Over The Top
Recalling an old saying that “Lightning never strikes the same place twice”, you scurry over to George’s crater just as a shell explodes inside your previous hole.
Tumbling head over heels inside the crater, you stumble on the remains of two lifeless corpses, that of George and the German prisoner. The odour of burnt flesh is overpowering and quite sickening to you. The horrible fate of your best friend leaves you in a state of shock and disbelief.
You are woken, however, from your dream-like state by Sergeant Wilkes who urges you to follow him back to your own lines. Realizing the danger of your position, you glance one last time over to your deceased friend before taking off into the night.
Moments later, you are just within shouting distance of your own trenches when another flare is sent into the sky. Again, Sergeant Wilkes and you jump inside a crater to seek cover. It seems unfair, you think, to be so close to safety yet pinned down by enemy fire. How long now before a mortar shell lands on top of you?