About a kilometer and a half later, the road forked, and they decided to stop to survey the surrounding area and choose a route to take. Judging by the map, there wasn't much difference, but a map is just paper, so relying on it in such cases isn't the best idea. As always, Cherenko and a couple of men set out to scout. The rest began strolling along the road, stretching their legs and talking quietly. Meanwhile, the scouts soon found something interesting. About four hundred meters from the fork where the platoon had stopped, Tolya spotted a machine gun emplacement fenced in with sandbags, and beyond it, a large but very old canvas tent. There were no weapons in sight, and the fortifications themselves looked abandoned, but caution in such matters is the key to survival, especially since,
