Pass Mamayev Kurgan

Evgeny and I travel north through ruined neighborhoods of apartment buildings. In the distance we can see the hill that dominates the city, Mamayev Kurgan.

“There’s the hill.” I tell Evgeny as we begin to draw closer. “That’s where they sent my brother.”

To my terror, the closer we get to the hill, the louder the sounds of gunfire grow. We hear the distant pop of cannons.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” I say. “Not again!”

“Come on!” Evgeny grabs me and pulls me into a trench as the shells whistle towards us.

We cover ourselves up, laying face down in the dirt for the first round. Evgeny and I get up to run further down the trench, both of us keeping low to keep our heads beneath the surface. He leads me into a small, makeshift shelter. Another round of artillery explodes above us, shaking dust and dirt down from the ceiling.

We sit against the wall in the cramped shelter, where almost a dozen Red Army soldiers are weathering the barrage. A few of them sitting across from us stare at me.

"Hey devushka." One of them says. "You kill any fascists today?"

“What division are you with?” I ask them. They look at each other.

“The 13th guards.”

“Do either of you know a man? Victor Kulikov?”

“I don’t know him, do you know him?”

“I’ve never heard of such a man.”

“Who is this man to you?” The first asks.

"Brother."

"When did you last hear from him?"

"A little over a week ago." I answer. "He told me that he was being sent to attack the hill."

The pair of them become silent.

"Have you heard anything about the attack?" I ask, worrying even more now.

"Which one?" He asks, jabbing his buddy with his elbow. They look at each other and laugh.

"Which one?" I repeat. He leans towards me.

"That hill has changed hands every day for the last week!"

"Every day?" I ask in horror.

"Sometimes twice a day. You are aware of order number 227, correct?" He asks.

"Not a step back." I mutter under my breath.

"I'm sorry." The first says. "But barring a miracle, there's no way he could have made it out of there. You can assume that he's dead."

Our conversation ends and I bury my face in my knees for the rest of the barrage. Evgeny puts his arm around me.

"It's time to move along now." He tells me, and I gather myself to follow him out of the shelter. The bleak world which I am in has just become even darker. I silently follow Evgeny through the trench, and into another part of the city, away from Mamayev Kurgan.

"We should be close to the chemical plant." Evgeny tells me. He stops and turns around. I'm trying to **** back my tears.

"Are you okay?" He asks. I can't answer him.

"Let's get off the street, okay?" Evgeny says, and takes my arm. We walk through the busted doors of what looks like a small shop and he sits me down with him behind the counter. I set my rifle down and lay my head on his shoulder. He sets down his and puts his arm around me.

"Oh Evgeny!" I cry. "They killed my brother too!"

"You don't know that!" He says, grabbing my hand.

"Don't try to trick me!" I growl at him. "You heard what they said!"

"Maybe he was wounded, and got evacuated." Evgeny suggests.

"So it's better that he lives the rest of his life as a cripple?"

"No. Maybe he found some way out of the assignment." Evgeny tries to console me. "You never know."

"Evgeny, I can feel it!"

"Don't give up hope!"

"Hope? Ha! Look around you!" I cry. "This city is hell! I thought I've seen war, I thought that I could handle it, but I could have never imagined THIS!"

"He is dead, and you know it!" I insinuate. "And so are we!"

"Don't you ever talk like that!" Evgeny shakes me. He pulls me into his body and rocks me in his arms.

"We are going to be okay." He promises. "I'm here for you." I cry on his shoulder for a few minutes. He pats my back.

"Oh, Evgeny." I say, wiping my tears. "You always make me feel better."

"I've got you." He tells me, holding me by the chin and looking into my eyes. "You just be brave, and do what I say, and we will be alright."

Evgeny kisses me, and I melt in his arms. I kiss him back and wrap my hands around his body. He kisses my forehead when we finally stop.

"I love you." I tell him. He becomes silent, a look of worry crossing his face. I'm in agony, waiting for his response.

"I love you too, Tatya." He pulls me into him and kisses me again.

I roll over on top of him and the two of us slither on the floor, passionately making out with one another and touching each other's bodies. I lay by his side and rest my head on his shoulder when we're done.

"Do you feel better now?" He asks me.

"I don't know." I tell him. "I think so."

I crawl off of him and pick up my rifle. Evgeny reaches for his.

"We should probably keep moving." He says, and leans in to give me one last peck on the lips before leading me outside.