"Der rote Tüfel, der rote Tüfel!" the Germans screamed as they ran away from Roy. "The red devil, the red devil!"
After emptying his rifle, Roy grabbed a German weapon and started killing more soldiers. Eerily, bullets whizzed past Roy, even ripping through his uniform, but Roy was a red monster tearing the enemy to shreds. When he finally ran out of ammunition, he shoved the sharp bayonet in fast, furious stabs at anything moving. He stood over the last man whose outstretched hands were raised for protection.
"Mein Gott . Nein bitte, nicht ," he pleaded in German. "My God. No, please, don't."
Unmoved by the impassioned plea, Roy pounded the man in repeated blows until he was a dead bloody pulp. Then there was silence all around, as Roy stood there, breathing hard. His arms were exhausted and fell limp to Roy's sides. He dropped to his knees and began sobbing again.
Moments later, a gentle hand reached out and grabbed Roy's shoulder. Roy snapped his weapon around, to point his bayonet at the person who touched him. His sergeant leaped back. "Whoa, there cowboy; I'm on your side." He reached out and gave Roy a hand to lift him to his feet. The sergeant stared at Roy as he started to weave, and then grabbed Roy by the waist to steady him.
Chuckling, the sergeant said, "By God, you do look like the devil. You scared the crap out of us; I can only imagine what went through those German's heads as you came charging at them like a crazy man."
Roy gave a weak smile, but then his eyes rolled back in his head. In an instant, Roy collapsed into a heap.
Three weeks later, Roy awakened in an Army field hospital, somewhere near the Belgium and German border. His vision blurred; Roy fought to open his eyes. Muffled sounds entered his head but seemed far away. Looking up Roy could see people moving about from bed to bed. He was in a long white tent. Then the face of a female nurse appeared. Roy wasn't sure if he were dead or alive. The beautiful face of the nurse seemed unreal and appeared angelic. Everything was hazy. Where am I? Did I die and go to heaven?
With a thick French accent, Nurse Lefebvre cried out. "Doctor, doctor, the patient is awake."
Two men in white coats stood above Roy and pushed the nurse aside. Another uniformed man showed up, and Roy thought that he looked like he might be an officer. One doctor took his stethoscope and placed it against Roy's chest. It felt cold. Roy gave out a short, crisp gasp.