Hell of a way to go.
Just then, both tanks clanked to a halt.
It soon became clear why the panzers had stopped. It certainly wasn't to avoid running Cole down. There must be men inside the tanks, but the machines seemed as monstrous to him as a boot must look to an ant.
Above the rumble of the tank engines, he heard the whine of their big guns being positioned. He could see that the guns were elevated too high to be aimed at him. Besides, no panzer crew was going to waste a shell on a lone soldier, sniper or not.
Cole ran harder, thinking that he was going to make it across the field.
That's when the first panzer, the one closest to him, opened fire.
Considering that the 88 mm cannon was no more than fifty feet away, the sensation was like the world was exploding. Flame stabbed from the muzzle. The blast was deafening, so loud that it was like a physical wave washing over him. He actually stumbled.
That's when the second tank fired.
Cole kept running, sensing rather than hearing someone hollering. He realized that the hollering was coming from him. This wasn't a sound of fear, but more like a primal scream of defiance.
When he spotted an old shell hole ahead, he dove down into it.
To his left, he was dimly aware of another ear-splitting cannon blast. He looked in that direction and saw not one, but two Sherman tanks emerge from a copse of brushy, second-growth trees.
The large white stars on the tanks, designating them as U.S. Forces, might even have been a welcome sight if he hadn't been caught practically in the middle of a tank battle.
Cole wished that he could help, but the best that he could do right now was to keep his head down. He reached for his utility belt, thinking to reload — but it wasn't there. He must have lost it somewhere between Lisette's farm and the shell hole. Maybe in that tangle of briers? It was a hell of a thing, but there was no going back to look for it now, which meant that he was down to the bullets in his clip. He had, what, two bullets left?
As he watched, the other Sherman fired, the shell hitting the thickly plated front of the Tiger and karooming off. That was one hell of a ricochet. The sound itself was terrifying, but not nearly as frightening as the thought that the shell from the direct hit had bounced harmlessly off the panzer.
Then the panzer fired again.
This time, the Germans' aim was better. The round hit almost dead center in the turret, peeling back the three-inch armor as easily as a can opener.
Bullseye, Cole thought, mesmerized by the sight.
The game little Sherman bounced on its treads as fire erupted through every seam and joint in the armor plating, like a tin can with a firecracker going off inside. While the German rounds tended to be solid, they had a nasty habit of igniting the fuel supply in the gasoline-powered Sherman tanks. The hatch popped open. Cole understood that tanks held a crew of four, but just one man came out. The German shell must have killed the other three.
The lone escapee from the burning tank was on fire.
Burning gasoline from the detonation had coated his clothes so that he flamed like a six-foot torch. The screaming was awful. He had seen men burn to death before, and knew that death came too slowly.
Cole couldn't bear it. He shot the man, ending the tanker's suffering instantly.
The soldier fell to the ground and lay still, flames licking over him. The sickeningly sweet smell of cooked flesh reached Cole's nostrils.
One bullet left.
Now the tanks opened fire upon each other again, making the air feel as if it was being ripped apart. The noise made it difficult to breathe. He had to get the hell out of there. He was still in the shell hole, so he climbed out and got to his feet.
The three remaining tanks maneuvered for position, the faster and nimbler Sherman trying to get around behind the panzers, where the thinner armor plating gave the Americans some chance of destroying the German tank. Off to the side, Cole felt like a spectator at a football game — only this game had deadly consequences.
That’s when he happened to look across the field and saw a figure looking back at him. Rohde. Had to be. He wore the same camouflage pattern uniform. Cole had damn near forgotten about him in the confusion of the tank battle. But Rohde had not forgotten about him.
As Cole watched, Rohde raised his rifle and aimed in his direction. A bullet snapped past, then another. Wasted shots. Some part of Cole scoffed. Where he came from, you didn't waste a bullet.
Maybe Rohde wasn't as good a shot as everyone made him out to be. Then again, with the semi-automatic sniper rifle, maybe he didn't have to be. Another bullet tore the air, close to Cole's head. Cole’s spine tingled involuntarily. Rohde was walking in his bullets.
Cole did not have that luxury. He had one bullet. One chance. The distance was about 300 feet. Farther than he would have liked for an offhand shot.
He took a breath, held it, and set the crosshairs on the enemy sniper. Another shot zipped past, this one so close that it seemed to pluck at his buttons. He ignored that and blocked out everything, even the grinding tanks, now just yards away.
Cole fired.
Through the scope, he watched Rohde go down.
The hit felt right, but there was no time to make certain that Rohde was dead. No sooner had Cole taken his eye from the scope, then he saw one of the panzers angling right at him with multiple tons of steel and whirring treads. Like an afterthought, the panzer opened up with its machine gun, plowing the ground in front of him.
Cole did the smart thing, and ran.
His only thought was to get out of that killing field. Away from those tanks. Another hedgerow loomed ahead. He didn't know what was on the other side, but he was hopeful that it wouldn't be more German tanks.
Out of the corner of his eye, he detected more movement. He looked to his left. There must have been fifty German soldiers following in the wake of the panzers. Two of the soldiers spotted him and peeled away from the rest, running to get between Cole and the hedge, seemingly intent on capturing him.
Cole was glad that they hadn't decided to shoot him outright. But they were on a fool's errand if they thought that they were going to capture him. Cole had no intention of sitting out the rest of the war in some POW camp. Never mind the fact that he didn't like his chances if he got caught with a sniper rifle. Captured snipers on both sides had a funny habit of not making it to the rear.
Right now, that sniper rifle was out of ammo. He wished that he had stuffed a few clips in his pockets and not put it all in that goddamn utility belt. But like his pa used to say, shit in one hand and wish in the other, and see which one fills up first.
His only weapon was the Bowie knife. It didn't seem like much use against a German MP-40.
The soldiers ran faster, closing in on their quarry. The angle that they had been running at meant that they had less distance to cover to reach the hedge, and now they were between Cole and relative safety. The two were so close now that he could make out the details of their faces. They looked young but weather-beaten. Peachy stubble on their chins. Excitement lit their eyes. He noticed that one set of eyes was blue; the other was brown.
Both raised their weapons, expecting Cole to stop.
He charged toward them, his hand reaching for the antler handle of the Bowie knife. Cole let go of a rebel yell, high and keening, that froze both Germans in their tracks. The sound of it sent a shiver up his own spine.
He ran full tilt into the soldier on the right. The German was bigger than Cole, but Cole's momentum knocked the German off his feet. His helmet and his weapon went flying in different directions.
To his left, Cole heard the other German shouting something, waving the MP-40 at him. The German could have touched the trigger and killed him with a single burst, but still seemed intent on capturing him. Besides, if he fired now, he had an equal chance of killing the other German along with Cole. Cole crouched and pivoted, grabbing the muzzle and pointing it away with his left hand. In his right hand was the knife. The German's eyes got big at the sight of it. Cole had intended to stab him in the throat, but at the last instant he turned the knife and hit the German across the bridge of the nose with the brass guard. That German went down too.