The Way Back

- 5 -

A mortar shell screeched through the air. Calls for the incoming explosive rang out moments before dirt and rocks sprayed up in the air. Gunfire sprang up out of the chaos from both sides of the field. 

Lia Creed hauled her rifle up over the mound in front of her. Piper followed in suit close by with her own far deadlier weapon. The pair could hear Winters encouraging the men to keep firing as he made his way down the line. 

A soldier next to Lia made to stand up and shoot at the attacking Germans. She was quick to act and grab his arm to pull him down. Bullets whizzed by where his head was at just seconds before. 

"Stay down low, soldier." She hissed at him. He only blinked back. 

Lia shook her head, turning back to fire across the field. She took down every target she fired upon. Movement out of the corner of her eye snagged on her attention. A tank began rolling up over the hill behind the enemy lines, and more followed closely behind it. That definitely wasn't in her list of shit she wanted to deal with today. The tanks hurtled through the lines, firing onto the American left flank. 

"Pip! Take out those damn gunners!" She shouted as she crawled out of her foxhole, keeping her self low to the ground. 

Lia flew down the line, throwing out directions where she could to the men around her. Stopping momentarily to fire across the field amidst her commands. The soldiers around watched on in awe. The young girl stood with no fear of the German fire against them. She was a beacon for them, effectively rallying their will to fight. 

In the midst of all the gunfire and mortar blasts, Lia could hear a soldier screaming. Not out of pain, but out of fear. She turned away from the line, following the sound of the screams. 

Lia came upon a soldier crouched down in the heart of a foxhole. His hands covered his head, and he was shaking out of fear. Blithe. 

She threw herself down into the foxhole beside him. Even her movement didn't drag him out of his trance. Blithe's hands stayed in place over his head and his screams continued to ring out above the gunfire. 

"Blithe." Lia placed her hand onto his arm. "Blithe, come on. You gotta get up." 

The American soldier did not budge. 

"You're a soldier, Blithe. Let's go. There's no time for fear." He slowly looked up, catching the lieutenants eye. "You are not afraid. Now stand up, and shoot." 

Blithe watched the determination in Lia's face. He noticed the fearlessness she withheld and slowly rose from the foxhole, bringing his rifle up and aiming it across the field. 

"That's it. Now let them have it!" Lia yelled out, bringing her own body out of the pit. She hauled her own rifle up, dumping round after round on the Germans. Blithe, after a moment, began following Lia and firing across the field. She nodded her head, pleased, and found her way back down the line to Piper. 

Her companion was still okay, taking down every enemy that found its way in between her sights. 

Lia continued on down the line, coming up on Welsh, McGrath, and their machine gunner. A shell dropped down in front of her path, sending her stumbling down to the side. She dropped in next to Welsh, taking a moment to breathe. 

"That tank is pushing our line!" She shouted over the ever persistent gunfire. 

Welsh focused in on the tank that was beginning to push over the hill, the gunner on top shifting over to put the American machine gunner in his sights. "We'll take it out. McGrath, on-"