“Before you were rudely interrupted.” Maki added.
Hale started again, “Nea was part of the family that worked the farm next to my parent’s.”
“How did you meet?” Maki asked.
“I don’t remember.” Hale replied.
Maki’s eyes widened, “What do you mean you don’t remember? How can you forget the moment you met the woman you fell in love with?”
“Because I was like two when it happened.” Hale shot back. A hint of frustration tinged his voice as he added, “Are you going to let me tell the story or not?”
Maki nodded, “Continue. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
Hale smirked, “See that you do.” The young sniper let his mind drift back to a happier time, “We were the best of friends for many years. We’d play together in the forest. Often by a little creek that ran between our family’s two properties.”
“Sounds romantic.” Maki said.
“Oh, it was. We did what children often do. We dropped inspects down each other’s shirts, made mud pies together, tried to help injured frogs, and generally made a mess of ourselves.” Hale closed his eyes and smiled as his mind drifted back to the past, “This went on for many years. We sought each other out daily. When it was too cold for our parents to let us wander about unsupervised, they made sure we were brought together frequently to sip hot cocoa in front of a warm fire.”
Maki smiled, “A warm fire and hot cocoa, that sounds amazing right now.”
Hale exhaled a large cloud of mist, “Yes it would. Around the time we turned eleven, we began to see each other differently. She slowly went from being my friend to something more. We continued to share our inner most feelings with each other, but things changed.”
“Oh, something changed all right. It’s called puberty.” Maki teased.
“We used to snuggle and touch each other all the time and think nothing of it. Then, slowly over time, whenever we would touch, I would feel this electric shock through my whole body.” Hale said.
Maki poked fun at Hale, “I’m sure you were feeling warmth in places you didn’t realize were there up to that point in your life.”
Hale’s pale cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson, “Yes. I began to see here differently. She was still my friend, but something more too. These feelings were fleeting at first and we continued much as we had the previous several years. Every once in a while, when looking upon Nea, I would feel this unexplained warmth in my loins.”
“When did the dreams come?” Maki asked.
Hale lowered his eyes, “About the time I turned thirteen.”
“What did you think about it when you first awoke? Maki asked.
Hale drew in a deep breath, “I was a cornucopia of emotions, horror, embarrassment, shame. I thought I had pissed myself that first time.”
“How did things evolve with Nea after that?” Maki asked.
“I think we were both feeling much the same thing. Every so often, I would catch her looking at me intently.” Hale paused and looked up at the stars, “Then I noticed that she would brush my hand with hers more and more often.”
Maki grinned, “She was trying to make it easier for you to hold her hand.”
Hale returned the Maki’s smile and nodded slowly, “Yeah, and I was too stupid to realize what was going on.”
Maki placed a reassuring hand on Hale’s good shoulder, “Not stupid, just inexperienced and full of nerves. So, what happened to change the stalemate?”
Hale shivered at the growing cold, “We were sitting on the bank of the creek just gazing at the water as it flowed by. The sun was high in the sky and reflecting the light on both of us. I looked over at Nea and she looked up from the stream and smiled at me. I could see the waters of the stream and the sunlight in her emerald orbs. A cascade of feelings erupted inside me and I couldn’t control myself. I got this overwhelming urge to kiss her.”
“Did you?” Maki asked.
“I did.” Hale replied.
“How did that go?”
Hale’s face crinkled as it took on a happier countenance, “Better than I thought. It was very fast and over before we both knew it.”
“So just a peck then?” Maki inquired.
Hale nodded, “I was totally shocked by what happened next.” Hale paused for a moment to rub his gloved hands over his numbing face, “She kissed me back!”
Maki leaned back and laughed heartily. Quickly realizing how much noise he was making, he lowered his volume and said, “Sorry I got so much into the story, that I forgot the Soviets were nearby.”
Hale nodded and held up a hand to silence the conversation. The low thrum from idling engines off in the distance filled his ears, “I doubt they heard you with all the racket their metal monstrosities are making.”
“They are making less noise than earlier. It seems like they’ve stopped moving.” Maki said.
Hale nodded, “They probably are keeping the engines running to stay warm.”
The Lieutenant said, “Let’s get some sleep. We’ll wake early so we can cause some mayhem while they still slumber.”
“I’m too cold to sleep sir.” Hale replied.
Maki sighed, “I am too. Let’s dig ourselves a chamber in this snow and squeeze together in it. Our body warmth should help.” The Lieutenant said.
“Yes sir.” Hale said.
The two men pulled their pukkos out and started chipping away at the top layer of the snow. Before long they had created a dug-out chamber that was just large enough for both of them to squeeze into. The close proximity to Maki in the small chamber began to warm Hale back up. Thanks to the increased warmth, the two men’s breathing became even as they drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 6
Early Morning Karelia Finland, December 3rd, 1939
Hale was jostled awake by a hand. He groaned, tried to roll away from it, and said, “Dad just a few more minutes. It’s too early to go hunting.”
“Hale.” Came the voice of Lieutenant Maki.
Hale opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness. Startled, he tried to sit up and his head struck the top of the dugout. Awareness of where he was filled him as he groaned and rubbed the spot on his head that had struck the ceiling.
“Are you with me now?” The Lieutenant asked.
Hale nodded and replied, “Yes.”
Maki smiled, “You’re not much of a morning person, are you?”
Hale’s eyes narrowed as they glared at Maki’s back, “No.”
“Let’s get out there, stow our bags, and go hunting.” The Lieutenant said.
They emerged into the bitterly cold darkness. Looking for a place to store their packs, the two men looked about for possibilities. The moonlight revealed a promising looking birch tree with thick branches nearby.
Maki, approached the tree. The Lieutenant brushed the snow off a thick lower branch of the tree and then hoisted himself upward. Once he was standing on the thick branch, he located a smaller counterpart jutting from the trunk and hung his pack from it. Spotting another, similar in size to the one that he hung his own back from attached to the trunk nearby, he gestured for Hale to pass his pack upward.
Maki hung Hale’s pack and then lowered himself to the ground. Turning to Hale he asked, “How should we approach?”
“Straight at them at first. Stay low and try to keep as quiet as possible. We need to get close enough to figure out how they are laid out.” Hale replied.
Maki gestured in the direction of the Russians, “Lead the way.”
Without replying Hale turned toward the east and slowly began creeping toward the road. Based on the thrum and rumble of the idling engines, he figured was about half mile distant. About every fifty feet or so he would pause and listen. Maki was careful to follow in his exact footsteps as quietly as he could manage.
Hale paused, turned toward Maki and whispered tersely, “You sound like fat moose in a glass factory.”
Maki’s face turned crimson from his embarrassment, “Sorry.
What am I doing wrong?”
“You’re leading with your heel when you take a step. Try leading with your toes instead.” Hale suggested.
Maki frowned, “How am I supposed to manage that in these thick boots?”
“Just do it! It’s not the most comfortable way to walk, but it helps with the noise.
Hale turned and continued toward the road. The noise Maki was creating diminished considerably. They took about half an hour to cover a quarter of a mile. Hale, like he had done so many times before, paused and listened. This time he heard movement up ahead.
Turning to the Lieutenant he whispered, “Do you hear that?”
Maki listened intently and nodded, “I hear noise, but I’m not sure what I’m hearing. It’s very faint.”
“That’s the sound of someone trying to stay warm while standing guard. I think he keeps shifting his feet in place causing that faint crunching noises in the snow.” Hale said.
“What can we do?” Maki asked.
“You stay here. I don’t think you’re ready to sneak up on someone without being detected. Those city legs of yours need more practice out here first. Get your gun ready and come running if I get into trouble.” Hale said.
Maki nodded as he quietly pulled his PPD 34 from his shoulder, “I’ll be ready.”
Without replying, Hale turned and began moving toward the sound. As he made his way slowly forward the sound increased as the man standing guard grew colder and therefore increased his movement.
About fifty feet out Hale paused. He looked through the trees trying to see the man he knew lay ahead. As he sat in silence, he heard the tell-tale crunching noise of someone approaching. Somewhere near the guard a voice called out, “Kak delishki.”
The guard, turned toward the voice and said, “Kholodno.”
Hale heard a chuckle, “Da, bodrstvovat.”
The guard replied, “Da ser.”
Satisfied, the second man, probably a sergeant, moved away. Hale used the opportunity to take advantage of the noise the man was making. Under the cover of the loud crunching noise the man’s boots made, he moved forward toward the shivering guard. Incredibly the man pulled out a cigarette and lit it using a match.
The glow of that cigarette is silhouetting his face! Hale thought gleefully. What luck! I picked an idiot to sneak up on.
The cigarette brightened as the guard took a long pull on it. He exhaled in satisfaction. The combination of warm air and nicotine rushing through his blood stream, combined to give him a warming sensation. As Hale crept forward, the guard stamped his legs on the ground several times to prevent them from going numbing.
The Soviet paused for a moment and slowly looked around. Satisfied that nothing was amiss, he took another long pull on the cigarette. He relished the warm smoke that filled his lungs. It was the second to last feeling he ever had. As he exhaled the smoke into the frigid night air, creating a giant cloud, Hale’s hand covered his mouth. A second later, the sharp blade of the Finnish Sniper’s pukko blade bit deeply into the flesh of the guard’s neck.
Hale held the struggling figure until he stopped moving. Feeling the life leave the body of the young soldier, he slowly lowered the corpse to the ground. As he did so, the pain in his right shoulder intensified causing him to grimace. He bit his lower lip to stifle the urge to cry out.
As Hale started to search the body of his victim, he heard the tell-tale crunching of Maki’s approach. Ignoring it, he checked the man’s pockets. He found a flare gun in a holster attached to the man’s belt. There was no vodka, grenades or alcohol of any kind. Turning to Maki, he said, “Odd, usually these fuckers have vodka on them.”
“If you were in charge of the guards, in enemy territory, would you want them to have access to alcohol why they stood guard?” The Lieutenant asked.
“No, I wouldn’t. I guess these bastards are starting to wise up.” Hale replied.
“Or they are getting a little less overconfident. Perhaps the efforts of our little group of snipers is beginning to have an effect on their morale.” Maki said.
Hale held up a hand to silence Maki. In the silence, Hale could hear the sound of crunching boots nearby. He held up his index finger to his lips and made eye contact with Maki. Be quiet. He thought at Maki hoping the Lieutenant could understand his meaning.
The sound crunching snow under booted feet intensified as whoever it was, seemed to be walking right towards them. Maki laid on the ground next to the body of the guard, afraid to make the slightest move. The Russian paused about fifteen feet away and said, “Gregory?”
Maki’s mind raced, Should I respond?
The Lieutenant turned to whisper in Hale’s ear. The younger man had vanished. What the?
Maki’s thoughts were interrupted when he saw a figure suddenly appear behind the Soviet. The Sergeant, seeing the shadows move behind him, whirled around while he grabbed at a whistle hanging around his neck with his left hand and raised it toward his lips.
It was the last thing he ever did, as Hale’s blade slammed into the side of his neck severing his jugular vein. Before Hale could cover his mouth up, the man took a step back and grabbed his neck. He opened his mouth to scream, but all that came out was a wet gurgle as blood erupted from his mouth like a fountain. The man again tried to cry out, but his mouth filled with blood as he sank to his knees. A few moments later he fell forward and drowned in his own blood.
The young Finn grabbed the dying man’s shoulder’s and gently lowered the cooling corpse to the ground. “That was close.” The familiar voice of Maki whispered.
Hale nodded in acknowledgment and began rifling through his second victim’s pockets. This time he found what he was looking for. Smiling he pulled a metal flash from the dead Sergeant’s inner coat pocket, “For later.” He whispered.
The Lieutenant grinned, and replied in a whisper, “As long as you’re sharing.”
Hale raised a finger and placed it on Maki’s lips. Maki got the message and nodded. Hale stood still and listened for several minutes. He heard no further sound beyond the constant thrum of the Russian’s engines. Turning back to Maki he whispered, “We’re inside their outer picket perimeter. I don’t know if there is another line of guards or not. I’m going to move forward and find out. Stay about fifty feet behind me and watch for my signal. If I hold up a clenched fist, stop moving. If I hold up an open palm, get ready to help me. Got it?”
Maki smiled and said, “Yes sir.”
Hale returned the smile, “Good. With luck these bastards are being sloppy and there are no more guards between us and the vehicles.”
Hale pulled the olive drab green overcoat off the dead Sergeant and put it on. He grimaced at the shooting pain in his right shoulder as he put his arm through the right coat sleeve. He then stood and silently crept toward the sound of the engines. Maki continued laying on the ground next to the corpse of the unlucky man, and covered Hale’s advance with his PPD 34.
Hale paused to listen. He could see the faint outline of vehicles, perhaps two hundred feet ahead in the flickering light from a cluster of camp fires next to the road. The sound of the engines was making it difficult to hear anything else.
Hale continued to cautiously advance toward the Soviet column on the road. As he drew within a hundred feet, he could see the faint outline of men sleeping inside the warm cabs of the trucks. As he drew closer, the sounds that men make while sleeping filled his ears, The squads of soldiers that ride in the back of the trucks set up camp beside them. They must have built campfires to stay warm enough to sleep. Hale thought.
He laid down on his chest and observed the scene for several minutes. Satisfied that no one was moving about, he resumed his slow and silent advance towards his slumbering enemies. He was about twenty feet from a truck sitting on the road when he came upon the edge of a campsite. He turned and looked in the direction of Maki and help up an open palm.
Turning back to his objective, Hale crept forward until he was standing over a group of Russian
soldiers. Attempting to stay warm they were practically sleeping in the fire. The uneven flickering light of the camp fires illuminated many of their faces and cast shadows around them. Like all of the Russians Hale had encountered, they wore olive drab green uniforms, and greatcoats. Each had a matching olive drab green hat with a red star pulled down over their head.
Hale turned and looked to see if anyone or anything was moving nearby. The only movement his eyes detected were the dancing shadows on the nearby tree line. The Finnish sniper looked down and saw the face of a young man. He looks so innocent in slumber. He took a deep breath and sighed deeply. It’s a lot easier to kill them at a distance. You can’t really see them as people.
Inner turmoil raged within Hale as he fought the feeling in his heart that couldn’t bring itself to murder a defenseless and innocent young man. Then he thought about his family and all the other Finns whose farms the Soviets were here to steal. Images of family’s fleeing their homes with a few hastily gathered possessions filled his mind.
His mind drifted into darkness as it was filled with visions of Russians raping the women of Finland. and casting their babies into flames. Images of Nea’s legs being pushed apart, and tears running down her face. Then came the inevitable screams. Hale shuddered at the scenes that swirled through his mind. Clenching his teeth, he pushed the imaginings away and filled the void with a single feeling, rage.
The anger steeled him for what he was about to do. It was as if a piece of his own innocence departed from his soul and floated away up into the night sky. That bit of him that was lost joined the smoke from the nearby fire and disappeared into the sky. Forever lost.
As he hardened his heart for what he was about to do, the boiling rage erupted from within. The anger coursed through his veins and despite the frigid temperature warmed him. He quietly pulled his pukko blade from it’s sheathe secured to his left hip. Next, he placed his hand on the Russian’s mouth, and dragged the blade across his throat.
The young soldier woke up and his eyes widened at the sight of Hale. Those seemingly innocent orbs bulged from his face as he struggled for a moment against Hale. He fought desperately against the young Finn with every ounce of his fading strength until he lay still.
The Winter Sniper Page 11
