A Cold Day in Hell Part 3

"Let's get to work," Taylor said without conviction.

Death flashed before the soldiers' eyes. It was about 22 degrees below zero. The cold and the unpleasant wind didn't bode well. The Americans began sneaking into the enemy base. The first steps went smoothly.

Once they reached the wall, they were led by McCasey's team. They felt safe, though they knew they were getting closer to their mission with every step. They didn't like it. Now, they longed for a warm and safe place.

Suddenly, one of the enemy soldiers emerged from around the corner. He immediately spotted the two teams sneaking up. He wanted to scream, but his lung was shot through by a sniper. A moment later, two Russian soldiers emerged. One of McCasey's men reached them. Two blows, a stab. The threat had passed. The commander of the special unit ordered haste.

The soldiers reached the gate. The units split up. Taylor knew the plan. They had to get to the fuel and ammunition depot as quickly as possible. Luckily for him, they were right next to each other. Their sneaking around the Russian base had been going very smoothly. Taylor didn't like this ease.

They reached their first objective. They encountered no enemy along the way. Not a single shot was heard. The fuel depot had been mined. The bomb was set for thirty minutes. A moment later, Taylor's team completed the task. An explosive device was ticking in the ammunition depot, also set for thirty minutes. While David was planting the bomb, the soldiers each grabbed a few grenades, just in case. "

The calm before the storm," Martin said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Bull asked

. "Nothing. Let's get out of here," he replied

. The soldiers began to retreat. Suddenly, shots rang out from outside the gate. A siren sounded in the base.

"Run for the gate," David said nervously,

as soon as the first of them emerged from behind the ammunition depot. A volley of heavy machine gun fire shot down the wall towards him. The soldier dodged just in time.

"Shit! They've got us!" Bull shouted

. "We're doing this. Bull, give me a grenade. I'll create cover for you, you go to the nearest building. We'll start thinking there," Taylor said

. A grenade flew towards the carabiniere. It exploded. Martin was the first to emerge and began firing blindly at the heavy automatic weapons position. Soldiers ran out behind him. After a short firefight, Taylor retreated to his colleagues.

"I'm taking command. We only have twenty minutes to get out of here. The Russians will be moving in soon. I don't think we can count on McCasey. The snipers won't cover us, or they're already dead. We're on our own. We need to get a vehicle to get out of here. There's a parking lot about two hundred meters from here. Does anyone know how to drive a tank?" Martin asked.

The soldiers didn't object

. "They taught me once," David said, terrified.

"You'll lead. Now we just have to get through there. I suggest we purge them," Taylor said

. "We'll die," Bull protested.

"It's better than sitting here doing nothing," Martin said

. "But we will die," Bull continued.

"I'm giving you a choice. If you don't move, I'll kill you. If you move your fat ass, they might beat you. The decision is yours." Taylor put his rifle to Mark's head. He began to shake and cry.

"You're coming with us. That's an order! Bull, you go in the middle, I'll go to the front. David, you cover our asses, and Thunder, you keep Mark from running away. Out of formation, hiding behind whatever we can, we're moving forward."

They moved as soon as they emerged from behind the building and met the welcoming committee. The Russians began shelling their position. Bullets flew overhead. Any movement meant death. Suddenly, one of the American soldiers threw a grenade. It exploded. Taylor immediately leaned out, followed by David. A fierce exchange of fire ensued. Martin ran out of ammunition. Thunder joined the action. The skirmish became almost a full-blown battle. Bull somehow managed to sneak forward. Taylor. After reloading, he began the attack again. The Russians began to retreat. The Americans began blocking their path with grenades.

Taylor's team, exhausted by the battle, paused for a moment.

"Thunder! Fire!" shouted the self-proclaimed commander.

"Get down!" retorted Calisto.

An anti-tank missile whizzed overhead. It hit a nearby building. Rubble was everywhere. The Russians launched a counterattack. Massive shelling of the American positions prevented them from further action.

"What next?" Thunder asked anxiously.

Taylor pondered for a moment. After a moment, he grabbed a grenade. He threw it blindly at the enemy. It hadn't even detonated when Martin stood up. He saw Russian faces and rifles locking on him. An explosion. Taylor threw himself to the ground. He rolled forward. He knelt. He aimed his rifle and began firing. Alone in the middle of the field, Thunder and David began slowly approaching him, firing at the enemy. For Bull, it was too late. When the building wall exploded, he was too close to the explosion. His colleagues didn't know this yet. They thought he was somewhere nearby.

Suddenly, one bullet hit Martin, followed by another. Taylor fell to the ground. Thunder rushed to help. He was no longer firing in short bursts; he was emptying entire magazines from his rifle. When he was just a step away from Martin, it happened. The Russian hit him. Thunder fell dead. Before he could fall, he was hit by several more bullets. Taylor woke up and tried to get up, but something prevented him.

Terrified, David collapsed. He was afraid to lean out. The situation looked hopeless. The Russians began boldly approaching the American's position. Taylor, half-conscious, could do little more. Only a miracle could save them.

Taylor began to think about his family. He didn't want to leave them. This gave him the strength to continue living. His condition is quite serious. One bullet damaged his lung, the other pierced his stomach. Martin refused to give up, even though he could already feel death breathing down his neck.