The Outpost
December 7, 1995
It was yet another typical night at the barracks. Soft flakes of snow had been falling during the evening, and by 1am everything was all covered in a white veil. Luckily, there was no cold northern wind blowing. Seemed as if the snow itself had a mellowing effect on the weather. As I put my boots on, sitting on my bed, I realised that this would be the ninth night in a row that I was on duty.
I finished tying up my laces and put my thick overcoat on. I took my helmet and wore my gloves. The guy who was on duty inside the barracks unlocked the case where the rifles were kept. My FN rifle felt smooth and with almost feminine curves under the gloves. I undid the strap and removed the bayonette, keeping it safe in its sheath. The rifle soon found its place over my shoulder and I did my scarve before I exited the room.
Outside, the guys that it was their turn to guard the various posts were already there. I was the one that had to take them to their posts, making sure that everything was allright, both them and the posts. It was twenty minutes before 2am when we set off, me in front of a row of half-sleepy soldiers. Sure, my rank as a corporal brought me in the unpleasant position of acting both as a soldier and as an officer... However, I had the same time to spend in the army, anything from 15 to 19 months, and everything moved slow in the cold winter of this northeastern village.
The guys behind me cursed their luck, which apparently was to blame for being in the unfortunate position of having to serve here, so far from their homes, so close to the enemy. No-one, not even the hi-rank officers themselves were pleased to serve here, let alone the soldiers that considered their unpaid, full of dirty details time a full waste.
"God-dammit corporal, we're moving too fast! Those guys down there will sleep peacefully after, we can be 5-10 minutes late..."
I smiled, but didn't cut down on my pace. Changes of guard had to be done within schedule, or else someone might complain and it'll be truly bad for everyone. It was bad enough having to serve at this cursed outpost, no-one needed to listen to a red-faced major at 6:30 in the morning.
After a few minutes we reached the first point of guard. The guy there, apparently still in his first few months of service shouted loud and clear the words "Halt! Identify yourself!".
My reply, equally clear but with a distinct bored overtone, made him ease down. After the rest of the identification procedure was over, the guy said "Corporal, you surely bring 'em guys on time!". I ignored his hiding cigarette and signed on the post's book. Took the guy's ammo and examined with a glance its contents. At an early stage of our time as soldiers, we would count all ammo, bullet by bullet and it would take ages. Now, a glance at the edge of the magazine was all I needed.
"Right, you OK Jimmy?", I asked the guy who took over. He nodded warily and I handed him the ammo and the little paper with the signal codes. "Let's go now, no smoking back there!" I said and we started moving on.
The party was now mixed, the old guards that were in a hurry to get back inside the warmth of the barracks and those whose shift was about to begin. Those unfortunate ones, having to be on guard from 2 to 4 in the morning would suffer not only the cold but also the various surprise checkings of the senior officers. The snow made it all more difficult to move, as in only a few hours it had reached a height of 6 to 8 inches and it kept on falling.
I had been told that after exposal to extreme conditions, such as very few hours of sleep, hard work and loads of extra "dirty details" during the day, plus being away from familiar faces, a soldier's aggressiveness jumps to unknown heights. Many such cases I had seen during my 9 months of service there and had learned how to cope with these guys. Some had even developed strange manias, and the barracks doctor had been called in a few times. The most commonly reported phenomenon, was that of the appearence of a huge beast, something that looked like a wolf with the size of a lion. Even though everything as remote as this was laughed at among us, the doctor had always prescribed a few mild drugs and a couple of days off service. Reporting such a case was now a certain way to relax, although temporarily, from the army's fast pace of life.
The next couple of changes were of the same manner. We were now approaching the most remote post of this field, a place which was full of still waters and mosquitos in the summer, but all white and equally tranquil during those late December nights. A few metres before the opening where the post was, everything seemed extremely calm and silent. Just the sound of our boots was audible, squashing the soft snow and leaving deep footprints behind. Somehow I felt like I had to stop. Something inside me told me that things were not as they appeared to be. At a different time I would have laughed at myself, but the whole environment looked so deceptively tranquil, so unmistakenly evil. I made a signal for the rest of the team to stop and I crouched. The rest of the guys did the same, instinctively. I looked around. Nothing was moving, and anything that moved would be seen easily, all dark against the white background... unless it was white itself.
That came like a flash to me. I knew that something was out there, watching the whole team, like a beast observes its prey before the attack. I was the only one with a loaded rifle, and now I had to use it against all possible threat. Slowly, I removed the rifle from my shoulder. The cracky sound it made as I armed it, was apparently audible to whoever was close enough... including the guy whose shift of duty was now ending.
"Halt! Identify yourself!" came a yell from the clearing. My voice was about to leave my throat, to answer in the proper way. It never did. Instead I put the rifle to autofire, aimed and pulled the trigger. The whole magazine, close to 20 bullets left the FN's barrel in less than three seconds and the empty shells fell on the snow, melting it with a hissing sound. When no more were left, I kept on pressing the rifle's trigger, as if I could spit lead from inside me and through the rifle's heated barrel...I felt a hand removing the rifle from my clasp and I passed out soon after.
The next thing I saw was the doctor's calm face. "How are we doin' lad?" I looked around, disoriented. The room was warm and it was that of the officer's in charge. I was lying on his bed, my boots removed and my feet covered with a wollen blanket.
"Doctor, I am allright", I whispered. "Did I kill it?" I added, half getting up.
"Shhh! Now, now, calm down corporal and lay still. It'll be allright. And you know, I guess you could use some rest and relaxation, away from this damned place..." The doctor covered me with another blanket and I slept the rest of the night there, while the burning woods at the fireplace kept me company.
As I am now heading towards home, with no less than 20 days off duty, I can't but stand and think what happened. The scene is being replayed before my eyes, and I still swear that I saw it, the white lion-sized wolf, running in all its lethal glory towards my team of soldiers. I overheard the doc saying to the officer in charge that I am half-crazy and I have to be transferred elsewhere, but I know better. As soon as my leave expires I am coming back...and then the hunting season begins.
It was yet another typical night at the barracks. Soft flakes of snow had been falling during the evening, and by 1am everything was all covered in a white veil. Luckily, there was no cold northern wind blowing. Seemed as if the snow itself had a mellowing effect on the weather. As I put my boots on, sitting on my bed, I realised that this would be the ninth night in a row that I was on duty.
I finished tying up my laces and put my thick overcoat on. I took my helmet and wore my gloves. The guy who was on duty inside the barracks unlocked the case where the rifles were kept. My FN rifle felt smooth and with almost feminine curves under the gloves. I undid the strap and removed the bayonette, keeping it safe in its sheath. The rifle soon found its place over my shoulder and I did my scarve before I exited the room.
Outside, the guys that it was their turn to guard the various posts were already there. I was the one that had to take them to their posts, making sure that everything was allright, both them and the posts. It was twenty minutes before 2am when we set off, me in front of a row of half-sleepy soldiers. Sure, my rank as a corporal brought me in the unpleasant position of acting both as a soldier and as an officer... However, I had the same time to spend in the army, anything from 15 to 19 months, and everything moved slow in the cold winter of this northeastern village.
The guys behind me cursed their luck, which apparently was to blame for being in the unfortunate position of having to serve here, so far from their homes, so close to the enemy. No-one, not even the hi-rank officers themselves were pleased to serve here, let alone the soldiers that considered their unpaid, full of dirty details time a full waste.
"God-dammit corporal, we're moving too fast! Those guys down there will sleep peacefully after, we can be 5-10 minutes late..."
I smiled, but didn't cut down on my pace. Changes of guard had to be done within schedule, or else someone might complain and it'll be truly bad for everyone. It was bad enough having to serve at this cursed outpost, no-one needed to listen to a red-faced major at 6:30 in the morning.
After a few minutes we reached the first point of guard. The guy there, apparently still in his first few months of service shouted loud and clear the words "Halt! Identify yourself!".
My reply, equally clear but with a distinct bored overtone, made him ease down. After the rest of the identification procedure was over, the guy said "Corporal, you surely bring 'em guys on time!". I ignored his hiding cigarette and signed on the post's book. Took the guy's ammo and examined with a glance its contents. At an early stage of our time as soldiers, we would count all ammo, bullet by bullet and it would take ages. Now, a glance at the edge of the magazine was all I needed.
"Right, you OK Jimmy?", I asked the guy who took over. He nodded warily and I handed him the ammo and the little paper with the signal codes. "Let's go now, no smoking back there!" I said and we started moving on.
The party was now mixed, the old guards that were in a hurry to get back inside the warmth of the barracks and those whose shift was about to begin. Those unfortunate ones, having to be on guard from 2 to 4 in the morning would suffer not only the cold but also the various surprise checkings of the senior officers. The snow made it all more difficult to move, as in only a few hours it had reached a height of 6 to 8 inches and it kept on falling.
I had been told that after exposal to extreme conditions, such as very few hours of sleep, hard work and loads of extra "dirty details" during the day, plus being away from familiar faces, a soldier's aggressiveness jumps to unknown heights. Many such cases I had seen during my 9 months of service there and had learned how to cope with these guys. Some had even developed strange manias, and the barracks doctor had been called in a few times. The most commonly reported phenomenon, was that of the appearence of a huge beast, something that looked like a wolf with the size of a lion. Even though everything as remote as this was laughed at among us, the doctor had always prescribed a few mild drugs and a couple of days off service. Reporting such a case was now a certain way to relax, although temporarily, from the army's fast pace of life.
The next couple of changes were of the same manner. We were now approaching the most remote post of this field, a place which was full of still waters and mosquitos in the summer, but all white and equally tranquil during those late December nights. A few metres before the opening where the post was, everything seemed extremely calm and silent. Just the sound of our boots was audible, squashing the soft snow and leaving deep footprints behind. Somehow I felt like I had to stop. Something inside me told me that things were not as they appeared to be. At a different time I would have laughed at myself, but the whole environment looked so deceptively tranquil, so unmistakenly evil. I made a signal for the rest of the team to stop and I crouched. The rest of the guys did the same, instinctively. I looked around. Nothing was moving, and anything that moved would be seen easily, all dark against the white background... unless it was white itself.
That came like a flash to me. I knew that something was out there, watching the whole team, like a beast observes its prey before the attack. I was the only one with a loaded rifle, and now I had to use it against all possible threat. Slowly, I removed the rifle from my shoulder. The cracky sound it made as I armed it, was apparently audible to whoever was close enough... including the guy whose shift of duty was now ending.
"Halt! Identify yourself!" came a yell from the clearing. My voice was about to leave my throat, to answer in the proper way. It never did. Instead I put the rifle to autofire, aimed and pulled the trigger. The whole magazine, close to 20 bullets left the FN's barrel in less than three seconds and the empty shells fell on the snow, melting it with a hissing sound. When no more were left, I kept on pressing the rifle's trigger, as if I could spit lead from inside me and through the rifle's heated barrel...I felt a hand removing the rifle from my clasp and I passed out soon after.
The next thing I saw was the doctor's calm face. "How are we doin' lad?" I looked around, disoriented. The room was warm and it was that of the officer's in charge. I was lying on his bed, my boots removed and my feet covered with a wollen blanket.
"Doctor, I am allright", I whispered. "Did I kill it?" I added, half getting up.
"Shhh! Now, now, calm down corporal and lay still. It'll be allright. And you know, I guess you could use some rest and relaxation, away from this damned place..." The doctor covered me with another blanket and I slept the rest of the night there, while the burning woods at the fireplace kept me company.
As I am now heading towards home, with no less than 20 days off duty, I can't but stand and think what happened. The scene is being replayed before my eyes, and I still swear that I saw it, the white lion-sized wolf, running in all its lethal glory towards my team of soldiers. I overheard the doc saying to the officer in charge that I am half-crazy and I have to be transferred elsewhere, but I know better. As soon as my leave expires I am coming back...and then the hunting season begins.
posted by Asteroceras at 9:02 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home