Us Against the World... War 1

Chapter 2: Age Before Beauty

William Schofield’s POV.

My worries fell on deaf ears as I conversed with the general. He was currently telling us to cross No Man's Land in broad daylight.

"It'll be light sir... they'll see us." I hesitate, my eyes flickering towards Blake.

My heart ached at the idea of him dead. I'd only known him for a short while and I knew damn well Blake could take care of himself, but for some reason I felt like I needed to protect him. "There's no need to be concerned, you should meet no resistance" the general said, noticing my reluctance.

"You" that word rang out in my head. I wanted to tell him I didn't care if I met resistance.

My mind raced with anxiety, mostly for Blake. I turned around; Blake wasn't facing me. I hand him one of the guns and he grabs it harshly from my hand. His eyebrows are furrowed. He looks upset and he doesn't meet my eyes.

Blake is halfway out the door and I'm in tow, more hesitant to start this than he is. I stop and look back at the general. "Sir is it...just us?"

He nods solemnly and starts to speak: "Down To Gehenna or up to the throne, He who travels fastest, travels alone."

He speaks as if he's bestowing on me some wise knowledge. I hold back a scoff and bring my attention back to the door, but Blake is already halfway out.

I quickly follow him out. He leans up against the trench wall, stuffing the letter into one of his pockets.

I can tell he's about to do something rash. My body moves, pinning him to the wall. I stare at him taking in his appearance.

Tom Blake has always had a handsome face, or maybe pretty was a better word, or maybe beautiful? I push those thoughts away and focus back on Blake.

He has dark thick brows that stand out on his pale,soft face. His cheeks are soft with baby fat, and his eyes are framed with thick, dark eyelashes. They are so blue, sometimes they're the brightest color I see all day down in the trenches.

He's always been so expressive and you can always tell what he's thinking. Right now he looks so distraught and stressed. I've never seen Blake like this before.

"Hey Blake.. let's talk about this for a minute." I hear my voice quiver slightly. It sounds stern as I try to convey the gravity of the situation, but Blake isn't hearing it.

"Why?" he says, not really asking. He only looks up for about a second, his eyes flickering to mine. His look is daring, like he's asking if I really want to fight him on this.

I do, Blake is too good to end up bleeding out in the middle of No Man's Land surrounded by hundreds of other corpses, left only to disappear under shrapnel, shells, dirt and other debris.

Before I can reply, Blake ducks away and quickly walks off. I sigh before following, It's hard to keep up with him. We get separated as soldiers cut in front of me. I almost lose him.

"Blake!" I yell out as I speed up. I'm still some distance behind him, but he's in sight now. He speeds up when I start to get closer.

I speak up trying to keep my voice steady and calm "We just need to think about it-"

"There's nothing to think about he's my brother" Blake retorts, not looking back. His voice has a bit of venom to it.

Normally it would piss me off, but right now I was too concerned to care. I jog to catch up, panting as I finally manage to bring myself only a step or two behind Blake. I sigh, exasperated.

"We should at least wait till it's dark" I say, trying to bargain with him.

"Erinmore said to leave immediately." Blake says, disregarding me.