Soldiers

Part 2. The Second Big Push

"We made it" William acknowledge as the date switched from 1915 to 1916, "The war is going to end this year. I can feel it in my bones!"

"All I can feel in my bones is ache" David laughed and the boys started to sing 'Auld Lang Syne' in New Year Spirit as they ran back on to the battle field once again.

The sky was ginger this time, William thought, as the New Year embers burnt the night away. It felt as if a tornado was flipping around him as dirt spiralled, bullets flew like bumble bees and shells blew up, shrapnel trying to target stars which had not yet gone to bed. A snowball fight with fractals of icy metal instead of fractals of soft snow.

As David ran across the field towards the enemy he felt something snag on his trousers and looked down to see a hand, clasping his leg. It was a human but the fog made his hand look skeletal. Trying to wriggle his way free, David panicked and felt a bullet fly past his face. He bent down to the soldier and said two simple words, two words which could in fact have ended this entire debacle of war.

"I'm sorry"

The man released his grip, but not because he wanted to let David go, but because he had passes. His head fell back, his eyes rolled, the blood in his face disappeared and his hand rejected David's leg. David stood in alarm but ran on, away from the corpse and towards almost certain death.

Wilfred had a similar problem. His leg got snagged on some barbed wire but instead of catching on his trousers, it caught on his skin and ripped several slashes like lion's claws, which bled like crazy. He yelled in pain and fell to the floor, trying to get the skewers out of his leg but he couldn't. He was losing too much blood. His vision fogged over and before he knew it he was out. Passed out from the pain.

It was William who carried Wilfred back to the casualty dugout. There was no way he was leaving his friend there to die. The young man was only 21 and so luckily for William was not that heavy. When he got the casualty tent the sight was almost more terrorising than the battlefield itself! Men in pieces, men covered in their own blood, men screaming, men... men... men... being slaughtered like cattle!

William laid Wilfred on a nearby bed which had been cleared of the last casualty who sadly hadn't made it, and informed the nurse of Wilfred's injury. She said she would see to it right away and, pulling the trouser leg back to reveal the wound, William saw the blood-curdling injury which stretched right up his leg.

"You must go" the nurse told him and William nodded, refusing to take his eyes off his friend until he was back outside.

Smokey had refuelled his rifle eight times and had ducked a minimum of 111 times like a game of dodge-ball, trying to survive long enough for supper. They were having soup and stale bread tonight! The best!

The hours built up and the men shrunk down. David had never had a new year like this! He thought about the books he read as a child which were always full of blood and gore and adventure and excitement. This was not a story book. This was the real thing and he decided, right there and then, that if he ever had children he would never let them read books like that. War is not fun. War is not brave. War is an explanation of human kind and it isn't nice.

As the days went and the months passed, July came quickly and the men were informed they were moving to the Somme in France. The men were happy that they were moving at least, but not one of them expected what was to come.

"Do you think the weather will be nice there? I've heard weather is good in France but I've never been" William asked

"I can't say for sure," Smokey begun, "but I have a feeling it will be sunny. Look at the sky" the three boys looked up and saw the sun peeking through white clouds and deep blue sky, "how could rain come out of that"