TWO PRIVATES FOUND THEM, as they carried Tom's body to the water. They quickly assisted the two, and gave their condolences.
After they set him down, Will kneels beside him. Juliana remains standing, and places her hand on Will's right shoulder. As they stare at Tom's lifeless body, guilt started to grow in the pit of the nurse's stomach. She shifts from one foot to the other in uneasiness and looks away. She removes her hand from Will's shoulder which causes him to look up. He sees her cross her arms over her chest and step back.
It couldn't have been more fitting, for white cherry blossoms began to fall around Tom. Will grabs some petals and sighs.
-"A friend?" They hear a gentle and low voice ask. Juliana turns to see an Officer eyeing Tom. Will nods in response, and the Officers face holds a knowing look. Juliana eyes him as he walks over to her.
-"What are you doing here?" He asked the young lady. He puts his hands behind his back as he waits for a response.
-"We have an urgent message for the 2nd Devons. Orders to stop tomorrow morning's attack." She answers quietly, unfolding her arms in the process.
-"Where are they stationed?"
-"Just beyond Ecoust." She points in the direction they must go. The officer nods and motions for her and Will to follow him.
-"Come with me." He instructs them, as he heads back to the farm house. Juliana lingers behind. She watches Will remain still at Tom's side.
"Come with me, Corporal. That's an order." The officer speaks with authority, causing Will to look up. He meets Juliana's eyes, and she tells him to come along. He nods before looking back down at Tom, one last time.
"We're passing through Ecoust. We can take you some of the way." The Officer speaks as he steps forward. He occasionally looks over his make to sure that he's being followed.
-"Thank you, Sir." Will speaks, before wiping his bloody hands on the grass. He stands and slowly removes his eyes from Tom. He collects his rifle and helmet from one of the Privates and Juliana gets her bag from the other. She quickly picks up her helmet, then follows the Officer through the farmhouse and back outside.
A small train of four trucks idle on the road, all caked in mud and battered from their journey. Soldiers stand around, smoking or stretching their legs. There must have been a few dozen of them or more.
At the head of the train is an Officer's car. Exhaust fumes swirl in the still air, and Juliana covers her nose to prevent breathing in the fowl smell.
-"Oh, come on Sergeant. Put more men at the base. At the trunk! It'll be heavier there..."
They hear another man shout. The trucks are filled completely with men. Each is covered in mud and looking exhausted.
-"Might be a tight squeeze." The Officer says while making his way towards the front. Will and Juliana gaze at their surroundings with serious expressions.
As they approach the Officers car, they hear more talking, and someone getting upset. Ahead, they see several men trying move something off the road.
-"Sir...." The Officer interrupts another man known as Colonel Collins. Collins turns and looks down on him, Will, and Juliana, his face
displaying a look of pure confusion.
-"You're not one of mine." Collins says with a shake of his head towards Will.
"And we don't have female nurses out here." He adds while looking at Juliana's attire.
-"No, Sir." They answer in unison. A small smile forms on their lips, as it was a little humorous that they spoke at the same time. To them at least it was.
Collins looks at the other Officer known as Captain Smith, for an explanation.
-"They've got an urgent message to deliver to the 2nd Devons, Sir." The Captain explains.
Collins' attention is drawn back to something ahead of him. He nods in satisfaction and leans over to speak to his driver. He must have not received the answer that he was looking for, for he grew angry.
Before Smith can ask, Collins hastily says "yes". Smith nods and leads the weary travelers to the back. As they approach the last truck, Smith turns to look at the two.
"I'm sorry about your friend." He speaks with sympathy. Will nods and Juliana sends him a small, closed mouth smile. He then gestures for them to get in the truck.
Twenty men, all companies of different are crammed in the small space. They move around to produce two seats. Will and Juliana don't sit next to each other, but across. All eyes settle on the nurse as she sits, and she stares uncomfortably at her feet. A man with dark skin clears his throat, turning everyones attention on himself.
As they drive along, the truck crosses over a muddy area in the road. Just as they're almost over it, the back tires slip and get stuck in the sticky, thick, and brown substance.
Everyone groans as the driver picks up speed to try to drive his way out of it. Talking starts to pick up as they all wait for someone to do something about it.
Juliana looks at Will and sees him thinking. He seems to be muttering to himself. He then leans forward and speaks loudly.
-"Try it in reverse. REVERSE." He instructs the man driving. The driver does as told, and the gears crunch as they're shifted into reverse. Will leans down to see how it's working. The wheels sink further into the earth, and he yells for the driver to stop.
"Everyone needs to get out." Will speaks again. Some of the men obey at once, while others remain unmoved. Will is the first to move, and offers a helping hand to Juliana as she jumps out.
"All out! Come on!" Will yells as he motions for the others to follow suit. They get to their feet and quickly hop out. Next, the men gather around the truck and place their hands on it, ready to push.
"Right. One. Two. Three."
Everyone pushes with all their might, but the truck doesn't budge. Will pushed the hardest. Determination is etched on his face and Juliana sees this. She puts more strength into it, hoping they can move along quickly.
-"We need to get some wood, put it under the wheels." One of the Privates says breathlessly. Others drop back away from the truck frame, exhausted. Will shakes his head in disagreement. He wasn't giving up this easily.
-"No! We haven't got the time!" Juliana yells over the commotion. She and Will reposition themselves, ready to push again.
-"We all need to push!" Will shouts, his whole body shaking from an adrenaline rush.
"Come on! COME ON!" He yells, screaming as he pushes, Juliana right at his side.
"Please. We have to go now! Please." Will begs them, his eyes filled with desperation. The men see this, and once more they gather around the truck. They count before begging, putting all of their strength into it.
Suddenly, the truck moves, the wheel catches some grass and WHOMPH-
It lurches forwards, out of the ditch. The men cheer, and Will falls forward into the mud. Juliana is quick to get to his side, she offers him her hand, and he takes it. She pulls him out of the mud, and together they quickly get back into the truck.
-"I guess that was the luck of the Irish." He says quietly to her with a small smile. She chuckles ever so lightly, trying to make light of the situation at hand.
Once seated, they sit next to each other, with Juliana on the end. She notices Will's weary state, and sees his body shake. She gently grabs his hand and gives it a light squeeze. He doesn't look at her, but squeezes her hand back.
The men are quiet as they watch the two. They ask them questions, such as, where are you going, where did you come from, and other various things of that nature.
-"So they sent just the two of you?" A private asks. Will tenses and Juliana gulps down the weird feeling in her throat.
-"It wasn't just us," she says slowly and quietly with a sigh. She turns to look out of the truck and Will casts a worried glance at her.
The men understand and they quiet down. A heavy cloak of silence hangs in the air as they the truck drives along. Juliana tries hard to fight back the tears that well up in her eyes.
-"Bridge is out," the driver informs them as they approach it. All heads turns to see the damage.
Will turns to Juliana and they nod. They knew what had to be done. She hops off first, leaving the explaining to Will.
-"Looks like we'll be getting out here. Good luck." He says before jumping off. The others say goodbye, and wish him and the nurse good fortune back. The two messengers nod and thank them from the ground.
-"Next bridge is six miles. We'll have to divert." Captain Smith says while walking towards the two. They shake their heads in response.
-"We can't, Sir. We don't have the time." Juliana tells him truthfully. Smith nods in understanding. He then offers a hand to Will.
Will takes it.
-"Best of luck." Smith says while going to shake Juliana's hand. His voice, face and manner is sincere. She smiles lightly in appreciation and Smith dose the same. Will answers for the both of them as they step backwards, ready to take the next challenge they might have to meet.
-"Thank you, Sir."
I'm sorry it took so long.
I'm just over here watching season 4 of the last kingdom.
Probably will do a fic when I'm finished.