The Boy of Company B

[6] Heed The Warnings

[6] Heed The Warnings
I slowly crouched down into the wheat. I laid down on my stomach and crawled as sluggishly and quietly through the wheat as I could. Lucky, Mother Nature was on my side, as wind blew the wheat so that my movement didn't look out of the ordinary. I was able to crawl my way out of the wheat field. Turning around, I could see that Charlie and his friend hadn't moved an inch. They were about 20 yards away from me now that I was no longer in that field. I cautiously scooted through the tall grass and weeds before I finally came upon the line of trees. Another damned bird shot out of the treetops, making me jump.
Slowly, I approached Thomas and shook him awake.
"Finn!" I whispered.
He groaned and rolled over.
"Finn!" I repeated.
"What?" He asked, his voice sleepy.
"Finn, keep quiet. I think your suspicions about Charlie not acting right were true. He's in the middle of a wheat field nearby talking to a German soldier!"
Finn shot upright.
"What!?" He whisper-yelled. His eyes were wide open as he looked at me with utter disbelief.
"We've gotta get the others and get the fuck out of here!" I instructed. Finn nodded and scrambled to Lewis' sleeping bag. Finn woke the others up and informed them of the situation while I packed up our stuff.
"What's the plan?" Finn breathlessly asked.
"That camp. We'll head north until we find it. But we've gotta move quick."
Thomas piped up, "Well then let's go!"
We quietly snuck past the tree line. I could see that Charlie was still in the field. I let out a sigh of relief as we continued to tiptoe past. Next to the wheat field was a large forest, and next to the forest was a grassy path that led up a hillside. We four trudged ever so prestigiously towards the top. I didn't even bother to breathe too loud. Who knows what intentions Charlie had?
I felt an overwhelming wave of grief wash over me. I realized that I had just lost the great young man that was Charlie. He always gave us a sense of pride. He was bashful and kind. He always led us through the darkest of days when we needed it most. I felt hot tears trickle down my cheeks. I gulped, sending a huge amount of pain down my throat. I couldn't believe what had just happened. It couldn't have been real, could it?
I thought back to when we were on watch duty. I remembered Charlie speaking to an unknown figure. He was speaking German, which is why I couldn't understand anything that came out of his mouth. He always got defensive whenever we brought up the Germans because he was one of them. He didn't order Thomas and I to shoot the two German soldiers in No Mans Land when we were on watch duty because he was one of them.
I sniffled and wiped my nose with the sleeve of my uniform. Charlie was the closest thing I had to an older brother. Now I couldn't trust him. What would this mean for him? For the four of us? Do we tell the unit that we were ambushed by the hun and he died? What if he comes back? What do we tell him? What do we do? All these thoughts and questions raced through my head faster than a bullet. The more I thought about it the more upset I became. I could feel the painful tension that the others gave off. We walked in silence with our heads down. Thomas and Lewis drug their feet solemnly along the ground as they walked.
I turned my head back to look over my shoulder. The horizon was becoming brighter and brighter by the second. I watched intently as the sun started to show itself. I sighed and turned back to the other three.
"How much longer until we get to that camp?" I asked Finn.
"Shouldn't be too much longer." He informed me.
I noticed the glossy look of tears in his eyes. I placed my hand on his shoulder. Finn looked up at me with tired eyes and a sad expression. His eyes no longer danced like they used to. This war had ruined us all. It brought out the worst in us at times. Finns auburn hair was a total rats nest, he looked almost like a clown.
"It's going to be alright, Finn, promise." I gave him a smile.
"But what do we do? Is he going to come looking for us?" He questioned.
I stayed quiet for a moment.
"I don't think so. Listen, we'll get to that camp and then get right back to the trenches and act like this never happened at all!" I suggested with pep in my tone.
Finn forced a little smile and walked alongside Lewis. I sighed as I caught up to William and Thomas. The two of them were equally as distraught as me. Their eyes were bloodshot and tired. An almost permanent frown was fixated on their lips.
Just a few more yards.
*****
We reached the campsite right as the sun came up. It was chilly but very pleasant outside. A cool breeze swept over my uniform, sending a chill down my spine. A smell of smoke flooded the air, and voices rang out in the early morning air.
Multiple trucks surrounded the area. A few temporary wooden structures stood firm, but I had no idea what they were. A fire ring sat in the middle of the tents. A cauldron was hung on a chain in the middle of it. A few young lads sat in front of the fire eating K-Rations from a can. They laughed and pushed each other off the logs, causing the laughter to rise even louder. A young Corporal noticed the four of us and started towards us.
"Are you lads alright? You look bloody rough." His northern Irish accent was thick.
"We're alright. We've been sent by Lieutenant Potter to retrieve food and supplies for our unit." I responded.
Lewis piped up, "We were told to report to a Sergeant Shelby."
The young man shook his head, "Shelby was blown to bits by the Germans last night. The poor chap."
I glanced around at everyone else, they shared the same look of surprise on their faces.
"I'm sorry to hear that.." Will said.
We all nodded in agreement.
"He's at peace. Unlike the rest of us.." The young corporal grumbled.
"Would you be able to help us get what we need?" Thomas asked him.
The boy nodded and escorted us into a nearby tent. The boy handed us a few cloth sacks full of said supplies.
"Ere ya go," he said with a smile.
We thanked him and exited the tent. A tall Lieutenant stood outside the tent, he had a cup of coffee in his hands that he sipped on momentarily. The man was probably around 26 or 27 years of age. He had deep brown hair and piercing green eyes. The young fellow looked up at us from his cup of coffee. He approached us and shook our hands. The lieutenant introduced himself as Patrick Smitty. We told him Potter had sent us, but Patrick had already known.
"Lieutenant Potter phoned a head of time and informed me.
"You boys look rough. Can I offer you a ride back to the trenches?" He asked.
I looked around for the approval of the group. They all nodded reluctantly. I could see the tiredness and confusion in their eyes. I couldn't blame them, I felt the same. Even though Charlie was very much alive and well it still felt as though he was gone. Everyone in our company loved the man. He was basically the guide for the new recruits.
We followed closely behind Lieutenant Smitty until we got to the truck. We somberly piled up inside the back of the vehicle and sat down. The air was still with silence. Not one word was spoken on our way back to the grueling battlefield that was the Western Front.