Chapter Text
Killer Angel
Chapter 1
D-Day
Don Malarkey
June 6, 1944
“You can’t be serious.” Don said as he shoveled dinner out of the ammo can into Lip’s mess kit. Lip had been going on and on for about half an hour about Lieutenant Speirs and how he boldly ran out of the trenches to seize the fourth gun by himself. Funny Lip missed the two guys who died in his wake. “After I told you the guy shot a bunch of POWs, you’re still going to act like he’s some kind of hero?”
To Don’s absolute dismay, the upstanding and rational Carwood Lipton glared at him and answered, “It was impressive, unlike your stupid stunt .”
Don could feel the chill in the air inside the tarped truck, then Bill Guarnere broke the silence with his signature cackle.
“Jesus, none of us took prisoners today. Sorry he wastes good smokes on some Nazis, but that guy has balls. He’s crazy. We need more like him.” Bill said and meant it. Speirs was nuts and he had been too. He himself had been at his worst today and didn’t feel bad about it. Shooting a few POWs? Good riddance. He dispatched with more than a few of his own. Leave it to Malarkey to get hung up on something like this. It was an invasion for Christ's sake!
Don was still feeling Lip’s eyes on him even though he had dropped his own eyes to his meal inside the ammo can. He knew Lipton had something akin to a sleeping dragon lurking under the surface of his otherwise calm and neutral demeanor. He’d seen it a few times when the boys, especially the NCOs, had gone and acted their age. A flash of anger that could erupt and an aftermath that came across as disappointment; he wasn’t sure what part was worse. However, finding no audience here, he was going to drop the subject until Buck chimed in.
“I went to his wedding.” Buck said as he tasted the culinary masterpiece Malark had cooked up. He smirked as he ate another spoonful of heated K-rations which were anything but good. He was grateful for food, grateful for company, and even happier to still be alive so it tasted like a meal he didn’t think he’d get.
“Whose?” Bill asked, talking while chewing his food.
“Speirs.” Buck answered.
“You went to his wedding ?” Don asked incredulously and looked to Buck next to him. Buck knew the guy? Buck Compton, all American, was hanging out with some guy capable of just mowing down unarmed prisoners? Wait. A woman married that man!?!?
“Yeah. Married a Swindon girl with the ATS. Same weekend as Leo Boyle’s wedding.” Buck said and spit out a weird piece of ‘meat’ that was probably a pig nipple or something.
“Bet nobody stole his bride.” Bill snorted and the truck erupted in a bit of laughter, except for Don who looked like he was losing his appetite.
“He was over the moon excited.” Buck said. “Moose went too. Derwood Cann from 3rd Battalion was there. Cann was kinda flirty with the groom, Ron only had eyes for his bride. Called him ‘Sparky’ so I guess those two have a history.”
Don decided to drop it as soon as he looked around to gauge reactions. Lip was giving him a look that said he was getting tired of Don trying to drive home a point he either didn’t care about or thought was a bunch of bullshit. Don was determined to learn the truth, he’d do his own asking around, he was good at that. Maybe Bill was right, they all did things this day they’d never considered doing.
“He’s Scottish. Had some family come in for the wedding. Guess he was born in Edinburgh.” Buck said and finished his meal then went for some crackers to help soak up the feeling of fat coating his mouth.
“Speirs?” Lip asked. “Is Scottish ?”
Don rolled his eyes. Just one more thing to add to the list of things to swoon over. Jesus. He was going to have to tell Smokey to rein Lip in before his curiosity got the better of him and he went asking for an autograph or something. He let it go, there were other things to think about tonight and some officer they’d probably never see again as not one of them. “So…anyone find a Luger?”