Snow Wolf

She thought she could see the lights ofFinland through the trees but she wasn't sure, for there was a flood of lighton the Fi

She saw a sudden movement and her eyeswent back to the Russian side. The guard with the rifle stepped into the tinysentry hut while the other moved into the trees, unbuttoning his fly to relievehimself.

Her body shivered now, knowing what shehad to do, knowing that if she didn't move soon she would freeze to death, theicy cold gnawing deep into her bones. She rolled over in the snow and hergloved hand searched in the leather holster and she found the cold butt of the Nagant revolver.

She rolled back slowly and looked over atthe guard urinating. She knew this was her moment and she took a deep breath.She stood and her legs trembled with fear. As she came out from behind thecover of the trees, she slipped the weapon into the pocket of her overcoat.

She was down at the sentry hut before sheknew it and she saw the guard with the machine-pistol button his trousers andturn abruptly. He stared at her as if she were a ghost.

What he saw was a young woman comingtoward him. Her captain's overcoat with green epaulettes and her officer'swinter hat looked a size too big, her clothes covered in a rime of frost andsnow. Her dark eyes were sunk in their sockets and her lips were cracked fromthe cold.

For a moment he seemed unsure of himself,as if sensing something was wrong, and then he said, "I'm sorry, Captain,but this is a restricted area. Your papers, comrade."

As the guard unslung his machine-gun, hestared suspiciously at the young woman's face, but he didn't see the Na gantrevolver and that was his mistake.

It exploded twice, hitting him in thechest, sending him flying backward. The air came alive with the noise, andbirds shrieked as they flew from the forest branches. Moments later the secondguard came ru

The woman fired, hitting him in theshoulder, spi

There was mayhem behind her on theRussian side, sirens going off and voices raised, as the soldiers came rushingout of the guardhouse. She was barely aware of a voice behind her screaming forher to stop as she ran toward the Fi

Up ahead, Fi

She didn't see the Russian guard thirtymeters behind her take aim, but she heard the crack of a weapon and saw thefrosty cloud explode in the snow off to her right, before the bullet ricochetedoff the metal bridge.

And then another rifle cracked and shewas suddenly punched forward, losing her balance, a terrible pain blossoming inher side, but she kept ru

As she collapsed in front of the Fi

A young officer, his face pale, barkedorders at his men, but she didn't understand the words. Other men fumbled ather bloodied clothes and carried her toward the guardhouse.

There were sirens going off now but shewas aware only of the flood of pain in her side and a terrible feeling oftiredness, as if a dam had burst inside her head and all the pent-up fear andexhaustion had come spilling out. She was crying now, and then everythingseemed to go at once, vision fading, sounds muted.

The young officer was looking down at herface and she heard the urgency in his voice as he screamed at one of his men tofetch a doctor. She closed her eyes. All she remembered after that wasdarkness. Sweet, surrendering, painless darkness.

Helsinki.

October 25th A man with gray cropped hairsat beside A

She looked at him.

The rugged face that stared back at herwas pitted with fleshy skin and broken veins and his mouth looked set in a grimimpression of aggression. It was the face of a man who had seen a lot ofunpleasant things in life, cautious and wary and full of secrets, but the lightgray eyes were not without feeling and she guessed they missed nothing. One ofthe Fi

He looked in his early forties and as hesat back in the chair his big hands rested on his knees. His Russian was fluentand his voice soft as he smiled over at her.

"My name is Jake Massey. They tellme you're going to make a full recovery."

When she didn't reply the man leanedforward and said, "I'm here to try and fill in some of the gaps in yourstory. Your name is A

"Yes." She saw the sincerity inhis eyes as he said, "I realize you've been through a difficult time,A

"Yes.

"The doctors say they hope to haveyou up and walking by tomorrow." He hesitated, then studied her faceagain, the gray eyes gentle but probing, his voice suddenly soft.

"Why did you shoot the two guards onthe bridge?"

She saw the man was watching her eyesintently.

"To escape."

"Escape what exactly?"

"From the Gulag."

"Where?"

"Near Ukhta."

"D( you know the name of thecamp?"

"Nicochka."

"The Soviet Embassy in Helsinki sayyou murdered an officer at the camp, Is that true?"

She hesitated, then nodded.

"Why did you kill the man,A

She had answered the question before whenthe Fi

"A