The Way Back

- 19 -

As Easy Company returned back to their old position, they noticed the difference in the landscape. The land was blown to hell alongside the trees who lay splintered in half. The Germans had been riddling this area with mortar fire since they have been gone. It was a scary sight to see what they would be hunkering down into. 

"Let's go guys, dig in. Reinforce you're cover the best you can." Lia spoke while dragging branches around to the foxholes. 

She heard the whistle of artillery before she saw the cloud of smoke emerge from the town of Foy. 

"Take cover!" She yelled, her voice echoing around the forest and bouncing off the branches. She heard Lipton doing the same, and other voices echoing throughout the trees. She darted through foliage, pushing men down into the foxholes when they weren't doing it fast enough. 

When she was sure everyone had gotten down, she jumped into nearby cover herself, nearly dodging a blast that struck the tree next to her. Bark and branches rained down above her. 

The mortar blasts and shells lit up the sky, throwing dirt and snow high above the soldiers on the ground. It was a terrifying scene to witness. In all her days behind enemy lines, Lia had never seen this display of firepower. 

The shelling stopped soon after, and Lia lifted her head up slowly; listening. For a moment, she heard no calls for a medic.She pulled herself out, telling the men around her to stay down. It was what the Germans wanted. Give the Americans time to believe they were safe, drag them from their foxholes, and shell them again. 

She finally heard the call for help, and ran towards the sound telling anyone else who tried reporting to the call to stay put. It was far, and she could barely make out the voice. It wasn't much of a break before she heard the distiguished sounds of the artillery being fired again. 

Lia finally saw them. Joe Toye was being pulled back by Guarnere, the bottom half of Toye's leg being torn off. She tried to get to them to help, but a mortar blast struck directly before her, sending her flying backwards. 

Coughs racked her entire body. The wind was kicked straight out of her body from the blast. More mortars littered the grounds around her, blowing the grounds to hell. She pulled herself over the side of another foxhole, laying as flat as she could. 

Lia could feel the blood slowly slipping down her face from the blast in front of her right eye. 

Soon after the shelling stopped, Lia pulled herself out of the foxhole once again. This time slower. Her movements were stunted from the blast, her ears still ringing. Still, she pushed on. Toye was hurt. 

She rounded the trees, finding not only Joe Toye but Bill Guarnere as well. They never made it to cover, ending up with Guarnere's leg being torn to shreds as well. The pair were a bloody mess. 

Lip came to stand beside her, staring at the sight before them. It sure as hell wasn't pretty. 

The shelling had torn Lieutenant Compton off of the line along with Toye and Guarnere. He was an excellent leader, but the things he had been through during the war had taken its toll on his mind. Especially seeing his friends blown to bits. 

That night, the barrage came again. Lia heard no sound this time, they had no warning. Lip grabbed her by her jacket, pulling her down into the foxhole with him. Moments later he had pulled Luz in with them. 

Lia heard the words Luz yelled over the constant artillery fire; Muck and Penkala had gotten directly hit.

One last shell fell directly outside of the foxhole. The trio breathed hard while staring at the smoking explosive; a dud. Lia knew she were seconds away from death. She were staring at it dead on once again. Death was slowly becoming a wolf standing just on the edge of a tree line waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He came around often these days, and Lia hated when he did.