Journal of Theodore Morrison

Entry 5

16th June, 1916

Dear Diary,

The nightmares have begun.

Last night I woke to shouts and screams, the firing of guns alongside explosions.

The Germans had arrived.

The cruel, vicious, merciless brutes have arrived in our trenches in hopes of winning the war.

Finally, the long-awaited moment had come.

I'd been sleeping on the stacks of hay in the front-line trenches, so I had to act quickly. I grabbed my machine gun and fired at the nearby German soldier approaching. But the sly-fox of a man ducked and when he was about to shoot, Michael came to my rescue-shooting him straight on the neck.

Blood... So much blood flowed out from the neck wound as the soldier chortled, his mouth bubbling from his blood as his blue eyes glared at me in defiance... But the light had soon died-leaving only a corpse behind.

"Soldier Morrison-don't make me regret saving you!" Michael had shouted as he fought a German soldier in combat.

The amount of soldiers were horrifying-all flooding through the trenches like swarms of rats-but I noticed that few had failed in doing so and were stuck in the barbed wires. I felt relief as I saw that there were no more backups coming. As a German soldier attempted to shoot me but missed, I fired my rifles, not looking to see if I killed him as another attempted to tackle me down.

I flung myself at the tackling soldier and punched him in the jaw, making him lose balance, and crushed his skull with my feet.

One down, more to go.

Looking around, I saw corpses of our men and theirs-all soaked with blood, literally unrecognizable in their state. I began to wonder-what did they earn from this battle? Was it really that worth it, sacrificing lives in hopes of winning a war? What would come next, peace?

No.

They all knew that that was impossible.

More bloodshed would come thereafter, more lives would be lost.

An endless cycle of killing, men against men.

History always repeats itself.

As I studied my surroundings, I was appalled to see Archie, with his wide anxious eyes and shaking hands holding a gun against a German soldier.

"Erschieß mich jetzt, Soldat. Sie haben eine Pflicht zu erfüllen und einen Krieg zu gewinnen. Erschieß mich, bevor ich dich erschießen muss," the soldier had pleaded.

"Soldier Duncan-do not hesitate in a battlefield. Your country comes first; before your family, before your friends, and before your honor," Marshal Douglas Haig had ordered.

Before I could process anything, I watched as Archie was shot-not by any german soldiers, but by Marshal Douglas Haig.

The world spun around me as I ran, clutching Archie's hand in a last attempt to say goodbye. He was gone, and gone was his soul. In his place was a lifeless corpse. I remember the pain I felt of losing my comrade-we had fought together, slept together, but most of all, Archie had trusted me-trusted me so much that he willingly asked me to take care of his daughter, Judy.

Archie hadn't survived the German attack, but he had kept his honor by refusing to unalive innocent men.

"Remember the promise, Soldier Morrison."

 Archie's last word still lingered in my mind as the battle went on-but all my thoughts were gone and the only thing that kept me alive was the promise that I had made with Archie.

Soon, the soldiers began to retreat-all running back towards their end of the trenches. I remember seeing a few soldiers shooting after them, attempting to kill or injure some as they escape.

I remember that I felt guilty and alarmingly concerned for the German soldiers-they never asked for this war and were ordinary men just like us, fighting to serve their country... Knowing that they would have to sacrifice their lives in order for that to happen.

Maybe we weren't really that different.

Maybe in another life, we could have been friends.

Maybe this war was a mistake.