THE LIST

CHAPTER TEN

 It rained all night and come morning; the rain had turned into a cold mist. After packing up their camp, the men were soon ordered to march back to Aldbourne. Three miles outside the village, the 506th were ready to begin their training exercise. With the manoeuvre being simple and easy to follow, the men expected to be back in Aldbourne by dinner. However, Sobel decided to take half of 1st Platoon for the exercise to lead and Easy Company sensed a delay. Nora hadn't experienced a field exercise with Sobel yet, but she didn't have high hopes of it being a fun day out. Unfortunately, Nora was among the unlucky men who Sobel had picked to lead. Even worse, Nora was ordered to stay by the Captain's side and work closely with himself and Tipper, who was reading the map. But Sobel tended to snatch the map off Tipper and read it himself, acting as if he knew better than Tipper. Each time Sobel snatched the map off of him, Nora would cast Tipper a tiny frown. Even 1st Sergeant Evans appeared slightly concerned. Evans was the closest thing Sobel had to a friend...

"Why is there a fence here?" Sobel questioned while staring at the map. "There shouldn't be a fence here...". Looking over his shoulder, he looked to his men who were crouched in the grassy field. "Perconte...take the men, find some cover behind those trees".

Licking her bottom lip, Nora peered up at Tipper who swallowed nervously. With the men now hiding behind a cluster of trees, Nora and Tipper stood alone with Evans and Sobel. Nora would rather be anywhere else. Sobel didn't make good company...

"We could go around the fence, sir". Evans suggested.

"That's not that point!" Sobel hissed, angry. "Dammit...where the hell are we?"

Tipper took a step forward and pointed at the map. "We're here, sir". He said, "We're a whole grid off".

"We're lost?" Sobel whispered. "Goddammit...".

Upon hearing soft footsteps pressing against the grass and a low 'moo', Nora looked over her shoulder and spotted a herd of cows grazing behind them. They weren't supposed to be in any occupied fields, Strayer didn't want his Battalion to anger any farmers. Drawing out a quiet sigh, Nora faced ahead again and looked between Sobel and Tipper. Sobel appeared stressed. He was at a loss for what to do next...

"Is there a problem, Captain Sobel?!" A voice soon sounded from across the field.

Surprised, Sobel, Evans, Nora, and Tipper all turned to face the cluster of trees. It must have come from one of the men. But who was daring enough to question their Captain...

"Who said that?!" Sobel demanded. "Who broke silence?!"

There was a short pause. Tipper licked his lips, to stop the smile from spreading. "I think it's Major Horton, sir".

Both Evans and Sobel stared at each other, mildly confused. "Major Horton?" Sobel questioned.

Evans shrugged. "What is he...did he join us?"

Tipper suggested, "Maybe he's moving between the Platoons, sir".

"What is the Goddamn hold-up, Mr Sobel?!" Major Horton demanded.

"A fence, sir!" Sobel called back. "A barbed wired fence!"

"Oh, that dog just ain't 'gonna hunt!" The Major called back. "Now, you cut that fence and get this Goddamn Platoon on the move!"

"Yes, sir!" Sobel complied. He faced Evans. "Where are my wire cutters?"

Nora stared up at Tipper, who did his best to not show any signs of amusement. She frowned at him softly, she could only think Tipper would find it funny because Sobel had been well and truly humbled by Major Horton. Eyes moving away from Tipper, Nora looked toward the cluster of trees and began to wonder how they missed Horton's sudden appearance...