Sirens blared, men fell, and corpses carpeted the wet mud. Back at the trenches it was also chaos. Organized panic ensued. Men rushed to find their weapons, putting out their cigarettes as on the wet wall as they ran. One smug lieutenant sat back under a small covering watching the chaos as privates screamed bloody murder. This was war.

Shaun, new to the war was pushed to the front of the trench, ahead lie a field flowered with death with a few men staggering away from the opponents charges. Men lined behind the young private convincing each other everything would be alright; some began to cry- some clutched the chains round their neck or wedding rings. Anything to remind them there is a normal besides this, that they’d be home soon,,,, right?

Shauns brother Colin pushed through the sea of men, stumbling over feet and uneven ground to a familiar face. Collin was here longer due to his age but ones not ever used to the brutalities of war, he knew what would happen to his own blood he’d seen it too many times before to believe in a false reality he might come back. He grabbed hold of his younger brothers arm as the lazy lieutenant ordered the charge. Colin shouted above the thundering men, one last shred of faith left,” Be careful out there.” The cloud of green smoked past him as he watched the men not make it 5 feet out of the trench, when would the blood shed end?