to the Panzer. He looked back at the road. Above it, the moon was beaming down. He watched it for a while, when there was another closer, much brighter light. He saw a flare falling down from the sky into the forest. It was followed by another flare, right at the edge of the forest. Distant, shouting voices drifted to him. He couldn’t make out the language, but he had a sinking feeling it wasn’t German…
He could see silhouettes on the road now. He squirmed as he tried to shakily stand. When he got up, he swayed a little but managed to stay on his feet. He exhaled and took a step forward. As soon as his foot touched the floor, pain shot up it like fire. Despite the need for silence, he gave a yelp. He collapsed to the ground, which probably saved his life, as gunfire opened up behind him, and bullets filled the space he had occupied just a second before. He rolled onto his belly and put his hands on his head.
“Please! Don’t shoot! I surrender, I surrender!” He shouted at them in German. There was an answering voice, using his language.
“It’s okay! We won’t shoot. Stand up!” Hans shouted back.
“I can’t… I’m hurt.” There was the sound of murmured conversation and five men appeared out of the darkness, their shadows making the night seem just that extra bit darker. Two grabbed an arm each and he was aware of the rest standing above him. The slight *** of metal and the drawing back of a bolt told him they were training their guns on him in case it was an ambush. The two men grunted and he was on his feet. His legs were shaking furiously, and one of the men had to support him. The German speaking one was asking him questions as they slowly moved next to the forest at the edge of the road.
“How did you end up all the way back here?”
“I was hiding inside one of the half tracks you took. I…” He hesitated, thinking it better not to tell them he had killed the driver. “I was wondering how I could get out, when the driver crashed. I was knocked unconscious, didn’t wake up until just now.”
“Well, if you want to know how the battle went, you lost. We took heavy damage to the Panzer. The Germans who didn’t retreat put up a hell of a fight towards it. They hurled themselves and grenades at it. We were stunned to say the least.”
“Where are you taking me..? OW!” Hans fell to the floor, dragging the man supporting him too. Hans had his sore ribs pressed against as the rebel pushed himself up on Hans. He gave a small groan of pain, and curled up. Hands tried to get him back up, while two rebels chatted angrily towards each other. “What are they talking about?” Hans asked the translator.
“They want to kill you and leave you here.” Hans felt a chill creep up his entire body. “But I won’t let them do that to you German.” Hans felt a little better at his words. The translator began speaking calmly in Czech to the other two. The two guarding him stared on in mild interest. After ten minutes, the argument was broken up by the flash of lights, and the roar of a motor coming down the road. Hans stared at the lights, as they drew closer he saw them to be the lights of a half track. The Czech all ran to hide in the forest, leaving Hans to stand there. As he expected, the half track pulled up next to him and drew to a stop. The men in the back were Czech; it was a captured half track.
When they saw his uniform, every rifle of the 15 men in the back were pointed at him. The soldiers in the forest came out and shouted to the driver. There was a brief exchange of words, and the translator told him what was happening.
“Okay, they are going to take you to a small prisoner camp they set up after the battle. They will not harm you, I promise.” Hans took his word for it, and had help clambering awkwardly into the vehicle. He was placed with care next to an angry looking Czech rebel. Hans felt the vehicle start up, and he was off into the night.
SPQR! An ambitious historical project, coming soon. Check the Library for early version test writes. Recommended for anyone with a love of history.