on,’ Ben gasped, still out of breath.
The soldier gave a short bark of laughter. ‘Am I hell? Who do you think I am?’ He shook his head and turned to glance at several other soldiers hurrying over to join them. ‘God knows what Colonel Greene’s going to say when he hears about this.’
‘Where did these kids come from?’ another soldier asked, jogging up. He had the three stripes of a sergeant on his shoulder.
‘No idea, Sarge. They just appeared out of the hedge.’
‘We have to get back in there, reach the village,’ Ben said. ‘We’ve got to help Mr Knight and the others.’
‘What’s he on about, Cooper?’ the sergeant demanded.
The first soldier – Cooper – shook his head.
‘Please,’ Rupam begged. ‘We only just got out, through there.’ He pointed back at the wall of greenery. From this side it just looked like a hedge. ‘It’s growing,’ he said. ‘It attacked us.’
The two soldiers looked at each other.
‘The hedge attacked you?’ the sergeant said. ‘Yeah, right. Get these two back to HQ,’ he told Cooper. ‘The colonel will want a word with them.’
‘Yes, Sarge.’
‘Rupam’s right,’ Ben insisted. ‘You have to listen to us, please.’
His words were drowned out by the noise of a powerful engine. A large tank rumbled into view, its tracks chewing up the grass. Its heavy gun seemed to be aiming right at Ben and Rupam. Moments later, a second tank swept up alongside, then a third. They stopped about twenty metres from where the boys were standing.
‘Please,’ Ben said again as the tanks’ engines idled more quietly. ‘Our friends are still in there. You have to help them.’
‘You could get through in those. Tanks could get through the jungle,’ Rupam said.
‘They’ll get through it all right,’ Private Cooper told them. ‘That’s why they’re here. The colonel’sgot tanks surrounding the village now. But there’s no one inside the cordon. He’s assured us of that. I don’t know where you’ve come from and you’re going to have a lot of explaining to do. But right now I need to get you out of here before the advance begins.’
‘What advance?’ Ben asked.
‘You mean you are going into Templeton?’ Rupam said.
‘ Through it more like. It’s lucky you got out when you did. I don’t know what Colonel Greene’s got against that village. But pretty soon it’ll be nothing but rubble.’
Ben felt cold suddenly. ‘What do you mean?’
‘He’s had it in for that place ever since he spent a week there alone on survival training, a couple of months back. First he had his men vandalise the church – now this.’
‘But what is this ?’
‘Colonel Greene’s orders. The advance begins in a few hours. We’re going to crush that village and everything in it to dust. Let nature take its course.’
Ben gaped in horror. ‘But you can’t! There are people still in there.’
‘You might not even see them if they’re indoors or trapped in the jungle,’ Rupam added.
‘There’s no one in there,’ Private Cooper told them confidently. ‘The whole place has been cleared. Now the village has to be levelled.’
‘But why?’ Ben demanded. ‘Why are you doing this?’
‘Colonel’s orders. It’s an exercise, isn’t it?’ Private Cooper frowned, as if trying to remember. ‘We’re doing it because … because …’ His frown deepened. Then his face cleared as he remembered. ‘We’re training for the landings. Training to flatten a German-occupied village. Destroy it completely and let nature take its course.’
‘But can’t you see –’ Ben started.
He didn’t get any further because Private Cooper grabbed him and shoved him towards the waiting Land Rover. Then he pushed Rupam after Ben.
‘Right, that’s enough now. Let’s have a bit of hush and get you to Colonel Greene. Careless talk costs lives, right? And so does breaking into a restricted area. You two are in big trouble.’
Ben stared at Rupam in horror as
The soldier gave a short bark of laughter. ‘Am I hell? Who do you think I am?’ He shook his head and turned to glance at several other soldiers hurrying over to join them. ‘God knows what Colonel Greene’s going to say when he hears about this.’
‘Where did these kids come from?’ another soldier asked, jogging up. He had the three stripes of a sergeant on his shoulder.
‘No idea, Sarge. They just appeared out of the hedge.’
‘We have to get back in there, reach the village,’ Ben said. ‘We’ve got to help Mr Knight and the others.’
‘What’s he on about, Cooper?’ the sergeant demanded.
The first soldier – Cooper – shook his head.
‘Please,’ Rupam begged. ‘We only just got out, through there.’ He pointed back at the wall of greenery. From this side it just looked like a hedge. ‘It’s growing,’ he said. ‘It attacked us.’
The two soldiers looked at each other.
‘The hedge attacked you?’ the sergeant said. ‘Yeah, right. Get these two back to HQ,’ he told Cooper. ‘The colonel will want a word with them.’
‘Yes, Sarge.’
‘Rupam’s right,’ Ben insisted. ‘You have to listen to us, please.’
His words were drowned out by the noise of a powerful engine. A large tank rumbled into view, its tracks chewing up the grass. Its heavy gun seemed to be aiming right at Ben and Rupam. Moments later, a second tank swept up alongside, then a third. They stopped about twenty metres from where the boys were standing.
‘Please,’ Ben said again as the tanks’ engines idled more quietly. ‘Our friends are still in there. You have to help them.’
‘You could get through in those. Tanks could get through the jungle,’ Rupam said.
‘They’ll get through it all right,’ Private Cooper told them. ‘That’s why they’re here. The colonel’sgot tanks surrounding the village now. But there’s no one inside the cordon. He’s assured us of that. I don’t know where you’ve come from and you’re going to have a lot of explaining to do. But right now I need to get you out of here before the advance begins.’
‘What advance?’ Ben asked.
‘You mean you are going into Templeton?’ Rupam said.
‘ Through it more like. It’s lucky you got out when you did. I don’t know what Colonel Greene’s got against that village. But pretty soon it’ll be nothing but rubble.’
Ben felt cold suddenly. ‘What do you mean?’
‘He’s had it in for that place ever since he spent a week there alone on survival training, a couple of months back. First he had his men vandalise the church – now this.’
‘But what is this ?’
‘Colonel Greene’s orders. The advance begins in a few hours. We’re going to crush that village and everything in it to dust. Let nature take its course.’
Ben gaped in horror. ‘But you can’t! There are people still in there.’
‘You might not even see them if they’re indoors or trapped in the jungle,’ Rupam added.
‘There’s no one in there,’ Private Cooper told them confidently. ‘The whole place has been cleared. Now the village has to be levelled.’
‘But why?’ Ben demanded. ‘Why are you doing this?’
‘Colonel’s orders. It’s an exercise, isn’t it?’ Private Cooper frowned, as if trying to remember. ‘We’re doing it because … because …’ His frown deepened. Then his face cleared as he remembered. ‘We’re training for the landings. Training to flatten a German-occupied village. Destroy it completely and let nature take its course.’
‘But can’t you see –’ Ben started.
He didn’t get any further because Private Cooper grabbed him and shoved him towards the waiting Land Rover. Then he pushed Rupam after Ben.
‘Right, that’s enough now. Let’s have a bit of hush and get you to Colonel Greene. Careless talk costs lives, right? And so does breaking into a restricted area. You two are in big trouble.’
Ben stared at Rupam in horror as
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