1918

Chapter 1: The Tank

"Drip.Drip"

that was the sound of rain. Cold heavy rain drops, falling on metal.

I awoke, as the rain got stronger, and the noise louder.

My name was George Oakley, and this was my home.

I hit my head on the low ceiling as I sat up, listening to the steady patter of rain. Outside I could hear shouting, fighting, and the sound of wet boots running through thick mud. Nothing new. I opened up the hatch and climbed on top of the tank, taking in the view. We were stationed north of a small abandoned village in Hamburg, Germany. A few tanks, couple hundred men, and piles of dead bodies. It was a cloudy foggy day, and the rain had just stopped. It was cold, wet, and muddy, just like every other day. There were soldiers all around, smoking, eating, nursing wounds, or just lying down and trying to get some rest. My crew and I had some time before we had to move, so I sat where I was, feet dangling over the edge of the tank, and took out some food.

                 The tank. I had only been here 8 weeks, but already it was a home to me, even more to the rest of the crew. It was Mark C. Strong, shiny, and powerful. We called it the Hornet. I was a gunner on the right, and I was pretty damn good at it. The tank itself was huge. It was a massive beast with huge guns and tough armor that destroyed everything in its path. We had sprayed it with red stripes that made it look even more intimidating. I've killed a lot of Germans behind this boys guns, and one thing I remember is that in the last couple seconds you can always see the absolute fear and peril in their eyes, before you blow their brains out. I finish my small tasteless rations and hop off the tank as the rest of the crew comes over. 

                                                                                                                                                      There were four of us in total. The captain, Bill Saunders I'd known for the longest. I wouldn't say he was my friend, but we had history, and he held the crew together. Bill had been in the war a long time, and had seen a lot. He knows what hes talking about, and we all respected him. The other two were brothers. Lewis and Scott Jenkins. They were alright, but they mostly kept to themselves. Both had deadly aim though. "Alright boys" Bill called as he lit up a cig and walked towards us. "Don't get too comfortable. We've got a couple hours, but then were on the road again". He blew a long cloud of smoke and then continued. "Our job is to meet up with another fleet, couple dozen miles north of here. once we get there, were all gonna capture a small village, and then stop there for the night. Understood?" We all nodded approval. "Good. Try to get some food in you". Scott sat next to me and lit up a cig, as Bill walked away. "You alright" he asked as he handed me a bottle of whiskey. "Been better", I replied after taking a swig and handing it back. Scott was friendly. He and I were close, after all sharing a tank had its perks. Lewis, on the other hand barely talked, except when he needed to. Small talk meant nothing to him, and he always just looked cold and dead. Sometimes we could hear him, in the dead of the night, muttering to himself and holding his head. Scott told me he wasn't always like this, but the war had done something to him, changed him. I guess that's just how it goes. War changes you. No one stays the same.

                        And then we waited. Packing supplies, cleaning the tank, refueling. This was what life was like for us. traveling through Germany, taking village after village. Our tank had gone through hell, and we were lucky we'd made it this far. The war had moved to Germany, but there was still a long way to go. Still a lot of the fight left. Countless people had died, and continue to do so. Every day, soldiers bring back hundreds of wounded men, or sometimes those who are already dead. We cant bury them, but we pile them up and cover them so animals cant rip them part. The stench is horrible, but its all part of war. This is war.

End Of Chapter One.