BLUT (English version)

• Kapitel 10 •

"Captain Kozlov?"

The female voice behind him made Viktor put down the vodka bottle to see who it was.

"Ah ... Lenka is you ..." He said, recognizing her.

The woman looking at him was the leader of a group of partisans, who sometimes met with them to exchange information about the enemy, or some supplies. She sat next to him, placing an MP40 submachine gun on the table.

"That's a German weapon ..." Viktor observed suspiciously.

"These are better," answered Lenka "More reliable."

"Well, marry a damn German if you like what they do so much …"

Lenka snorted tiredly.

"I see you're already drunk, Captain."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever ... What do you want?" Viktor muttered, refilling the small glass in front of him with alcohol.

"We haven't received any report from Base 36 for days. Do you know something?"

"Base 36? What is that?"

Lenka snatched the bottle from him and put it on the other end of the table.

"The church to the southwest, by the railroad track!" She said, raising her voice, "What's the use of telling me the codes if you can't even remember them? Besides, why are you getting drunk? Did your wife leave you or what?"

Viktor shook his head and gulped down the contents of his glass.

"I accidentally shot one of my boys ..." he said in a strangled voice. "He survived, but the incident doesn't leave me alone. And I think I won't be fine until I see my Dima get up again."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but he will be fine …" she said putting a hand on his shoulder "Captain, you must overcome this, the rest of your men still need you ... And I need you to hear what I have to say: We’ve tried to communicate with radio to Base 36 but we aren't getting a signal. We're a little afraid that they are in a compromising situation, the Germans have advanced further and 80% of the city of Stalingrad has been taken. If they keep  advancing, soon Moscow will be-"

"They'll never take Moscow! We're not going to let them!"

"Don't get mad, Captain. No, we will not allow it. Listen carefully: We have received important information from our infiltrators. A German train with supplies and weapons will be dispatched to the city in the next two days ... We need support from base 36 on the train tracks, but no one responds, I'm thinking of taking my boys to investigate …"

"And you come to ask me for ammunition and weapons? Don't you see that we hardly have any?"

"Captain, I'm seriously thinking about slapping you ..." Lenka said, crossing her arms. "I didn't come to ask you for any of that, we have weapons and ammunition that we stole from the Germans. I only came to inform you, since the cargo of that train also suits you …"

Viktor sighed and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. Lenka stared at him for a long time, waiting for him to answer something, but he didn't. She got up and hanged the gun over her shoulder.

"I heard the rumors…" she told him before leaving "What happens in the forest… Your men told me that they went with you to investigate."

Lenka was silent, hoping he would tell her something about what had happened. But the captain still didn't dare to speak. Lenka shook her head and withdrew. She had taken a few steps away when Viktor's voice stopped her.

"There was something there with me …"

"I’m sorry?"

Viktor said no more, it was hard enough for him to admit that something far from his understanding lived in that forest. He reached for the bottle of vodka and poured himself another drink, then lay flat on the table. He heard Lenka's footsteps walk away and leave the room a few minutes later. He wanted to distract his mind with the train, but the memory of the frozen hand that he held in the fog, couldn't get out of his head. Not even the image of Dima falling to his knees to the ground, staring at him in terror as a river of blood gushed from his mouth. Viktor squeezed his eyes shut. He would go back to that forest and kill whatever was there, even if he had to come shooting with a tank. He was not going to be overcome by fear, he was going to show the Germans what Russian men were made of.