James Mullins - The Winter Sniper

Guilt flooded Hale’s heart. He tried to fight the emotion that was overwhelming his mind. Stop it! You have no choice. Only cowards avoid their duty. Outwardly he smiled down at the girl he grew up with, and the woman he had fallen in love with, “I will my love. The entire Red Army cannot keep me from you. Even if I have to kill a hundred of them with my bare hands, I will come home to you.

The sound of automatic weapons fire registered in Hale’s ears jerking him out of his memory. He kept his eyes firmly shut waiting for the pain that would signal the end of his life and the breaking of his promise. It never came.

Confused he opened his eyes. The large Russian soldier still lay atop him, his immense bulk continuing to pin Hale to the ground. The green clad soldier had dropped the knife and was now clutching his chest as blood poured through his fingers.

Hale, pushed the dying Russian off and snatched up the man’s knife. He drew the blade across the dying brute’s throat to finish him off. He then picked up the dead man’s loaded rifle and looked about. The entire squad of enemy soldiers that had overrun his position was down on the ground bleeding. Their moans of pain filled his ears.

In shock from the sudden turn of events, Hale just stood there numbly for several moments. A voice startled the stunned Finn and brought him back the horrible reality around him, “Stop fucking around and get moving. This will only hold them for a moment.”

Obeying the command, Hale, picked up his own rifle and slung it on his back. Keeping the loaded Russian rifle in his hands, he turned and ran toward the voice as best he could. Between his injured shoulder, the two weapons on his back, and a third in his arms, he was weighed down and made slow progress toward the voice.

The exhausted and injured sniper, moved as quickly as he could manage through the snow toward the sound of the voice he had heard. As he ran, his ears registered the click of a magazine being slammed into place. Then a man, dressed as Hale in a white overcoat, and white trousers, emerged from behind the cover of a tree.

Recognizing the man Hale exclaimed, “Omni!”

The older man smiled, “It’s good to see you to. Where’s Maki?”

Hale stopped and pointed toward the spot where he had seen his commanding officer go down, “Over there. I think he’s been hit.”

Suddenly a chorus of war cries erupted from the village and a platoon of Finns emerged from the fire and smoke screaming and firing as they came. This caused the nearby Russians, who were busy regrouping for another attack against Hale, to lose their nerve, break and run to the south toward home.

A short time later, a pair of men, dressed as Hale and Omni, suddenly appeared. The one on the left, barked, “Hands up!”

Hale and Omni obeyed the command, dropped their weapons, and raised their hands. Omni smiled and said, “We’re on your side.”

“Who are you?” The man on the left, he had the three stripes of a sergeant on the gray shoulder epaulettes of his white overcoat demanded.

“We’re snipers with Lieutenant Maki’s squad.” Omni replied.

The corners of the Sergeant’s mouth started to turn upward, before he caught himself and demanded, “How do I know you aren’t Russian spies dressed as Finns?”

“The phrase of the day is, “Stalin’s silk panties.”

The Finnish soldier standing on the Sergeant’s right, a private, burst into laughter at the phrase. The older man cast him a glare which caused the young soldier to abruptly cut his laughter off. He then turned to the two snipers and said, “It is indeed. Do you require assistance?”

“Yes, our Lieutenant is about fifty feet that way,” Hale pointed. “He’s been hurt.”

The Sergeant craned his neck toward Kivennapa and bellowed, “Medic!” He turned back toward the two snipers and said, “Go to your Lieutenant, I’ve got to continue leading my squad forward, we’re trying to break these bastards up with a counter attack and send them scurrying back to Comrade Stalin.”

“God go with you.” Omni replied.

The two soldiers dug their ski poles into the snow and began moving toward the fleeing Russians. Omni turned to Hale and said, “Reload all of your weapons in case they are unsuccessful in driving those Red fuckers off.”

Hale, exhausted, collapsed to the earth. He pulled his thick gloves off, exposing his fingers to the cold. The young Finn started the process by ejecting the clip on his pistol, the Luger, and refilled the empty magazine. His fingers quickly grew numb in the sub-zero conditions as he painfully pushed bullet after bullet into the magazine. Finished, he slammed the cold metal home into the stock of the gun. Next, he turned to his empty rifle magazines. As he worked Omni changed the magazine on his PPD 34 and made his way over to Maki.

As soon as Hale had completed reloading all of his weapons, he made his way over to his fallen Lieutenant. Omni was down on his knees holding Maki’s hand. Maki, seeing movement out of the corner of his eyes, turned to Hale and said, “There you are. I’m glad you made it. You’ve got to keep your promise to Nea after all.”

Hale’s eyes widened, “How did you know about that?”

Maki began to chuckle but his laugh was interrupted by a cough. Spitting up blood he looked up at Hale and said, “We all make that promise.” He closed his eyes for a long moment before they fluttered open, “I’m so cold.”

Omni gripped the young officer’s hand, “You’ll be warm soon lad, a medic is coming.”

Hale took Maki’s other hand and said, “Sir don’t leave us. We need you.” He paused to fight back tears, “I need you. You saved my life.” As he said the last sentence his voice trailed off into tears.

Maki’s smiled up at Hale. Blood stained his teeth. He squeezed his subordinates’ hand with his fading strength, “We saved each other. It’s what comrades in arms are supposed to do.” He was interrupted by another long cough and then added, “Did we save the village?”

“Yes, Kivennapa is still in our hands. Though there isn’t that much of the actual village left. A platoon has counter attacked and driven the invader off.” Hale replied.

Maki smiled up at Hale and said, “Good, then it was worth it.

Maki’s body shuddered, and he let out a final gasp of pain, and then forever lay still. Hale looked into the unblinking eyes of his dead commander. Unmoving, they stared up into the blue gray sky shrouded in the golden light of the setting sun. With tears running down his cheeks, that quickly turned to ice in the frigid air, Hale gently shut his friend’s eyes for the last time.

A voice from behind Hale and Omni said, “I’m sorry.”

Hale, looked in the direction of the voice. A man wearing the gray of a regular army soldier of Finland looked down at the pair. Instead of a rifle, he had a leather satchel with a large red cross slung over his shoulder that rested on his left hip, and no rifle. He also wore a white arm band around his right bicep with a red cross emblazoned upon it.

“Where can we take him so that he gets sent home?” Omni asked.

“North of the village. There is an aid station there.” The medic replied.

Omni nodded dully in response. Turning to Hale he said, “Help me with him.”

Together the two men lifted Maki’s cooling corpse up. As they did so Hale winced in pain, “What’s wrong?” Omni asked.

“My shoulder was injured a few days ago.” Hale replied.

“Let me get a look at it.” The medic said.

“You’re bleeding! I can take care of Maki, you let him check that shoulder. I’ll see you at the aid station as soon as you can manage.” Omni said.

“I can help.” Hale said.