Monika and Anon visit the ostfront!

You jerk up in your seat, drawing the attention of the men surrounding you. Immediately you commit to your motion, peeking uncertainly over the top of the Hanomag. From the top of the half track, you peer across the environment.

The ground is a sheet of snow covered in craters and debris, like a pristine white sheet stained by many hands. The ground is broken up by spires of black, trees dead in the harsh russian winter. Soldiers in faded grey charge or march through the trees and frozen dirt, led by ugly angular transports like the one you’re sitting in. Fear of a snipers bullet makes you turn back and sit down, shifting uncomfortably in your many layers of wool and cotton. You scan the men around you.

There’s more variety than you remembered, although you aren’t sure who is responsible. Young faces, old faces, fresh, dirtied. Eyes full of uneasy hope and those hardened and prepared. One set of eyes stands out to you, and your lips tug upwards before you even fully realize who they belong to.

Monikas eyes gleam under her helmet, the emerald standing out against the grey and dark brown scenery. She smiles at you before shouting at you over the rumble of the treads and engine.

“So, what’s the plan?” At that you close your eyes, picturing the map of the landscape, and your location and bearing. Before you respond, a man cuts you off, surprising both of you.

“We’re going to take out their bunker systems to the west, and from there we flank them in the center and take their point. I hope one of you brought satchel charges with you. Anyone?” You and Monika exchange glances, a pit forming in your stomach. This is the first time Monika has encountered another person besides you. You look around and the rest of the men in the truck are looking through their equipment. Looking back at Monika, you feel your pack suddenly increase in weight as she winks at you.

“I have one.” You say, hoping nobody noticed your kit receiving a sudden addition. You give Monika a pointed look, hoping she gets the message to not try that again. The man pats you on your shoulder.

“Good, glad to see one of you is sharp. All right, when we get within range, focus fire on the  gun ports while he sets up the-”

The vehicle rocks to the side slightly as the sound of metal punching through metal deafens you. The officers body splits in half from the chest down, his body falling onto the bed of the Hanomag. The man in front of him slumps back, a massive hole in his chest. Monikas screams and clutches her rifle close as the rest of the men burst into action and noise.

“Fuck! The Squad Leader’s dead!”
“Where are they?!”
“How close are we to the bunker?!”
Half of the men are shouting as the other half peer over the top, rifles ready. The driver shifts to a faster speed and starts moving in a pattern, attempting to avoid the second shot. Monika looks at you, and you reach out and squeeze her arm. Then you root through the officers belt, pulling out his grenades and ammunition.

The half track crests the hill and starts being pelted with bullets, pattering off the armor like rain. The Machine gunner unloads at an unseen target. You unscrew the cap on a smoke grenade as you mouth “Stay close to me” to Monika. She nods. The driver pulls the transport to a sudden stop. You pull the string pin and throw it out of the open top and towards the direction the majority of the gunfire is coming from.

A few seconds later a familiar popping noise joins the gunfire for a split second, and a silver veil separates the truck and the hill. At once the men pile out of the back, with you taking point. You hear a man scream from the direction of the drivers seat. In mid sprint you sling your rifle across your back and pull out the satchel charge, twisting off the cap. In the corner of your eye you see a man standing in the gun port aim for you with a submachine gun, but before he fires a round flies through his throat, and he falls out of your view. You grit your teeth as you throw the heavy charge onto the foot of the door, before turning and sprinting away.

You reach Monika, huddled and shaking next to the transport as you ready your rifle. You watch her cycle the bolt of her own rifle and put your hand on her shoulder and gently squeeze.

“It’s just a game, right?” She nods, a smile forming on her face again. “Then stick close to me, we’ll win and we’ll try a vegetarian cooking game or something, alright?” Monika laughs, filling you with warmth. You tilt your head at the bunker door and you both get ready.

An explosion erupts, shaking the ground and covering the entrance with a plume of dirt. Instantly green beams of light start pouring through the opening with a steady retort. As you aim and fire slightly above the source, one of them grazes your shoulder, tearing through wool, cotton and flesh with equal ease. You scream as you stagger back, rifle falling to the ground. In the back of your mind you wonder why that happened as you fumble through your pack with one hand, desperate to staunch the bleeding.

You feel Monika grab your arm and drags you into a crater high enough to give the both of you cover. Your hand wraps around a soft cylinder and you pull it out. You fumble with the bandages twine cover before Monika takes it from you, freeing you up to clutch at the wounded limb.

“Anon, are you okay? How bad is it? Oh no, I’m so sorry...” You look up from your arm and Monika is shaking, trying to keep her tears from falling onto the unwrapped bandage. You let her wrap it around your arm over your uniform, You’ll have to make do until you get someplace calmer.

“It’s fine, Monika. It didn’t hit bone, I should be able to keep going. I don’t suppose you can give it a kiss to get better, huh?” Monika smiles and wipes her eyes off with her sleeve, you neglect to tell her about the throbbing ache and growing coldness in your finger tips. You clench your hand as Monika leans forward and plants a soft kiss on the bandage after tying it, a small bow sitting on the top.

“Now, promise me you won’t get hurt again, okay?” Monika says. You press your foreheads together, helmets clinking slightly. “Of course. Now come on, let’s stick around the back of the squad.” Monika helps you up and you both jog out of the crater into the bunker.

The reports of rifles and screams both recognizable and foreign echo ahead as you both enter the reinforced structure. You step over corpse of ally and enemy before spotting a dead russian, fingers clutching a PPS. Gingerly you pry it from his stiff fingers and pat him down for spare ammo. You sling your rifle over your back and reload the submachine gun, looking over at Monika. She watches the hole you just walked through, rifle at the ready. You both catch up to the rear of your squad, which has thinned out to at least eight or so men.

The both of you stand off to the corner, watching them spearhead through a hallway, gunfire and screaming being traded from both ends. One of them falls back, chest rapidly staining red. You grab Monikas shoulder with your good arm, noticing the majority of the men on your side have stopped to reload.

A russian man jumps forward, gripping a MG-34. You pull Monika to the ground as you scream, no time to form any words before the men in front of you start being ripped apart.
You aim your PPS one handed, the other limply clutching at Monika. You squeeze the trigger, bullets ripping through the legs of the man in front of you and riddling the communist, sending him falling back, the trail of bullets riding into the ceiling.

You prop your other arm under the gun and watch the end of the hall, waiting for more enemies to rush in to finish you off.
Nothing comes, leaving you on the ground, surrounded by corpses. You pull yourself to your feet and step backwards, glancing between the hallway and the floor to look for Monika.

Two riflemen charge forward, letting you sling your gun across your back to join the rifle. You find Monika clutching her ears on the ground.
You move her rifle away and gently place your hand against hers. She looks up and locks eyes with yours, lowering her arms to stand back up.

“How about we take a break?” You squeeze her hand. She chuckles weakly and follows you.

With the Squad Leader lagging behind and the bunker secured, the majority of the remains of your squad scattered and joined the offensive ahead, leaving the both of you alone. You both find a supply room, kicking around spent brass casings but thankfully no bodies or blood. You slide the two guns off your back and put them down on a table before leaning against it.

“So, how are you holding up?” You look over at Monika as she rubs her shoulder. She looks tired and dirty, but she has a satisfied smile on her face.

“You’re right, this game is pretty...” Her face twists in slight discomfort. “ Intense.”
You start forward but she holds her hands out at you.
“I’m not saying I hate it! I liked it when we were on the range. This just feels a bit too...”

“Real?” You cut her off. She nods and moves closer to you, but she gasps and grips your shoulder, accidentally making you wince.

“Anon, your arm! We got to dress it again!” You wave her off with the other arm.

“I’ll be fine, Monika. It’s just”-You close your eyes and think about your body. Your shoulder has gone from orange into the red, and your forearm, hand and part of your chest are in varying shades of orange and yellow.-”It’s just a game, remember?” She frowns and pulls at your parka, trying to make you sit on the table despite your height difference.

“Anon, Don’t throw that back at me. I’m not going to stand here and watch you bleed out just because it’s a game. I-I don’t want to...” She shuts her eyes and shakes her head. You cup her face with your hand and brush her cheek softly with a thumb.

“Okay, Monika. I’m sorry. Let’s hurry up and do a better job, okay?” She hums in response and starts undoing the bandage. You hiss as you feel the cotton stick and pull off of your wound, uniform stiff and sticky with blood both dried and fresh. You didn’t realize how bloody it was under the dirt.
You peel off layers of your uniform, each one bloodier than the last. Parka, tunic and undershirt come off, leaving you shivering in the cold. Monika covers her mouth with her hands.

The entry wound is a small clean hole, about the diameter of the round. A thick bruise surrounds it, fading into a spiderweb of angry red against purple and pale white flesh.
You ease yourself onto the table, feeling the exit wound on the opposite end of your arm stretch, dull nerves highlighting the damage to you. Blood and ichor flows freely from both sides, snapping Monika out of her horror as you try to staunch it with one hand.

She  pulls a clean ribbon from her pack and ties it tight around your arm as a makeshift tourniquet. Monika pauses.
“A-Anon, what do I do now? It looks pretty bad...” You think. Your arm twitches.

“I remember first aid stuff, so this should be simple. Can you check if you have a first aid kit in your pack?” She digs around and pulls out a small carton with german text on it, and a small red cross emblazoned in its center . She empties it out and you both scrutinize the contents quickly.

“Okay, it will have to do.” You begin to guide her as you lay back on the table, letting her work.

She disinfects the wound and the surrounding tissue with iodine, making you wince as you feel the fluid and the stinging sensation go all the way through your shoulder. The bottle runs out quick, and you explain debridement to her. She goes pale and you wave her off, telling her it’s a superficial wound and it won’t be necessary. She pouts and threatens you with a needle when you tell her you only told her about it to scare her.

She starts trying to sew the wounds shut while you grit your teeth. Her hands shake and she takes awhile, but eventually both holes are sown shut. She pulls out another fresh bandage and wraps over it, letting out a sigh of relief as the majority of the damage is out of sight, out of mind. She undoes the impromptu tourniquet and lets it fall to the floor.
You pull your parka over your body to help fend off the cold as she hugs you, arms wrapping around your bare torso.

“How does it feel now?” You shrug in response, keeping the wounded arm as still and straight as you can.

“That felt absolutely awful, but it would be worse if we hadn’t done that.” She presses her face into your bare neck and sighs.

You both sit there for a while. Clearly the front line has moved rather far from here, and two rifleman aren’t an imperative, so you both dropped off the radar, for now at least. You think, listening to the distant sounds of artillery and gunfire, muted by the winter wind.

“Hey, Monika?” She hums in acknowledgement, sending small vibrations into your neck.
“Why didn’t you just mess with the code and remove the wound?”

You both sit there in silence for a bit before you chuckle. Soon the both of you are laughing, Monika slapping her forehead. Eventually you both calm down and Monika speaks again.

“I forgot about that! I guess if you want me too, but we just got through all that, and you made me stop...” You shake your head, smiling.

“No, you’re right. The rounds almost over anyway, so we can leave.  What do you want to do after?”

She closes her eyes and hums, and goes silent. Then she looks up at you, eyes bright.

“How about a game where we can both shoot, but maybe without shooting other... People?” At that, you mentally browse your steam library. You feel a faint, echoing throb where your wallet pocket would be when you realize you don’t own anything that meets that criteria. Yet.

“I assume you want to play something realistic, right?” She beams and nods. “Hopefully something co-operative so we can be together!” You mentally check off your list of criteria.

“How about a hunting game?” You offer.

“Anon, I’m vegetarian, remember?” You pat her head in response.

“Woah woah woah, you didn’t let me explain. It has guns, it could be realistic and co-op, and it has big, gorgeous maps to run around in. Maybe even camp in?..”


She presses her face against your neck, hiding it from your vision. You still feel her smiling widely against your bare skin, though.
“I guess I can give it a shot...”

You both smile and lightly kiss as the round comes to an end. You and a bot are almost at the bottom of the leader board, but neither of you mind. You both quietly leave to your desktop and you start browsing the store.