The Difference Between You And Me {Petekey}

Part twenty two

"So they know we're here?" Gerard gulped next to Mikey, as if he didn't know he was saying it out loud to his commander.

"Well, not us, or we'd be dead on this soil right now. Hopefully they won't be expecting an invasion from our side this late."

"What time is it, even?" Somebody else asked, their voice cracking in the middle.

"Ten in the morning. We've only had four or five hours of sleep. It'll have to do. Now, go!"

Gerard and Mikey hastily nudged some of the sleeping soldiers around them with their boots while they made their way to their packs. Mikey got his helmet, rifle, and ammunition from his pack and put them on their respective places on his uniform. He looked at Gerard as he did the same. 

"So this is it, huh? It's really happening," he said. It all felt too real. This was where his fucked-up mess of a life had led him, about to invade a fortress in Brest, France, during World War 2.

"Yeah," Gerard said, wiping sweat from his forehead before he put his helmet on. "First of many operations. Hopefully the rest won't be in the broad daylight or sweltering heat."

Mikey hadn't noticed the temperature, but when Gerard mentioned it, he realized he was sweating a bit. He didn't usually sweat a lot. He nudged the last soldier around them who still hadn't woken up. "Hey, the marines got here early. We have to go now," he told the soldier, figuring he should probably tell them men why they were being woken up. 

Eventually, everybody woke up, either by the sound of the battle happening at the front of the fortress or by their fellow men. The commander stopped to instruct them before sending them out.

"Once we reach the other side of this hill, they can see us," he said. "You must go in, as fast as you can. Shoot anyone not wearing an Ally uniform. Our goal is to completely raid the fortress, from the ground up, eventually getting to the men at the top firing at our ships. If any of our men get wounded, bring them to safety. The nurses will find them and heal them. Do I make myself clear?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Came the cry of the soldiers, saluting. 

"Stay quiet. We have the advantage of the surprise on our side but they will know we're here eventually. We need to keep that moment as far in the future as possible, do you understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" They repeated. Mikey felt his mouth go dry as he shouted the words. He felt like a prop, just a toy for these people to use to achieve their goal, and it wasn't a bad feeling. It was just shocking.

"Good. I'll send you in two groups. You men," he gestured to the half of the soldiers closest to him, "Run from this side of the hill, and you," he gestures to the other half, the side Miokey and Gerard were on, "Enter from your side. It will make us seem like we are larger in numbers than we are. At first, run with your guns loaded but not drawn. You won't be able to shoot anything from here anyways, and you need to run as fast as possible. Stay in groups. I don't have the time to split you into formal groups, so just go. Now!"

As soon as he gave the command, the collective of soldiers started moving. It was actually quite mesmerizing, and Mikey would have stood and watched if he wasn't already running. It wasn't until after he was in front of the hill shielding him from view that he looked to see where Gerard was. Realistically, he shouldn't be checking to make sure he stayed with Gerard, but he was the only one he trusted enough to keep by his side. Gerard was about ten feet behind him, and when they made eye contact, he sped up his running to catch up to Mikey. They were almost at the back of the group of soldiers, which meant that they had the most protection from any firing but were going to be the last to enter the fortress, and in that moment, they would be exposed to the fire.