Gripping Reality

The smell is overbearing, the stench of decomposing corpses, unwashed bodies and gunpowder permeating the air. Smell alone is enough to make even the most veteran soldier nauseas, coupled with the sight of the devastation this war has caused makes me beg for a trip home.

My hands shake, making it hard to hold my rifle steady. The sounds of shelling can be heard in the distance, softening up our lines with artillery fire. Behind me, I can hear the commander barking orders.

I can feel my stomach drop into a pit, my grip tightening on my M1903 Springfield until my knuckles turned white. I hadn't survived this long, just to die going over the top of the trenches

There's nothing left, an empty field body's scatter across every part of this area. I see people crying for their love ones. I hear bullets, watching as my countrymen attempt a desperately crawl back to the safety of the trench. Only to die before they reach the trench line or be blown to pieces

A young man lay dying next to me, his guts exposed and hanging in his hands. He sob short breaths, praying to god for a quick death

"It's okay" I whisper to him, kneeling in the dirt next to him

He shudders in pain, choking out his last breath. His hands going limp, his entrails slipping from his fingers. I manage to catch them, trying to spare this young soul some dignity in his death.

"MEDIC!" I hear a voice cry out from the cacophonous noise, signalling their need for my aid

My eyes linger a moment on the dead soul, placing a hand over the man's face to close his eyes. I hauled my medic pack over my shoulder, slinging it by my hip. The voice cries out again, snapping me to attention.

I race through the trenches as fast as my feet can carry me. The wet muddy trenches slowed me enough to see familiar faces both living and dead pass through my mind.

Joshua was a good ole Catholic boy, never drank, never swore, but that boy sure did have a hatred for our enemy. He sworn on the bible that he'd kill every fucker he saw. Poor boy shot in the chest, but he died with a smile, knowing he took one of those bastards down.

Bobby was one of the lucky ones, when the bullets started blazing all over the battlefield, one bullet merely grazed him. He hid under dead bodies, some call him a coward, but it takes a strong man to be able to not weep as he lies under his best friends' corpse

I remember they gunned down Timothy, I could hear him scream," Please, I have a family, a baby on the way." They shot him straight in the head, so I bit my tongue lest they find me too and kill me just like that.

Sometimes. We have people who sacrifice themselves, for others they care for, love for. And sometimes, they don't come back from that war. They sober, hurt inside, feel nothing. People wish to solve this, to bring your loved ones back. I'm sorry. The ones who have past, are the ones who see the sunlight brighter than you, they see the blue skies and oceans, they see the happiest people. But we just want them back. I know it's hard, but you can learn to love and let go

An explosion erupts beside me, an unfortunate circumstance. The blast throws me forward, knocking me unconscious. The cawing of hungry crows and the noise of vicious fighting wakes me to a smoky grey sky. I see the crows circle patiently and the clouds softly pushing peacefully over the warring battlefield. My pack weighed me down heavy, my medical kit still wrapped around my arm and my hand still grasping the bloodied rifle. My helmet has fallen to the ground before me, it smoked with splatters of bloody execution. My legs felt lifeless as I try to pull my ragged and gashed body. I can't feel a thing.

"C…Corporal"

I abstain from my strain and turned to the young broken and maimed soldier lying in a pool of his own blood. He looked upon me with a content smirk.

"It is God's will now" he strained his last words.

He breathed his last breath and fell back silently. I looked back up to the sky above. "Is this how it ends? Is this how my story ends?" I coughed stoically.

My mind took me back to my youth, both the good and the bad. The training seasons with Lynn, Mud wrestling with Lana, tea parties and pageantry training with Lola. Luna's jam sessions, poetry with Lucy. Even double dates with Lori. Never again will I hear the happy laughter of my baby sister Lilly or the horrid puns of my older sister Luan.

Even the no so bad moments like teaching Leni to drive or being subjected to Lisa's insane science experiments and the bad moments like No Such Luck and Bawl in the family. Not to mention the humiliation I went through to earn my sister forgiveness.

There are other good moments, meeting my wife, my love. Getting married on our twenty-acre farm, surround by friends and family…Well her family. The birth of our son, Leon after many hours of intense labour.

Is this your divine will God? Will I be remembered as Lincoln Loud, father? Husband? Friend? Or as a corporal slain in a German field? Do you mock me, God? I suppose it matters no longer.

My breaths are short, and eyes are getting heavier, I see that there is no time for regret, lament or redemption. My son will carry on my legacy, I know he will.

I gasp for breath, darkness beginning to encroach the edges of my vision. As I make my peace with death, a shimmering blue light appears before me. It pulls me towards it, a familiar voice calling out

"We've found him, quick pull him through" the young female voice says

I'm taken from the war-torn battlefield I had come to know, instead replaced with a familiar room. The cold mud beneath me is replaced with soft carpet, the foul smell of death is replaced with the smell of antiseptic and baby vomit.

"Maybe god has heard my prayers" I say with raspy tone, darkness ever closer

I exhale my last, tears streaking down my face as I give in to the darkness of eternity

A/N – Hey guys, Badger here. Long time no read huh. Well I have for you here just a little something I wrote up in the middle of the night after binge watching a bunch of war movies. So, I thought I'd experiment a little, put on some sad music and write this.

Let me know what your thoughts are on this, Did I do good, Is it emotional enough, Does it have a good impact or is it terrible or rushed or whatever. Let me know what you guys think, this is more an experimental fic for me as I don't really write war stories.

As usual, you can leave your comments, question or criticism in a review or PM and I will address in the next chapter. So don't be afraid to tell me what you all think, I'm not gonna be mean or anything.

I am not really an expert on my WW1 knowledge so let me know if you see any mistakes that can be rectified

Music to go with the story: watch?v=2YkkMSzY5Iw

Until next time my friends, Ciao for now. Sorry for the repost