ten
WILL RAN as hard as he could. He pushed against every soldier in his way and fought to get into the trenches.
"Let me by please! Move! Please—!" Will pleaded to the soldiers as he passed by. Some moved for him and others he had to move himself.
He grabbed the first soldier he could get his hands on, startling the man half to death. "Where's your commanding officer?"
"He's in the holding pen."
William took off sprinting once again, but this time in the direction of the holding pen, shoving past every person in his way. Seeing the men prepare for battle had him feeling a new sense of hope, almost like he wasn't too late. More like he was just in time.
The holding area was packed with men, all with nervous and serious expressions as they listened to a single man. He was shouting, trying to hype his men up. Will spotted him within seconds and began to push his way through the crowd.
"On the first mark, A Company will advance! B Company will then move to the front line—!"
"Sir, I have a message from General Erinmore!"
The man looked down on Will and scoffed, "Who the fuck are you?"
Will ignored the look and question, and continued with his explanation. "The attack has been called off! General Erinmore has called off this attack!"
The Lieutenant looked at Will as if he had ten heads, but then glanced around at his nervous men. The man clenched his jaw, watching all his hard work go to waste. "Get out of the way Corporal. We're about to go over. We've got them on the run."
"No—! Please! Don't!" Will begged frantically, but the Lieutenant waved him off in a dismissive manner.
"I have direct orders from the Army command! Where is Colonel Mackenzie?!" Will yelped. He pulled out his letter and waved it in front of the Lieutenant.
The Lieutenant grabbed him and pushed him away as a last warning. "Jesus Christ! Go and see the Captain."
Will staggered out of the holding area, desperately pushing to get past people once again. In the distance, Will could hear whistles and yelling. He ran towards it, recognizing the sounds of battle.
He stumbled into the trench, which was packed with men. Mentally, Will cursed. Will found the Captain tucked into a ball, rocking himself back and forth. The man was terrified and crying. Will tried to get through to the man but he was in another place.
Before Will could try again to get the attention of the Captain, the air vibrated. German artillery showered the men, and all of them pressed into the walls of the trench, trying to find as much cover as they could. The loud noises were enough to rupture eardrums and shatter windows.
Will clenched his jaw as he tried to steady himself. He can't stop now. He kept pushing until he was met with another part of the trench.
Men are dying left and right, but Will kept pushing.
He kept pushing until he was met with a wall of men, making it impossible for him to get through. A strong Sargent with a sense of authority was yelling commands at them, desperately trying to reorganize his men. But his yelling was drowned out by the noise from the shells.
Will got past the Sargent, feeling bad for the poor man. He kept going until he came across another Lieutenant with a revolver in his hand.
"Platoon Seven! One minute!"
Will ran up to the man and grabbed him by the shoulders, "Sir! I have orders to stop this attack!"
Relief floods his face immediately. "What?"
"I have to find Colonel Mackenzie!"
"He's further up the line!"
"How far?"
"About three hundred yards! He's in a cut and cover."
Will looked around at all the men preparing to go into No Man's Land in a matter of seconds. He realized grimly that he won't be able to get past them.
"You'll have to wait until the first wave goes over."
Will shook his head, "no I can't."
William then did the unthinkable. He climbed up onto the firing step and peered over the side. He glanced at the three hundred yards between him and Colonel Mackenzie, but what he really was looking at was the three hundred yards between him and his promise to Blake.
"You can't possibly make it. Are you insane?"
William hopped over the ledge and stumbled forwards. Once the shock went away, he began running in No Man's Land. He ignored the disapproval from the Lieutenant and sprinted as hard as his legs would take him.
A whistle went off and suddenly, hundreds of men poured into No Man's Land, hitting and bumping Will as he ran parallel to where they were coming from. German guns began to fire again, and British soldiers began to fall.
He kept running, pushing his body to its absolute limit. He got knocked over by an oncoming soldier, but didn't stop. He got right back up and continued forwards until he came across a spot to jump into that was close to the cut and cover.
"Where's Colonel Mackenzie?" He hollered like a madman to the first person he saw. The man pointed to a small den only ten feet away. Will sprinted towards it, but before he could enter two men held him back tightly.
"Let me through!" He growled as he thrashed in their grip. He continued to push them away until he broke free. He didn't waste anytime and dashed towards the dugout.
He stumbled into the dim room. A huddle of officers with their backs facing him were all talking. Will cleared his aching throat, gaining the attention from everyone. They all stand straight, facing Will.
"Who the hell are you?"
Just by the air of authority surrounding him, William could tell he was being spoken to by Colonel Mackenzie. He was facing his promise to Blake.
"Lance Corporal Schofield, Sir. 8th. I have orders from General Erinmore to call off this attack!"
William stuck out his hand with the letter in it. All the officers looked at Colonel Mackenzie as he didn't reach for it.
"You're too late, Lance Corporal."
"Sir, these orders are from Army Command. You need to read them," Will said, in a rather demanding manner.
"Shall we hold back the second wave, Sir?" Another man piped up. Colonel Mackenzie only spared him a glance.
"No Major, if we hesitate now, we'll lose. Victory is five hundred yards away."
"Please read the letter, Sir!" Will tried again.
"I've heard it all before. I'm not going to wait until dusk, or fog. I'm not calling back my men, only to send them out again. Not while we've got them on the run," Colonel Mackenzie said firmly.
"The Germans planned this! They've been planning it for months! You're sending your men into a trap! Please read the letter!"
All the officers stood in silence, unsure of what to say. The Major grabbed the letter from Will's hand and passed it to the Colonel. The Colonel read the letter in record time and sighed.
"Stand them down."
Will felt his heart stop. He had finally reached his destination and did what was asked of him. The burden on his shoulders felt lighter. But there's still more to do.
Colonel Makenzie turned to the other officers, "call up the orderlies. Tend the wounded. Hold the line incase they counter."
"Yes, Sir!"
All the officers left, and all the remained was Colonel Mackenzie, the Major, and Will. Outside the dugout, the noises of whistles and orders being thrown around was all that could be heard.
"I hoped today was going to be a good day. Hope is a dangerous thing," the Colonel said quietly. Will stood there as still as a rock, waiting for the Colonel to lose his temper or punish him. Will could feel Mackenzie getting closer, and suddenly, Will also noticed the Major has left.
"Next thing you know, they'll send a message saying attack at dawn," Colonel Mackenzie continued. "There is only one way this war ends. Last man standing."
Colonel Mackenzie looked William up and down, sizing him up until they caught each other's eye.
"Have someone see to your wounds," Colonel said. "Now fuck off, Lance Corporal."
Will scurried out of the dugout and saw the Major outside the door. The Major grabbed Will by the arm and stopped him.
"Well done, lad."
"Thank you," Will replied gratefully. He didn't know how much he wanted to be congratulated until he finished. Rosine would've congratulated him.
Joseph Blake.
Rosine.
Will realized he didn't need to be congratulated yet because his task wasn't over. He needed to find Blake's brother, and then find the woman he loves.
Love. Did Will love Rosine? Or was it just a heated, fleeting romance?
"Do you know where I might find Lieutenant Blake? I... I was sent here with his brother," Will asked. The Major looked confused, but realized the root of the question.
"Well, knowing Lieutenant Blake he would have gone over with his men. He was in the first wave. You can try casualty clearing section, behind the line," the Major replied. Will nodded and headed off in that direction, nerves and uncertainty washing over his body as he went.
Men were scattered about, wounded and in pain. Many covered in blood, and many more missing limbs. There was a pause from the sound gunfire since the Germans stopped. All the men from all the companies were all carrying their injured and dead men from the trenches, and all by hand as there wasn't a stretcher in sight. Each man looked as if he were being haunted, and Will could relate to that.
He walked around, calling out for Lieutenant Blake while also looking for a familiar redhead in the crowd of injured people.
"Blake! Lieutenant Blake? Rosine! Rosine? Has anyone seen Lieutenant Blake? Or a red-headed french girl.. with a leg wound!"
He called out many times, but neither of them were anywheres to be seen. Will walked away from all the dying men, and stood still just a bit away from all the medic tents.
He stood there, hopelessly and aimlessly looking around.
"C'mon boys. He's taken one in the leg. He's lost a lot of blood."
Will pivoted on his heels to see a man. He was strong looking, with dark stubble and dark hair. But what shocked him was the ressemblance to his late friend. Although they were definitely different, it was easy to tell they were related.
"Lieutenant Blake?"
The officer turned and walked towards Will. As the man approached, Will felt himself get weak in the knees.
"Yes? Who are you? Are you in need of medical assistance?" Lieutenant Blake asked skeptically and worriedly.
"No, sir. I'm from the 8th. I was sent here to deliver a message—.."
"The 8th? You must know my brother!"
"I was sent here with him."
"Oh! Tom's here? Where is he?"
Will felt the lump growing in his throat finally rendered him unable to talk. He just stared at Lieutenant Blake and watched as his face crumbled, realizing what Will was going to say before he said it.
"It was very quick," Will said. "I'm sorry."
Lieutenant Blake nodded, rubbing his hands down his face as the shock settled in. He fought the tears trying to fall as he looked at the meadow in the distance. Will scrambled to pull out the dogtag and rings he kept in his pocket. He offered them to Lieutenant Blake, which he accepted them.
"What's your name?"
"Schofield. William Schofield, Sir. Will," Will replied. He then added, "if I may.. I'd like to write your mother, and tell her Tom wasn't alone."
Lieutenant Blake nodded, "of course."
Will shuffled on his feet as he searched for the right words to say, as if there was going to be any right type of words to be said in this situation. Then, he decided to speak from the heart. "He was a good man. Always had a funny story to tell. He also saved my life."
Lieutenant Blake offered a small smile, barely visible. "I'm glad you were with him. Thank you."
Will nodded and watched as Lieutenant Blake turned and walked away, probably needing some time alone.
Will ignored the pain in his heart for his friend as he looked around once again, trying to find Rosine.
He searched every medic tent but she was nowhere's to be found. He walked aimlessly around until he decided to stop a medic.
"Have you seen a civilian around? A woman with a leg wound? French?" Will asked, his voice laced with distress.
The random medic replied, "I haven't heard anything about a civilian. Check the casualty area mate, hopefully you don't find her there."
Will's heart stopped at the thought of Rosine being dead. He didn't want to imagine her body without life. It was unbearable for him. That night, he couldn't bring himself to go check.
He didn't want to know.
The next morning, after spending sometime thinking and preparing himself, he walked to where the dead bodies had been left. The only problem was half were already buried. Will checked every dead body visible, but couldn't find his dear Rosine.
He stopped upon reaching the freshly filled graves. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he vomited, realizing she must be beneath the dirt.
He never did find her.
* I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS PAINFULLY LONG CHAPTER WITH LOTS OF TALKING AND SOLDIERS.
this isn't the end. it's the end of part i.
have a good night :)
ALSO!!! if anyone wants to make a cover for this book (cuz i suck) that'd be nice. just message me:)