As planned, Svetlana and Nikoli met Colonel Eckhardt at the Grand Hotel Amadeus. The couple were escorted to his room to review the details for the pending action. Eckhardt understood exactly what role he was to play. He would convince the general that he wanted to personally escort him to town in style. Bravado was an absurd characteristic the Germans clung to in earnest. It matched their arrogance well.
We have much to teach our Occupiers, thought Nikoli, as he outlined the Colonel's duties. Eckhardt called for his car and driver to be ready in five minutes; he and his guests were going for a ride. His guests were going to take him to a hideout the partisans used. The message would calm any nervous ideas his staff would conjure up about the colonel's intentions. Some of the men had noticed the change in Eckhardt's behavior since his meeting with the seductress, but were in no position to question his thinking. They needed proof that he was no longer qualified to command. That would take time and hard evidence.
The black phone on his desk rang. The car was waiting, and the three left for the ambush site.
The car arrived at the rendezvous point at 4:00pm. Eckhardt called the checkpoint at Miechow before leaving. The general had not arrived yet and wasn't expected for another two hours; they had experienced mechanical problems in the morning. Arrival at the checkpoint would be around 6:00pm. Excellent, plenty of time to secure the surrounding site and ward off any intruders or careless passersby. The point chosen was perfect. The road was flanked by thick woods. The road for the south bound convoy had an abrupt, hard turn to the right. Engineers had been working on straightening out the hard bend that General Heidrick had identified as a potential ambush site during a tour of the area, but the engineers had been recalled to Krakow to work at the brewery.
Eckhardt, Svetlana, and Nikoli exited the car and surveyed the area.
"Perfect," quipped Nikoli. “Absolutely perfect. Yakov was correct when I consulted him on the appropriate place for such devilish antics. The boy has earned his dinner tonight, eh Svetlana?"
She smiled at her husband and nodded in agreement. The tranquility was broken by the words of the lowly private driver.
"Colonel, Colonel, why are we stopping here? There is nothing here of military value. Your orders were specific. We are to meet the general and return to Krakow. And why are Herr Romanov and his wife smiling?"
"Herr Private, I apologize, but there is a change in plans."
"Herr Colonel, this is highly unusual. We should return to Krakow immediately or proceed to the checkpoint and wait for the general."
"Private," he sternly commanded. "Silence. I am your superior officer and will decide what orders will be followed. Do you understand?" The private was taken aback by Eckhart’s commands. He had served with the colonel for over two years and had never seen such a display of emotion or break in protocol. A figure emerged from the woods as the colonel and private carried on with their debate. The figure was small of stature and appeared in poor health. Nikoli waved him on towards them. The figure limped along slowly and rhythmically. He was stooped over and had the appearance of a lost animal. He approached Nikoli like an obedient dog. They exchanged a few words.
"Herr Colonel, I insist we proceed to the checkpoint at once. I must report our whereabouts."
"Private," the colonel's tone dropped down a few octaves. Then he continued.
"Dear Gunther, you have been a faithful aide for over two years and have served the Third Reich with great distinction. However, it is time I gave you new orders, those that will bring greater glory to the Third Reich and the master we serve."
The private detected the sound of branches breaking behind the colonel, yet there was no wind. The sound was getting louder and stronger. An odor of stench and death was growing stronger as the sound increased.
"Colonel, what are you talking about?" came the nervous words from Gunther.
"Gunther, please get out of the car. I have something to show you, something that will bring you great glory and possibly a medal." The promise of being awarded a medal prompted Private Gunther to quickly exit the car. The closer he came to Eckhardt, the louder the sounds and the smell grew.
"Private Gunther, meet Yakov Romanov." The colonel stepped aside revealing a gruesome sight. The man who had emerged from the woods had taken on the shape of a deviled dog. Its hair was black and matted, fingernails were long sharp claws and the skin had the look of overly dried leather. But it was the eyes that really captured his attention. They were jet black and full of death. No life lived behind them. As he reached for his Luger, an animalistic growl poured from the beast. He looked up to see two shiny, white polished bones flying towards his body. It was the last thing Gunther would remember as a human.
"Yakov, take him to the forest. Drink what you need but convert him. We will need him for the drive back." Yakov lifted the body and sprinted into the dark woods to complete his task.
"Dear wife, that should satisfy him for the moment. Colonel, well done. Well done, Herr Colonel. Now, we shall wait for the others and finalize the preparations for the royalty that will be joining us."
Kirilli and Sasha arrived with their troupe thirty minutes after Yakov had feasted and converted Private Gunther.
"Kirilli, you are right on time. General Von DerGraff and company are due to arrive in over an hour. We have swept the southern and eastern approaches. Have your group tend to the west and north. Everything will then be in place for the ambush."
Kirilli motioned to Dmitri and Sergei to take the others and check the countryside. "They should be gone no more than an hour. Everyone must be in position at least twenty minutes before the convoy arrives."
Nikoli's plan was simple. Eckhart’s car would be parked on the road as if headed to town with the hood open, giving the impression that there was something wrong with the colonel's car. The guards from the first truck would render assistance, the guards in the second truck would dismount to set up a perimeter, and then the general would approach to see what could be done. German efficiency was very predictable.
A little after six o'clock, engine noises were heard coming from the northeast. Taros appeared from the woods partially transformed. It had been his job to provide point for the mission. He affirmed what their ears were hearing.
"Nikoli, two trucks and a staff car are approaching at high speed."
"Everyone, take their places. Our guests have almost arrived." High speed wasn't something he had planned on. What if the truck crashes into the car? What if the general is injured and is of no use? What if, What if? The problem with an exercise of this magnitude was one could never anticipate all of the variables. All one could do was devise the best plan based on the intelligence provided and hope for the best. Nikoli had always been a capable planner on the small scale; he was never one to see the whole picture, as he was reminded of during the Russian revolution and the Crimean war. He always won battles, but never the war. His mind and body were not built for high command decisions.
The trucks came closer. Nikoli noticed that the engines were revving down and gears were being shifted. Of course, even they wouldn't be able to make the right turn at high speed. I worry too much. The headlights were seen coming into the bend and making the turn. The driver could see the broken-down staff car seventy-five meters in front of him. He slowly started bringing the truck to a stop. Colonel Eckhardt was standing by the side with his driver. The appearance was that of an officer and soldier discussing the problem with the vehicle. The driver brought his truck to a stop ten meters behind the car. He approached the colonel and saluted.
"Heil Hitler, Herr Colonel."
"Heil Hitler," replied Eckhardt.
"What appears to be the problem, sir?"
"The engine died and will not start. Is there a mechanic in your group?"
The driver thought for a moment and went back to the truck. Twelve men spilled out and came to see what the problem was. Another corporal appeared asking the same question. Again. Eckhardt explained the situation. The corpo
ral returned to his truck, and again another twelve men spilled out and started setting up a safe perimeter around the convoy and the broken-down staff car. Each guard took a station five meters from the wood and at twenty meter intervals. They had set up a wall of steel to protect their own. And finally the general approached the car.
"Colonel Eckhardt, what seems to be the problem?"
Nikoli was positioned on the east side of the road with a perfect field of vision to the unfolding events. Like all of the officers he had encountered, this one walked with the swagger and arrogance of a conqueror. Why did the Germans consider themselves superior to other men? In a few minutes it wouldn't matter. The part of the plan Nikoli liked the best was the use of the converted guards. One group would approach from the north and one from the south. They would spring the trap securely closed and no one would escape alive. He couldn't hold back the smile that was creeping across his lips. The anticipation of the taste of fresh blood was starting to overwhelm him.
"Herr General, the car won't start and my prisoners have escaped."
"What prisoners, Eckhardt? You did not mention prisoners."
"We came upon them just over an hour ago. They were carelessly walking on the road, apparently returning from a sabotage mission at the Miechow checkpoint. Gunther and I were fortunate in that one of the patrols I had sent out showed up at the right time, and they are currently combing the woods for the escapees. They should be returning any minute."
"Colonel, there was no reported disturbance at the checkpoint. When did the alleged attack happen?"
"Herr General, I have not had the time to properly interrogate the prisoners as of yet. It is possible they provided incorrect information. I'm sure when they are captured and taken to Krakow where a thorough interrogation can take place, we will know everything about their activities.”
"Very good, Eckhardt. I look forward to talking with them myself."
A small evening breeze was starting to kick up and move the majestic firs and oaks to and fro. The sound of branches crackling in the forest resonated as the winds picked-up.
"General, here comes the patrol now." Moving in two lines of six, a patrol was returning to the car from the south.
"General," yelled the corporal from the second truck. "A patrol is coming from the north.” There were two distinct lines of six now.
"Colonel, I thought you said there was only one patrol. Where did this one originate from?"
Eckhardt said nothing. He was breaking out in a sweat. The color of his skin in the setting sun was a pale white. The sound of the cracking from the woods was getting louder. The guards standing by the woods were becoming nervous. Something evil was lurking in the woods, it was as if the forest was starting to wake-up.
"Eckhardt, what is wrong with you, and why are there two patrols approaching us? Colonel, answer me. I demand an explanation immediately. Colonel?"
Eckhardt could not reply. He was in the throes of his first change. The pain of his jawbone shifting, his nails turning into sharp weapons, and the reformation of his skin were more than he could bear. He would have screamed if not for his windpipe constricting with each movement of bone. He noticed how his senses were sharpening: smell, touch, taste, and hearing. He could hear the heartbeats of all those around him. It was as if the entire Munich Orchestra was in his head, hammering out another Wagnerian Opera, thunderous and overwhelming.
"General,” called out the corporal, “we should leave this place at once. There is an unseen enemy in the woods."
"Corporal. We are soldiers of the Third Reich and do not flinch at sounds of branches breaking or the howls of the wind in the night. We shall take Eckhardt to my car and drive him into Krakow to the doctor. Understood?"
The general looked to the south and then the north. Both patrols had mysteriously stopped. They were no longer in straight neat rows. The men were all quivering where they stood. He yelled at the group to the south. "Who is in command? Come forward immediately." No response.
"Are you deaf? Do you not recognize a General of the Third Reich? Come forward now!"
No response. He repeated the orders to the patrol standing to the north with the same response. The wind stopped blowing and an eerie calm fell on the convoy.
"General, I am begging you for us to leave now. There is something very wrong here. We must leave now, sir."
"Eckhardt," commanded the general. "Eckhardt, answer me now." Slowly the colonel looked up at the general without a word. Colonel Eckhardt was no longer with the living. He had the look of a deformed animal back from the dead.
A noise rose out of his throat, "General, you should have listened to the corporal." The words were guttural, yet familiar. It wasn't the eyes or the change in skin color that disturbed the general, but rather what he saw growing inside of Eckhart’s mouth; it was the four inch long fangs replacing the human incisors that struck fear in his hard beating heart.
"Mein Gott, Eckhardt, what is..." he never finished those words. On cue, the clans jumped into action simultaneously. The guards by the forest were the first to go in quick succession. The bites were quick, deep, and penetrating. Each member would suck out enough blood to incapacitate its owner, then move onto to the next. Nikoli and Kirilli acted the fastest.
The actions were swift and efficient. Two by two the guards closest to the tree line disappeared without a word. No cries, no screams, just emptiness. Instead of moving towards the trucks, the guards kept calling out to their comrades, only to have the words swallowed up and disappear into the black abyss of timber. The patrols started moving closer to the remaining troops. Nikoli knew it was a calculated risk to have those converted converge, but it was necessary. If there were any casualties, he hoped they would come from the patrols and not the core members of the clans. It worked out majestically. Since the enemy could not be detected in the woods, and for fear of wounding or killing their own, the general's guards concentrated on what they could see. Shouts of "Halt!" resonated with all the command the soldiers could muster to the approaching patrols. The patrols moved closer, forming their own ring of steel around the general and his escort.
"Wo ist Maximilian, Kurt, Gunther, Franz? Was ist los? " several of the soldiers called out. There were no responses, only the noises of a sucking sound echoing from the woods.
General Von DerGraff barked out a few orders. The guards were split up. One group concentrated on the patrol from the south and another to the group from the north with the instructions to fire at will. The men took up positions, called out in vain and then opened fire. This was an enemy they had never encountered. There were no sounds or screams as bullets slammed into the men. Those who didn't fall kept pressing forward as if driven by an unseen force. The patrols were tightening the noose. All of the forest guards had vanished without a trace.
Von DerGraff had almost forgotten about Eckhardt. He grabbed Eckhardt by the arm in an effort to escape this cauldron of death. He pulled on Eckhart’s sleeve only to be met with intense strength and force. A swift right hand sent the general spilling to the ground. The guards closest to Von DerGraff turned, exposing looks of fear and shock as they examined the rapidly deteriorating situation. Eckhardt was no longer human; his features were that of a wild animal. Fire poured out of his eyes and death from his mouth. Their hesitation cost them their lives. Like leaves and ships being blown about in a maelstrom, dark shadowy figures erupted from the woods and silenced the guards around the general. Shots were still being heard around Von DerGraff''s staff car, but the rate of the shots fired was diminishing. The sounds of "Mein Gott! What is this, and what are they," were the only words coming from the occupier’s mouths. Von DerGraff slowly came to his feet in an attempt to clear his mind. The focus in his eyes slowly returned, only to reveal a sight that even his darkest and deepest nightmares as a child could not fathom. He was surrounded by six creatures snarling and howling at him. One of the creatures still retained some distinguishable human qualities. A human face was somewhat recognizable, b
ut the eyes were not human. They displayed fire and death. The creature looked to his right, as blood trickled down his chin and dripped onto the general’s uniform.
In sounds almost indiscernible, he could make out the following words as the creature spoke "You brought us Eckhardt, bring us Von DerGraff."
A woman who looked like she was in her forties approached from the woods. Her shoulder length red hair flowed about her face and body. She approached the general and nodded. What he saw next was frightening. This female had the same fire in her eyes, but her pupils retained a hypnotic green gaze. Her face was covered with blood from what had been his escort. Her womanly figure was somewhat evident as the wind slowly blew her black cloak around her defined curves. His eyes were transfixed on hers as she approached. No words could form in his mouth, only awe and fear.
"General, it is time you joined Colonel Eckhardt." The last impression the general would witness as a human were fiery green eyes and white fangs, dripping with blood and shining in the pitch black night.
In ten minutes the attack was over. Nikoli and Kirilli surveyed the field of strewn, broken bodies. "Well done, Kirilli. We lost five guards, gained a general and replacements for those lost, plus, an adequate food source for at least a week. Have the boys scatter the bodies we have no use for, load the others for feeding into the trucks, and wait for the conversions to take hold on our new members. Svetlana and I will accompany Eckhardt and the driver back to Warsaw. I suggest the general and the corporal return to Krakow with a few dead bodies in the cars. The illusion of a surprise ambush should convince those in town of what happened during the passage. The trucks? Take them to Tarnow where they will be disposed of properly. We will unload the cargo and then light the trucks on fire in remote regions. There will be no trace of the original occupants. Only a trail of blood will prove they ever existed."
Occupation Page 19