Uncharted Territory - A Short Story by Martello736
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Short Story by: martello736
Jimmy Fuller pressed his body tightly into the side of the crater and covered his ears.The stomach churning smell of decaying flesh and stagnant water was everywhere threatening to choke him. |
A shell exploded nearby sending up a mushroom of dirt and debris, swiftly followed by several more. Each shell landed a little closer than its predecessor.It no longer mattered which side was firing them, British or Hun, if you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, your number was up. |
The barrage suddenly ceased and the air now reverberated with the sound of machine guns as they swept no man’s land for any who had survived the guns.The pitiful cries of wounded and dying men punctuated the brief pauses. |
Jimmy turned onto his back and looked around.At that moment in time his world consisted of noise, water and a dead German soldier whose decomposing body protruded grotesquely from the life?sucking mud.Jimmy shuddered at what other horrors lay concealed beneath the foul?smelling water. |
An obscenely large rat scurried over his legs towards the body and Jimmy screamed in disgust.As it began feasting on the rotting corpse, Jimmy looked round for something to throw.He was just contemplating shooting it when somebody suddenly slid into the hole next to him.Jimmy’s hands instinctively reached for his rifle, but stopped when he recognised the uniform of a British officer. |
“At ease, private,” said the officer.“What are you doing here?” |
“They murdered us, sir,” replied Jimmy.“We were told the Hun would all be dead after the artillery barrage, but they weren’t.They slaughtered us with their bloody machine guns.” |
The officer nodded knowingly.“Where are the rest of your chums, private?” |
“I don’t know, sir, for all I know I could be the only one left alive.” |
“Fritz has given us a good pasting that’s for certain, but you’re not alone, I’m sure.” |
Little clouds of dirt sprayed up along the edge of the shell?hole as a machine gun crew raked the area speculatively.The Hun had probably spotted the officer diving into the hole and was now waiting for him to re?emerge.He was trapped and so was Jimmy. |
“You need to get back to our lines.” |
“The minute we stick our heads up, sir, they’re going to blow them clean off.” |
“We’ve got to try, private.You can’t sit the rest of the war out here you know.” |
Jimmy nodded reluctantly.“What are you doing here, sir?I thought the Guards got rotated out of the line?” |
“They did.I got left behind.I’m Captain Boswell, by the way.” |
“Jimmy Fuller.”The two men shook hands. |
It had been a strange answer, but then nothing in this damned war made any sense to Jimmy anyway.Another sweep of machine gun fire made them both duck even though they were safe where they were.The mortar round that exploded nearby was a different matter. |
“We’d better go, private.I think they’re onto us.” |
Another mortar shell exploded just behind the dead German soldier.Jimmy closed his eyes and winced in revulsion as his body was splattered with tiny pieces of human and rat flesh.“I’m right behind you, sir.” |
The captain crawled to the top of the crater and peered out.Jimmy expected him to fall backwards at any moment, a sniper’s bullet lodged between his eyes, but it never happened. |
“When I go, follow me as quickly as you can, private.Don’t hesitate and don’t look back.Nor are you to stop for any wounded men even if they’re your pals, understood?” |
Jimmy nodded but doubted he’d be able to simply leave Percy or Charlie lying wounded in no man’s land if he saw them. |
“You’re not to stop for anyone, private, that’s an order.”It was as if the man was reading his mind. |
The captain took one last peek over the lip before suddenly scurrying out of the hole and sprinting towards what Jimmy hoped was the British lines.Jimmy briefly hesitated and then followed.Behind them all Hell erupted.To Jimmy it sounded as if every German soldier on the Western Front was trying to plug him and he was sure that he’d be hit at any moment. |
In and out of the broken wire the captain zigzagged, closely followed by Jimmy, bullets and mortar shells chewing up the ground around them.Jimmy had just started to believe they’d make it, when the captain suddenly jumped into another crater. |
“Why’ve we stopped, sir, our lines are only over there?” |
“I know, private.You go alone from here.” |
“What?Where are you going, sir?” |
“To help the others.” |
“It’s madness, sir; Fritz’ll get you for sure.” |
“I’ll be all right, private, now get going.”Jimmy hesitated.“Go, that’s an order.”With one last anxious look, Jimmy rose and sprinted for the British lines, leaping the last few feet to avoid a mortar shell. |
“Jimmy!We thought you were dead.” |
Breathing heavy, Jimmy looked up and saw some familiar faces including Lieutenant Belmarsh who was with a sergeant Jimmy didn’t recognise. |
“Good to see you, Private Fuller,” said the lieutenant. |
“You too, sir.” |
“You did well to make it back alive.” |
“I’d never have managed it without Captain Boswell, sir, he’s a hero.” |
The small group of onlookers exchanged glances. |
“What is it?” asked Jimmy. |
“You’re the second man today to say Captain Boswell saved them.” |
“I can believe that, sir.He’s gone back out there again.” |
“No, you don’t understand, private.Captain Boswell was killed about a year ago; Sergeant Harris here saw him die.He blamed himself for a failed attack and died trying to rescue his wounded men. A hero indeed, but a dead one.” |
Jimmy turned away, the colour draining from his face. |
In no man’s land a young British soldier lay bleeding in a shallow crater.Seemingly out of nowhere a captain slipped in beside him. |
“Don’t worry, corporal, I’m here to help you.” |
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© Copyright 2018 martello736. All rights reserved.
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