I gazed out upon the grassy field, which was now a muddy mess.
Bullet shells littered the place.
Every so often lay the hideous remains of a body.
The sky started to mirror the ground with patches of red beginning to form.
The sun had seen enough pointless lives being lost for that day.
I bit down on my dry, cracked lower lip, my face grimaced as the sharp pain forced me to ease the pressure.
Fear was slowly climbing up my spine with its cold hands.
I knew I was not the only one starting to be taken over by nerves.
My comrades all had gloomy faces pointed to the ground, their dirty, war-torn hands nervously fiddling with something.
Flashes suddenly eroded away at the dim light.
My heart felt as though it was trying to force its way out of my body.
I heaved my body up on to my aching legs.
I reached down and grasped my helmet, which had just about every last speckle of bush-green paint worn off it, and adjusted it to my head.
The whistle of a stray bullet sped over my tin-covered head.
THUD!
"AAAUUUUGGGHHH," screamed a helpless voice from behind me.
I turned to face the bleeding soldier.
Blood was oozing out of the left side of his chest.
I stumbled to where he lay. I desperately hurried to stop the deep red stream of blood from exiting his slowly dying body.
The soldier now looked like an autumn leaf, starting to lose colour and shaking there in the dirt.
As I held the blood-stained cloth against his chest, he looked up at me with cold, tearing eyes and mumbled, "I'm not gonna make it."
It was followed by a cough of blood.
I had to stay positive with him.
"Yes you are, you're gonna make it, and you'll be back home in no time at all."
The way he looked back at me told me he knew I was lying.
"Well, could you tell my family that ... "
He coughed again. Blood made its way from the corner of his mouth down the side of his muddy cheek.
". . . that I," he whispered.
All expression suddenly left his face and as he exhaled, his eyes widened.
A cold tear rolled down my face as I closed his eyes.
He was at peace now.
By Regan Bray
Year 11, King's High School
