Take Back: A German Historical Crime Thriller by Tim Wickenden

Author:Tim Wickenden [Wickenden, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Slugado Press
Published: 2024-05-16T00:00:00+00:00

25

They give each kid a blanket, lead them into the back of the van and get them seated on the floor. Lindi and Otti jump in after them and as Freyja goes to close the door, the same boy that called out to her when she came down the stairs, says, ‘Aren’t you coming with us, Fräulein Müller?’

Despite her attempts, the boy has become attached to her. ‘Call me Freyja, Dierk. For now, I’m going in the back of the other vehicle so I can keep watch on you from there, all right? Maybe I can swap with one of the others later. They’ll look after you. Now be brave and do as they say.’ She shuts the door, climbs into the back of the remaining GAZ truck, and with a sense of overwhelming relief to be leaving this infernal place, makes herself comfortable.

Max is last out. He closes the door and rigs up a booby trap. He remembers doing this as they retreated from the east, driven by a barbaric, enraged enemy motivated by Hitler’s insane tactics. He walks over to the waiting GAZ truck and opens the door.

‘You going to rig the other truck?’ Asks Bas.

‘No, I’ll blow it now. Drive up the road and wait for me.’

Bastian drives off and Max indicates for the van to follow. He trots over to the dead GAZ truck and waits until the vehicles have driven a hundred metres up the road, then he pulls the pins from his two grenades retires a few metres and lobs them in. He hears them bounce on the metal floor and, counting the seconds, he sprints for all he is worth. As the grenades detonate, he dives for cover, and moments later a few fragments of shrapnel rain down close behind him. He looks back. A few flames are dancing inside the ruined vehicle. Max stands and dusts himself off, then activates the transmitter given to him by Walter, placing it into the undergrowth near the road, and after a final look, he jogs up to the vehicles and jumps in beside Bastian, who looks at him and grins.

‘Now that’s the way to say goodbye,’ chuckles Bastian as he revs the engine, drops the clutch and the truck lurches away.

Max glances back and after they have covered about fifty metres, the van, silhouetted by the burning vehicle, follows.

He sits back, rubs his tired eyes, and mutters, ‘Holy shit.’

He glances at his watch: 1.15 a.m. The entire operation took just sixty-five minutes. Opening the map, he lights the red-filtered torch and studies the route.

‘Okay, Bas, follow this road for six kilometres, then we take a sharp right heading west, after which it’s straight on until we approach Wittstock, where we must take a detour. Let’s hope we have a clear run.’

Bastian nods. ‘No problem. We’ve got a good head start.’

‘I don’t know. We made noise. We must expect trouble.’

‘Trouble? Trouble’s my middle name.’

‘You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’

Bastian tilts his head and shrugs. ‘I would have enjoyed it more if we had Marky and Heike back.

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