echoed through the streets. Ethan guessed that the enemy’s main force was about half a mile to the west. That meant they would need to head south and then try to sneak past their lines, at the same time hoping not to get shot in the dark by their own men.
After pausing to check that both ways were clear of enemy soldiers, he took a deep breath and set off as fast as he could across the devastated street.
The crossing seemed to drag on forever, though in reality it could not have taken any more than a few seconds. Feeling exposed and vulnerable, for a long time the office building appeared in Ethan’s eyes to be getting no closer. With every heart-pounding pace he expected to hear the rattle of a machine gun that would be the prelude to the end of his war.
But he made it safely across, and so did the others, although they were some way behind him. Gasping for air and with sweat stinging his eyes, he watched anxiously as Markus prodded, pushed, and very nearly carried an utterly exhausted Jonas over the rubble strewn ground and into the relative safety of cover.
After a minute or two spent recovering, they began checking the building to make sure there were no enemy soldiers about. Shattered office furnishings, broken plaster and unstable mounds of rubble made moving about treacherous, especially in the rapidly dimming light. Twice Jonas stumbled and fell, the second time opening a deep gash on his left hand. Ethan scolded him with a hard stare, but nevertheless paused to wrap the wound with a bandage from his pack.
A large hole in the office’s outer wall gave them access across an alley to the building alongside—a process they were able to repeat several times while making their way to the edge of the next block. Though this wasn’t so far in actual distance, the countless obstacles created by the devastation, plus need for caution, made what should have taken them only a few minutes grind on for well over an hour.
Ethan had been hoping that the street would be clear, but it wasn’t to be. While peering out of a corner window he caught the sound of German voices in the darkness. He couldn’t tell exactly where they were coming from at first. Then the light from a match appeared directly opposite their position.
He listened again, trying to filter out the clamor of battle that now seemed much closer than before. “I think there’s either panzers or halftracks to the south,” he whispered. “I don’t hear anything north.”
Markus knew better than to question his friend’s hearing. It had saved their skins on several occasions since D-day. “That means we have to backtrack and head north,” he said.
“Or try to cross here,” Ethan suggested. “I can only see three of them.”
He tried to picture the layout in his head. By now the 101st would have stopped the advance, and maybe even gained some ground. But German reinforcements would surely arrive soon. He didn’t want to count on their being passed by a second time.
“This is ridiculous,” said Jonas. “I can break the amulet and we can be away in seconds.”
Ethan growled with exasperation. “Shut up! This isn’t the time. You can tell me all about it when we’re back with our unit.”
Jonas glared furiously, but remained quiet.
They backtracked through two buildings and crossed the road heading north. The structures on this side had suffered far less damage. This meant they could now move faster, but it might also force them into the open more frequently. Not that they had much time to dwell on the matter. As they crept through an abandoned office building in search of a way to the next block that would keep them hidden, the scraping of boots and a guttural voice froze them in their tracks.
“Mach dir keine Sorgen, du wirst deine Chance noch bekommen. Wir haben sie überrascht aber sie werden früh genug anfangen zu kämpfen.”
“Ich bin nicht hier, um anderen beim Kämpfen zu zuschauen,” replied a much younger sounding man.
The voices were coming from a room just ahead. Both Ethan and Markus unslung their M-1s. In single file they crept down the hall to the edge of a doorway, hoping as they moved that the volume of the battle would mask any sound of their footfalls.
Ethan pressed his ear to the wall. The voices had stopped. They remained absolutely still and silent for more than a minute, but all was