49

Somewhere in Karelia

"Our orders are to hold the pre-winter war border right about here." Takala pointed to a line on the map he’d drawn about fifteen kilos north of the Leningrad suburbs, and then passed the map around the group so the men could look closer.

"What do you mean, hold the border?" Matti stood with a frown, hands on his hips.

Takala gave him a look that would've scared Hitler. "It means when we get our orders we march to Kirjasalo, set up camp, and then hold our line. We've been told that nothing comes in or out of the city while the Germans prepare to attack."

"We're not invading Leningrad?" College ducked his head, seemingly to avoid one of Takala's looks as well.

"No, doesn't appear so. We’re just supposed to hold the border—to make sure no supplies or weapons or artillery make it in to military groups inside the city."

"Like a siege?" College said the words that Matti was already thinking.

"Yes, I guess it's like a siege. Hopefully, a very short siege while the Germans march through Leningrad toward Moscow."

"But what about women and children in the city?"Matti's head pounded. "They'll starve without supplies."

"Assuming they've been preparing for the invasion and will have stocked up, they'll probably hole up for a few weeks eating canned goods and be fine until the border is opened." Takala had clearly been fed this line by his higher-ups.

Matti hoped his friend was right.

Käärme was studying the map closely.

Takala grabbed the map and pointed to an arrow at the pre-winter war border. "We may hit resistance right here. Intelligence says that there is still one Russian division stationed there to hold the border. Which is why we'll be marching at zero-two-hundred hours so that we can do it under the cover of darkness."

"Will we have air support?"

"Yes, the flyboys from Tiedustelulentalaivue 12 will support our push."

Takala continued to give them instructions, pointing out specific rally points and targets. Then, he tossed the map into the fire and used a stick to make sure it was completely burned. "Don't want anyone in that Russian division getting hold of that."

The men stared at him in solemn silence.

They were going into Russia.

Käärme pulled out a flask and began passing it around the group, encouraging the men to get their liquid courage.

Matti frowned. He had hoped the war would bring some maturity to this group, but they were still the same wild party boys they had been before. Of course, they hadn't faced any real resistance either.

"Put that away, guys. We have a job to do tonight." Takala said sternly.

Matti's gaze shot up. Maybe Takala had changed?

Käärme blinked in surprise and then tucked his flask into his coat pocket. "Sorry. I thought we could celebrate our progress."

"We’ll celebrate when we get there, Käärme. Until then, let's stay focused."

~*~

Rain filtered through the branches of the birches, giving music to their slow and methodical march toward Kirjasalo.

"Come on, men, just a little further," Takala whispered from the front of their queue.

Matti burrowed his head and took another hunched step forward, praying they would reach Kirjasalo without any resistance. As much as he wanted to fight, he wasn't sure he was ready to face Russian soldiers this morning. He trudged on in the dim light of a northern summer night, the squish of clay-like mud on his boots telling every step. Anxious to see the edge of the forest, he raised his head above the line of soldiers in front of him. An unexpected bullet whizzed by his ear. He slammed his body into the muddy ground.

Rookie mistake.

"Enemy fighters at right!" Matti hissed as the men in his company sank into the muddy terrain and aimed their rifles in the direction where the bullets had come.

He flattened himself onto the ground behind a stump and squinted, trying to get a read on who was shooting at them. Scanning the horizon, he spotted a small Russian troop hunched behind a ledge to their southwest.

"There. Do you see them?" he whispered to Takala, who crouched behind him with rifle ready.

"Yes."

The muscles in Matti's shoulders tightened as his fingers trembled over the trigger. He dreaded what the next few minutes would bring. They had faced so little resistance in the last weeks that Matti had almost forgotten what it felt like to have the adrenaline of battle pumping through his body and the fear of death in his heart—a feeling he'd hoped he'd never feel again.

A burst of rifle fire opened up.

Matti squinted to see as shells whistled around his ears. He straightened, making himself as thin as possible before slowly moving his rifle over the stump and taking aim at one of the black barrels that peeked over the ledge. Swallowing a sick feeling, he hesitated as explosions caused the woods to tremble.

A shell burst about fifty meters to his left, raining down dirt and leaves on his helmet. He reached up to brush the dirt out of his eyes and a bullet whizzed by, his arm hairs rising with its seemingly magnetic pull. Jerking his arm back behind the tree, Matti closed his eyes. Whew. A close one.

"Cover them!" Takala shouted as he pointed toward Käärme and College, who eased out from behind their hiding spot in a grove of trees and rushed the Russian unit's flank.

Matti took a deep breath and gripped his rifle tightly before peeking out behind the tree and opening fire at the Russians who shot at his friends. "Oh, no, you don't!" Matti shouted at a Red Army soldier who seemed to have a clear shot at College.

A bullet hit the Russian soldier right in the rifle scope, knocking the weapon out of his hand.

Two seconds later, another Russian soldier popped up, shooting wildly as Takala and Matti desperately tried to get a scope on him. One…two…there!

The Red Army soldier went down.

The forest fell silent.