Ten days later

The past ten days had been hard for Gomer's men, and he knew it but continued pushing them to their limits. So far they had been through the barracks' muddy field at least eight times in the last ten days, bayoneting sacks of hay at least five times, three of them in pouring rain, and even went on another march, again in the pouring rain and part of it was even across one of the neighbouring fields that had been churned up by the rain. When the squad had returned, they had mud all the way up their boots and trousers, one soldier called David, had fallen over several times and came back looking like he had been rolling around in the mud. Obviously, Gomer had flipped at seeing him in that state.

However, the squad were lucky. Out of all of them, one soldier Gomer had especially been pushing to his limits and beyond, and probably really winding him up at the same time, was Wally. After he had humiliated him during the pretend bayoneting, Gomer had been waking him every night and forcing him to run up the steps of the barracks for at least two hours. His way of this training was to 'help' Wally become fitter but he knew, and so did Wally, that the purpose of this was payback for humiliating him in front of one of the commanders of the barracks.

And this had been only part of his punishment. To add to it, whenever they were practice bayoneting Gomer had picked Wally to be the 'German' and had stabbed him with the fake bayonet, which hurt wherever it hit afterwards. Also when they were in the muddy field, he made Wally stay behind and ordered him to "Stand up!" then "Advance!" and then "Lie down!", covering him in mud as if he had jumped into a sea of it (this had made him be sick one time as he had accidentally swallowed a bit of mud when Gomer had ordered him to lie down). Even when they last went out on a march, Gomer's hopes of punishing Wally were not forgotten. He had another officer lead the men on and took Wally from the group and made him walk through the thickest part of the mud, with him walking alongside on the paved road. Wally had fallen over twice; luckily he had managed to avoid getting mud on his face again after what happened last time that had happened, and he had got stuck a few times, to which Gomer would help him out by kicking him up the backside as hard as possible.

Gomer's punishment was starting to really get to Wally, but it was also beginning to hurt. He could not believe why Gomer was doing this to him. All of this had started over a simple button missing on his uniform. What Gomer did not realise how much this was hurting him. Wally knew that he could easily get away with what he was doing to him, but eventually everything that was being done to him was going to come back and get Gomer one day.

Wally just hoped it would be soon.

Sadly, however, it was already obvious it was not going to be today. Gomer and another officer were already taking the men out on a march and, like last time, Wally was kept away from the others by Gomer.

"Come on now, Wallace!" Gomer barked at him. "Get a move on!"

Gomer had forced him to cross another stretch of mud by the paved road and because it had been raining the night before and the morning Sun had partially the ground, the mud was as sticky as ever. Already Wally had fallen over and gotten mud up his trousers and up his shirt and he had more mud sticking to his boots like wet clay. The mud had even slowed him down because every time he stepped into it, his feet sank a few inches and he had to pull hard to get them out. At the moment, he was having a bit of trouble getting his feet out of a puddle that his foot had sank about five inches into. He tried to pull it out, but it was taking a long time.

Gomer sighed and stepped into the mud, coming to a halt about two feet behind Wally. Then, he brought his foot back and launched it at Wally, hitting him in the backside as hard as he could. Wally was almost literally launched a few inches into the air and stumbled forward, trying to keep his balance so he would not fall face first into the mud.

"Thanks," he grumbled.

"Alright, come on! Get a move on!" Gomer ordered.

Wally sighed through gritted teeth and walked on, Gomer following alongside on the paved road. Only a few moments later, he got stuck again and this time, in an effort to keep his balance, his rifle fell off the strap on his shoulder and into the mud.

"Pick up your rifle! C'mon!" Gomer barked at him.

Can I pick it up and thrust the bayonet at you! Wally thought angrily as he grabbed his rifle and slung it back across his shoulder and then pulled himself out of the mud.

He moved on, Gomer following him.

Later that day

On the distant horizon, clouds were beginning to gather. Another storm was on It's way in so everyone was hurrying about to get whatever they needed done and then get home before it started to rain. The men were already back at the barracks, having been given the rest of the evening to rest because of the weather that was to hit later that night.

In one of the barracks' rooms, Wally winced in pain as he sat down on his bed. His bottom still hurt from where Gomer had kicked him. The top of his leg even hurt because when he got stuck again, Gomer had obviously aimed to kick him at the backside but had missed and his foot had instead hit the top of his leg, which left Wally limping for the rest of the march.

"Are you alright?" Hal asked him as he sat down on his bed next to Wally.

"No," Wally replied.

He had explained what Gomer had been doing to him and very quickly everyone else in their group knew as well. William, who had taken off his helmet and tunic, revealing a white vest over his chest, walked over.

"Did he hurt you again?" he asked Wally, who nodded, wincing as he rubbed the top of his leg.

"Alright, commander!" a voice from the stairwell said loudly. "I'm heading into Dover for a drink with the other officers. I said I'd meet them down in the pub,"

Everyone looked to see Gomer, as usual dressed in his officer uniform with his cane put in a slot on his belt and newly cleaned boots, walk into view from the stairs, which led up to the next level, at the other end of the level.

"Are you sure?" another voice, that sounded much older, probably from a commander in his fifties, maybe sixties, asked. "It's going to rain tonight," he warned.

"Oh, that won't put me off," Gomer replied. "Right, I'll be back later,"

He whistled a tune to himself as he walked to the end of the level, turned right, to the steps that led to the ground floor, and disappeared from sight.

Oh, he was going for a drink, was he? Well that was a good example for his men. Whilst they had been tired out training all day he was going to relax the good way whilst they were left here bored out of their minds.

Wally was the angriest. Gomer had really wound him up today, not only had he almost sent him face first into the mud when he had kicked him up the backside, but now his leg was hurting and he would be left limping for a few days. He clenched his hand into a fist and just wished Gomer would appear in front of him so he could swing a punch at him. There was no doubt that everyone was thinking the same thing. They all really hated him and just wanted to beat the cr-

Wait a minute! An idea popped into Wally's head. If Gomer was going out into town to a pub, then there was no doubt that he would get drunk, probably not a lot but at least enough for him to be in the condition Wally wanted him to be in. Oh yes. He had taken his training too far with him. Now it was his turn to pay Gomer back.

"When It's nightfall, everyone get dressed," Wally said.

"Why, where are we going?" Hal asked him.

"To pay Gomer a little visit whilst he's in town," Wally replied.

Later that night

Darkness had descended over England but, miraculously, the storm that had been predicted to hit the coast did not strike, although it did rain hard for about half an hour before it moved back out to sea, but other than that the storm had gone. The sky was filled with the beautiful sight of the stars which shined brightly like white lights. It was perfect for going back outside now the storm had gone.

In Dover, it was almost quiet, save for the singing coming from the pubs. From one pub on one of the main streets of the city, a man walked out from the pub, filling the air with the sound of men singing. Gomer groaned and closed the door, concealing the noise back inside the pub once again. He had had a good time drinking with his mates but now it was time to head back to the barracks.

As he walked off the pavement onto the dark road, he failed to notice a few figures sneaking up behind him. It was William, Hal and David. One of them was holding a sack. Hiding in the doorways of the buildings along the sides of the road were more figures. Wally was among them. He was hiding in the doorway of a fruit shop. A few feet behind him, hiding in the doorway of a bank, was the other soldier Gomer had snapped at when the group went on their first march. His name was Tom. He was just as determined as the rest of the group to payback Gomer for the way he had been treating them.

"W-w-whe-e-e-n-n-n o-o-the-r-r hel-pers f-f-ail and c-o-o-m-m-mf-f-f-orts f-f-l-e-e-e-e," Gomer sang drunkenly as he walked down the road.

The group behind him crept closer, raising their arms ready to pounce. Wally and Tom readied themselves to run to Gomer. Across the road, three others were doing the same. They had been waiting for about twenty minutes for Gomer to come out of the pub and just when they had decided to give up, Hal ran over for one more look and shouted to the others he was coming out. Now they just had to hope no one saw them do what they were about to do.

"He-e-e-l-l-l-p-p o-o-f-f-f th-e-e-e hel-p-p-le-e-e-s-s-s-s-s. O-o-o-o a-a-a-b-b-i-i-i-d-d-de w-w-i-i-i-t-th m-"

Suddenly, a hand was thrown over his mouth. His eyes widened and he tried to shout something, even though it would sound muffled, but then a sack was forced over his head. Wally, Tom and the other three soldiers ran over to the other three and, whilst David and two of the soldiers from across the road kept watch, carried him over towards a puddle of mud on a small grass patch where a tree was growing out of the middle of. When they reached it, they put Gomer knee down on the ground (he was still shouting from underneath the sack but it was muffled) and William pushed him forward into the mud.

The group burst out laughing as mud splattered up Gomer's trousers and jacket.

"Advance!" one of them shouted in a mocking tone.

Wally walked up behind Gomer as he sat up.

"Lay down!" he said in a mocking tone as he pushed Gomer forward into the mud, making the group laugh again.

The group then picked Gomer up, being careful not to touch the mud and carried him back out into the middle of the road. Hal then pulled down his trousers, revealing his boxers, and Wally took the cane from the strap on his belt. He stood behind him, brought back the cane and swung it like a baseball bat at Gomer's backside. A yell erupted from the sack, making the group burst out with laughter.

The group then ran into the darkness laughing their heads off. Gomer staggered forward, moaning in pain as he rubbed his bottom from where the cane had hit him.

He had finally gotten his just desserts.