(APH) Stalingrad

The City

The emptiness of the town was lacking, while the debris and fragments of the buildings of both sides of the streets remained. A smell that reeked from the disgusting, flamed metals that were left of a tank in camouflage was that of the Russians--surprising to Ivan how their reinforcements arrived before them. There was a lack of gunfire too, juxtaposing from the demolished tanks. Alex skid his finger across the dirt sitting on a tank, streaking a clean line, "Ivan, commissar, did they send the tanks beforehand? They shouldn't be here," he had to break the silence of every man in the area. Ivan turned around, as the rest of the Soviets quietly wandered near him, "Well, comrade, I'm not sure, the stewpid idiots couldn't wait up for us."

Alex only shook his head, "No, commissar, I don't believe it: the tanks are destroyed too, they knew there was some of the Nazis here, maybe they tried to fight them here so they wouldn't have more reinforcements!" His rifle was held real close to him, as he slowly placed in a clip through the bottom of the Mosin-Nagant. Though, he realized slowly, as he cocked back the iron bolt of the rifle, something far worse: "Then...where're their reinforcements?" his eyes skipped from the loading to Ivan's face, which was only a warm smile.

"There shouldn't be a reason to worry, comrade, if there were, we'd bomb the manure out of their asses, you hear," Ivan's gait decelerated as he neared Alex, as well as holding onto his collar, "look around us, Alex, nothing to worry about," he pat the soldier on the back as he wrapped his arm around Alex's shoulder, walking the two of them forward as the flames of the destroyed tanks lit more brightly. The ruined buildings stood prouder than him, a cowering idiot, he believed. "No, no, no, it's just...they could be watching us from those buildings, they could be staring at us and thinking, 'hey, those're target practice', whatever it is, commissar, I don't understand it--and you're going along with it!?" The soldier nearly tore his hair out, dumping the helmet, "I don't get it--why are you so casual about murder!?"

Some Soviet soldiers had only turned their attention towards the two, but continued on, while the two continued their conversation, "Look, Alex, comrade, you see that flame over there? It stays bright, it knows what it's doing, standing above the ashes of the deceased, stronger than you ever will be. With your puny brain, I want you to imagine you becoming that flame, with understanding that it stands above all, it knows it has one goal: stand above those weaker than it." He poked the soldier's chest, "You can be that flame, but you just don't want to."

Alex choked on his spit, "No, no, no, I don't like to think that...I wasn't a killer, commissar, I never killed a man. Never. I just don't see it as right."

Ivan closed his eyes, smiling, as the two stood in the middle of the crowd, "Comrade, comrade, in war, you kill people, it's life, it's normal, and certainly not moral for you." The private then held the rifle only closer to his chest, "I know...but...commissar...they're going to kill us now, right?"
The commissar only let out a few chuckles, "Comrade, I know what's gonna happen to us, ha ha."
He turned his head to him, "It's alright, I'm your meat shield, right?"

The expression of fear on Alex's face only worsened, when he pushed Ivan to his right, in panic, he announced: "COMRADES! GET TO THE BUILDINGS NOW!"

Nazi soldiers stood from their places behind the windows of the buildings on the right, firing at them with sub-machine guns and rifles, knocking down several men and women like dominoes, toppling over the other, and collapsing onto the feet of other soldiers, paralyzing them from escaping their fate from bullets. Soviets ran from their positions and scurried into the buildings of the left, as well as Ivan and Alex vaulting over the shattered windows and to the second floor, as well as the private adding something, "You know, commissar, I don't know why I even talk to a psycho like you!" Ivan let out a hearty laugh, his steps creaking the staircase, "Well, maybe I'm just too irresistible to talk to, eh?"
Alex rolled his eyes, "No. I already have my eyes on a pretty lady--she lived in Hungary, though, I want to meet her again, she was nice to talk to, and nice to me."