Mendelson Shape
07-26-2008, 12:24 AM
Squadron 135, Assassination Specialists!
Bombs dropping from every direction, the explosion of bodies painted the forest in dirty red. I stood there shaking in the dense vegetation where the native beasts were more dangerous than any cougar or leopard, in their hands were loaded automatic machine guns that spewed death with armor piercing rounds and faces with the look of a martyr with a noble cause. I stood stiff as a corpse amongst the many, face white as paper and body as fragile. They were coming and there was no where to hide.
"Private Johnson! What the hell are you doing? Give us some cover man, we're trying to keep them from advancing on us until the fire birds get here!" screamed Sargent Henry as he poked his head from the trenches to scope out the remainder of his squadron. I stood in shock as I watched him speak, his lips were moving but I couldn't hear him.
A kraut came running out of some nearby bushes with a fresh magazine. I turned and saw him running towards me and dodging enemy fire. My arms were limp and my mind was blank, I was staring death in the face as he raised his gun and emptied his rounds in my direction. I instinctively ducked and lay flat on the cold, hard earth, expecting to feel the burning sensation of being shot, just like all the veterans said in their long, fictional stories. I opened my eyes at the halt of nearby fire and looked up, not knowing what I would see when I did. Sargent Henry was standing in front of me, a shield to the hail of bullets. I sighed in relief and got up to look at the kraut's bullet ridden body, but I noticed red spots growing larger all over his uniform. I was frightened as he was began to wobble a little and then finally gave way to the injuries. I caught him and pulled him to the nearby trenches as the enemy fire was becoming increasingly more accurate because of the still targets.
With blood coming out of his mouth and eyes beginning to droop a little, he grabbed me and pulled me closer knowing that time was running out on the mission and on the lives of the remaining men.
"Listen son, this is a war you're fighting. You see all those bodies lying on the field? Do you know what it means to save your comrades' life by taking others? This is not a drill boy, men's lives are at stake and I will not have a sissy of a private stick his head in the sand at the sound of a gun going off! Now pick up your God damned gun and go kill some krauts!" he sputtered as his grip began to loosen.
His fell lifelessly at his side and his body became cold. I looked at his face, one I had seen constantly looking over me and criticizing my every move but, it was this man that had saved my life. Sargent Jonathon Henry's empty gaze watched me one last time, but I doubt he would believe it was me holding a gun and running out into the battlefield with a readiness for battle and a murderous intent.
I became a madman, almost wanting to be killed. I raced into dense bushes with a knife and began slitting the throats of the snipers that was picking off our boys one too many. Body drenched in the enemies' blood, I never felt so alive and exhilarated. I hid behind the tall trees deep into the enemy territory, waiting for an opportunity to avenge my fallen friends but the forest was empty, no one was to be sighted friend or foe. I was beginning to wonder if the enemy infantry had successfully taken out our squadron, a frightening thought of an army of krauts against me. I cleared my head of those thoughts and was trying to formulate a decent enough plan to give our side a sturdy advantage and then, it hit me. The 'fire birds' was called in and was arriving soon enough but it would be a waste if they hit the enemy base with no enemies in it and not only that but we had to get out of this area quickly or we would be killed in friendly fire.
I was getting desperate trying to find my allies without the enemy finding me in the process. I stopped and listened, something was weird. There was almost no sounds of gun fire or explosions at all. What was going on. I looked around wildly and wondered how deep I really was behind the enemy lines. I decided to journey where I thought I had come from, though the trees bore no signs of blood or chipped off bark from ricocheted bullets. It wasn't long before I saw some wooden structures overlooking the battle from its peaked position on a plateau at the top of a slightly slanted hill. I quickly dropped on my belly and observed the perimeter carefully, there was heavy artillery at the entrance with two men in watchtowers armed with sniper rifles and two below in bunkers with M240Gs sticking out. Things were looking grim on a vigilante attack, from any direction I saw no chance of success. I sat against the tree trying to come up with a logical and practical plan when the cavalry showed up with panting breaths and loaded guns.
"Johnson! What the hell are you doing here? I never thought you'd make it up here by yourself with all these damn krauts running about the place all trigger happy," said Fred, the other four came covering his rear. Fred was a private but who had a better prospect of becoming a ranking officer than any other rooky.
"Quiet Fred! Do you want us all to get shot?" I whispered quickly and signaled them to get down, " They got the big stuff up there in those barracks. Probably the base by the looks of it. Though I can't tell how big it really is, by the looks of the welcoming mat it seems to be the real deal."
They looked up and saw it for themselves. They turned back with expressionless faces and sat up against the nearby trees, laying their weapons at their sides looking tired.
"What's the plan then Johnson," asked Courson almost sarcastically, "We got full rounds and a few grenades but by the time we're in the open area, the snipers will pick us off. If we're lucky enough to still be alive and a few feet from the entrance, the M240Gs will take us out. Its almost hopeless." Indeed it was a bit impossible but I wasn't about to concur just yet.
"How many krauts are running around near our base Fred? If there are barracks up there, then the majority of their forces will be there waiting to be deployed one at a time in squads with a ranking officer leading the attack right? It would be stupid of them to send out all of their men with no chance of reinforcements or means of protecting their base, so if the amount of squads already deployed is killed off or is in need of backup then they would send a fresh squad. All we have to do is stall that deployment long enough until the fire birds come and blow it all to smithereens." I said, illustrating the plan as best as I could. Time was not on our side and we weren't gonna get a second chance.
"There shouldn't be that many. We killed quite a few that was lurking with their backs to us, it was funny," Fred replied with a grin but Bill cut across him in excitement.
That's a brilliant plan Johnson, since when did you become so smart in the art of warfare?" Bill said in disbelief. It was understandable, I was the worst in my year and of course everyone thought I was gonna die with the first shot of the enemy's fire. The sight of death and the helplessness of not being able to save someone that had saved you, was an unbearable experience that had awakened my reason for being in the army in the first place.
"I had some unexpected help Bill, from an old friend. I assume that we're all that remains of our squad so its up to us. I'm not expecting anyone here to come out of it alive mind you, if you're planning to get out of this war and live to a ripe old age to tell your grandkids about it then you're gravely mistaken. This war ends with us and this base, so its best to make it count."
It wasn't something they wanted to hear by the look of their faces but it was the only thing to get them motivated enough to go all out, any holding back would get us all killed in vain.
"Well, what's the first move?" asked Fred, a readiness in his voice and a firm grip on his tommy gun.
"Well, if what you've said about the number of krauts remaining is correct and the amount of noise from gunfire and explosions have been declining quickly then I'd say that the other group should be ready to move out very soon. So we have to attack the bunkers first since they pose the biggest threat. The snipers will have to be a pretty good shot to be able to hit us with the bunkers right next to them exploding. Won't you say Bill?" Bill smiled and took out the last of his grenades. A specialist in ballistics, he always liked to blow stuff up.
"Right, forget about the watchtowers, we move straight in and any building we see Bill will try to blow up. This should cause enough ruckus to bring the entire army to shoot at us. That's basically the plan, but remember that we don't know the schematics of the area so we won't have enough time to stop and sight see. Got it?"
They all nodded grimly. Before the logic of what we were really about to do kick in, we ran. Bill pulled out the pins of all his grenades and launched one in each bunker. Thankfully it went straight in and exploded. I was relieved as we dodged past the shooting snipers and went into the base only to find despair laced with camouflage paint. It was huge. There were many large concrete buildings and a field surrounded all three sides by the buildings with an opening at the entrance. We stood there in shock, as krauts streamed out of each building with guns pointing at us. There was a split second of silence before bullets rained down upon the six of us. We ran, but where to run with enemy fire at all sides. Bill, Fred and Courson ran to the entrance but were gunned down before they took three strides. The grenades went off and blew their bodies apart, splattering me with blood and bits of the human anatomy. I stood there, feeling the bullets burn in me as I was hit. I fell to my knees, looking at the mayhem that had gripped our plans. I fell alongside Paul, Karl and George who stood by me trying to shoot back but was overwhelmed. I looked at them all before I closed my tired eyes and was alive long enough to hear the sound of airplanes and an echoing scream.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"
BOOM!
Bombs dropping from every direction, the explosion of bodies painted the forest in dirty red. I stood there shaking in the dense vegetation where the native beasts were more dangerous than any cougar or leopard, in their hands were loaded automatic machine guns that spewed death with armor piercing rounds and faces with the look of a martyr with a noble cause. I stood stiff as a corpse amongst the many, face white as paper and body as fragile. They were coming and there was no where to hide.
"Private Johnson! What the hell are you doing? Give us some cover man, we're trying to keep them from advancing on us until the fire birds get here!" screamed Sargent Henry as he poked his head from the trenches to scope out the remainder of his squadron. I stood in shock as I watched him speak, his lips were moving but I couldn't hear him.
A kraut came running out of some nearby bushes with a fresh magazine. I turned and saw him running towards me and dodging enemy fire. My arms were limp and my mind was blank, I was staring death in the face as he raised his gun and emptied his rounds in my direction. I instinctively ducked and lay flat on the cold, hard earth, expecting to feel the burning sensation of being shot, just like all the veterans said in their long, fictional stories. I opened my eyes at the halt of nearby fire and looked up, not knowing what I would see when I did. Sargent Henry was standing in front of me, a shield to the hail of bullets. I sighed in relief and got up to look at the kraut's bullet ridden body, but I noticed red spots growing larger all over his uniform. I was frightened as he was began to wobble a little and then finally gave way to the injuries. I caught him and pulled him to the nearby trenches as the enemy fire was becoming increasingly more accurate because of the still targets.
With blood coming out of his mouth and eyes beginning to droop a little, he grabbed me and pulled me closer knowing that time was running out on the mission and on the lives of the remaining men.
"Listen son, this is a war you're fighting. You see all those bodies lying on the field? Do you know what it means to save your comrades' life by taking others? This is not a drill boy, men's lives are at stake and I will not have a sissy of a private stick his head in the sand at the sound of a gun going off! Now pick up your God damned gun and go kill some krauts!" he sputtered as his grip began to loosen.
His fell lifelessly at his side and his body became cold. I looked at his face, one I had seen constantly looking over me and criticizing my every move but, it was this man that had saved my life. Sargent Jonathon Henry's empty gaze watched me one last time, but I doubt he would believe it was me holding a gun and running out into the battlefield with a readiness for battle and a murderous intent.
I became a madman, almost wanting to be killed. I raced into dense bushes with a knife and began slitting the throats of the snipers that was picking off our boys one too many. Body drenched in the enemies' blood, I never felt so alive and exhilarated. I hid behind the tall trees deep into the enemy territory, waiting for an opportunity to avenge my fallen friends but the forest was empty, no one was to be sighted friend or foe. I was beginning to wonder if the enemy infantry had successfully taken out our squadron, a frightening thought of an army of krauts against me. I cleared my head of those thoughts and was trying to formulate a decent enough plan to give our side a sturdy advantage and then, it hit me. The 'fire birds' was called in and was arriving soon enough but it would be a waste if they hit the enemy base with no enemies in it and not only that but we had to get out of this area quickly or we would be killed in friendly fire.
I was getting desperate trying to find my allies without the enemy finding me in the process. I stopped and listened, something was weird. There was almost no sounds of gun fire or explosions at all. What was going on. I looked around wildly and wondered how deep I really was behind the enemy lines. I decided to journey where I thought I had come from, though the trees bore no signs of blood or chipped off bark from ricocheted bullets. It wasn't long before I saw some wooden structures overlooking the battle from its peaked position on a plateau at the top of a slightly slanted hill. I quickly dropped on my belly and observed the perimeter carefully, there was heavy artillery at the entrance with two men in watchtowers armed with sniper rifles and two below in bunkers with M240Gs sticking out. Things were looking grim on a vigilante attack, from any direction I saw no chance of success. I sat against the tree trying to come up with a logical and practical plan when the cavalry showed up with panting breaths and loaded guns.
"Johnson! What the hell are you doing here? I never thought you'd make it up here by yourself with all these damn krauts running about the place all trigger happy," said Fred, the other four came covering his rear. Fred was a private but who had a better prospect of becoming a ranking officer than any other rooky.
"Quiet Fred! Do you want us all to get shot?" I whispered quickly and signaled them to get down, " They got the big stuff up there in those barracks. Probably the base by the looks of it. Though I can't tell how big it really is, by the looks of the welcoming mat it seems to be the real deal."
They looked up and saw it for themselves. They turned back with expressionless faces and sat up against the nearby trees, laying their weapons at their sides looking tired.
"What's the plan then Johnson," asked Courson almost sarcastically, "We got full rounds and a few grenades but by the time we're in the open area, the snipers will pick us off. If we're lucky enough to still be alive and a few feet from the entrance, the M240Gs will take us out. Its almost hopeless." Indeed it was a bit impossible but I wasn't about to concur just yet.
"How many krauts are running around near our base Fred? If there are barracks up there, then the majority of their forces will be there waiting to be deployed one at a time in squads with a ranking officer leading the attack right? It would be stupid of them to send out all of their men with no chance of reinforcements or means of protecting their base, so if the amount of squads already deployed is killed off or is in need of backup then they would send a fresh squad. All we have to do is stall that deployment long enough until the fire birds come and blow it all to smithereens." I said, illustrating the plan as best as I could. Time was not on our side and we weren't gonna get a second chance.
"There shouldn't be that many. We killed quite a few that was lurking with their backs to us, it was funny," Fred replied with a grin but Bill cut across him in excitement.
That's a brilliant plan Johnson, since when did you become so smart in the art of warfare?" Bill said in disbelief. It was understandable, I was the worst in my year and of course everyone thought I was gonna die with the first shot of the enemy's fire. The sight of death and the helplessness of not being able to save someone that had saved you, was an unbearable experience that had awakened my reason for being in the army in the first place.
"I had some unexpected help Bill, from an old friend. I assume that we're all that remains of our squad so its up to us. I'm not expecting anyone here to come out of it alive mind you, if you're planning to get out of this war and live to a ripe old age to tell your grandkids about it then you're gravely mistaken. This war ends with us and this base, so its best to make it count."
It wasn't something they wanted to hear by the look of their faces but it was the only thing to get them motivated enough to go all out, any holding back would get us all killed in vain.
"Well, what's the first move?" asked Fred, a readiness in his voice and a firm grip on his tommy gun.
"Well, if what you've said about the number of krauts remaining is correct and the amount of noise from gunfire and explosions have been declining quickly then I'd say that the other group should be ready to move out very soon. So we have to attack the bunkers first since they pose the biggest threat. The snipers will have to be a pretty good shot to be able to hit us with the bunkers right next to them exploding. Won't you say Bill?" Bill smiled and took out the last of his grenades. A specialist in ballistics, he always liked to blow stuff up.
"Right, forget about the watchtowers, we move straight in and any building we see Bill will try to blow up. This should cause enough ruckus to bring the entire army to shoot at us. That's basically the plan, but remember that we don't know the schematics of the area so we won't have enough time to stop and sight see. Got it?"
They all nodded grimly. Before the logic of what we were really about to do kick in, we ran. Bill pulled out the pins of all his grenades and launched one in each bunker. Thankfully it went straight in and exploded. I was relieved as we dodged past the shooting snipers and went into the base only to find despair laced with camouflage paint. It was huge. There were many large concrete buildings and a field surrounded all three sides by the buildings with an opening at the entrance. We stood there in shock, as krauts streamed out of each building with guns pointing at us. There was a split second of silence before bullets rained down upon the six of us. We ran, but where to run with enemy fire at all sides. Bill, Fred and Courson ran to the entrance but were gunned down before they took three strides. The grenades went off and blew their bodies apart, splattering me with blood and bits of the human anatomy. I stood there, feeling the bullets burn in me as I was hit. I fell to my knees, looking at the mayhem that had gripped our plans. I fell alongside Paul, Karl and George who stood by me trying to shoot back but was overwhelmed. I looked at them all before I closed my tired eyes and was alive long enough to hear the sound of airplanes and an echoing scream.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"
BOOM!