Begonia | A Ukranada Countryhumans Fic

6: Cat & Mouse

[POV - Ukraine]

Oh shit, I forgot about this.

It's been two days since the attack, and today while we were walking we found a tunnel... and I have to go down into it. The tunnels are tight claustrophobic places littered with booby traps and the enemy, and It's my job to get down into them. I'm what they call a Tunnel Rat, I was chosen because of my small stature. Most Tunnel Rats are 5'5 and shorter, so in reality, I'm taller than average. There was one other Tunnel Rat in my squad, Neschadymenko. He was 5'4 and probably 100 pounds. He elected to go in first, so I had to follow behind him.

"Hey Kyiv, can I see your pistol?" Nesch asked.

"Uh, sure?" I hesitated, handing him my small PB Makarov. It was a modified Makarov with a barrel suppressor attachment. Flipping it around, I gestured towards him, and he practically yanked it from my hand.

"Thanks! I lost mine a while back; this will come in handy," he laughed, swiping my gun.

"Damn asshole, give it back," I retorted, annoyance evident in my tone.

"You snooze, you lose, dumbass!" he responded with a cocky grin. He seemed to think he was invincible. I lunged at him, aiming to retrieve my gun, and we both ended up on the ground. With one of his arms pinned, I reached for the gun, almost there...

"What's the meaning of this!?" our Lieutenant yelled, forcing us to cease our struggle and stand up.

"Sorry, sir. Nes stole my gun, and-"

"Both of you, stop being so damn childish. Keep the gun; I don't care enough for this bullshit. Now, five minutes to get ready for the tunnel. Am I clear?" he angrily commanded.

"But sir-!" I attempted to argue, but it was futile.

"Kyiv, shut the hell up and get ready," he coldly said while walking away. This was absurd; now I had to descend with only a bowing knife and a comrade willing to lower my chances of survival for his benefit.

Great.

The tunnel entrance was well-hidden on the side of a small dirt mound, covered in small shrubs and green paint. It was a miracle we even found the thing, really, it was a miracle that the Viet Cong could even find these things. As I walked over to it, I noticed that it was completely pitch black meaning that all I had to light my way was a small battery-powered flashlight in my bag.

I watched as Nesch slowly climbed in the near vertical entrance of the tunnel. After he was done, I was up next. I removed my backpack and vest, stripping down to my t-shirt, helmet, and pants. I was taking down my knife, a water, and an M84 flashbang. I needed to be as malleable as possible to navigate the tight tunnels.

I got to the edge of the entrance, trying to prepare myself for what was next. I slowly began to enter the tunnel, first my arms, then my head, then the rest of my body. The tunnel was tight and claustrophobic, it was probably around a metre by half of a metre, just enough to fit my whole body without suffocating me. Once I was fully in, I powered on my flashlight, seeing Nesch ahead of me.

"Alright, follow me and you'll be okay" Nesch said with a certain level of pride noticeable in his voice.

"O captain, my captain!" I responded sarcastically, he kept moving, though he seemed to grimace at my comment.

The walls seemed to be made out of some clay material, making them impossible to bomb, or destroy. That's why me and this guy even have to go down here because we can't just crush these assholes like ants. Well, these aren't ants, they're people, like me. I can't forget that, my humanity is all I have out here, but I doubt they see me as anything else but a wasp in a beehive.