Bells were ringing throughout the city, which was beginning to come alive despite the harsh weather and late hour. Barry could hear the distant sounds of a gathering somewhere in front of him, though it was masked by the rain and the ringing of the bells.

“We should head to the western wall,” Rob said as they ran, their feet splashing in the puddles forming between the cobblestones of the road. “It’s nearly midnight, and the bells probably mean that the others gave Captain Bösch’s order to that lieutenant.”

“Sorry I forced you to come along,” Barry replied.

“You didn’t force me to do anythin’, I chose to come!”

“Then I’m sorry I took so long—”

“Shut up, man! You did nothin’ wrong!”

“Thank you!” Barry shouted, much more forcefully than he intended.

“You’re welcome!” Rob replied, matching Barry’s force. His voice was calmer when he added, “So, are you gonna tell me what all of that was about?”

Barry paused for a moment, considering whether or not to tell Rob everything. “Captain Bösch was a close friend of my parents. He’s actually my godfather.”

“Godfather? I thought he was your uncle.”

“Have you heard me call him Uncle Humbert before?”

“A few times, yeah. But you never seemed to wanna talk about your relationship with Captain Bösch, so I never asked.”

“Huh. I thought I had kept it secret.”

“You avoided him at all costs. And you hated it when he called you Barry so much that I started doing it too. It was obvious that you were more than just acquaintances.”

“You started calling me Barry because you heard Bösch say it?”

“Yeah, back when you would whine about not callin’ you Barry it was fun to annoy you. But then it kinda stuck and I just got used to callin’ you Barry. It suits you better than Schmidt, anyway.”

“Thanks… I guess?”

“Sorry, we got a bit off track there.”

“Where was I?”

“Bösch is your godfather.”

“Yeah. You know about how he was in Cologne, right?”

“I’ve heard the stories. I never believed them since he’s always been a good captain, at least since I joined the company.”

“They’re true. He would sacrifice a thousand soldiers just to gain a meter of land. He would do anything to win a battle…” Barry paused. “When I was twelve, my parents died.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Bösch was supposed to be off duty then, but he stayed in Cologne while my parents lay dying of disease. He should’ve been there, but he wasn’t. Instead, he was off fighting. No one would take us in. We were too young to be useful and no one wanted to look after two worthless children, so we were left to fend for ourselves. A year after my parents passed, he came back as though nothing had happened. He found Sofia and I half dead, struggling to live off scraps. He offered to take us in, and I refused.

“Over the years, Sofia grew closer to Bösch while I drifted away from both of them. Looking back, he really had started to change… but I was never able to see it. All I could see was the man who abandoned us.”

“And then the Beans attacked and it put everythin’ into perspective, right?” Rob asked.

“Yeah.”

“You realized you didn’t actually wanna die and you wanted to make up with your family before it was too late.”

“How did you…?”

“Barry, I may be stupid but I’m not an idiot. You stopped talkin’ about dyin’ the moment the Beans showed up. Remember the night after the attack, in Besançon, when Bösch asked to talk with you? And you came back all mopey and quiet? You’re my friend, man, of course I could tell something was wrong. But you never opened up about it and I never wanted to push you, so I never asked. Maybe all you needed was a therapist or somethin’.”

“But I’m opening up now, so… I wanted to say thank you.”

“It’s no problem dude, really. I’ll always be here if you need to talk. Unless I die horribly tonight. That could always happen, with all the Bean bullshit and whatnot.”

They rounded a corner, exiting onto the main street. A hundred meters in front of them stood the gathering crowd of soldiers at the base of the western gate. He couldn’t tell exactly how many men were waiting for Bösch to speak, but it was easily over five hundred.

“How’re we gonna find the others in all this?” Rob asked as they reached the back of the crowd. “There’s so many people… This is really happening, isn’t it?”

“It is…” Barry replied.

The rain fell evenly now, soaking the men standing in the street. They were in various states of dress, wearing various uniforms; some wore their full sets of armor, others wore parts of their formal dress, and others wore nothing but their underclothes. Some held rifles, their muzzles covered to prevent the rain from damaging the barrels, while others held spears or stood empty handed. The street was lit with various lamps, held by soldiers or lit in sconces along the sides of the street. His eyes had gotten used to the oppressive darkness, allowing him to see the area fairly well given the circumstances. Occasionally, flashes of lightning would light the sky, momentarily blinding him.

On the wall above the gate stood a group of Empire officials, talking amongst each other. Barry recognized Captain Bösch among them, his small stature making him easy to identify. They were gathered around a table, discussing hurriedly with each other. Occasionally, men would rush from the table, replaced by new men.

“Phenomenal, Marvin!” Greg said behind them.

Rob turned around. “Where’d you guys come from?”

“Marvin suggested that we wait behind the throng until you two made your appearance.” Barry couldn’t help but notice that Greg had returned to his jovial form of speaking. He didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. “And what an excellent suggestion it was! How else would we have been able to reunite in that horde?”

“It looks like everything’s going according to Bösch’s plan,” Barry said. “Let’s hope whatever he came up with is enough...”

“Fret not, Barry! I am confident that it will!” Greg said, massaging his arm.

“We’re all goin’ to die here, that’s what I think,” Rolf said. “No matter what he came up with, we’re screwed.”

Greg’s head was hung down, and he was breathing heavily through his mouth. Barry asked, “Greg, are you alright?”

“Absolutely chipper,” Greg replied. “Though I seem to be a bit lightheaded. All this excitement… It’s too much after all the other events that have transpired this night. I just need to rest my eyes a little, I believe. Perhaps I will have the opportunity after Bösch’s speech.”

“Don’t just ignore me!” Rolf said. “I’d rather’ve gotten hanged than fight the Beans.”

“Seriously, man, what is your obsession with hanging?” Rob asked.

“I don’t want to be hanged!”

“It kinda sounds like you wanna be hanged, dude.”

“It’d probably be better than being killed by the Beans, but otherwise I don’t want to be hanged.”

“Can we please stop talking about the Beans,” Greg said.

“There’s no way the Beans were able to make it this far past our forces on the front lines, right? We should be fine, at least for a while,” Rob said.

“But there’s that flyin’ Bean,” Rolf said.

“And the Bean infection. And Beans are multiplying,” Marvin added.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s going to be an attack on Stuttgart…” Barry said.

“It implies that something is going to happen tonight,” Marvin replied.

“But how would the Beans get all the way—”

“ATTENNNTIOOON!”

At the top of the wall, Captain Humbert Bösch began his speech.

“STUTTGART IS PRESENTLY IN DANGER OF BEING ATTACKED BY THE BEANS.

“NOT FROM THE BEANS FIGHTING OUR MEN FAR TO THE WEST, BUT TO ANOTHER GROUP OF BEANS THAT WERE ABLE TO MAKE THEIR WAY INTO OUR TERRITORY. WE DO NOT YET KNOW THE FULL EXTENT OF THE BEANS THAT ARE PREPARING FOR AN ATTACK, BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THIS: TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE OF THIS CITY, WE MUST BE PREPARED TO FIGHT, TONIGHT!

“YOU MEN HAVE WIVES. YOU MEN HAVE CHILDREN. THOUSANDS OF CIVILIANS LIVE IN THIS CITY, AND THEY ARE DEPENDING ON YOU TO FIGHT. THEY ARE DEPENDING ON YOU TO PROTECT THEM. WE ARE THE ONLY THING BETWEEN THE INNOCENT MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN OF THIS CITY, AND THE MONSTROSITIES CURRENTLY ADVANCING TOWARDS US.

“THERE IS NOWHERE FOR THEM TO RUN. THERE IS NOWHERE FOR THEM TO HIDE. OUR WEAPONS ARE HERE. OUR DEFENCES ARE HERE. THE CIVILIANS THAT ARE RELYING ON US ARE HERE. WE ARE HERE”

Lightning flashed, illuminating Bösch atop the western wall. He stood, tall and proud, as he delivered his speech. Barry stood, stunned, as he listened to Bösch’s speech.

“THAT IS WHY WE MUST FIGHT!”

As the warm white backdrop from the lightning faded, thunder rumbled over Stuttgart, punctuating Bösch.

“DO NOT WORRY YOURSELVES! MYSELF, ALONG WITH THE OTHER CAPTAINS AND LIEUTENANTS, HAVE PREPARED A PLAN! WE KEPT IT A SECRET FROM YOU TO PREVENT A PANIC; IF WORD WAS TO SPREAD THAT WE DID NOT HAVE FAITH IN THE MEN ON THE FRONT LINES, THAT WE EXPECTED THE BEANS TO SLIP PAST THEM, CHAOS WOULD TAKE CONTROL OF THIS CITY, AND EVERYTHING THOSE MEN WERE FIGHTING FOR WOULD BE FOR NOTHING! BUT THE TIME HAS COME THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT TO DO!

“THE BEANS WILL BE ARRIVING FROM THE WEST, THIS IS ALL BUT CERTAIN! WE ASSUME THAT THEIR TACTICS WILL BE SIMILAR TO THEIR ATTACKS ON NOVEMBER 8TH; THEY WILL SURROUND THE CITY, BLOCKING EVERY EXIT AND ENSURING THAT WE ARE NOT ABLE TO ESCAPE ONCE THEIR FORCES BREACH OUR GATES. IT IS NOT A MATTER OF IF THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DO THIS, BUT A MATTER OF WHEN! TWO SPECIES OF ABNORMAL BEANS HAVE BEEN CATALOGED: THE ABNORMAL ASHEN BEAN, WHICH IS ABLE TO DESTROY EVEN OUR STRONGEST WALLS WITH EASE, AND A NEW ABNORMAL BEAN, WHICH HAS BEEN SPOTTED FLYING ABOVE STUTTGART AT THIS VERY MOMENT!” A murmur broke through the crowd. “YES, FLYING. ITS ORIGINS AND ABILITIES ARE CURRENTLY UNKNOWN, SO BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING!

“NOW, LISTEN CAREFULLY! YOUR ORDERS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

“LIEUTENANT FREISLER AND THE SOLDIERS OF THE WESTERN GARRISON WILL HAVE THE MOST DANGEROUS DUTY TO FULFILL! THEY WILL ENSURE THAT THE WESTERN GATE WILL HOLD FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE! THE DRONE BEANS WILL SWARM THE GATE, ATTEMPTING TO BREAK IT DOWN WITH NOTHING BUT THEIR FISTS! IF AN ABNORMAL ASHEN BEAN ARRIVES, DO NOT WASTE YOUR LIVES PROTECTING THE GATE. IT WILL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A SECOND THOUGHT! SOLDIERS OF THE WESTERN GARRISON, IT IS YOUR DUTY TO ENSURE THAT THE WESTERN GATE HOLDS AS LONG AS POSSIBLE!

“LIEUTENANT WEHNER, LIEUTENANT QUINT, AND THE SOLDIERS OF THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN GARRISONS WILL HAVE THE MOST IMPORTANT DUTY TO FULFILL! THEY WILL ENSURE THAT PEACE IS KEPT AMONG THE CIVILIANS OF STUTTGART! HALF OF YOUR FORCES WILL PATROL THE WALLS AROUND STUTTGART, PICKING OFF INDIVIDUAL BEANS AS THEY ATTEMPT TO SURROUND THE CITY, WHILE THE OTHER HALF OF YOUR FORCES WILL PATROL THE CITY INTERIOR, KEEPING PEACE AND ENSURING THAT THE CIVILIANS ARE ABLE TO MAKE USE OF OUR SAFEHOUSES! SOLDIERS OF THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN GARRISONS, IT IS YOUR DUTY TO KEEP PEACE!

“LIEUTENANT OLBRICH AND THE SOLDIERS OF THE EASTERN GARRISON WILL HAVE THE MOST DIFFICULT DUTY TO FULFILL! THEY WILL ENSURE THAT THE EASTERN GATE REMAINS FREE OF THE BEANS! ANY DRONE BEANS THAT ATTEMPT TO BLOCK THE EASTERN GATE WILL NEED TO BE DEALT WITH, ENSURING THAT, ONCE THE WESTERN GATE FALLS AND THE BEANS OVERWHELM US, WE ARE ABLE TO ESCAPE WITH OUR LIVES! SOLDIERS OF THE EASTERN GARRISON, IT IS YOUR DUTY TO PREPARE FOR OUR ESCAPE!”

Another flash of lighting. Bösch still stood, silhouetted against the sky. Barry swore that he could see the fire in Bösch’s eyes from the back of the crowd.

“YOU MEN HAVE BEEN TRAINED FOR THIS. YOU KNOW THE BEANS’ WEAKNESSES. YOU KNOW HOW TO FIGHT THEM!”

Another rumble of thunder.

“STUTTGART HAS BEEN EQUIPPED WITH TRAPS, STOCKPILES OF WEAPONS, SAFEHOUSES FOR CIVILIANS; WE HAVE SPENT THE LAST TWO MONTHS PREPARING FOR THIS! DO NOT LET OUR PREPARATIONS GO TO WASTE!” Bösch paused, taking a breath. “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE WAITING FOR! GET TO YOUR STATIONS AND PREPARE TO FIGHT!”

It took a moment for the soldiers to realize that Bösch’s speech was finished, entranced by the sheer confidence in his voice, which was projected so masterfully that it felt as though he was standing next to each man, talking to him personally. As the soldiers came to their senses, hurrying to their posts, Bösch ended his speech. “FIGHT! FOR YOUR WIVES AND CHILDREN, FIGHT! FOR THE INNOCENT CIVILIANS OF STUTTGART, FIGHT! FIGHT FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE DEPENDING ON YOU TO PROTECT THEM! FIGHT FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE UNABLE TO PROTECT THEMSELVES!”

Lightning flashed to the west.

Once again, the sky above Stuttgart was bathed in a warm white backdrop.

Above Captain Bösch was a familiar silhouette.

And this time, Barry knew that it was not a trick of the light.

As though in slow motion, the angel of death descended upon Bösch. It was easily three meters tall, its wings spread three meters on either side of its body. It landed behind Bösch without a sound, its shadow completely engulfing Bösch’s small figure, its massive wings already preparing itself for a takeoff.

As the warm white glow of the lightning faded, the angel of death, with one incredible flap of its massive wings, returned to the sky.

Taking Bösch with it.

Captain Humbert Bösch’s final words were heard over the thunder as he was carried into the sky. “FIIIIIIIIIGHT!”

Barry watched as his godfather and the flying Bean disappeared into the dark clouds above Stuttgart.

Next to Barry, Greg’s legs gave out. Other soldiers throughout the crowd fell to the ground, but none of them had Barry’s attention as he stared into the dark sky.

“Greg?” Rob asked, kneeling down next to him. “What’s wrong, man?”

“Are we just goin’ to ignore that the flyin’ Bean got Bösch?” Rolf screamed.

Greg gave out a sharp, pained groan. He looked at his arm, grabbing it with his other hand. “No… I tried so hard…” The other soldiers on the ground reacted similarly. “Please…”

“Get away from—” Marvin began, shouting louder than Barry had ever heard him shout before, but he was cut off as Greg screamed in agony.

Barry saw Gregory Herrmann die.

A small growth began to form on his arm, just below his elbow, the skin being pushed out from the inside. With a sickening ripping noise, Greg’s skin tore open, blood mixing with the rain as it rolled down his arm. He covered the newly formed hole with his hand, blood seeping out from between his fingers, screaming the entire time.

Rob stepped back in horror.

From under Greg’s hand, beans began to push their way out.

At the base of his neck, another small growth began to form. The skin tore quicker this time, the bloody beans multiplying as they spilled down his back like a stream onto the cobblestone road.

Greg was silent now, though his mouth remained open. He removed his hand from the hole in his arm, watching as the beans fell out from inside of him, and shakily brought his hand up to his neck. He felt the beans, then removed his hand and stared at his fingers, which were covered in blood.

He slumped forward, his forehead landing hard on the cobblestone road. He lay there, new growths appearing throughout his body, the beans forming a pile around him as he bled out. Then, the beans’ multiplication became faster, and with a sudden tearing of flesh and bone Greg’s arm was ripped from his body.

Barry’s eyes were fixed on Greg, watching as his friend took his final breath, the beans moving to cover his body. Barry forced himself to look away, glancing up to the rest of the crowd.

The same thing was happening to dozens of soldiers.

He looked back at Greg. The beans were covering his entire body now, enveloping his corpse in an ever increasing shell of wriggling beans.

Slowly, Greg began to get up.

He rose unsteadily, standing still for a moment as he reached his full height.

“We have to run!” Marvin screamed.

Greg took a single step forward. He moved like a drunkard, the beans covering him continuing to writhe upon themselves.

After a moment, he took another step forward.

Then another. And another.

Barry could feel Marvin grabbing him on the shoulder. “Run!”

Greg began to take another step, then fell forward. Almost immediately, he got back to his feet, taking another step. He took each step quicker, each with more purpose.

Then, he stopped.

Greg’s head tilted towards the sky.

No.

That wasn’t Greg anymore.

He was a Bean now.

The Bean that used to be Greg let out a wet scream, as though he was drowning.

Another Bean that used to be a soldier joined.

Then two more.

Then two more on top of that.

“RUN!” Marvin screamed again. Rolf was already running down the main street.

Rob grabbed Barry’s arm as he ran away from the Bean that used to be Greg.

Together, the four of them retreated deeper into Stuttgart, leaving Greg behind.

I wish you luck.

Sincerely,

Doctor Thomas Benjamin Sauer.

May God help you.