In The Trenches

Jaben sat on a wooden bench, running his fingers along the old, cracked wood of the rifle he had been given from the armoury; listening to the "tink tink tink" of the rain drops hitting his wide-brimmed steel helmet.

The trench had become like a second, unwelcoming home to him. Several weeks in the rain and mud, sleeping in the cold with the rats while waiting for an attack that never came. And after all this time he wasn't sure whether or not he wanted it to.

He often thought of his mother and when he would be home to see her again. 'A battlefield is no place for a boy of just fifteen' she had said, with tears in her eyes, the day he'd left

for basic training, and he couldn't help but feel ashamed of his excitement at going.

'This bloody cold!' he thought to himself.

He wrapped his wool coat tight around him, but little did it help and the night watch had been long. Thankfully the sun was rearing its pale, golden head, and while it wouldn't bring much more warmth with it, the light would be a welcome change from the creeping darkness.

'Not sleeping I trust?' Sergeant Olef was walking down the trench towards him, a kind man in his 50's and a veteran of two previous wars. Jaben had always liked him and Olef had done his best to protect and train Jaben.

'Uhm, no, Sarge, just lost in me thoughts is all' Jaben quickly rose to his feet and tried to look as awake as he could.

'Easy on kid, you're on no parade.' He chuckled at first, but then his face turned a little more serious. 'I know you've been up most the night, but I'm afraid you won't be seeing your bunk anytime soon. Just had a meeting with the officers. Apparently, they think we've been sitting around picking our arses for too long.'

Jaben knew what that meant, he looked at Olef, trying to hide his worry as he asked: 'up and over Sarge?'

Olef nodded. 'Up and over kid.'

They both sat down on the bench and Olef offered Jaben a cigarette. 'No need to worry, we'll have some support, they're sending over some walkers from the 43rd Armoured.'

Jaben took the cigarette, he had never had one before but this had been a time of new things. 'What are they like Sarge? The enemy I mean, haven't actually seen them.'

Olef blew out some smoke. "Neither have I, but I suspect they look like you and me, just on the other side.'

'Some of the other privates they... they said they were monsters. Demons. And that they eat the flesh of dying soldiers.'

Olef let out a light laugh. 'And who told you that eh? Baren I wager? Look, kid, I've been in wars before and I've learned that the only monsters you have to worry about, are the ones people hide inside themselves.'

They sat for a bit, blowing smoke out into the air, watching the sun slowly rise over the trench wall. Then Olef broke the silence. 'Have you written your mum recently?'

'Not since we left camp a few months ago, don't see a need to tell her about boring night watches and the soldiers looking at lewd photographs.'

The sergeant didn't get to reply before they were interrupted by the sound of heavy iron feet landing in the mud, and the feeling of small rocks hitting them from the top of the trench wall behind them. Jaben got up in a hurry and looked up at the towering monstrosity of iron plates and rivets that loomed over them. He had never seen a walker from this angle before. Made it look all the more imposing.

At one point he had been offered to train as a crew member for one of these metal beasts but turned it down. He had never felt comfortable about being willingly trapped inside a metal coffin with two other poor souls, no matter how fearsome they might be or how much glory that job might hold. It wasn't without reason that the infantry called them 'cookers.' No, he'd rather be outside where it would be easier to escape the flames.