ꜰᴜʀʏ

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 8

As the hours went by, Natalia found herself daydreaming about home. This time, her mind traveled back to the winter months, which was unusual considering it's the middle of April. She thought about how much she hated the cold, and how she would absolutely despise going outside and feeling the chill nip at her skin. She remembered during her youth, Gary often found himself outside alone, throwing snowballs at his sister's bedroom window after she refused to leave the warmth and comfort of their home. Natalia realized she would give anything to experience the weather of Arkansas again instead of the passing seasons of Nazi Germany.

The column of tanks made very little stops and detours. Natalia was wide awake, unable to sleep. Everyone was quiet. The troops watched the rolling hills and deserted towns rumble by, but Boyd broke the silence when his eyes landed on something horrific.

"They got signs around their necks. What do them signs say?" the preacher asked Don.

"I'm a coward and refuse to fight for the German people." Don read aloud. Natalia shook her head in disgust.

"The SS does that." Gordo shouted, mainly for Norman to hear. Everyone else knew what the SS were capable of; "let them rip themselves to pieces, huh? Fuck 'em."

Norman tried his best to avoid looking at the bodies hanging from the poles, but he couldn't. He was in shock at how such a thing could even happen, how a person could even think of doing something so gruesome like that. He looked up at the girl's body, and he felt as though he recognized her from somewhere, but he couldn't place his finger on exactly where.

Natalia sunk down into her seat, taking in a deep breath. If the troops of soldiers weren't hitching a ride on Fury, the girl would have found a spot to sit atop of the tank with her fellow crew members. Instead, she turned to Gordo, starting up a quiet conversation with him. She asked him how he was, if he was hungry, if there was anything he wanted to get off his chest. Then he asked Natalia the same questions. The two discussed the mission, they talked about Red, and of course, what they hope for after the war. Gordo talked about his fiancé back in Chicago, his home in the upper east side of the city, and his dog that he couldn't even remember the name of. Natalia told him about her hopes and dreams to go back to Arkansas with her brother, get a small apartment and live her life like she would have if she never volunteered herself for the Tank Corps. She left out the details of her hopeful marriage to Don, and their little domestic family, but Trini knew the thought was there. He too wanted nothing more than for his sergeant and best friend to have a life together. Hell, all the tankers placed bets on the two.

Their conversation carried on for what felt like eternity, when in reality it only lasted a couple short hours. The column of tanks found their way to the town they were ordered to hit almost a week ago. Don spoke to Captain Waggoner over the radio, gaining access to initiate the attack. Natalia kept herself perched in her seat, but now she was on full alert. She scanned the area around her through her periscope, searching for anything that posed a threat. The tank came to a halt beside an elderly German man on the side of the road.