The destruction was devastating. Death lay all around Paul, who by now was hardened, not even twitching at the sight.
His boots struck the asphalt calmly, his eyes wandering over the different corpses. Once in a while, he raised his pistol and shot a soldier who was still breathing or twitching from pain.
After walking through the field of corpses, with two of his loyal men following behind him like bodyguards, he arrived beside Ramirez, who was looking at the men kneeling before him.
Paul, too, turned his attention to them. They seemed to be high-ranking officers who had surrendered.
"One colonel and two majors," the translator said, standing beside Ramirez.
"Do they have any intel regarding the city hall or further reinforcements?" Paul asked.
Ramirez answered grimly, "They definitely have that intel, yet they refuse to speak."He nodded toward one of the soldiers, who punched one of the majors. The soldier asked the major again, but he only laughed. The others remained silent.
Then a shot abruptly cut off the laughter. The major fell forward, a pool of blood forming beneath him.
Everyone eyes widend and turned toward Paul. Ramirez in particular looked angry, yet Paul calmly holstered his pistol and spoke:
"In my experience, there's always a way to make them talk. Besides, the loudest one is also the one who knows the least."
He stepped forward, putting his hand onto the colonels shoulder, gripping thightly:"Isn't that right?"
Although the colonel didn't understand what Paul had said to him, he saw Paul's eyes deep as an ocean hiding horros he couldn't even image. He also saw what happend to his comrade and the pain in his should made him want to cry out, yet he clenched his teeth, sweat pouring down from his forehead.
Paul pulled out his pistol once again, putting it against the forehead of the other major, who began whimpering in fear, looking at his Colonel with pleeding eyes.
Paul looked at the Colonel once again, whose head began twitching slightly before moving up and down, nicking.
A slight smile formed on his lips, before he looked at Ramirez giving him knowing look and walking away, under the watchul eyes of all.
After gaining some vital intel from the Spanish officers, the group made their way back toward the city center.
Tanks and armoured cars rolled down the streets of Ávila; its residents, already used to the sight, were hiding inside their houses and watching the cohorts of soldiers as they moved toward the city hall, the last bastion of Republican Spain in Ávila.
Four men stood on the terrace of a restaurant not far from the city hall, watching their forces advance.
"So this is it, their fortress," Paul said, looking at the distant building.
There was only silence for a moment before Ramirez looked at Paul. He answered through his translator, "You did good. I mean, with the officers."
Paul didn't reply. He gave Ramirez a quick glance, then sat down at one of the restaurant's tables. Hasso and Ramirez followed suit, making themselves comfortable.
A waiter brought them three Spanish beers, placing them neatly on the table.
Ramirez sighed and noted, "Let's meet right here again after we manage to claim this city."
Paul gave a slight smile and began to outline their strategy. "I'd say we have three options. Number one: we storm the building with full force. We'd win quickly, but casualties would be high. Besides, they have anti-air guns on the roof, so we can't use our air support. Number two: we lay siege. That wouldn't cost many men, but it would take time. Number three… we use the passage the colonel told us about."
Ramirez said, "I don't like number one. It's too risky, and we're not in a position to gamble. Besides, that's exactly what they're expecting, so victory isn't certain. Number two is feasible, but I have a feeling you prefer number three."
"I do. Although the tunnel is known to the enemy, they don't know we know about it. They know nothing. We have the advantage in intel, so we should infiltrate from inside and combine that with option one."
Ramirez stroked his beard, weighing his options.
Paul turned to Hasso, who had been listening curiously. "What about you, Hasso?"
"Me?" Hasso's eyes widened slightly, surprised Paul had asked. "I believe your plan is best. It's the most casualty-efficient and the quickest way to make them submit."
"Well said." Paul patted him on the shoulder. "So, Major Ramirez, what about you?"
"I can't keep up with you and your crazy plans, but I'll allow it, hell, I'll support it." He laughed. "After that wild ambush idea of yours, you could have convinced me of anything."
"That's good to hear. When should we scedule the attack?" Paul asked, excitement rising.
"A classic night assault would be best," Ramirez said.
Paul nodded and shook Ramirez's hand. "We'll scout the tunnel. If nothing goes wrong, we'll infiltrate at 2 a.m.; you should schedule your assault about half an hour later."
Ramirez nodded and turned to his translator to discuss details.
Paul and Hasso left to inform their men of the plan and took only a handful of Spaniards to scout the tunnels. The others rested, trying to get as much sleep as possible before the special mission at dawn.
The small group, made their way to a specific part of the city: the entertainment district. It had been that before; now the war had paralysed most of it, only a few bars still open.
They headed for one of those bars. Paul checked the note in his hand: Pequeño Pub. The sign above the door confirmed they were in the right place.
The door creaked loudly as they pushed it open. The smell of alcohol and dust hit them immediately.
The bar was dimly lit, two small bulbs hanging from the ceiling. All the customers turned toward the door, regarding the newcomers. A few muffled curses drifted from a corner of the room. From another corner an old man raised his glass and gave the group a stern nod.
Paul, Hasso and a Spanish soldier made their way to the counter and sat down. The bartender eyed them expectantly before coming over.
Paul nodded to the Spanish soldier. "Tell him we want something good to drink — and today's special… a deep hole that leads to the city hall. Hopefully it's still available." He added with a mocking smile, "Ask him nicely, of course."
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