As the days slowly passed, they soon turned into weeks. The strength of Albert had drastically returned with the exception of slight aches and pains. As much as Eloise hated to see her newly found comrade to leave, she knew that he had to return to his post—the post where he was presumably dead.
Albert carefully observed Eloise's smooth movements as she ran the long blade of her hunting knife along a whetstone. The not knowing of what she was doing peaked his curiosity greatly.
"What are you planning on doing?" He questioned, leaning forward in his chair to better his view of her task.
She glanced up from her work, "I am going to check the snares that I set last night."
A puzzled look came over his face as he looked at the door. "But it is daylight? I thought you didn't leave your house during the day."
Eloise nodded simply as she continued running the stone over her knife. "I know I usually don't; but I don't want to risk someone stealing my prize," She paused, raising a brow. "or knowing my whereabouts."
"Then I will go with you." He suggested pridefully, letting his words take Eloise by surprise.
As she processed his request, she shook her head. "I don't think that you should." She bluntly stated, rising from where she sat. "Your strength—"
"Is back." He cut her off with his answer. "I am strong enough to go, Eloise." He readjusted his seated position, leaning back against the chair. "Anyway, it would be good for me to get out of this dark little prison that I've been in for days."
Eloise re-sheathed her knife and looked up at him. He stared at her intently, brows raised in anticipation for an answer. She thought for a second before reluctantly nodding. "I suppose that your presence wouldn't hurt anything."
A rare smile came across his stern face as he hurriedly rose from his chair. Immediately he reached for his gray uniform coat and slipped it over his white cotton shirt, straightening the many medals and pins that adorned the bland color.
Eloise took the leather satchel that hung on the mantle and placed her knife inside. She then shouldered her rifle and wasted no time at moving toward the door. Slowly, she creaked the wooden barrier open and looked outside. The brightness of the day momentarily blinded her. She stepped outward and began walking in a direction, only to stop abruptly to face Albert.
Albert halted in the doorway, lifting his square red collar upward. He began clasping the black ribbon of the medal around his neck, straightening the blue star that laid against his chest.
"Come on Albert." Eloise called out, waving for him to follow her.
Albert furrowed his brows in annoyance, ignoring the directions. He continued positioning his uniform until it met his required standards.
"All you care about is how that medal looks against your suit. I shouldn't have given it back to you." Eloise remarked, leaning against a nearby tree to watch him make minor adjustments to his appearance.
"I earned this medal with great honor," he retorted, closing the door behind him. "and there is no way that I would defy the honorable title it gives me."
"It is only you and I here in this forest." She informed confidently.
"You don't know that for certain."
Eloise sighed as he approached her, turning to face the path once again. She stepped carefully through the opening of the trees, eyes scanning along the greenery for any suspicious moving shapes. The gun hung on her shoulder, ready for use if need be. Albert walked closely beside her, taking in the fresh morning air—a sensation he had been missing. A pair of birds sat above their heads singing a melancholy song on the hot breeze. An eerie feeling came over her as she looked around the shady forest.
"The snares are just over there," she halted momentarily, glancing around the suspicious forest. "a few feet beyond the spring." Her eyes began scanning the area meticulously.
He furrowed his brow. With a slight shake of his head he spoke, "But there is an open road before you get to the spring. Cavalrymen pass by regularly along there."
"How do you know that?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Because I was a cavalryman with my father when the war started."
Eloise glanced at the path, then at Albert. Discern scattered along her face, "I haven't heard any horses pass by in a very long time." She began walking once again, passing through the groves of trees.
"Eloise," Albert concerningly called out, reaching out for her arm only to miss. "I think we should turn back."
As she knelt down beside the hidden snare, pulling a rabbit from the ropes. She held the animal and showed Albert with a smile.
"We will eat good this evening!" Eloise exclaimed chipperly, reaching them to him.
As she turned around to reset the snares she heard the sound, the sound she dreaded to hear most—the distant neigh of horses. The startling noise echoed vibrantly in her ears, making her eyes grow wide in fear. She quickly looked up at Albert, who stood at full attention.
"We should be leaving, Eloise." He called out sternly, looking around the empty forest. The sounds of horses began to grow louder with every passing second. They both knew that before they could hide the approaching horsemen would appear. Eloise worked her fingers diligently against the ropes, fumbling with the knotting.
"Eloise!" Albert's voice grew louder and sterner to gain her attention.
When Eloise tied the final knot, she quickly rose. Without speaking another word, she began walking in an opposite direction, following a mangled trail up a hill. She glanced behind her at Albert, who was struggling to keep up with her pace. At the top of the slanted hill, she halted still. The visual of several mounted men passed by her steadily. She could hear the commander's forward call blaring over the loud sounds of galloping horses. When she turned to see Albert, he had vanished. Immediately, she hunkered out of sight and began surveying the wooded area for him. Nothing was visible in the area.
Slowly, she slid down from where she sat, staring her steady pace around the nearby location in hopes to find Albert. Beside a tree, she found the bodies of the trapped hares that he had been carrying, indicating that he wasn't far. Slowly and secretly, she slinked from tree to tree. Her heart pounded in her chest when the voices of men neared her.
Mixed emotions coursed through her body. Some feelings of anger formed toward Albert, who she assumed was about to betray her for the Germans. Parts of her thoughts consisted of true fear, wondering what could happen to her in the hands of Germans. Whatever she felt, she could not let it get into her mind, for she had to have her wit above any other emotion.
With a single, steady breath she ran toward the large tree near the stream. Her hand locked around the stock of her rifle and she slowly lowered it into her hands. From her satchel she pulled out the box of unused shells, slipping one into the chamber of the firearm. She held it closely against her chest and began her pace through the trees.
As she walked cautiously around, a hint of achievement began to fill her mind. The thought that she had slipped by the soldiers was abruptly cut short by the painful strike of a cane in her stomach, knocking her flat to the hard ground. She reeled for a breath as she rolled onto her side, where she remained perfectly still for several minutes. The pain welled in her stomach as she tried to catch her taken breath. With her opposite hand, she shifted her weight upward. Her addled vision made it difficult to focus on the cold faces that peered down onto her helpless self. With the rifle still clinched in her hand, she forced herself upright.
"Put your gun onto the ground!" An unpleasant German voice shouted at her. She glanced up only to find a gun barrel staring her down.
She eased the gun lightly onto the ground as she found herself kneeling before the group of men. The dark barrels of the guns stared at her coldly, leaving an empty feeling within her heart. This was where she was going to die, she thought helplessly to herself. The men began whispering amongst themselves, their cold eyes never leaving her body.
She kept her gaze onto the discerning faces of the strangers. In an instant she began examining their uniforms carefully from head to toe. It was already previously determined by the man's voice that they were German. The well-pressed gray uniforms reiterated her speculations. The intimidating spikes offered no comfort to her as she sat perfectly still in silence. Her mind automatically went back to Albert. Where was he?
"Place your hands onto the top of your head!" The same deep, gruff voice instructed.
She stared at them coldly before resting her hands calmly onto the back of her head. Her heart beat violently in her chest, feeling as if it could explode at any given moment. She refused to show any weakness to the strangers. The men raised their rifles and aimed the barrels at Eloise's small frame. She chewed vigorously on the inside of her mouth until the bitter metallic taste of blood coated her tongue. The cocking sound of the rifles rang through her ear. Her peering stare never broke as she fearfully awaited the shocking sensation of a bullet.
"Wait a moment, Ingraham" She heard Albert's voice call out from the edge of the trees. The man glanced over his shoulder searching for the objecting voice. "I suggest that you have your men to drop their rifles. I would hate to inform high command about the murder of an innocent woman in the forest."
Her eyes scanned to the tree line where the familiar face of Albert appeared with another German soldier. A wave of mixed emotions came over her at the sight of him in his own uniform coat. He offered her a reassuring nod as he approached the scene. She watched the man's eyes grew wide at the sight of Albert.
"You're..." the leader's face instantly dropped in awe, lowering his rifle. He stared at Albert for several seconds before instructing his men to lower their weapons as well. "Sir, everyone thought you were dead."
He raised a single brow and cocked his head to the side, "I am alive because of that woman." He stated bluntly, motioning toward Eloise. "She is to not be harmed whatsoever. In fact, she should be treated with much dignity for her impressive work."
"We will take her back to the camp with us." Ingraham insisted, looking down at the expressionless Eloise. "The field hospitals are in need of good nurses. If she nursed you in the woods with nothing, what could she do with supplies?" He waved at the nearby soldier, "Help her up, gentlemen."
Two men immediately went to help her rise from the ground. She stared at them blankly, then at Albert and shook her head. Her mind spiraled with wild thoughts, jumbling them until her head ached from thinking. What was she to do now that she was captured?
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