To Those Who Fell

1916

This Infernal Bombardment

5 hours into bombardment

"You think it will ever let up?" Addler shouted over the explosions outside. "I don't know if it ever will, something big is happening if its lasted this long" Emmerich shouted back pushing his glasses back up onto his face. Some dust fell from the single light bulb bouncing around, the intensity of the shelling picked up, becoming louder and louder. The four men were quick to put their hands over their ears as it could easily blow anyone's eardrums out if they were unfortunately enough to be caught outside one of the many concrete dugouts that littered the german lines. "How much food do we have in here? I can hardly hear myself over it" one of the other men shouted. Lukas dropped his hands down quickly searching through the many bags under his cot. "Where... where?! is this shit!" he shouted. "We had some not too long ago, hahaha" he shouted seemingly becoming mad against the deafening noise. "Damn rats got to most of it" he shouted to the others as he pulled out a box of crackers. "This is all we have left". The others winced a shell blew up an ammunition depot a few lines back. "Don't worry about this, we will survive it. The brits must have to run out of shells at some point, right?". "Point is we will make it through this, try to get some rest through the racket" Addler tried shouting reassuringly to the men with him. He could only hope.

30 hours into the bombardment

The men sat around in a circle rocking back and forth as the shells continued to fall around them. "It's never going to let up, we are going to die. I know we are" Emmerich shouted to the others. A few more minutes pass before Theodor finally chimes in, "I cannot take anymore of this, I'm going to make a run for it. I'll make it, I know I will" he said. "No, you won't go. It's suicide" Lukas shouted as he pulled Theodor back into the concrete dugout. "There's nothing you can do to stop me L. I'm already a dead man walking" Theodor shouted as he pushed Lukas away and booked it out into the trench. A distinctive sound was heard that sounded like much like something thick and heavy getting splattered against a wall. Lukas pulled the door shut and hurried down to the other men. "He isn't coming back, there isn't much left of him anymore," he said. The other two didn't speak, instead, they were content looking at the ground as more shells exploded outside.

3rd day of the bombardment

"I can hear horses out there. They are scared aren't they?" Emmerich asked sitting up on his cot. "There's no horses around here, nothing could survive out there" Addler said sitting up as well. "No, I can hear them," Emmerich said, "listen". Through the brief periods of silence, they could hear the whining of horses some unknown distance away. "I have to go help them. It's my duty as a farmer" Emmerich said as he made a beeline for the door. "No, not again I'm not losing you too!" Addler shouted chasing after Emmerich. Addler was too late to see that his friend had gone mad, three days with no sleep and very little food or water to drink had done him in. Emmerich made it through the door with plenty of distance between him and Addler. "I see them, don't worry horses, here I come" he shouted making his way through the trench. Addler poked his head out through the door just in time to see an explosion in front of poor Emmerich, he was practically torn in half by it. The entire mid section was blown to pieces, creating a red vapor that coated the walls of the trench.

Addler nearly broke out crying as he closed the door and retreated back down inside the dugout. Lukas understood what had happened and stayed silent to let Addler be to himself.

5th day of the bombardment

Addler woke up from a brief sleep screaming as he heard a gunshot go off right next to his ear. He shot up and looked around to find Lukas's corpse on his cot, profusely bleeding from a wound in the side of his head. Lukas had taken his own life out of the blue. Addler reached over to his friend's corpse and found a note that was hastily scribbled.

Addler,

I am sorry for doing this, forgive me, please. I cannot take this infernal bombardment anymore. The noise has driven me crazy and there is no end in sight. This war has changed me and for that, I cannot live with myself anymore.

Lukas

Addler crunched up the note in his hand and laid back down, and drenched his pillow in tears. Suddenly, the artillery stopped. Quiet for a second before a loud whistle blew among the german trenches. The Battle of the Somme had finally begun.

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