Strawberry Red

Chapter 30 Buck

It was late at night when the news came that they were being sent on a march across Germany. They were given half an hour to pack their belongings. Buck wrapped his blue scarf tightly around his neck and ears and put on his thick coat. Before he closed his coat, he carefully placed Red on his chest. He wrapped the belt around his waist to hold Red securely in place beneath the coat. Buck didn't want to leave his newfound friend. Taking care of Red gave him a purpose. Sure, he helped with planning a possible breakout and getting the men into shape. But caring for someone was different. He showed kindness to someone while living in harsh conditions. It kept his humanity afloat.

Half an hour later he was standing in the cold December night with Bucky by his side. The officers opened the gates and the march started after they had burnt everything down. There was nothing left of Stalag III beside ashes and ruins.

The ground was covered by a thick layer of snow, making it incredibly hard to walk. Often someone would slip and fall onto their behind. Even the officers had troubles with the weather conditions. It was freezing cold as it had been snowing for day and it still was snowing. It seemed as if it'd never end snowing. Plus, there was a cold wind gushing trough the fields.

They continued to march the entire night. When the sun finally wandered up the sky, they were able to see the land in front of them again. They were marching through a forest. Buck turned his head to the side of the road, but he wished he hadn't. Dead bodies were laying on the ground. Some were covered by a layer of snow, others weren't. All of them had blue lips and fingertips. They must've frozen to death. Luckly, he hadn't eaten anything, otherwise he was certain he'd vomited.

They had to stop to let troops pass by. The age range among the troops was wide. There were kids and old men. It seemed like the Germans sent everyone who could hold up a weapon into war. It didn't matter anymore who was fighting, as long as they still had troops holding off the Allies.

Around midday they reached a train station, and the prisoners were loaded into a big wagon. It was pretty crowded inside the wagon. Buck had found a place in the corner. He opened the top of his coat to let Red peek out.

"Do you wish you'd done it differently?" asked Buck quietly after a while.

"I guess, I would've," answered Bucky honestly. "You?"

"I wasn't planning on getting shot down. I wanted to stay with Ruby to build a life together. Buy a house, maybe get some pets and eventually have kids." Buck petted Red's head. And Red began to softly purr in return. "You know, I really did believe if they were only two B-17s left, it'd be you and me flying them. The last few years would've been a lot rougher without you, John."

"Same." Bucky looked at his best friend. After that they remained in silence for the rest of the ride. They were let out of the wagon and had to march again. This time they were walking through a destroyed city. Only ruins were left of the once remarkable city. Buck saw a town sign, they were in Nürnberg.

Kids ran up to the POWs and begged them for food and help. It broke his heart to see them suffer. They were so young and had lost everything, their friends, their families and their homes. The prisoners soon left the city centre. The sun was slowly starting to set again, when they reached their destination, another Stalag. This one wasn't as luxurious. It only had tents which wouldn't keep them warm at all. There were no bathrooms and nothing to keep them entertained. The conditions were almost inhumane.

"Gale Cleven!" shouted a man.

"Jesus, George! How the hell are you?" Buck cracked a faint smile looking at his friend.

"Long way from home."

"The only guy I've ever met who knows more about baseball than you do." Buck softly pated Bucky's shoulders.