“William, you might want to move to left a little there,”John said, knee deep in water. William looked to his right, spying a rat. It was slipping on the steep sides of the trenches, trying not to fall into the river of water below. He watched as the rat scuttled away, erratically moving on the muddy walls.
“We both know that a rat is the worst of our worries,” William replied, idly splashing the water around his thighs. It had rained for the past few days, bringing angry gray clouds and water. The water would drip down his back, slowly fill the trenches, wash blood down the walls. Today there wasn’t any rain, but the sky was as dark as ever, making him wonder if he had only ever imagined the sun.
“William, you need to stop worrying.”
“We’re …show more content…
“Private Masons, come with me.”
John gave William an apologetic look, following after James. William leaned back against the muddy wall, furious he had to stay in the trench. During the three weeks he had been here, he had developed two things he had learned about war. It was boring, and it was deadly. William wasn’t sure if one thing lead to the other yet, but boy, it sure felt like it. He should do something about it. Now that he thought about it, he would do something about it.
When he volunteered for this war, he was signing up for money and fame and excitement. If no one was going to give it to him, he would make it for himself. He strapped on his backpack.
Slowly, William walked through the water splashing as little as he could. He found a small group of soldiers gathered at the path to the front-line trench. The crowd consisted of 10-15 men, all initiates, with the exception of 1-2 other low ranking soldiers.
William stepped into the back of the crowd careful not to make eye contact with anyone.
“As you all know, you are in the support trench. We’re bringing you into the front lines today, under Sergeant Clark’s orders. Follow my instructions only and remember your training. This isn’t for fun.” James