by CW Browning
Peder was right behind her and when she turned to look, his eyes were wide in a pale face. She gave him a reassuring smile and reached out to squeeze his arm, offering what strength she could. He smiled faintly as they stood perfectly still in the deep shadows, listening. And waiting.
Evelyn was never to be quite sure what happened next, or what caused the chaos that erupted around them. All she was sure of was that the silent darkness was suddenly shattered by the crack of a pistol somewhere in the hills above them. Whether they had been sighted or if the shooter had seen something else was something they would never know. As soon as the shot rang out, Evelyn’s heart surged into her throat and Anna visibly jumped in front of her. As she did, her foot slipped on the snowy incline and she began to lose her balance. Erik turned swiftly to grab her, latching onto her arm and steadying her. She regained her balance, but one of the suitcases slipped from her grip. They all watched helplessly as it launched down the incline, crashing through the undergrowth before slamming into a tree. The sound echoed around them, almost deafening in the darkness, and then silence fell again. Evelyn sucked in her breath silently. The voices in the distance had stopped and, for a split second, there wasn’t a sound in the night.
Bright light suddenly pierced through the blackness, arching down from above and sweeping back and forth a few feet in front of them. Looking up, she saw several tall figures illuminated on a ridge far above them. Her heart surged into her throat and she watched as several more bright lights joined the first, searching for the source of the unnatural noise in the night.
Peder’s hand closed around hers and squeezed warningly and Evelyn turned to see more lights coming from the trees behind them. These were on the same level as them, and they were closing quickly. She looked at Erik just as one of the lights above illuminated the suitcase laying on its side at the base of a tree.
The lights from the German soldiers showed the ravine only a few yards below them. In the spring, it would be flooded with water from the melting snows above, but now it was dry, covered with only a dusting of snow. The trees on the banks above it offered some protection from the hills above, and Erik motioned towards it as a shout echoed from above. The Germans had seen the suitcase.
“Run for the ravine!” Erik gasped, shouldering his rifle and turning to take aim at the ridge above them. “Marlene, go! Protect them in the ravine!”
As soon as Anna, Evelyn and Peder began half-sliding and half-running down the mountain towards the gorge, Erik and Philip began firing. Within seconds, gunfire lit up the mountainside, deafening as it echoed around them. Evelyn didn’t remember running for her life, she only remembered the terrifying feeling that the next shot she heard would be the last. Gripping her rifle, she dodged between trees and around underbrush, gasping for air as she ran for all she was worth. Anna was a few feet to her right, ducking behind trees as they heard the ping and thud of bullets spraying around them.
Diving behind a thick tree, Evelyn stopped to peer around it, looking back as she tried to catch her breath. Erik and Philip were behind them, returning fire from behind the cover of trees as enemy soldiers were sliding down the mountainside after them. The Germans were far enough away that Evelyn had no doubt that they would make it to the ravine before them, but she also knew they weren’t the only SS soldiers. There had been at least one group on the same ridge as they were when all hell broke loose, and those were the ones that she knew could stop them.
Almost as if fate had heard her, a burst of rifle fire erupted from her right and she saw several shadows moving a few yards away in the trees. Looking over her shoulder, Evelyn saw that Anna and Peder had reached the bank of the ravine. She jerked her head in the direction of the ravine, shouldering her rifle.
“Go!”
Anna looked at her and nodded, her eyes wide with terror. She turned and leapt off the bank with Peder close behind.
Erik and Philip were pinned down a few feet behind her by gunfire coming from the soldiers to the right. Unable to leave their cover, Evelyn knew they wouldn’t last long. She turned and aimed at the closest enemy shadow to Philip and braced herself, firing. The shadow ducked back behind a tree and she fired again at another shadow close to him. A cry of pain echoed through the trees and she knew that her bullet had found its mark.
It’s just an animal, they’re just animals, she told herself as she aimed again. They’re not people. They’re not men. You’re just out hunting, and Dad always said you could hit anything. Just take the shots. Don’t think about the people. Just take the shots. If you don’t, Erik and Philip will die.
Evelyn repeated the words to herself over and over again as Erik and Philip made a break for the trees where Anna and Peder had been moments before. As they ran, Evelyn fired again as a tall SS soldier emerged from behind a tree with a machine gun. The lights from the soldiers rapidly descending from above flooded over him and Evelyn watched as her shot went into his chest. She caught her breath as he was thrown backwards, a crimson stain spreading across his uniform under his open coat. She stared, paralyzed, as he fell back to hit a tree before sliding into the snow, the machine gun falling out of his hand. Something akin to shock rolled through her, crushing her chest and blurring her vision, and she felt rooted to the spot, unable to move.
Oh my God. I just did that. I just killed a man!
The thought broke through the haze in her mind and her empty stomach rolled over as a wave of nausea gripped her. She was frozen, still staring, when a strong hand grabbed hers. She stumbled as Erik yanked her towards the ravine.
“Move!” he commanded harshly. “Let’s go!”
With that, he gave her a shove over the side and Evelyn felt herself flying down into the gorge, her feet barely touching the sides of the bank. As soon as she landed at the bottom, she sucked in some air and Erik and Philip joined her. There were a few blessed seconds without gunfire as they sprinted along the ravine bed. Anna and Peder were ahead, and Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief when she saw them safe.
“Behind you Philip!” Peder yelled as they approached.
Philip spun around and fired just as a tall shadow on the top of the bank let loose a stream of bullets. Evelyn reached Anna and turned as a German soldier tumbled into the ravine, blood pouring from a wound in his stomach. She forced down a strangled cry and heaved the rifle up to her shoulder as a row of enemy soldiers appeared on the bank, their rifles aimed at them.
“Run!” she cried over her shoulder as she, Erik, and Philip began firing.
Bullets rained down into the ravine and she stopped breathing as she fired repeatedly at the shadows above. She hit two of them before Erik got her moving again. She had been in one spot for too long and a bullet whizzed by her head, narrowly missing her and hitting the opposite bank instead. She gasped and turned to stumble along the gorge before resolutely turning to take aim again.
Before she could get her shot off, there was a cry behind her and Evelyn turned to watch in horror as Peder stumbled and fell.
“Peder!” she cried, running towards him.
He had dropped his radio case and was clutching his thigh, writhing in agony.
“It’s my leg,” he gasped as she dropped down beside him.
Evelyn pulled his hands away and stared at the blood pouring through his pants. A gaping hole in the fabric left no doubt as to the extent of the injury and she shook her head, her eyes filling with tears.
“No, no, no!” She shook her head and began to pull the scarf from around her neck. “We’ll tie it up. Philip or Erik will help you.”
Peder took one look at her face and shook his head, reaching out to still her hands.
“No. I can’t walk, and you can’t stay,” he said, his voice surprisingly firm. “I did what I could. Now it’s up to others. My time is done.”
He reached for his radio and shoved it into her hands.
“Take it. Leave me. Don’t let them get that,” he said
urgently. “Use it and get home!”
Erik dropped down on his other side. He took one glance at the leg and looked at Evelyn.
“He’s right. He can’t continue,” he said. “We’ve stopped them for now, but the rest are coming. We have to move.”
“We can’t just leave him here!” Evelyn protested.
“You must!” Peder looked at her and smiled tremulously. “It’s been a pleasure, Marlene. I would have loved to continue working with you, but it’s not to be. It will be up to Kristian now.”
Erik reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pistol, pressing it into Peder’s hand.
“Here. It’s loaded and primed. For God’s sake, don’t shoot yourself.”
Peder let out a strangled laugh and waved them away.
“Will you get out of here?” he demanded. “Get Anna and get away while you still can. I’ll do what I can to slow them down.”
Erik pulled Evelyn to her feet.
“Come. We must leave him,” he said urgently. “We haven’t much time.”
She nodded and stared down at Peder, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“I’m so sorry, Peder,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry I got you into this.”
“I got myself into this,” he retorted. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Now go!”
Erik grabbed her hand and pulled her away, turning to run along the ravine bed. Philip had gone ahead and caught up with Anna and, as they ran towards them, she turned and saw Peder still on the ground behind them. She let out a cry and tried to run back but Philip grabbed her arms, stopping her.
“No, we must leave him!”
“We can’t leave him!” she cried frantically. “Oh my God, Peder!”
“He can’t walk, Anna,” Erik said, not ungently, as they joined them. “It was his choice. He wants us to go on.”
Anna looked at Evelyn and saw the tears pouring down her face. She gasped and looked back at Peder, her own eyes filling with tears. As if sensing the struggle he couldn’t hear, Peder raised his hand in a wave, then made a motion for them to go.
“We have to get out of this ravine,” Philip said urgently. “They’ll be sending troops ahead as well as coming after us. I told you this was a kill box. If we stay here, we die.”
Erik nodded in agreement and motioned to a bend ahead. “There.”
They sprinted to the bend and rounded the corner, out of sight from their pursuers. Erik led them for a few yards, scanning the steep bank, then motioned for them to climb out. He stood guard until they had all reached the top, then scrambled up after them.
They stood in dark and silent trees for a moment, and then he began moving again. Evelyn followed numbly, her rifle hooked over her shoulder and Peder’s radio clutched against her chest. Suddenly, through the silence, they heard two pistol shots, one after the other. Evelyn gasped and stopped, listening. After a second of silence, the unmistakable sound of machine gun fire responded.
It lasted only a few seconds, then silence fell again. Erik and Evelyn looked at each other and he reached out and took her hand, squeezing it tightly.
“If I know Peder, he just took at least two of them with him,” he said in a low voice.
Evelyn’s throat squeezed shut and she nodded mutely, clinging to his hand, shaking. Anna wrapped an arm around her shoulders, tears again flowing down her face.
“God took him quickly,” she whispered brokenly.
Erik allowed the two women a moment to grieve, but then he gently turned them towards the trees.
“Come. We must move before they pick up our trail. Peder did as he promised he would and bought us some time. Let’s not waste it.”
Chapter Thirty
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Asp, Norway
Evelyn collapsed in the corner of the old, crumbling stone structure. At one point in time, it had been a home, but now it was empty and falling apart. Anna had told her that there were many of these types of buildings in the mountains. Most were still owned by the original families, but had been either long forgotten or minimally maintained over the years. This one fell into the latter category as there were still doors on the structure and the fireplace in the center of the far wall was intact. The windows were gone, but the wind had died down now, and there wasn’t much of a breeze coming through the two empty openings. Even if there had been, she reflected, she was too tired to care.
After checking the chimney and finding it miraculously clear of debris, Erik was preparing to set a small fire in the heart with the wood Philip had carried in from the trees. She watched him numbly for a moment, wondering how he could be so calm and still continue to move when the rest of them were half-dead on their feet. At least, she and Anna were.
She looked over to where Anna had dropped onto the hard stone floor near to the fireplace. Her face was streaked with dirt and her hair had come out of its braid and was hanging in tangles around her face. She seemed completely unaware of any of it as she watched her brother work to get a fire going. Anna looked the way she felt: utterly defeated.
The door to the cabin squeaked on rusty hinges as it swung open and Philip came through with another armful of tree branches.
“We should be safe here for a few hours,” he said, dropping the wood beside the hearth. “There’s no sound for miles, and we’re deep enough into the hills that they won’t see the smoke.”
“Even if they do, they will assume it’s a local,” Erik said, sorting through the fresh wood, looking for pieces that weren’t damp. “They’ll expect us to go towards the town, not into the wild again. You get some rest. I’ll take the first watch this time.”
Philip nodded. “You won’t get any argument from me,” he said tiredly, turning to look around the small space. Seeing Evelyn in the corner, he went to the opposite corner near the door. “I’ll just clean and reload first.” He glanced at Evelyn. “You’ll want to do the same,” he told her.
“I already gave her the kit,” Erik said over his shoulder. “She knows.”
Evelyn nodded mutely and reached for the box Erik had handed her when they first arrived. Inside were rags and a long brush to clean the barrel of the rifle. Another box of ammunition cartridges was beside it.
“Can’t she rest first?” Anna demanded, looking at Erik. “She’s exhausted.”
“We all are,” was his only reply.
Anna exhaled loudly and dragged herself to her feet tiredly to go over to Evelyn. She dropped beside her and leaned back against the wall, turning her head so she could watch her.
“Are you all right?” she asked. “Can I help you?”
Evelyn smiled faintly and shook her head, beginning to dismantle the rifle. “No. It won’t take long.”
“I don’t see why you can’t sleep first,” she muttered. “If we’re so safe here, it shouldn’t make a difference.”
“They’re right. It’s best to do it now. Just in case.”
“You mean just in case we’re not as safe as they think?”
“Yes.”
Anna was silent for a moment, then she rubbed her face.
“Do you think he died quickly?”
Evelyn swallowed. “Yes. There was more than one machine gun firing. I’m sure he went quickly.”
She looked at the radio beside her and her hands trembled momentarily as a wave of sorrow washed over her. That radio, Peder’s pride and joy, was all that was left of him now. And it was the very thing that had led to his death.
“Part of me still can’t believe he’s gone,” Anna whispered. “We just left him there, and then...how could we just leave him?”
“We had no choice,” Philip said from his corner, glancing up from his own rifle. “He couldn’t have made it out of the ravine.”
“He knew and understood,” Erik added, turning to look at them from where he had finally managed to get a fire started. “He told us to leave him.
It was a very brave thing that he did. He died with honor.”
Anna stared at him for a minute, then nodded tiredly. “I suppose he did,” she agreed.
“We’re not going to make it, are we?” Evelyn asked suddenly, looking up. “How can we? We’re all exhausted. We have no food left. We’ve lost Peder. I have his radio, but no idea if I’ll be able to get it to work. The German SS are looking for us, and are probably all over the mountains by now. We’ll never make it to Namsos.”
“That’s the exhaustion talking,” Anna said. “You’ll feel better after some sleep.”
“I don’t think I will. I don’t know if I have the strength to continue...or the will.”
“Why? Because you saw what this war is really about?” Erik demanded. “This is what happens in war. People die. Men die. Boys die. Women and children die. It’s never pretty and it always takes its toll. Peder died well. I wish that we all could go as quickly and with little fuss.”
“It’s not just Peder,” Evelyn said, her voice shaking. “I shot and killed a man. I...I watched him die!”
“Yes, and you will watch many more men die,” he retorted harshly. “Do you know why? Because you’ll have to. You chose to be part of this war. You believed in something, and you chose to fight. Well, this is what that means. It means you will do things you find repulsive, and you will witness atrocities you never thought possible. You will be forced into situations that are unimaginable, but you will continue. You won’t have a choice. You’ll hate it, but you will continue to fight.”
“Erik!” Anna protested weakly. “Can’t you see she’s upset?”
“Yes, of course I can,” he muttered. “But you both need to understand that this isn’t a game. We’re in it until the end now, whether or not we like it, whether or not we want to be, and whether or not we think we can do it. The sooner she realizes that, the sooner you realize that, the better off you’ll both be.”