Solo For Two

In 1916, on the Eastern Front of the Allied forces.The distant sound of carols floated into the trench shrouded in pitch darkness.In honor of Christmas, both the Allies and the Central Powers had ceased bombardment for the day. The youngest in the unit, Finn, had made a small Christmas tree and placed it above the trench as a cute gesture. Even the enemy snipers, who would normally shoot at anything resembling a human head, left the tree alone. Everyone gathered around the fire, humming carols, except for one young man from Vienna who quietly kept to a corner of the trench.He was reading something by the faint light of the fire. Judging by the worn-out paper, it seemed to be a letter from home. Ben, tossing dried potatoes into the boiling soup, spoke to him.“Is it from your lover?”At first, he didn’t seem to realize Ben was talking to him and remained silent for a moment. When Ben gestured toward the letter with his chin, he nodded.“It’s from home.”“You left your lover behind.”“Yes.”He answered with his eyes lowered. Ben sensed a faint longing and affection for his lover in the young man’s face.“It seems our mail service has been interrupted on this front, doesn’t it?”Ben commented, noticing the tattered letter. For the young man who had read the letter repeatedly until it was frayed, there had been not a single letter in the past year. Although many women left their enlisted men, Ben didn’t want to remind the young man, Karel Clements, of this possibility.“You’ll probably receive a bunch of backlogged letters in a few months. Let’s hope the mail doesn’t get lost somewhere along the way.”“Yes.”He answered without much distress and carefully folded the letter back into his pocket.Ben knew that before falling asleep, Karel would gaze for a long time at a small locket he kept in his pocket. It probably contained a picture of his lover. Even though it was a common scene in the trenches, Ben found himself particularly moved by it because Karel had something different about him compared to other young men his age. He was remarkably calm and taciturn, even in the midst of war.Initially, Ben thought Karel might be suffering from depression due to the shock of war. It was very common on the battlefield. Young men who enlisted with their friends, thinking it was a big camping trip, often went mad from the death of their friends, exhibited excessive behavior, or became numb from the bombardments.So Ben assumed that Karel’s quiet demeanor was due to fear.But his opinion changed after an incident a few days ago.It was two days ago.They were selecting messengers to be assigned to snipers. Karel’s name was called.As soon as his name was called, he immediately lightened his gear and prepared to leave the bunker. His demeanor was different from the other soldiers who turned pale or began to sob when their names were called.Seeing his calm attitude, Ben thought Karel was a remarkable young man. However, courage alone does not determine survival on the battlefield. It was often the cowards, who knew how to protect themselves, who had higher chances of survival. These days, even the enemy forces were heavily bombarding and airstriking to eliminate troublesome snipers. In this situation, messengers constantly moving in and out of the trenches were often the first to get shot.‘It’s bad enough having the enemy to worry about.’Ben sneered. These days, Allied snipers would use messengers as bait to locate enemy snipers. They would deliberately make the messenger stand above the trench to keep watch, and if he got shot, they could roughly determine the enemy sniper’s position.Most messengers did not return once they left the trench. That’s why the new recruits drafted as messengers left in tears. Karel would likely be no exception. He must have known that too…‘Who could remain so calm on a mission to almost certain death?’Watching the soldiers moving out of the trench in a line, including Karel’s retreating figure, Ben clicked his tongue.The afternoon after a relentless day-and-night bombardment, the soldiers barely holding the front line moved along the trench during a brief ceasefire. In the midst of this, Ben encountered numerous corpses. As they gathered remaining ammunition, weapons, and food, the soldiers cleaned up the scene.Due to the shelling, the craters and pools of blood that were deeper than a person’s height vividly painted the horrors of the previous night. Ben, the military doctor, set out with plenty of morphine and bandages, but he didn’t encounter any wounded soldiers to use them on. Most had died instantly.“Idiots. Bombarding so much just to take out a few snipers… Do they have endless supplies or something?”Ben vaguely responded to his comrade’s grumbling as he continued walking. Everyone knew that the Central Powers had fewer troops and supplies than the enemy.“Hey, look over there. Is that one still alive?”His comrade nudged Ben’s shoulder and asked. Ben squinted. In the distance, a corpse appeared to be moving slightly.“We’ll have to get closer to know for sure.”“Then let’s quickly check it out and head back. We never know when the shooting will start again.”As they approached, Ben realized it wasn’t a corpse. To be precise, it was a man pinned under a pile of corpses. Ben’s comrade gasped and ran forward when he saw the man struggling to push aside the heavy bodies, still wearing his full gear.“What happened to you?”“Last night was….”A somehow familiar voice emerged from behind the corpses. The man pushed away a pale corpse that seemed to cling to him for the last time and stood up. Seeing his face, Ben felt a surge of relief.It was Karel.“I was lucky. The shells didn’t fall directly on me.”“Exactly. But how did you end up buried under those bodies?”Karel didn’t answer immediately but merely lifted the corners of his mouth. Seeing that faint smile, Ben shook off a cruel thought that crossed his mind.“I used them as a barricade.”It took Ben a moment to understand his words.“So, you mean you used the bodies as a shield against the shelling?”“Yes.”A chill ran down his spine.Ben decided not to ask further about the situation the previous night. Recently, snipers had been using messengers as bait to locate enemy snipers. If Karel had been put in such a position, Ben doubted he would have quietly complied.Even if Karel had killed the sniper, Ben couldn’t blame him. War was about survival, not just winning. Recognizing the determination to survive beneath Karel’s calm demeanor, Ben realized that his reticence was not out of fear.And now, today.Reevaluating Karel, Ben began to notice certain things.First, Karel was skilled with a knife. When small animals were hunted in the woods, it was always Karel who expertly butchered them. He might have been inexperienced with guns, but he handled knives of any size with remarkable ease.Ben recalled that the Allied snipers he saw two days ago had not died from gunfire or shelling. The cause of death was massive bleeding and clean stab wounds—clearly from a knife.Second, Karel had not volunteered for enlistment. Rumors had reached Ben that Karel had committed some crime and chose military service over decades in prison. The rumors had grown over time, painting Karel as a murderer, especially because of his calmness around blood and corpses. Gradually, no one spoke to Karel, and he didn’t seem inclined to deny the rumors.Ben saw a fierce will to live in Karel.He hadn’t simply escaped to the military to avoid serving time. He planned to survive this war and return to reality instead of wasting years in prison.For what reason?Ben wondered where Karel’s determination to survive came from. Today, he found a clue.The only time Karel seemed like a young man his age was when he thought of his lover.Ben asked Karel.“How old is she?”“Are you asking about my lover?”“Yes.”“She’s two years older than me.”Although it was just a question about age, Karel’s eyes warmed as he thought of his lover.“How long have you been together?”“It’s been nearly four years now.”“Wow, that’s much longer than I expected. You’ll get married once the war is over.”“We were already living together.”“So, it’s a deeper relationship than I thought. You must miss her a lot.”“Yes… I miss her very much.”Karel’s voice faltered slightly. Through the flickering firelight, Ben saw his throat tighten with emotion. He was clearly choked with longing.“If you’ll listen…”“Hmm?”“Can I talk a bit more about her?”“About your lover?”“Yes. I didn’t realize it, but just talking about her makes my memories of her so vivid… It’s better than recalling them alone.”Ben nodded.The young man, deeply in love with his longtime partner, began recounting trivial stories. How his lover liked sweets and he used to make candy for her with honey and sugar, how they went fishing and swimming together at small lakes near the Alps, how her increasing drinking had been a concern lately, and how he worried she might be alone at home today. These were simple, unremarkable things. Ben thought it was cruel that Karel, who would have lived a modest life with his lover, was instead trapped in this war.“At Christmas, my father always brought venison, and we cooked together. Ah, my father is also a butcher.”“I see. So your job is a family trade.”“In a way, yes. But Sasha is quite shy, so I’m worried she might be alone at home today.”“You haven’t seen her in about a year?”“It’s already been that long.”“There are rumors that the war will end by spring. Just hold on a little longer.”“Yes.”Karel took out a small locket and looked inside. A smile played on his lips. Watching him rub the locket with his thumb as if caressing his lover’s face, Ben grew curious.“Is she beautiful?”“Excuse me? Oh…”“Can you show me a picture?”“It’s just a childhood photo…”Despite his hesitation, Karel didn’t stop Ben from looking into the locket. Ben, sensing Karel’s pride and eagerness to show off his lover, smiled warmly.“She’s stunning!”Indeed, the photo in the locket showed a pretty young girl with a small, round face and slightly tense lips. Despite the youthful image, her deep eyes held a melancholy, and even her eyebrows were beautiful. If she grew up like this, she would surely turn heads wherever she went.“How did a guy like you end up with such a beauty? How could you leave such a lovely girl alone back home without any fear?”When Ben exaggerated his amazement, Karel couldn’t hide a mix of pride and excitement, lowering his head and smiling.The trench had fallen silent. Ben extinguished the lamp beside his bed. As the light disappeared, there was a small click, the sound of metal clinking. It was likely Karel closing the locket containing his lover’s photo.A peaceful Christmas evening, the only night without bombardment, was passing by.＊ ＊ ＊Another half-year passed without any signs of the war ending.With more firepower being poured into the increasingly fierce Western Front, the Eastern Front, where Ben and Karel were stationed, was plagued with dire news of shortages. Supplies were dwindling, including weapons, ammunition, and even food rations. The lack of drinking water forced soldiers to filter and drink muddy water.And still, no letters came from Karel’s lover.During this time, Ben learned that the rumor he had heard was true: Karel was a criminal. When Ben cautiously inquired about it, Karel openly admitted that he had been sentenced to 25 years in prison and had chosen military service instead of serving his sentence. He spoke of his past without fear, remorse, or concealment.‘I couldn’t leave Sasha alone for 25 years.’Ben nodded, thinking of Karel’s lover.However, Ben couldn’t bring himself to ask what crime Karel had committed. He had grown fond of Karel and didn’t want to be disappointed by the truth. He was moved by Karel’s pure and steadfast love for his lover. If Karel’s crime was something like sexual assault, contradicting the image Ben had of him, it would shatter his perception completely. So, he didn’t want to know.‘It seems my moral compass is wavering in this war. Would I not be disappointed if he were a murderer?’In any case, Ben understood why Karel had little contact with his family. If he had committed a serious crime, he would have been a disgrace to them. As he suspected, Karel seemed to have severed ties with his family long ago. The only letters Karel received were occasionally from a friend named Julian.Despite the mail service resuming long ago, the absence of any letters from Karel’s lover saddened Ben. The two had become friends, and Ben began to share in Karel’s loneliness.Then one day, disaster struck.It was primarily Ben’s misfortune. While their unit was moving through a forest, they were ambushed by enemy forces. Ben was shot in the right thigh. Karel, trying to support the now immobile Ben, ended up falling behind the rapidly retreating unit. As an army medic, Ben had enough morphine and bandages to roughly treat his wound, which was a small relief.To make matters worse, night fell quickly in the forest. With limited visibility and the potential for more enemy ambushes, the two could not risk using a light as they moved.“Get on my back.”“If you waste your energy, you won’t make it either. If you hurry, you might catch up with the unit.”“I can’t return alone. We’ll go together.”Lacking the courage to tell Karel to leave him behind, Ben found himself reassured by Karel’s response.But the night in the forest was cold, and Ben’s body temperature kept dropping. Karel’s strength was also waning from supporting Ben. The greatest danger, however, was that they encountered remnants of the enemy forces before reuniting with their own.In the dark, quiet foothills of the forest, they were surrounded by armed enemies.Karel hid Ben under a tree trunk.“I’ll be back before dawn.”“It’s dangerous. Where are you going? We don’t even know how many enemies there are….”But Karel’s eyes glinted strangely in the moonlight. Ben saw in them a determination to survive that went beyond mere survival instinct.“I will come back. Tomorrow, we’ll return to our unit together.”With that, Karel left before Ben could protest.Ben endured the night under the tree trunk, keeping himself warm with strong liquor. Despite the combination of morphine and alcohol making him drowsy, he managed to stay alert. His heightened senses picked up the sound of a nearby stream, the movement of unknown footsteps, and occasionally, gunshots and screams.As dawn began to break, with light filtering through the trees, Ben looked up at the sky with a hazy mind. Karel, who had promised to return before dawn, had not come back. He might never return. He could already be lying somewhere as a cold corpse after a lonely fight through the night.As these thoughts crossed his mind, Ben struggled to stand. If he stayed here, he would die in the forest anyway. Before that happened, he wanted to find Karel’s body if possible, even if it meant encountering enemy forces. If he found Karel, and by some stroke of luck managed to escape the forest, he intended to send Karel’s belongings to his lover.However, before Ben could take more than a few steps, a dark silhouette appeared in the distance.At first, Ben was astonished with joy. It was Karel.But as Karel drew closer, Ben was horrified by his appearance. He wanted to scream. Dear God, no. Karel must never see himself like this.“It’s… a relief you made it back alive.”Ben said with difficulty. Karel’s uniform was soaked in blood, turning it dark. Blood, mixed with sweat, dripped from his face and hair. Horrific wounds marred the visible areas of his face, neck, and hands.Karel approached silently, lifting Ben to support him. The stench of blood was overwhelming, but Karel seemed oblivious, as if his sense of smell had numbed.“There seems to be a stream nearby. Why don’t we wash up a bit before moving on?”Karel nodded weakly, exhaling a tired breath. Ben was somewhat relieved to see that Karel’s injuries weren’t severe enough to damage any organs, and that the blood on his clothes mostly belonged to others.However, upon reaching the stream, Ben involuntarily recoiled and collapsed to the ground in shock.Karel, too, seemed startled at the sight of the water. With the daylight, things that were hidden at night became visible.The stream ran red, stained with blood.“There must be….”Ben swallowed hard.“There must be bodies near the water.”But Ben knew that no matter how much blood a human body contained, a single body couldn’t turn a stream this red. Karel silently washed his blood-caked hands in the flowing water, though it was pointless since the stream itself was as red as blood. All he could do was rinse off the dried, dark stains.On their way back to the unit, Ben reflected on the bloody remnants scattered across the winter forest, recalling the previous night’s slaughter. When they finally reached the unit, the knives Karel turned in were all damaged. Karel testified to his superiors about what had happened during the night. Initially, the superior thought Karel’s account was exaggerated.The next day, however, as they retraced their retreat path and advanced, everyone realized his testimony was true. The ground was littered with slaughtered bodies. Compared to the struggle during the ambush and retreat a few days before, their advance was unnaturally easy.‘How was this possible?’The superior asked.‘They avoided using their guns as much as possible because of the ambush. Thanks to that….’‘I mean, how did you kill so many?’The superior praised Karel in a bizarre manner. Karel didn’t respond, but Ben understood. Karel would have done anything to survive. Ben also recalled the job Karel had referred to as his “family business” back home.Shortly after, Karel was awarded a medal and promoted to second lieutenant. Both enemies and allies referred to him not by name, but by the nickname “The Butcher.”＊ ＊ ＊The regiment headquarters where Karel went for his officer commission was located far from the front lines.Karel struggled to adjust to the quiet village landscape, untouched by shelling. He had grown accustomed to the snowy fields and the unlit trenches. Cautiously, he walked into the headquarters building, treading on clean gravel roads, free from mud and dust, and buildings without a single broken or shattered window.He entered the office of the colonel he was scheduled to meet.“The colonel will be here shortly. Please sit and wait.”Soon, a soldier brought a drink. It was a plain teacup, common everywhere, but to Karel, it seemed unfamiliar. He carefully touched the intact cup. Moreover, it contained coffee made with clean water, free of mud. The aroma and warmth of real coffee, something he hadn’t had in a long time, moved Karel slightly.Ben over here refers to Sasha as she since Karel didn’t mention any his lover’s gender. While showing the photograph, Karel shows Sasha’s picture, where his hair was long so naturally Ben assumes Sasha is a female.