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Nation 10 - Occupied France
Prologue 10

The tour guide led the way through the underground passage. He only had one tourist but the man paid good money and he didn't turn down a wealthy customer. The guide explained the history of the village and the purpose of the tunnel for the resistance fighters. The tourist then pointed to a section that was sealed off with tape.

"Where does that lead to?" asked the man.

"It's off limits," replied the guide. As he was about to continue the tour, he felt something pressed against his back. "What? What are you doing?"

"Tell me what's inside," said the man calmly.

"It's not fully excavated yet. Some parts of the tunnel collapsed over the years. Please don't ki-"

A muffled gunshot echoed in the tunnels. To an untrained ear, it sounded no different from a cough. The man caught the corpse in mid-flight and dragged it to a dark corner of the tunnel. He then entered the section declared off limit and pulled out a small metal detector.

"I could only hope they are correct," muttered the man as he worked.

A quick scan of the tunnel confirmed what the guide was saying. Parts of it collapsed onto itself which left only a small area for the man to work with. Because he entered with a guide, the man couldn't exactly bring a shovel. He swept his metal detector in a back and forth motion not anticipating success. Few minutes later, his detector needle went off. The man went digging at once and, moments later, found what he came for. He wiped off the dirt before tucking the item into his pocket. His job was complete.

AVYLdFE.png

Note: Borders are only meant to give a rough idea so it lacks accuracy.

Our tenth nation will be France. The starting date is August 24, 1944. You are a French resistance fighter hiding in the village of Maillé. You are slightly wounded and have reasons to believe the German soldiers are on a lookout for you. You know not who is your friend and enemy in the small village which complicates the situation further. Little did you know, the enemy had other plans for the village. Unknown to you, a great tragedy is about to befall on Maillé. Two options are available to you. You can either flee on foot hoping you can escape to a safe location or you can remain behind and face the terror that also await the villagers. Of course, you must take into consideration the letter you hold that could change the course of the war.
 
Really enjoyed the ending to Rybakov's story, and am looking forward to the French one.

Thanks! The next update will hopefully be tomorrow. The short stories will be coming to an end soon as we transition into the main story.
 
Occupied France

Chapter 38

[August 24, 1944]

(Outskirts of Maillé, Germany)

Xavier maneuvered through the woods the best he could. His right arm was wounded earlier when he came across a few German soldiers. The soldiers weren't in a particularly good mood and, when they spotted him, they decided to use him to brighten their day. The leader of the group gestured Xavier to come forward which the French man complied. Then, the leader shot him in the arm without warning. Xavier was worried that his cover was blown and dashed for the woods but the Germans remained where they were standing and laughed at the expense of Xavier. Xavier was just relieved that leader was such a bad shot or he could easily lose his entire arm. There was slight bleeding earlier but the bleeding stopped by the time he closed in on Maillé. Xavier could only hope that his wound doesn't get unwanted attention from the local officials, especially those who sympathized with the Germans. The wound temporarily rendered his right arm useless but, being left-handed, this bothered him little. If necessary, he could still reach for the weapon he hid in his coat.

(Maillé, Germany)

By the time Xavier reached the village, it was nearly dark with the last bit of sunlight slowly withdrawing. The young man approached a man near the entrance who was fighting back a yawn.

"Excuse me, sir." Xavier tried his best to look like a student.

"What brings you to Maillé?" asked the man with suspicion.

"A German patrol shot at me without a reason. Is there a doctor here?" Xavier showed his wound to the man who didn't look at all surprised.

"What did those men look like?"

Xavier did his best describing the men and, once he finished, he felt relief seeing the man nod.

"I'm Matthieu. I apologize for being suspicious about strangers but one never knows who is an enemy and who isn't." Matthieu then shook his head. "Those Germans had been causing a lot of problems nearby. Anyone unfortunate enough to encounter them is bound to get shot. You are lucky they didn't aim for your head or you will just be another corpse in a ditch around here." Matthieu did a small stretch. "Tell you what. I'm heading back home and the doctor's clinic is along the way. I can take you there."

"Thank you!" Xavier meant what he said.

The two men headed down the main street and, with Matthieu acting as his guide, Xavier noticed that the villagers paid him little attention. This was good news since he intended on leaving Maillé the very next day. They soon arrived at the clinic where they said farewell. Xavier entered the clinic where he explained to the doctor what happened. The doctor, being very understanding, offered to treat the wound free of charge. The wound was soon treated and the doctor emphasized that the arm needed rest or it could bleed again. Xavier then thanked the doctor before asking about possible cheap accommodations. The doctor pointed him to a local tavern that offered cheap rooms to travelers.