Us Against the World... War 1

Chapter 3: Praying

William Schofield’s POV.

Blakes eyes widen, he quickly looks away and nods. I take a deep shaky breath and prepare myself. You're doing this for Tom, I repeat in my head, but it doesn't stop my hands from trembling.

I make it over the ladder and onto the muddy earth. My hands and knees sink into the cold wet dirt as I pull myself forward. I feel everyone behind me tense preparing to see my body fall back as I'm shot down.

I brace myself for impact, but… nothing happens? I look up, it's strangely empty and peaceful. My breath catches in my throat.

No Man's Land is vast and seems to go on forever. It's misty, and the heavy feeling of death hangs in the air. The ground is muddy and littered with corpses from both sides of the war.

I feel dread pool in my stomach. I want to turn around and run, but I don't. Part of me is scared for my life, the other is scared for Blake's.

I stare through the wire looking for any enemies, still nothing. I hear Blake heave as he pulls himself up beside me.

We stay there for a moment hunched down, staring at the ravaged terrain in front of us. I know I can't keep delaying the inevitable so I pull myself out of the mud and make it on to my feet.

My eyes dart around searching for anything or anyone that might be a threat;

Nothing.

It doesn't ease my mind, it just puts me more on edge.

I look back and see Blake pulling himself up. I reach my muddy hand out, he takes it pulling himself up. He stumbles a bit in the mud, quickly putting his free hand on my shoulder to steady himself.

“Easy” I mumble as I grip his hand tighter so he doesn't fall, my other hand holds his shoulder.

His eyebrows are drawn together he looks pensive and worried. He looks up at me. I can feel him searching for some sort of reassurance. The best I can give him right now is a small nod, I pull away from him.

Bringing my attention back to the issue at hand I scan the area ahead of us, my eyes falling on the dead horse the lieutenant mentioned. Blake is following my gaze. We turn to each other and nod.

We begin walking towards the mess of wires. I take a deep breath in through my nose and immediately regret it. I hold back the urge to be sick, and decide to breathe through my mouth from then on.

We make it to the wires after going past that dead horse, which somehow managed to smell even worse. I swear I saw Blake gag but I don't draw attention to it.

I go first making it through the first line of wires, Blake follows. The second line doesn't have as much of a gap I sigh and very carefully pull the wire back taking care not to cut myself. I gesture for Blake to go ahead; he does.

I start to move through myself and in a split second I slip. My hand instinctively closes around the wire.

Feeling it puncture into my calloused palm. I muffle what would have been a slew of curses into a long hiss of pain as I rip my hand from the spike of wire I feel my skin tear even more.

I glance down at my hand; blood pours out of the wound. I quickly ball it into a fist trying to stop the bleeding. I watch as blood seeps out from in between my fingers.

I squeeze my eyes shut as I try to adjust to the pain.

“You alright?”

I open my eyes as I hear Blake's voice soft with care and concern.

It's a stupid question, if anyone else had asked it I wouldn't have dignified it with a response, but Blake’s not anyone.

So I nod and give him what's supposed to be a reassuring smile but I think it just looks like I'm wincing.