Part 25 (2/2)

Johnny just grunted and drank his coffee.

”This ain't the c.r.a.p,” Rocco insisted. ”If it was, why would they be pilin' all these guys in here every night? I think we might be about ready now.”

Johnny thought it over. Rocco's statement added up. Every night since they arrived more men had been coming up. Last night was the first night no new arrivals had come. Maybe they had their quota and were ready to kick off.

”To h.e.l.l with it,” Joe said, finis.h.i.+ng his coffee and putting the metal cup down. He loosened his belt and leaned comfortably back against the wall of the trench and lit a cigarette. ”I wish I was back in that little village where we were the night we came up. Those French babes know how to please a man. I could stand a little of that right now.”

A soldier came up to them. Rocco, looking up, saw it was the lieutenant and started to get up.

The officer stopped him with a gesture. He looked down at them. ”Savold,” he said talking to Rocco, ”get your platoon inspected. See that everything's in shape and let me know what you need by tonight.”

”Yes sir,” Rocco answered.

The officer walked away. Rocco got to his feet. ”It's beginning to look like I was right,” he said.

Johnny looked up at him. ”Yeanh.”

The officer came back. He seemed to be hurried. ”Savold!” he called.

Rocco turned to him. ”Yes, sir.”

”Take over as acting sergeant,” the officer said. ”Johnson just got hurt. Got someone for corporal?”

”How about Edge here?” Rocco gestured with his hand.

The officer turned and looked at Johnny. After a moment he spoke. ”All right. Edge, you're acting corporal.” He turned back to Rocco. ”Tell Edge what he has to do, then come down to meet me at the captain's dugout.” He turned on his heel and walked away rapidly.

Johnny turned to Rocco. ”What did you go and do that for?” he asked.

”You can use the extra ten bucks a month, can't you?” Rocco grinned.

There was a puddle of water at the bottom of the sh.e.l.l hole and they clung to its side to keep from getting wet. Not that it would make a great difference now. It had been raining all night and their clothes were soaked through and caked with mud. It was just instinctive-an inner desire to retain some degree of comfort.

”Where in h.e.l.l are those guys Rocco said would meet us here?” Joe grumbled.

Johnny puffed at his cigarette in his closed palm. ”I don't know and I don't care,” he answered. ”I'm willing to stay here an' wait for them for the rest of the war if I have to. I don't like it out there, it ain't healthy.”

Joe grubbed a cigarette from him. He lit it carefully from Johnny's cigarette, s.h.i.+elding them so the glow would not reveal their sanctuary. The chatter of a machine gun rose in a crescendo over their heads. They could hear the whine of the bullets as they pa.s.sed over them.

”They're gonna have to knock out that gun before we kin go any further,” Joe said, listening to its noise.

Johnny looked at him. ”Whatta yuh worryin' about? In a hurry?”

Joe shook his head. ”Nope, but I was thinkin' maybe they expect us to do it.”

”What if they do?” Johnny asked. ”We're not mind-readers. n.o.body told us to do it. Remember what the captain said? Just do what you're told, no more. We did what we were told. From here on out, I stay until I'm told different.”

Joe didn't answer. He began to scratch his head reflectively under his helmet. Suddenly he swore. He pulled something from his hair and threw it into the water. ”Those G.o.d-d.a.m.n cooties are drivin' me nuts,” he said.

Johnny leaned back against the wall of the crater and shut his eyes. He was tired. For three days they had been pus.h.i.+ng forward. No rest. Now he felt he could go to sleep right in the middle of no man's land.

Joe shook him. He opened his eyes. It was night again. When he had shut them it had been late evening and the last traces of daylight still hung around in corners of the sky. ”I must have been sleeping,” he said sheepishly.

Joe grinned at him. ”I'll say you were. You were snoring so loud I was afraid they could hear you in Berlin. I gotta hand it to yuh though, if you can sleep out here.”

The chatter of the machine gun drowned out Johnny's reply. They were silent for a while. Joe fumbled in his knapsack and took out a bar of chocolate. He broke it in two and gave half to Johnny. They chewed on it, letting the rich chocolaty sweetness fill their mouths.

”I been thinkin',” Joe said.

”Yeah?”

”They must expect us to get that gun,” he said. ”Otherwise they wouldn't be waitin'.”

”That ain't our worry,” Johnny said. ”n.o.body told us.”

Joe looked at him, his eyes narrowed a little. ”This is a case where n.o.body can tell us and you know it. We have to make up our own minds.”

”My mind's made up,” Johnny answered. ”I'm following orders. I'm staying here.”

Joe watched him for a minute, then he s.h.i.+fted over onto his knees. He took two hand grenades from his belt and examined them. Then he looked over at Johnny. ”I'm gonna take a whack at 'em.”

”You're stayin' here,” Johnny said flatly.

Joe leaned his head to one side and eyed Johnny speculatively. ”You gonna make me?” he asked. His voice just as flat as Johnny's had been.

They stared at each other a moment, then Johnny smiled. He shoved Joe with the flat of his hand. ”Okay,” he said. ”If yuh wanna be a hero I better go along and look out for yuh.”

Joe took his hand gruffly and squeezed it. He smiled. ”I knew you'd see it, kid.”

Johnny smiled back at him. He took two hand grenades from his own belt and looked at them. Satisfied that they were in working order, he turned back to Joe and said: ”I'm ready if you are.”

”I'm ready.” Joe began to crawl to the top of the sh.e.l.l hole. He looked behind him at Johnny, who was crawling up to him. ”I couldn't stand those cooties any more nohow.”

They were on the edge of the crater. Cautiously they peered over it. The chatter of the machine gun revealed flashes of light coming from ahead of them.

”See it?” Johnny whispered.

Joe nodded.

”You take it from the right, I'll hit from the left,” Johnny whispered.

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