"If we manage to get this right They'll surrender by early light."
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THE TOWN OF ECOUST WAS A horrible jagged silhouette in the distance. Schofield and Genevieve stared at it, watching the smoke drift from the town. It was on fire. It looked surreal against the grey sky. Like a painting. The canal in front of them was large and industrial. The water almost looked black. On the opposite bank were the remains of a lock house. Everything was quiet and eerie.
They looked for a way across the canal. The blown bridge was their best bet. Both sides of the metal bridge had collapsed and slanted down into the dark water.
"We have to climb across it." Schofield said.
Genevieve followed him to the edge and they started along the broken bridge. The metal was freezing against her hands and she shivered as they carefully made their way across. Slow and steady.
The bridge slanted down and wobbled slightly from the new weight they added. It took all their effort not to lose their balance and fall into the water below. Genevieve could only imagine how cold the water must be. Hopefully she wouldn't have to find out.
Schofield reached the base of the slope first. He turned his head to her.
"Careful." He said. "There's a gap."
Genevieve straightened her arms and hung off so she could see around him. There was in fact a gap where the bridge was broken. There was about eight feet of water between them and the other side.
"Careful!" He watched her nervously as she steadied herself.
"Don't worry about me," She said. "Just keep going."
Schofield had to balance across the rest of the bridge, almost like he was walking a tightrope. Genevieve followed close behind.
He prepared himself to jump across when a gunshot suddenly rang out. A bullet shot into the water just in front of them. Genevieve gasped.
"Go!" She exclaimed. "GO!"
Schofield leapt over the gap and landed hard on the other side of the bridge. His foot slipped into the water and he hauled himself back up with his hands. He held out an arm to her.
"Jump!" He told her.
She flew across the gap and into his open arm, banging into him harshly.
They clung to the metal latticework, scrambling forward as fast as they could. More gunshots rang out. They hit the water behind them and the metal of the bridge around them. They kept their heads down and kept climbing, this time going up the bridge. It was much harder than going down. The exhaustion they were both experiencing certainly didn't help.
Schofield dropped down into the side path of the canal and Genevieve followed suit. He grabbed her and threw them both up against the wall of the canal. He had one arm over her, the other on his gun.
The gunshots stopped. Schofield held a finger to his lips and she nodded. The only sound was their heavy breathing as they stood still. Genevieve turned her gaze away from him and spotted a staircase leading out of the canal.
"Go left." She whispered.
He nodded and inched his way along the side towards the staircase with Genevieve. They crept onto the staircase, heads low. There was barely enough cover, but it was their only option. Schofield peeked out quickly and then ducked back down.
"Second floor." He whispered and pointed up to the broken lock house above them.
Another bullet shot through the air and hit against the stone right next to Genevieve's head. They both stared at the spot in shock.
"Stay down." There was fury in Schofield's voice as he readied his rifle.
But he did it with difficulty. His hands shook violently as he loaded the weapon. He crept up to the top of the stairs, peering over the top step to lineup his shot.
Genevieve kept her eyes on the window where the gunshots had came from as she took her pistol out from it's holster. She saw the gunman's head poke out the window.
Instantly, she grabbed the back on Schofield's jacket and pulled him back down as a bullet shot whizzed by him. She shot her pistol up at the window several times.
Then, silence.
"Are you alright?" She ducked back and faced Schofield.
He was looking at her with an expression she couldn't place. Shock? Thankfulness? She didn't have time to think about it. They were both breathing heavily and shaking from the cold and from adrenaline.
"You really have to stop saving my life so often." He whispered, the slightest hint of humor in his voice. "It's starting to rack up."
"This is what I meant before when I said you had to play your cards right." She replied and peeked out again. No gunshots. "I'll save your life as many times as you want. It's my job. I think I got him. He's gone. Quickly, into the lock house."
They ran up the stairs, still staying low. Schofield pushed open the doors and ushered her inside. They both held their guns at the ready. No movement on the ground floor.
"Why don't you use your rifle?" He asked her quietly.
"I work better with a pistol." She replied. "Rifle is half my size. Hard to balance it. Pistols are easier to shoot. I"ll give you a lesson later."
They made their way towards the staircase in front of them. They listened closely for sound, any signs of movement. Schofield went first, his back against the wall, rifle pointing to the top of the staircase. Slow and steady, they started up the stairs.
At the top of the staircase was a short corridor leading to a door. They stood still for a moment, ears pricked. No sound came from behind the door. Slowly, Schofield moved along the short corridor. With his foot, he pushed at the door. It swung open slowly, creaking on its hinges.
Behind the door was a german soldier slumped against the wall. His shoulder was bleeding. So Genevieve did get him. But she didn't kill him. The soldier had his gun raised.
Genevieve gasps the same time as the two men shoot. Schofield's bullet shot the soldier square in the chest. The german's had hit him right on the helmet. Schofield seemed to fly backwards, crashing right into Genevieve.
They both tumbled down the stairs in a tangle of limbs and rifles until smashing onto the bottom. Genevieve's head crashed against the wall as she landed.
