A couple days, I was excited. The adrenaline pumped through my vines when I got on the bus to go to training camp. There was laughter and chatter on the bus, abuzz with excitement. I could sense the mood, everybody was eager and thrilled to be playing such a big role. I had a big smile plastered on my face as I was headed to Camp Val Cartier in Québec. But to my surprise, it was all a lie. The pride and exhilaration had left my body and consternation and fear for my life replaced those feelings. As I stepped into the trenches, I was flabbergasted with the sight of hundreds of corpses littering the ground. Some were alive, still somewhat shaking and moving, but they were too far out in no man’s land. There was no hope. I felt something biting
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I covered my mouth, swallowing my puke. The smell was morbid. Odours from urine, rotting bodies, and the hint of chloride of lime mixed to create an unbearable stench that didn’t seem to leave. I set up my own rifle up on the top and crouched down and kept watch. I squinted thinking I saw a figure of a man, but it was just the fog playing tricks with my mind. I turned to see a younger soldier, maybe 17 load his Ross. He shuffled around with the rifle, but then seemed to have figured it out. Suddenly I heard a gunshot go off, and I ducked. The soldier was lying in the boggy trench, dead. I thought somebody from the other side shot him and started cursing and yelling. But, it was his own rifle. It had jammed and shot him right in the head. His own rifle that was supposed to kill somebody else, had taken his own life. I shut his eyes and walked away. A soldier was being carried by two other soldiers as his body was limp and he was unconscious, and bleeding from his head. A man with a piece of paper ran through the trenches yelling, “prepare for The Creeping Barrage”. I shuddered at the thought of fighting in the vast stretch of no man’s …show more content…
One of the soldiers yelled something, but I couldn’t hear him. Out of nowhere, a sea of green fumes enveloped us and my platoon dropped dead like flies. I held my breath and struggled to get my gas mask on, but it was stuck to my belt buckle. I could feel the gas seeping through my fingers and I finally pulled my gas mask on. I could breathe and oxygen felt so precious for the first time. I saw soldiers dashing back to our trenches, but it was too late as they were being shot down my drones hovering above. Their armour disintegrated before my eyes. The realization came to me that here was nobody to help me. There was only one option and that was to make a run for it. If I made it back safe, then God had a plan for me. If I died, I died proud and in service. My heart raced and my hand seemed to be cramping up from holding my rifle too tight. I got up and ran as fast as I could. The ground in front of me blurred, as I felt a bead of sweat run down the side of my forehead. Behind me, I heard the continuous sounds of explosions, and the emerging smoke surrounded me all around, but I waved my hands and ran even faster. I was finally in the trenches. I made
I covered my mouth, swallowing my puke. The smell was morbid. Odours from urine, rotting bodies, and the hint of chloride of lime mixed to create an unbearable stench that didn’t seem to leave. I set up my own rifle up on the top and crouched down and kept watch. I squinted thinking I saw a figure of a man, but it was just the fog playing tricks with my mind. I turned to see a younger soldier, maybe 17 load his Ross. He shuffled around with the rifle, but then seemed to have figured it out. Suddenly I heard a gunshot go off, and I ducked. The soldier was lying in the boggy trench, dead. I thought somebody from the other side shot him and started cursing and yelling. But, it was his own rifle. It had jammed and shot him right in the head. His own rifle that was supposed to kill somebody else, had taken his own life. I shut his eyes and walked away. A soldier was being carried by two other soldiers as his body was limp and he was unconscious, and bleeding from his head. A man with a piece of paper ran through the trenches yelling, “prepare for The Creeping Barrage”. I shuddered at the thought of fighting in the vast stretch of no man’s …show more content…
One of the soldiers yelled something, but I couldn’t hear him. Out of nowhere, a sea of green fumes enveloped us and my platoon dropped dead like flies. I held my breath and struggled to get my gas mask on, but it was stuck to my belt buckle. I could feel the gas seeping through my fingers and I finally pulled my gas mask on. I could breathe and oxygen felt so precious for the first time. I saw soldiers dashing back to our trenches, but it was too late as they were being shot down my drones hovering above. Their armour disintegrated before my eyes. The realization came to me that here was nobody to help me. There was only one option and that was to make a run for it. If I made it back safe, then God had a plan for me. If I died, I died proud and in service. My heart raced and my hand seemed to be cramping up from holding my rifle too tight. I got up and ran as fast as I could. The ground in front of me blurred, as I felt a bead of sweat run down the side of my forehead. Behind me, I heard the continuous sounds of explosions, and the emerging smoke surrounded me all around, but I waved my hands and ran even faster. I was finally in the trenches. I made