Kiev — Dawn, August 1941
There was no resistance.Not at first.
The Panzer IV moved slowly down a wide avenue, flanked by low buildings, many in ruins. Shattered glass. Scattered papers. A bicycle abandoned next to an open gate. Nothing stirred. Not even the wind.
—"Too quiet," Helmut muttered.
—"Like the whole city's holding its breath… so we won't notice," Ernst added.
Konrad said nothing. Just watched. Measured.
Falk scanned every corner like he expected something to crawl from the shadows. It wasn't paranoia. It was instinct.
After five blocks without a single sign of life, they halted.
—"Check the area," Falk ordered. "Eat something. We move in twenty minutes."
They shut off the engine. The silence deepened. A city asleep… or waiting to wake up screaming.
Ernst opened his pack and pulled out the rations.
—"Bread black as smoke," he said, breaking it apart.
—"What is this—meat or compressed cardboard?" Lukas asked, forcing open the tin.
—"Iron rations," Helmut said dryly. "Called that because your gut has to be armored to survive them."
Konrad chewed slowly, expressionless.
—"Worst part is… they used to taste even worse," he added. "This… is a luxury."
Falk sat on the tank tread. Took a piece of bread and some canned meat. He didn't eat with appetite—just duty.
—"You know what feels strangest?" he said suddenly.
—"What?"
—"There's no smell. No gunpowder, no blood, no people. Just… emptiness."
At the end of the avenue, a sharp sound. Metal scraping.A shadow disappearing between doorways.
—"Something moved," Helmut warned.
Falk stood up.
—"Food down. Cannon forward. No one relax."
The Panzer rumbled back to life.
And with it, the city itself seemed to start breathing.
Kiev wasn't screaming yet.But the echo… was already there.