A heavy fog set over the battlefield as I climbed out of my sleeping sack, I could smell it in the air. Some soldiers were still asleep, I wouldn't bother waking them, it was only 5:30. They needed all the sleep they could get. I always made sure to sleep in the soldiers quarters, despite the protests of the officers. I wanted my army to know we were equal. A man walked through the dimly lit doorway of the crypt. His lantern roused a few men and women, everyone awake saluting to him, then to me. Lieutenant Burton. A decrepit, pudgy man.
"General Hart, good to see you made it through the night," he took my hand in his, after placing the lantern on a hook beside us. He shook it, as I glanced at his other shoulder, missing a matching arm.
"Glad to see you're still here as well, Burton."
"Has anyone briefed you on the night's happenings yet?"
"Not yet, would you mind while I eat some..." I trailed off as I serveyed the perimetre, looking for something edible. I reached for a can of beans. "Delicious!"
"Ma'am, they delivered some tinned meat if you would like some of that, it's much more nutritious-"
"Oh not at all! I'm sure someone else could use it more."
"If you say so, ma'am."
I jammed a knife into the can, cutting around the edges carefully. After a quick wipe on my sleeve, I placed the blade back into my belt, taking a fork from somewhere on the ground. That got wiped as well. "Now Lieutenant, is there anything major?"
"We obstructed a code from the enemy. They appear to be communicating with someone on our side, not in an ideal way."
"Meaning?"
"We believe there is a spy amoung us."
I paused, leaving my fork in my can. I wasn't surprised, there was bound to be a traitor at some point. Someone weak was bound to give in, want out of the fighting. "Do you have the message on your person?"
He nodded rapidly. "It's in some form of cipher, I can get a translator-"
"No need, I can read it."
He handed me a slip of paper. "Private Jones found it this morning, dropped in the middle of the trench."
"'Bomb to be set off on west side of Nothern Astron's trench at 18:30.'"
"Yes, ma'am. Now Sergeant Moore and I have taken the liberty of sending some soldiers to investigate the area."
"You sent soldiers to invesigate a bomb threat that maybe have been set by a spy?" I looked at the old, chubby man. He was clearly oblivious to the fact that one of those soldiers could have been the one to plant the bomb.
"Yes, ma'am. Now, I'd best be off. I have to do... uh... Lieutenant things!"
I watched as the man took his lantern, the candle burning lower and lower, the wax spilling out like a pale yellow blood. He marched away, into the fog, out of the room.
I downed every last bean in my tin before tossing it onto a pile in the corner, along with the fork. The faint sounds of gun shots could be heard from outside of the soldier quarters. Just a singular shot every couple of seconds. I tried to enjoy this peace as best as I could, before all you could hear was the constant ringing of gun shots and bombs.
Our technology was not very advanced. We had landmines, rifles and pistols. Sometimes we used blades when we were very close, and I always kept one or two strapped to me, but mostly guns. I continously had my father's pistol sitting on my belt. I hadn't ever used it, I was going to savour the day the bullet in this gun went from my barrel to Captain Lancaster's skull. He was my main enemy, I would be the one with his head.
It sounds gruesome, and it is, but everything in war is. It's fair game. Surrounding countries have developed laws and rules that we aren't supposed to break, but in Astron, everything goes.
I applied some cream to my hands that one of the nurses gave me. My knuckles were bruised like violets. They stung a lot, but I had to just endure the pain. At least I still had all of my limps. Pulling on my fingerless leather gloves, I winced as they covered the marks. My boots were covered in mud and blood. My hair hung down as I bent over to tie the laces, covering my hands in grime. I gathered up my long strands and wrapped a piece of string around it, pinning it back at the nape of my neck.
With that, I struck a match and lit up the room from my little corner. I placed the flame atop of a fresh candle, perched in place on my candelabra. I picked it up, and took a deep breath before I headed out into the trenches.
