Take Me Home.

6

“Go with him,” Seokjin instructed. “Make sure he does not wander off. But you cannot take
to Portogruaro, it’s too far. You find somewhere closer where they can stay and you leave them there.”

“Udine?” the driver said.

“Idiot. Udine is too close to the front. It has been evacuated, surely.” Hoseok balked hesitantly. “You’re joking that I go with you. Tell me you are joking.”

“Go on.”

Hoseok sighed deeply with dissatisfaction, but went with the unnamed soldier at once. It was as they left that Seokjin lifted the last wounded onto a stretcher and loaded him into the first ambulance. Then he drove back to camp with a car full of the nearly dead. He did not think of the dead that lay unattended in the brush nor of the enemy that lay hidden in the dark. He thought of nothing, but felt very empty all the time that he drove.

At camp, he was approached by First Lieutenant Lucci who was a man with a gentle demeanor, approachable by nearly anyone. But to be approached by him was not something Seokjin thought lightly of. He gave his hand and followed the lieutenant into a large tent lit by lanterns where wine was poured and the offensive discussed.

Lucci said, “It’s nice to have you back with us. Did you enjoy your leave?”

“Yes, lieutenant.”

“Rested well?”

“Yes.”

“Feeling better?”

“Sir?”

“All right. Chatter aside. Let us discuss the morning. We will be leaving before dawn. How long does that give us?”

“About three hours.”

“All right. Three hours. You know what is to be done? You will take a small group to the outer mountains, closer to the border. Have you decided who you will take with you?”

“Jung, Carelli. Palo if he has not been assigned another group.”

“No assignments yet. You can have Palo.”

“All right, then, Palo. He’s a good shooter and I quite like him. Easy to get along with, doesn’t talk very much.”

Lucci nodded. “Listen well, too. Good choice.” He addressed the map on the table between them.

“So you take this route, through the mountains. Two other groups will leave after you. One before you. Only difference is Udine. You are the only group going through Udine. Then, we all met at the camp we set up near Tarvisio.”

“Tarvisio is awfully close to Austria.”

“Yes. That is the point.”

“We have taken Tarvisio already?”

“Setting up camp as we speak. Take your wine. It will take the edge off, give you time to sleep before we leave.”

Seokjin took the wine.

Lucci continued. “We will reach Tarvisio and by then the camp will have been set up. New base. Nearer the front. Able to win the war that way. Closer to Austria, closer to home, they will come from the mountains quickly that way and,” he motioned with his arms as if to say that is all. That will be the end of it. “We will shoot them dead.”

Lucci poured the wine. He said, “Do you think the war will end this year?”

“They say it will.”