Let's try for the children

My men and i return to the eatery to discuss the situation,posting two men outside with binoculars to keep an eye on our friends in the hall.Gathering the rest around two tables, two ladies serve us a cup of watery coffee and slightly stale pastry. Sipping the coffee i'm about to speak up when one of the men outside opens the door and shouts in. "Five Germans are following the track of the carrier out of town!"

"Anything else happening?" i shout back as both ladies gather up two baskets of sandwiches to take to the children. Moving to the door they depart,exchanging a wave with my men.

"Four Germans are sneaking their way towards us!" the other man reports as he watches the ladies get closer to the Germans. "They have made contact with the lunch ladies sarge!"

"Get to higher ground to keep an eye on the situation!" i order the pair. Turning i motion to two more men to take the outside position. Looking at the rest "So any ideas?"

"What if we tried to sneak in the back way when it's dark out?" Corporal Carter suggests. The rest are willing to give it a try so i suggest that five of them try to get four hours sleep,then the rest of us will nap.

"At 22 hundred hours we'll sort out who's going to try for the kids!" as i look at them. "0100 hrs we move against them!" i leave it to them to decide who goes first as i go outside to tell the guys out there our plan.

Twenty minutes later after going out i start to come back in when i hear. "The bastards they stripped them!" then "Jesus Christ they killed them! Permission to shot the cocksuckers sarge?"

"If you have a clear shot take them out! I holler to my man. No sooner does the report of a rifle is heard when "That bastard's not gonna get up!" then "Damn the rest got back clean,sorry sarge!"

From the other side of the street "Four Germans returning carrying another sarge! Going into the hall!"

I ask for the two men by the door to go retrieve the bodies of the ladies. The two higher up keeps them in their sights as the other two carry a body each back towards us. Sending one man to collect the other ladies i cover the bodies with jackets until they arrive. Waking the other five men i send the three that hasn't slept to rest.

The ladies come in,seeing the jacket covered bodies of their friends, burst out crying. I ask Anna where they bury their dead,but in her grief she doesn't answer my question. Another lady tells me by the church on the other side of town.We tell them that we'll bury them when possible before leaving town.

Anna asks if we plan to sleep in the houses with them again tonight.I explain our little plan we hatched to get the children back.She reaches up and kisses me on the cheek then leads the women back home.I set the five men who slept to task then i took my nap,but not before telling them to wake me at 2130 hrs