Cold Reception

"Be careful Hans, that's defeatism and you know what the captain will do if he hears it,"

"Defeatism?" the other laughed, but there was no humor in his voice. Annika shifted slightly, but Danuta was straining to make out their words and ignored her.

"Take a look around you Eric, if the Russian's don't get you the Poles will, assuming you don't freeze to death first. Where is Herr Goering's vaunted Luftwaffe? Where are the wonder weapons that will stop this red tide? If it weren't for fanatics like our leader we would have already run. I have a wife and two fine children in Heidelberg and I know you have a sweetheart, what good will we do them if we die here defending this miserable polish wasteland? None, I can tell you that for nothing. You have seen what these animals are capable of. How does the idea of a platoon of them taking turns with your woman make you feel?"

"Enough Hans, I know what you are thinking and how you feel. I too want to go home, we all do, but what good will it do us to try? The Obersturmfuehrer would have us shot if we tried. I fear his fanatical zeal more than I do Russian tanks, let us search this barn and catch up with the others, I do not like being separated from them, there is still some safety in numbers,"

"Search it yourself, I will not break my back for that Nazi swine. The Snow Witch will not be caught in a barn by such as us,"

"All right," Eric conceded, "We will leave it alone, but for pity's sake be silent," Eric pleaded. The two moved off into the snow with Hans still grousing, but in a more subdued tone.

"What did they say?" Annika whispered.

"I am not sure my German is as good as it once was, but I think they said they search for a Witch,"

"I am the Snow Witch," Annika said as she pulled on her trousers. Danuta sighed, she didn't really want to leave the warm loft or see the Russian girl's body covered, but she recognized the necessity and grimly pulled on the stinking clothes Annika had provided her with.

----- Annika moved carefully to the edge of the wood and eyed the wide open field before them. Something about the open expanse caused her to balk. Danuta stumbled into her back and fell on her rump. Ten days marching had sapped the small woman's strength. Annika looked back at her, but the harshness she had displayed earlier was replaced with deep concern. She had to find a place for them to rest, she could go on for days more, but her lover was quickly reaching the end of her rope.

Across the field were the ruins of a village. They might find shelter there, or a trap. Ordinarily Annika avoided buildings because they could easily become tombs, but Danuta needed shelter and the small girl's comfort now took precedence over Annika's native caution.

They were half way across the field when Annika heard the screaming whine that caused her blood to freeze. She threw herself to the ground as a huge explosion threw up dirt and snow. A second shell was already falling when Annika heard a shrill, keening note the likes of which she had never heard before. She looked up to see Danuta standing straight up with her hands over her ears screaming.

The Russian girl leapt to her feet and tackled the screaming girl, dragging her to the ground as another geyser of earth and snow rose with a titanic roar. Annika rolled on top of the frightened woman and tried to cover the soft body with her own. Annika had endured shellfire before, but she knew it was one of the worst horrors of the battlefield. The helpless feeling and ceaseless noise had driven more than one soldier to stand up and run, which was death.

Suddenly German panzers and infantry burst from the woods opposite them. At first Annika thought it was a trap, but the shells continued to fall and the Germans seemed to be charging for the opposite wood. Several men ran past them without even slowing. A tank exploded with a tearing and rending sound that was horrible to hear. Men fell, screamed and bled to death while their comrades ran blindly past them and still the shells fell. When it ceased the silence was eerie and seemed unnatural. Around them tanks burned and men groaned or pleaded for help.

Danuta was motionless beneath her and when Annika looked at her face the large eyes were blank. She had little time to worry about her because she knew they had to move now. She stood up and tossed the girl over her shoulder. She would have to try the town; there was no other option.

The little hamlet had once sported several homes. Most were in ruins now, the wood long burned and whatever furnishings had been inside them looted or destroyed. One small building still stood, but the roof sagged ominously. A thin tendril of smoke rose from the simple chimney. If it was peasants, Annika could probably barter with them for shelter for the evening, if it was the Germans… she would simply take it.

Annika came to the door of the building and kicked it open, pointing the Schmeisser before her. Inside three men sat with ancient rifles pointed at her. Danuta moaned softly on her shoulder, but Annika couldn't afford to put her down. The man said something in polish, but the tall sniper didn't understand.

The world was swimming and she was lost in a crashing void of sound and fury. Slowly Danuta realized the world looked askew because she was dangling from over the Russian girl's shoulder. Her last memory had been of the crashing of guns.

"Who are you?" and unfriendly masculine voice asked in polish.

"Put me down Annika," Danuta said in Russian. At the sound of the language the men all became visibly hostile. Annika carefully let the girl slide from her shoulder, but didn't allow her to come between the Schmeisser and the men. They looked like good solid peasant stock and Danuta pulled off her slouch cap and raked her hair from her eyes.

"I might ask who you are," she said in polish. The men looked suspicious, but seemed to relax a little. The older man, who seemed to be the leader laughed and the younger two smiled, but did not relax their grips on their weapons.

"What is a Polish girl doing with filth like that?" he said indicating Annika.

"She is my protector," Danuta said easily.

"Oh ho, two girls in the snow? You must tell me this story!" the man said and stood. Annika's Schmeisser immediately covered him, but Danuta quickly put her hand on the barrel and pushed it down. The movement had not gone unnoticed and all three men had their guns trained on Annika now

"Tell her to drop her weapon and we shall lower ours," the man said.

"Drop your weapon," Danuta translated.

"Never. I will die before I am left at the mercy of men again," Annika spat.

"She will not," the girl said helplessly.

"Well, we cannot sit here for the whole night like this," the man said reasonably. He motioned to his companions and they lowered their weapons.

"At least have her point it somewhere else," he said. Danuta translated and Annika hesitantly lowered the weapon, but she kept it at the ready. The older man pulled some meat off the peat fire and pushed a dish of it to the edge of the table.

"Eat, and tell me how two women come to my home," he said.

Danuta ate heartily, but Annika simply stood against a wall and watched, she was obviously ill at ease. When she finished eating Danuta sat back and smiled at the old man.

"I am Danuta of Warsaw. My companion is Annika. I was held captive by the Germans and she rescued me. She has been guiding me ever since," Danuta began. The three men exchanged glances at the mention of Annika's name and Danuta hesitated before she went on. She told her whole story to the old man who seemed genuinely interested. When she finished he sat back and scratched his head.

"I am called Constantine. These are my sons Pietor and Revnick. You have nothing to fear from us child, we are part of the resistance or what's left it.

"The resistance? Can you get us away from here?" Danuta asked excitedly.

"You perhaps, but I can do nothing for your friend. The Russians have been no friend to Poland," he said bitterly. "You may sleep here tonight if you wish and we can try to get you to the western allies tomorrow, but now we must hunt," he said as he rose. The three of them left the small home and disappeared into the growing darkness.

"The resistance!" Danuta said excitedly, "They said they can get me to the Americans, but they cannot help you,"

"I do not trust them," Annika said simply. Her eyes were restless and continued to dart around the room, never stopping anywhere for long.

"Why are you being so stubborn? Did they not feed us and give us use of their home?" Danuta said angrily.

"I can get you to safety. Let us leave this place, now," Annika said urgently. She still held her weapon and the news that the men were part of the polish resistance did not seem to set her at ease. Danuta felt she was being stubborn. Constantine had fed them and was sheltering them after all. She wanted a protector, but this petty jealousy was infuriating.

"I will not leave!" the polish girl declared.

Danuta was surprised when Annika nodded and said no more. She curled up in the Russian's arms and fell asleep. She awoke alone and shivering. Constantine was sitting at the table with a relaxed look on his face and a bottle of some strong drink.

"Where is Annika?" she demanded.

"She left during the night," he said quietly.

"But why?" Danuta asked. She felt crushed and was suddenly very lonely. She knew Annika had been uncomfortable; several times she had risen during the night and floated like a ghost through the rooms of the old building. She did not appreciate the depth of Annika's nervousness and cursed herself for being so stubborn.

"She said she had no use for you and that we could take better care of you than she could," he said. The words hurt, but something was wrong and Danuta suddenly realized what it was.

"She spoke no polish!" Danuta said glaring at him suspiciously.

"And who said I speak no Russian?" he said in flawless Russian. Danuta started to rise, but both of the old man's "sons" rushed in and easily overpowered her.

"Do not worry about your lover, I am sure we can make you forget her," the old man laughed while wiping off the heavy makeup he wore.

"Pigs," Danuta spat

"Hardly pigs my little polish whore. I am captain Yuri Bradonivich, NKVD and these fine specimens of manhood are Dimitri Colosnivik and Pietor Tirmiski. Both of them are taken with your charms, but we were unable to do anything about it last night. It seems the Snow Witch doesn't sleep and never takes her hands off her weapons,"

"What are you going to do to me?" Danuta asked apprehensively.

"Were it not for that delicious receptacle between your legs they would have no interest in you at all. I however, have been sent to bring the Snow Witch's career to an end,"

"But she's one of you!" Danuta said in confusion. Pietor was busy tugging her tunic out of her trousers while Dimitri held her arms fast behind her. Despite her revulsion she was more worried about Annika than herself, rape was nothing new to the dark haired girl.

"She is a danger and a counter revolutionary, her exploits encourage others to act without orders!" he snarled as he came to his feet. The man seemed to master himself with an effort.

"No one has ever been able to get close to her, but now I have what I need to put an end to her misguided career,"

"What?" Danuta breathed, fearing she already knew the answer.

"You of course my little slut. Do you really think she has left you? One really must wonder what talents you possess to have captured the heart of such a woman. She's out there, somewhere in the snow and watching us," he said switching to polish.

"You will never catch her," Danuta said with conviction.

"Really? I wonder what she will do when she has the choice of turning herself in or watching an entire regiment of Cossacks have their way with you?"

Danuta groaned as the tunic was torn open and Dimitri roughly grabbed her breasts. She felt so helpless and violated, but more than that she feared for Annika. She looked around the room desperately. The submachine gun that Annika had made her carry still lay on the floor. If she could only reach it she could kill herself. It did not shock her that she was willing to give up her own life to save Annika.

"Enough, drag the slut out front and strip her. You may have your way with her, but do not kill her," he said in Russian. Danuta wondered about him changing from language to language. Was it possible the other two spoke no polish?

The two rapists gleefully dragged her outside, but the small girl saw the Captain pull a sleek rifle from a case. She saw it then, what the rapists did not realize was that Yuri was using them both as bait. She had trouble believing anyone could be so cold blooded as to sacrifice his own men. Once out front the two Russians viciously ripped her clothing from her body. She tried to fight but Pietor grabbed her by her breasts and slung her brutally against the side of the building, knocking the wind from her. Danuta had never felt such pain.

The dark haired sadist dragged her to her feet by her hair and rammed his knee into her crotch, sending searing pain into her privates. Danuta screamed in pain and tried to protect herself. Pietor laughed and roughly seized a handful of her pubic hair and viciously ripped it out. The dark haired girl almost fainted from the shock.

Danuta lay on the ground shivering and wracked with sobs, unable to even move. She rolled over and looked up in time to see both men dropping their trousers. She heard a sharp popping sound and then a strange thing happened. Pietor grabbed his crotch and doubled over in pain. Dimitri looked around and then his body was catapulted backwards and a second popping sound was heard. Danuta started to move but a gun exploded and kicked up dirt near her head.

"Move an inch my pretty little slut and I will kill you," Bradonivich hissed.

"Annika Kubolinkov, can you hear me?" the NKVD captain roared.

"I hear you," a disembodied voice replied after a long silence.

"As you can see, your little slut is naked and it's getting cold. If she tries to move I will kill her,"

"Should any harm come to her I will kill you," Annika called back.

"Perhaps, but that won't bring your little whore back now will it?" he retorted.

Danuta closed her eyes and shivered. Her body hurt from the abuse, but the cold was far more painful. It seamed to sear her skin and stick to her, invading her very being with its icy grip.

------

"What do you want?" Annika called as she shifted in the snow, moving always to her left, looking for an angle that would allow her to shoot into the door.

"I want you, not this piece of filth. Come down and surrender and the girl will go free," the voice called.

Annika knew that the moment she showed herself she would be shot. She was deathly afraid that Danuta was freezing to death, but getting herself killed wouldn't help the girl. Annika had no illusions about Danuta's fate if she were killed. She had to save the girl, but how?

The man obviously could see Danuta clearly and at that range he could hardly miss. Annika scanned the front of the building through her scope, but he was good. She surmised he was far back in the room and that gave her the glimmer of an idea. From where she guessed he was hiding she chose a place that he could not fail to see and sat in the snow.

"How do I know you will not hurt the girl?" Annika called as she stripped off her parka.

"You do not, but if you don't come in soon she will freeze to death," the voice called. Annika was unlacing her boots as quickly as she could.

"Keep him talking," she grunted to herself in Russian.

"Let her go, and I shall come down," Annika called.

"You are in no position to bargain. But take your time, it's nice and warm in here,"

Annika worked feverishly, but she wondered if she could beat the clock this time.

----

Time seemed to have stopped. How long had she been lying there, she wondered. She had been a fool and she cursed herself for it. Annika had known there was something wrong. Why, oh why had she not listened? Danuta was scanning the woods when she saw a movement. She tried to scream when she recognized Annika's parka but her warning was eclipsed by the bark of a rifle. The figure went down instantly.

"No!' She cried and struggled to her feet. Before she could move far the Captain stepped out of the cabin and grabbed a handful of her hair. He still held the long black rifle in his hand and there was a terrible look of triumph on his face.

"Oh no my little slut, now that the Snow Witch is gone, you and I will celebrate with a night of hard fucking. I know you Polish whores just love a good stiff cock between your legs," he said with a laugh.

"Why?" Danuta sobbed.

"She was a threat and now I have neutralized her, like hundreds of others. She acts without guidance and once the war is won who is to say where her loyalties lie? My superiors will be pleased with me, this is a moment of great triumph, but that means little to you. Come now, I have a hard cock that needs your attention and like I said, I've earned it,"

There was a crunch of a boot in the snow behind them and the captain whirled, holding Danuta before him. Annika stood there without her parka. A pistol was held in her hand and her eyes were as cold as death.

"Like you said, you've earned it," the tall girl said in Russian as the pistol barked. Danuta felt the bullet pass by her side and the captain crashed to the ground. He was still holding her hair, but Danuta twisted out of his grip. Suddenly Annika was there, her arm protectively around the Pole's trim waist and the gun pointed at the bleeding NKVD man.

"Bitch," he spat. There was a dark spot of blood on his hip that seemed to be growing before Danuta's eyes.

"For what you have done I would kill you a thousand times if I could," Annika said dispassionately and shot him again. Danuta turned her head and vomited when she saw the man's brains splattered all over the pristine white snow. Annika hustled the shivering girl into the small building and stoked the fire. She looked out the door once and then turned back to Danuta.

"Dress quickly, we must leave this place at once,"

"I thought he shot you?" Danuta said. Her teeth were chattering and she couldn't stop shivering. Her hands fumbled with her clothes and Annika eventually had to help her dress.

Once she was warm Annika led her to the place where Danuta had seen her go down. A simple cross of branches, tied together with a shoelace and covered with Annika's parka lay there in the snow. A second shoelace ran over a low branch and Danuta realized that Annika has squatted near the tree and raised the parka by pulling the string. It was a clever trick, one that had saved her life. Annika retrieved her parka and they moved out.

------ They marched all through that awful, moonless night. Danuta felt she would die of fatigue, but refused to endanger Annika again and so she marched. By the time dawn tinged the morning sky, she felt feverish and at some point early in the day delirium set in. The rest of that long month was a blur in her memory. She had caught pneumonia or something and stayed delirious for much of it. Annika had gently cared for her and guided her to Sevastopol where she had somehow managed to get Danuta on a ship filled with Hungarian Jews, bound for Palestine.

She vaguely remembered the long trip in the hold of that ship. The seasickness had often left her wishing she were dead. The tramp steamer had worked its way torturously down through the Dardanelles and had eventually made a landing on the coast. Danuta had traveled overland by camel to Egypt and had reached London by way of Cairo some two months after the invasion of Normandy. She had waited for several months with friends of her father in the British capital until she could catch a ship over to Calais and had reached Paris three days before Berlin fell to the Red Army.