Slowly, but surely, the smoke began to converge on the Imperial lines, covering my vision to the last speck. It's eerie blackness loomed over me like the shadow of death, death that was sure to follow the upcoming battle. Next to me, my squad mates shifted uncomfortably in the trench, very aware of their decreasing life-expectancy, just as aware as I was. I was no stranger to death, having spent numerous years in the Interior Guard, but it still frightened me. And to have it approaching so fast terrified me.
They were just beyond the blackness, I could sense them, almost feel them approaching. They had landed on the planet and scattered the defenders in one fell swoop, burning and destroying all that stood in their path like the Daemons they consort with. They were the followers of the Gods whose names I shall not utter, curse them in the name of The Immortal Emperor!
We gathered what little defence we could. Men, woman, even children; any that could operate a lasgun were instructed to do so. But that didn't stop them, and we knew it wouldn't, all it did was feed their lust for slaughter. But we would keep fighting, to the last drop of blood, we would fight! Our faithful and ever present Commissar had uttered these very words not three hours ago.
And now here we were, lined up for our last minutes. The last remnants of the Imperial force, no more than three hundred, against countless thousands. The smoke of a nearby burning oil-well had drifted into our lines, burning our eyes and staining our uniforms a sickly black. The mockery of death.
And then at last we heard it. A deep roar echoed throughout the trench, sending an uncontrollable chill down my spine and causing my fingers to subconsciously grip my lasgun harder. The roar was quickly followed by a rumbling as the ground shook in fury at the approaching horde. The air around us seemed to shimmer and distort with the dark powers our enemy possessed, causing my vision to blur even further.
Finally a single word reverberated in the defender's ears, "fire!"
I pulled the trigger on my rifle, sending a multitude of bright, shining light into the darkness. The hundreds of defenders either side of me doing likewise. I didn't know if my shots hit, but it didn't matter, for every one we killed, three more would just appear in it's place. But I kept firing, for every one I kill, I send to be judged by The Immortal Emperor.
The rumbling grew louder and closer until the ground beneath me shook with force enough to make me lose my footing. But I had to keep shooting, killing and fighting until I no longer drew breath. It was my duty to The Emperor and I will uphold that duty!
But that's when they appeared.
The horde charged through the blackness, alit with such rage and fury that the air itself seemed to rush away in fear. Rank upon rank of defiled and disfigured bodies appeared before us, wielding massive axes and bloody cleavers, they charged on with little or no care for their own losses.
Fear gripped every muscle in my body. My mind screamed for me to keep firing, but my heart told me to run for dear life. Suddenly, the words "keep firing!" and "for the Emperor!" entered my ears. Looking to my right I gazed upon our faithful Commissar, standing at the lip of the trench waving his sword above his head like a madman. The man stood with little regard for his life, staring death in the face and showing it the epitome of Imperial faith.
Upon seeing the inspirational figure beside me, my fear drained away as if never there, replaced by a sudden urge to kill the Traitors that stood before us. Standing at my full height, I raised my lasgun and opened fire once more. My shots hit on target, sending a number of Heretics sprawling towards the ground in pain, their bodies replaced with more of the cursed filth.
Closer and closer they became, until I could see every detail on their defiled bodies; the archaic runes and symbols glistened with blood as though they were carved into the very flesh of the Traitors themselves. I pushed down the urge to gag and opened fire with another salvo from my rifle. Death was so close now, I could smell it's malevolent scent.
The Traitors were metres away, their faces stuck with a look of bloodcurdling glee. I closed my eyes awaiting the final blow, when suddenly a loud explosion boomed in my ears and I felt myself flying through the air. One of my fellow soldiers had pulled the pin on a grenade, but was struck by stray shot before he could throw it. I had been blasted over the opposite trench wall and into the oil soaked mud on the other side.
Opening my eyes I found myself gazing upon the black abyss of the smoke, it's ominous wisps caressing my face like the ice cold fingers of death itself. I couldn't feel my legs, or any other part of my body for that matter. But I didn't care, because I knew what was coming. Offering a final prayer to The Emperor I closed my eyes and let the shadow of death take me.