BLUT (English version)

• Kapitel 15 •

"No! I'm not going to Stalingrad!"

"Are you contradicting me, Kozlov? I just gave you an order!"

"But I can't, Comrade General! Not until I'm done with that damn thing in the woods!"

"Shit, Kozlov! Are you hearing what you say? You sound like a fucking lunatic!"

"General Chuikov, you have to listen to me!"

"I've heard enough! Or are you hiding your fear?"

"Never!"

"Then show it and obey! The mission is to narrow the perimeter and capture Pitomnik. The men are ready, you will lead a squad across the river. The Germans are reaching their limit, it shouldn't be difficult."

"As you order, Comrade General."

Viktor left General Chuikov's office cursing under his breath, and two soldiers ran up to him. Alec and Valair Shebakof, 21-year-old twin brothers. They both smiled with peculiar joy, and their identical faces disturbed Viktor a bit.

"Captain Kozlov, come see this!" Alec said, taking his left arm.

"I'm busy! What do you want?" Viktor protested grumpily, as Valair took his right arm and said:

"Come on, you won't regret it!"

Viktor said nothing and let the two of them lead him to the room where the ammunition and some supplies were kept.

"What do you want to show me?" He asked them once inside. The two of them brought something that Viktor thought was a light machine gun, but when he got a good look at it, he noticed that although it was made from what had been a machine gun, it was not one. It didn't even seem capable of firing ammo.

It had a kind of giant spring supported by various mechanisms, and what was apparently firing was a fishing harpoon.

"And what is that?" He asked again. The twins smiled at each other and then looked at their captain.

"Well, what else is it going to be?" Valair said. "A trap for vampires!"

Viktor raised both eyebrows.

"A what?"

"Let's show him how it works ..." Alec said to his brother and Valair nodded.

The two of them led Viktor to the other door of the room and went out through it. Outside there was a kind of improvised firing range where the soldiers used to practice. Valair raised his creation to hip level and triggered something in it that made it shoot. The harpoon sped off with a hiss, traveled a considerable distance in a couple of seconds and pierced a straw doll in a German uniform that was used as a target. The doll shaked violently from the impact, but it was firmly fixed to the ground so it did not fall. Viktor felt a chill. Being pierced by that thing must be certain death.

Alec went to the doll and carefully removed the harpoon. The harpoon was attached to a flexible and very strong rope, apparently also for fishing. Valair began turning a lever on the weapon, similar to a spool, to wind the rope back. Viktor looked at the weapon carefully. It had many mechanisms made from parts of various weapons, adapted to operate the firing system for the harpoon. A crude work and not very skillful, but precise.

"With a couple more of these, we'll catch the bastard!" Alec said smiling.

"What do you think, Comrade Captain?" Valair asked excitedly.

It took Viktor almost a full minute to respond. He was in awe of these boys' talent for creating such a weapon, and the idea of ​​catching the thing in the forest excited him ... But unluckily, he had to go to Stalingrad.