Silence was all that was left. Neither the shouting of the officers nor the marching thunder of the soldiers had remained from the Cold War. Finally, it was time itself that had defeated all enemies.

Unwavering, indifferent, and relentless, it gnawed at the foundations of what the Allied forces had left behind. Heat had cracked the asphalt, rain washed out the concrete, wind and storm had smashed doors and windows. Tar paper had melted in the sun and frozen in winter. Tiles had cracked in the freezing cold. Weather had crept into the woodwork and driven the paint out of the wood. Moss and ferns clung to exterior walls, clogging gutters, and water pipes. The forces of nature had achieved what those of the enemy had failed to do.

In the cold moonlight, Scott and Billy wandered between the former apartment blocks near the barracks. Six-story residential silos had probably housed the soldiers’ families at that time. Today they were surrounded by trees that had not been planted yet when the houses were abandoned. In the moonlight, the open front doors of the house looked like the entrance to a more sinister and terrifying world than the darkness of the woods. The night wind carried the heavy smell of forest soil and damp cellars to their noses. Now the nocturnal animals came to life and mingled their calls with leaves rustling.

“Wait!” Billy put his hand on Scott’s shoulder. “There’s something up ahead.”

They stopped on a grassy path that once had been a road.

“What’s supposed to be there?” Scott folded his arms in front of his chest.

“Look …” 

A black shadow emerged from the forest. Billy froze, Scott held his breath. It appears the animal was slowly approaching them. Gosh, let it be just a dog that has lost its way.

“It’s a wolf,” Scott whispered.

Billy felt Scott’s arm pushing him back.

“Damn, what do we do now?” Scott breathed frantically.

The animal approached slowly; head bowed.

“That’s a wolf,” Scott kept whispering, “that’s a wolf …” Breathing frantically, his voice grew louder with each word.

“That! Is! A! Wolf!” he shouted energetically, stamping his foot with each word, and waving his arms.

When Billy came out from behind his back, the animal had disappeared. His shoulders slumped. Scott exhaled in relief.

“Was that really a wolf?” asked Billy in a low voice.

“I don’t know,” Scott went on. “Anyway, it’s gone.”

“Can’t you even turn on the flashlight?”

“No, man. Not until we get inside. I don’t feel like getting caught by security anytime soon.”

Taking a deep breath, Billy let go of his tension. “And how is this even going to work? We’ve been walking through the forest for about half an hour now.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“How are we supposed to move those cables back to the car? Do you think I will run the route back and forth umpteen times?”

Scott abruptly stopped and glanced at Billy. “You aren’t even listening to me, are you? We will get all the cables out of the ceilings that night and stash them here. Then we’ll see what we got, and tomorrow night we’ll break down the gate and drive up here with the transporter. All right?”

Billy chewed on his lower lip. “Yes, but why don’t we go with the van already?”

“Because the broken gate would attract the security service in the morning, which would then catch us, stupid.” 

Waiting for an answer, he glanced at Billy, “It’s not that hard to understand, though, is it?” Billy nodded mutely.

“But do you think there’s still a lot to earn here anyway? This place is kind of old, you know. I’m sure others have been here before and pulled the copper outta the walls.”

“Take a good look around. Do you see any graffiti? Do you see any trails? Has anyone been partying here?” Billy let his eyes wander. No, no one has been here for a long time. “Don’t ask me why, but this place is hot.” 

Scott raised his eyebrows. “Now let’s get going.” Forgivingly, he patted Billy on the shoulder. “Otherwise, the Big Bad Wolf will get you right away.”

Sighing, Billy kept walking.

“This is probably just too far away from civilization. We’re just out here in the middle of nowhere. Nobody gets lost here …”

A bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the night. 

Frozen, Billy stopped, Scott took a step back.

“What was that?” Billy’s voice trembled. 

Scott stared into the night. “I’m sure it was just an animal.”

Billy shivered. “Was no animal, dude.”

Scott turned to him. “What else would that have been? The wolf probably took a deer. You know what kind of noises animals make when they’re scared to die?”

Billy shook his head quietly as he remained in a state of shock.

“See it like this—the wolf will feast now and leave us alone.” Scott smiled. “Is even better for us.”

After a brief silence, he added, “Think of the money!”

The wind had eased, the dark forest path lay in silence. Behind them, the moon illuminated the clearing where the houses stood. In front of them, there was darkness.

Billy whispered, “Wait,” and then walked on hesitantly. His legs were heavy as lead, his breathing shallow. “Wait for me.” 

“Hurry,” Scott whispered softly.

As the path narrowed, the trees came closer, denying them the last light of the moon.

They could barely see anything when they noticed a motion in the shadows.

A large shade moved slowly between the trees.

It walked upright on two legs.

This was not an animal.

Billy felt an icy chill as his arms felt numb. He felt an invisible band tighten around his chest, draining his breath as Scott disappeared into the darkness.

“Scott?”

He gasped for air.

“Run! Run Billy!”

Billy’s stomach clenched. He heard Scott try to shout something, but his voice turned into an uncontrolled gurgle. Like he was going to throw up. Then a rattle. 

Billy wanted to run away, but he just stood there, unmoving and trembling, paralyzed with fright. He grabbed his cheek. His eyes stared into the forest, widening.

“Scott?”

A branch cracked.

Darkness surrounded him.

Silence.