Steppe Horror

It happened on a warm September evening in 1942. An officer from a special department, accompanied by two commanders, went to check the steppe area south of Stalingrad—whether German paratroopers, saboteurs, and other enemy groups had dug in there. The commanders traveled for a long time across the endless expanse, and suddenly the “goat’s” engine caught fire. While people were bustling, while they put it out, the starter burned completely. They had to spend the night on the steppe. The starry sky held a full moon. And silence. And then… strange sounds began to be heard, as if something unbelievably heavy were being dragged not far away. Then came a hissing—so powerful that only steam locomotives hiss like that. But the worst part: everyone suddenly went rigid, and the special officer felt paralyzed, while his heart filled with wild, inhuman terror…