Just let Me Lay Here

Before the Storm

On October 13th, 1943, the Government of Italy declares war on its former Axis partner, Germany, and join the battle on the side of the Allies. The British had already landed in Salerno, Southern Italy, with a goal to push back the Germans and secure land in Italy and take back Rome.

ANZIO, ITALY
MAY 28TH 1944
34TH INFANTRY DIVISION

"RORY! IF YOU DO NOT GET OFF ME RIGHT NOW I WON'T HESITATE TO PUT A BULLET THROUGH THAT THICK SKULL OF YOURS!" I yelped, trying to get my fellow soldier off of my stomach.

"Oh shut up, you'd never. You love me too much!" Rory almost sang, whilst beaming her signature smug grin at me. She wasn't wrong, but I'd be caught dead before I admit it, and these days, death is closer than ever.

Rory stood up and brushed the dirt off of her before offering me a hand up. I refused her hand, and got up myself. I always refused help off of her, as much as I enjoy her company, though I'm not too sure why. If my mother was here she'd scold me for not taking the help, and mention how my pride often gets the best of me. But she's not here. It's just me, Rory, and a bunch of poorly trained men and women fighting for who-knows-what at this point.

The last few days had been repetitive, each day could be mistaken for another. Boiling sun and heatwaves causing mirages during the day, gunshots and exploding land mines during the night. I was used to the noise and gruesome scenery by now, having experience it nearly every day for the past 3 years in France, Belgium, and now here. I wish I could say the same about Rory... don't get me wrong, she is an excellent solider, and as an Italian who is skilled in deciphering morse code, enigma code and can speak german, she is a very valuable member of our team. However, nearly every night, just as we settle to sleep, she'll climb into my bunk and sleep with me. She claims she does it to keep me warm, but I can tell the bloodshed of war has really done a number on her mental health. Poor girl. I don't mind sharing my bed though, she does in fact keep me feeling warm. Inside and out.

"-And those stars, just above the constellation Leo, makes up Ursa Major, more commonly known as the 'Big Bear'". Shit... Rory was speaking the entire time? She talking about the stars again. I like it when she talks about space and the stars, it's calming. Looking up at where she was pointing, I noticed how high her hand loomed above me. She towered above me, being the 6 foot 5 freak of nature she is. She's got a more sincere smile on her now, a pure look of lust and wonder. She looks ridiculous. I can't say much though, although I'm a female Sergeant who's 5 foot 2 in a country I am unfamiliar with, I'm lucky my friends take me seriously.

Rory's eyes we're captivating, I felt safe looking into them. They were deep and warm, and I often found myself getting comfortably lost in them.

If I'm being honest, I'm terrified for tomorrow night. We advance forwards tomorrow, pushing our line closer to Rome. I'm not terrified for myself though, as a Sergeant I rarely go over the front line of the trench into no-man's land. I'm worried for my friends, Sam, Lana, and of course, Rory. Oh, I suppose Aiden is going over the top too, but it's about time he got shot. If he wasn't a relatively high ranking member of our division, I probably would have shot him myself.

Aiden is a British Sergeant, like myself, and I've known him a little over two years at this point. We trained, fought and strategised together, much to my dismay. He was a German immigrant, so I can't even begin to fathom how he was allowed to fight, let alone hold the Sergeant rank. Everyone admires Aiden - he has charisma, he's wise and he's got excellent leadership skills. He's also sexist. Okay, maybe he's not sexist, he just has a vendetta against me. He's fine with every other woman I've seen him talk to, but when it comes to us, he just has to one up me. Like, he chooses to go over the top and fight alongside our troops just to prove he's better than me. Everyone else thinks he's just heroic. Fucking arsehole.