In Continuum.

El Daba

El Daba,Egypt.
November 6th,1942.
Near the Mediterranean Coast.

"Only the dead have seen the end of war..." ---Plato

The land rovers cruised down the dirt road through the middle of the Sahara,The Burning Hell.All was silent,save for the sound of the wind,the roaring of the engines under our feet and the silent screams within the men.

I held my rifle tight against my chest,and leaned my head upon the side.Private McGregor was in front of me,puking his guts out.Private James was humming a tune,as he stared blankly into the horizon.He fingered his dog tag,and as he did so a single drop of tear rolled down the side of his cheeks.His hands were trembling now,and could hardly cock his weapon when Captain Mills ordered us to do so.Sergeant Gates was in the corner,drinking gulps of water from his bottle.He seemed confident enough,cheering the boys up with a tap on the shoulder and the mentioning of God.But in his eyes i could see,the same turmoil that was going through myself as well.Fear,and more fear gripped our hearts.We were doomed man,on a mission far away from our home,our family,our girlfriends,wives and daughters...

The sound of engines was soon taken over by airplanes soaring above our heads.The lot of us ducked as it swooped low above,dropping bombs upon us like rain.The convoy was badly hit,and the tank before us exploded into a burning rubble,as shapes of burning men dashed everywhere across the desert sand,screaming.Private James was sobbing now,and his whole body was trembling.He mumbled something to himself,and was no longer singing.Even before the first bullet soared passed his head,he already looked as good as dead in those eyes.The eyes of hopelessness and of the approaching doom:Death.

From my breast pocket i fingered out my wallet,already torn and tattered.There were no cash in it,just dirt and Henry's blood when he died a week or two ago.In war,time doesnt matter anymore.Seconds seemed like minutes,minutes seemed like hours,and hours seemed like eternity.And eternity is made even more infinite when i open the flap of my wallet every time,when i see my wife Michelle's photograph slotted in right before i went to war.Then there is Julia,our most beloved daughter,the gift from God,my pillar of strength.

In the distance the city came into view.The rovers made a sharp right turn towards the main gates of the outer wall.In the middle of the city was a mosque,with a tower in the middle carrying a crescent and a star at the top.The moment the rover passed through the gates,waves of bullets came flying through the air and into the rover.The lot of us leaped off the sides and dashed for cover.The MG gunner was firinng away somewhere from the top of the building across the square,and in the middle barricades were set up with barb wires stretched out across.The Germans were unleashing waves of bullets upon us,and our hearts sank as the others fell twisted on the ground.

I took cover behind a broken truck,and the sound of bullets were deafening.I couldnt hear my buddy's voice anymore,as he shouted something from across the road.Bullets penetrated the side of the car and passed my helmet.He stared in horror,as somebody at the back of me was shot through the eye.Blood spurted out of his sockets like fountain,and he laid sprawled on the floor in his own pool of blood.

Chaos,that's all there was on the field.Men were screaming orders to one another,while others just screaming for the mercy of God.Private McGregor was beside me now,huddled in the corner with a cross in his hand.He was mumbling a prayer now,and somewhere within that i thought i heard the word "Mama" once or twice.

"We need to flank those German buggers from the right!" Captain Mills shouted from across the Square."Move!Move!"

Some of the boys dashed out into the open while others gave coverage fire,but to no avail.The slower ones were shot in the legs and in the sides,one of them had his left arm blasted off by a 7.62.He screamed,as he sprawled on the floor waving desperately for a medic.His right arm reached out for help,and tears welled up in his eyes.The bullets found their way to his good arm too,then later the back of his head.

Silence.A sudden silence overwhelmed me.Everything was moving in a slow motion now.I could only hear my breath and my heart beating,faster and faster.McGregor was still beside me,but i could only see his mouth moving rapidly.A rain of blood showered over the both of us,and the raw taste of blood lingered upon my lips.I touched my right breast pocket and felt my wallet.It was warm,and for a moment i thought i heard Michelle and Julia calling out to me.Softly and ever so gently.Right then,i took a deep breath and dashed out across the square.

It only took mere seconds,but i seemed like minutes as sand exploded between my running legs.The sandbags before me seemed like a thousand metres away,but i made it anyway.Bullets continued to soar above our heads,and Captain Mills ordered three men to clear the building with the MG gunner,including myself.I swallowed hard,and made made a dash of faith.

We made it to the bottom of the stairs leading up to the balcony upstairs.I signaled to one of the men to clear the room on the left while i will clear the one on the right with the other.We made our ways up the stairs,praying so hard that the old staircase wouldnt fall apart under our weight.The Germans were above,and i heard their screaming and yelling.Slowly we made our way to the top,and with a sudden burst of energy we sprang into the rooms and shot the Germans in their backs.

The MG gunner looked back in fright as i pounced on him with my dagger and slashed his throat.He laid,limp as a fish on the floor of the balcony.Outside,the troops continued to scream orders to one another.I saw Captain Mills leading a group of men along the walls on the other side of the square just when a Tiger tank appeared from around the corner with a company of troops following closely behind.We were completely outnumbered,and in Captain Mills eyes,i saw only helplessness and hopelessness.He stood,with his arms wide opened,accepting his fate as his men ran for their lives.He was penetrated by so many shots his blood lingered in the air for a while,mingled with dust and the screams of his men dying after him.We were going to be surrounded,i thought.The German troops were too many,and there was no way out.

No way out...

Just then,Private McGregor came upstairs.In his hand was a little Arabic girl dressed in tattered dress.She mustnt have been more than ten years old,and her pink skirt hung loose upon her waist.She looked dreadfully starved,with her cheek sinking into her cheek bones.Her hair was a mess and covered in dust,and in her eyes all i saw was a blank.

"Where did you find her?" i asked McGregor.

"She was hiding in one of those baskets.I dont understand Arabic,but i think she's asking for food." he answered.

I squatted down,and placed my hands on her shoulders.She was shivering when i looked into her eyes,which were a beautiful display of crystal blue.It sparkled,and it almost reminded me of Julia.Oh,my Julia...

"We are surrounded man," the other guy said."The Germans are coming."

From below we heard the sound of German troops marching through the streets,screaming orders.The sound of tank rumbling past the house and the sound of boots upon sand.That was all we heard then,no American troops,no English,nothing.Just German,and we knew then that we were doomed men waiting to die.The little girl too,grabbed my pants and buried her face into them.She began to sob,and the way she did reminded me so much of Julia whenever she's done something wrong,and Michelle was her only form of refuge.I touched her hair,and for a split moment i thought i saw Julia hugging my legs.I collapsed to the ground,and buried my face into my palms.Helplessness and fear took over me,and i wept under the window as the other guys watched the Germans clearing house after house.

"Ante...Ante..." the girl said as she pulled my pants once again.I looked up,and in her hands a blood soaked handkerchief.She then pointed her index finger to her right eye,then moved it down her cheek.With her handkerchief she wiped the trail of her finger away,then handed it to me once more.

I reached out for it,and under my breath i kept saying Julia's name.I couldnt help but see my little girl in her eyes.I took it,and the handkercheif smelled of raw blood.But i didnt care,because i couldnt stop crying.I couldnt stop thinking about how far away i was from my wife and daughter,in El Daba.

McGregor and the other guy were below,and i heard them shouting something to each other.Suddenly,a round of fire roared through the air below.We covered our ears,and then there was silence.The Germans were in the house,and we heard boots running about on the floor below.I panicked,and pulled the little girl to my side.My heart pounded,and in my mind i kept telling myself this is it.This is it...

I opened a cupboard in the corner of the room and motioned for the girl to go in.She followed,and the sound of Germans were approaching.I gripped my rifle tight,and with whatever rounds that i had in my magazine i cocked my weapon.The footstep stopped,and then silence.It was then followed by more footsteps coming up the stairs,and i took a last glance at my right breast pocket with the wallet in it.I could hear the girl's heavy breathing inside the cupboard,and my own as i awaited my fate.

The swing door crashed opened,and the Germans came in.Rounds were fired,and i remember my finger never leaving the trigger as i fired at the Germans.They collapsed,one by one,and for a moment i thought everything was going to be all right after all.Then from the corner of my eyes,a shadow moved.A thud in my chest,and then it was black.I sprawled on the floor,with my hands grabbing at my chest.My uniform was blood soaked,and i could barely breathe.Every breath was like thousands of needles against my lungs,and i felt the life inside drain away as i remained there,helpless.The German stood over me,with his barrel still pointed on my head.

"Würfel..." he said,and smiled under his breath.

"La!",was all i heard when a shape came through the cupboard door and onto the German.He missed my head my an inch,and turn to look at the girl,who was then grabbing his thighs.

"Minfadlik,ante..." she said."Minfadlik..."

She was screaming,and she kept on doing so.That was all i heard,and my vision slowly became blurry.I thought i saw the German carrying the girl away,screaming and kicking."Ante!Ante!" she kept yelling,but my eyes were closing in.

"Julia..." i managed to say."Dont take away my Julia..."

And then everything faded to black,for the last time.