From Russia to Family

Chapter 4 Survival

Ugra, Russia

1941, December

The wind howled as it whipped their faces with lashes of freezing cold breezes. Tiny Icicles formed at their helmets edge. Their weapons burned the skin with a touch. The falling snow crept down their jackets and shirts...Leon stood at the front of a trench, his weapon lay on its side at the top of the position. Behind him, Emil sat with his back against the wall, his hands shaking as he tried to get stale crackers into his mouth. Just to the left of the two sat a fire, huddled around it were soldiers, wrapped in blankets and fur skins. One tried to drink from his canteen but was met with a large block of ice that hid in its cocoon. No one talked, keeping as much warm air as they could. Leon brought his hands up to his mouth and breathed onto them before quickly rubbing them together.

"Sit down would you?"

He turned to Emil.

"Why?"

"The enemy isn't coming."

"Last time we thought that we got pummelled."

"Just sit down for god sake."

He gave up and grabbed his gun and stepped down from his elevated position. He sat across from Emil.

"You look like shit."

"We all do."

He huffed.

"That's for certain."

Leon repeated the hands technique, taking his helmet off afterwards. He ran his hands through his hair.

"Wonder when we'll actually move again."

"I know, I miss parachuting out of planes, surprisingly."

"...we did that 3 times."

Emil smiled and put his hands up, gesturing all around them.

"And yet I prefer it to this."

"HEY!"

Leon looked over at the voice's carrier.

"Yeah?"

"Help us would you?"

He stood up and walked over to the soldiers huddled at the fire.

"What?"

"You know any tricks for melting the ice in our canteens."

Leon just raised an eyebrow.

"Günter there can't drink, and the cold air has gotten at his throat, he can't talk."

Leon walked over and crouched next to him.

"My god, how old is he?"

Another soldier responded.

"16 sir."

"Jesus."

He took the kids canteen and tipped it upside down, and yet again they were met with an immovable block of ice.

"Ok well I don't know why any of you didn't remember this from training."

He took a stick and pushed it through a loop on the canteens cap, and held it out over the fire. Holding it there for a minute, he looked at the others.

"You're all young."

"Yes sir, we're part of the replacements."

A different kind of cold washed over Leon. He sighed as he pulled the canteen off the fire and unscrewed the cap, handing it to Günter.