The Way Back

- 10 -

The following morning, Easy company headed out towards the town of Nunen along with the Dutch Resistance. The Dutch tanks rolled along the dirt road, with most of the American soldiers situated on top of them. Some marched along in the grasses beside them. Lia sat beside Randleman and Piper atop one of the tanks, scanning the areas around them. 

The tanks rolled near a woman standing on the side of the road, a baby cradled in her arms. Lia quickly recognized her as one of the women who were shamed in the streets of Eindhoven. The poorly shaved head and tattered clothes stood out. 

She felt for her; lost, scared, and alone. The lieutenant reached into her breast pocket and pulled out a ration. She called down to the soldier walking on the street blow and tossed him the ration, nodding to the woman. It was the least Lia could do. 

The woman bent her head to press a kiss onto her child's forehead, offering Lia a grateful smile afterwards. 

Lieutenant Patton picked up his pace slightly and pulled out ahead of the amor, using his binoculars to look ahead to the town in front of them. He was venturing too far aheadm amking himself a wide open target. 

Randleman called out to the lieutenant, trying to warn him to come back. Patton turned at the same moment a bullet ripped through his neck. His body quickly slumped to the ground as his hands fought at the new wound.

A replacement shouted out, pointing to the left side of the field at an armored vehicle racing parallel to them. The soldiers clambered off of the tank, sheltering themselves in the ditches beside the road. 

Bullets began riddling the grasses around the soldiers. A sniper sat somewhere in the town in front of them making the entire battalion stationary targets. An easy kill. 

Lia stood above them barking orders. "Get your asses out of there! Let's move!"

She, along with Randleman, pulled soldiers up and pushed them towards the town. The pair lead the soldiers into town, sending out directions. She hunkered down behind a pillar just behind the sargeant. 

The town was quiet, almost too quiet. Lia scanned the streets but couldn't pinpoint a single enemy soldier. She saw them racing through the town and knew they were here in hiding. 

Her eyes raced along every inch of the town until they locked onto a well hidden Tiger in the haystacks just behind the wall of a building. She whistled at Randleman, pointing to the tank. He nodded his head, acknowledging that he noticed it too. 

The lieutenant pushed forward around the building getting herself a better view. As she looked back to the Dutch tanks rolling into town, she realized they would have no idea the trap they would be diving into. Randleman signaled to Martin just across the street, and the latter rushed over to the tanks to warn of the upcoming threat. 

Martin and Heffron stepped back from the tanks as they rolled forward. Lia furrowed her eyebrows. They were driving straight into an ambush. Why did they continue? 

They moved forward down the road into the heart of Nunen. Lia watched as the German tank started turning, aiming it's barrel down towards where the Dutch tanks would show itself. 

The second the Dutch tank rolled into eyesight, the Tiger fired a round that landed a hit. 

"Get them back, Randleman!" Lia shouted, pointing to the sargeants soldiers just behind the corner of the building. They were directly in a dangerous path. She made to move out of her spot, but the German tank fired on the building she was standing beside. Rubble rained down as she was thrown away from the building.