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The Medic

In the winter of 1944, with overtaxed supply lines in the Ardennes, a medic in the German army had completely run out of plasma, bandages and antiseptic. During one particularly bad round of mortar fire, his encampment was a bloodbath. Those who survived claimed to have heard, above the screams and barked commands of their lieutenant, someone cackling with almost girlish glee.

The medic had made his rounds during the fire, in almost complete darkness as he had so many times before, but never had he been this short on supplies. No matter. He would do his duty. He had always prided himself on his resourcefulness.

The bombardment moved to other ends of the line, and most men dropped off to sleep in the dark, still hours of the morning – New Year’s Day, 1945. The men awoke at first light with screams. They discovered that their bandages were not typical bandages at all, but hunks and strips of human flesh. Several men had been given fresh blood transfusions, yet there had been no blood supplies available. Each treated man was almost completely covered, head-to-toe, with the maroon stain of blood.

The medic was found, sitting on an ammunition tin, staring off into space. When one man approached him, and tapped him on the shoulder, his tunic fell off to reveal that large patches of his skin, muscle, and sinew had been stripped from his torso and his body was almost completely dried of blood. In one hand was a scalpel, and in the other, a blood transfusion vial. None of the men treated for wounds that night, in that camp, saw the end of January 1945.

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ThirtySev
6 years ago

OH MY GOSH…
this is the shortest best story i’ve ever read..
how is it so short – i dont even have a desire for it to be longer.. everything that needed to be said, was said..
what a disgustingly heroic tale .. i really loved it so much

37/10

Cantarella avatar
Cantarella
8 years ago

Wow! Great twist.

zoha
zoha
8 years ago

excellent it was very nice 10/10

TheMoonborn52 avatar
TheMoonborn52
8 years ago

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. No, but in all seriousness, this is a great pasta. 4.5/5.

millieredbird avatar
millieredbird
9 years ago

Few words – I bloody loved this. Utterly brilliant (:

Jeff-x-E.J.yoai avatar
Jeff-x-E.J.yoai
9 years ago

So everyone dies at the end? That kinda sux it was ok though I’ve read better

NemoLaNoire avatar
NemoLaNoire
9 years ago

A most spectacular literary achievement, well done!

nah
nah
9 years ago

I don’t think they actually died; perhaps they are cursed to relive such a moment. PTSD does that.

LogicalAnalyst47
LogicalAnalyst47
9 years ago

The people dying thing kind of ruined it for me. Cursed with longer life would have made this more disturbing, in my opinion.

Toxxiclullaby avatar
Toxxiclullaby
10 years ago

Otherwise, i really liked it!

Toxxiclullaby avatar
Toxxiclullaby
10 years ago

Yeah, the soldiers should have survived. Physically at least. Mentally scarred, but alive.

G
gps1195
11 years ago

It would have been even better if the soldiers survived. Like the ones he treated?

J
Jellybean393
11 years ago

Awww at least he tried! Very good story!

P
pj
11 years ago

short and good!