Five days later
Date: July 20th
After the fiasco of the rainstorm and all the men meant to be returning or leaving the frontline around the Somme had passed, things quickly settled back to normal there. Everyone was still living in the god forsaken constructions of war and men on both sides were still risking their lives every day and wondering whether they would live or night to see the night. They all prayed and hoped that fate would save them, though sometimes their prayers were not always answered and even if they were, for many it was the answer they feared the most: Death in No Man's Land.
In the trench, the squad were sitting about with a few others soldiers. Hans was on sentry duty, Wally was sitting in the small square shaped hole in the side of the trench with another soldier called Jack and Moe was sitting in the machine gun nest, though half-lying down so he did present himself as a target for any German snipers, talking to two others soldiers sitting with their backs against the sandbag wall at the front of the machine gun nest. Adam was off somewhere again, attending to some other matters. This time it was a much better day then it had been in the weeks previously. The sun was shining and a blue sky was all around them, stretching on for miles in all directions. It was going to be another good day, and there was supposed to be more sun for the next few days so there was something the men on the Western Front could look forward to.
Next to Hans were two other soldiers. One of them holding a normal Lee Enfield .303 rifle, the other sniper rifle. The soldier with the sniper rifle had his weapon aimed out across No Man's Land, slowly moving left and right as he looked through the scope to try and find a viable target. The butt of his weapon was placed against his heart as if he and the sniper rifle were one, forever joined to kill enemies from a distance.
Then, he fired a shot, paused for a second as he looked up from his scope across No Man's Land, as if he had super vision, before looking back through his scope. He growled in frustration. He had missed. He moved his rifle right and fired another shot. Another pause and look up from his scope and then through his scope before he growled again. Another miss. It was not that he wanted to hurt the German soldier he was trying to shoot, but it was missing he hated, especially when using a rifle that could see across vast distances of land and kill targets before they can fire on you, sometimes before they even see you. His heart was also acting the same way as his emotions for it was beating madly like it was itself angry that he had missed his target and was fuelling the anger and urging the soldier to continue until he hit the German soldier.
Behind him, Wally and Jack were locked deep in conversation.
"So, today you guys get another recruit?" Jack asked Wally, who nodded.
"I wonder how long he'll last," he said to himself. "I mean, they all seem to die within a few weeks and yet me, Hans, Moe and Adam live on like we're invincible,"
Jack shrugged and nodded in agreement. "It's like with my group," he said. "Me and Aaron-" he indicated to the sniper, who had just fired another shot and this time smiled as he had finally hit his target after about three tries. "-are the only ones, besides our captain, who've lasted this long ever since we arrived. All the others are either dead or wounded at the hospital."
"I bet we're all probably regarded as super humans among the others," Hans, who had overheard the conversation, interjected. "I wouldn't be surprised if one of the new recruits heard about me living so long here and started calling me superman,"
Wally and Jack smirked, as did Hans, who looked back out across No Man's Land at the German positions. He wondered if there was a German over there right now on sentry duty, looking back at him and probably having a good time with his friends. The Germans were no different than them in this war, apart from the fact they were the invaders, but still they were stuck in this trench warfare and hated it just as much as the British did, yet the war still went on and, as many men now thought as it showed no sign of ceasing, it would be a long time before it was over.
"Right, let's see where you're assigned squad is,"
Wally looked out from the square shaped hole to see an elderly officer walk from the section of trench that led to the rear trenches into the frontline trench. Behind him was a young looking soldier of about sixteen with brown hair, blue eyes and was actually quite small, only about 5ft 6. He looked nervous as if he wanted to get away from here, which was what most of the soldiers here wanted to do, but for him to be scared right now was actually quite a rarity for new recruits. Wally had barely seen anyone who was new to the war and had wanted to get away back to Britain.
The officer looked to his right and saw the dugout entrance. "Ah! Here it is," he exclaimed and he led the soldier into the dugout.
Hans and Moe had not even noticed that a new soldier had been led into their dugout. This was probably the new recruit they were to receive today. About a minute passed before the officer emerged from the dugout and walked back up the long section of trench to the rear trenches.
I'll go talk to him Wally thought. He did not want their new recruit to be left nervous already. He thought it was right if he went and assured him he was alright here at the front and that he had a friend here. "I'll speak to you later, Jack," Wally said to the soldier across from him.
Jack nodded. "I better be off anyway," he replied as he moved out of the hole with Wally. "See if I got any mail from my sister,"
The two said goodbye and Wally walked right whilst jack walked in the opposite direction. When Wally reached the dugout entrance, he peered inside and saw the young soldier with his backpack on the table, looking at a photograph of something, though what it was, Wally could not tell.
He stepped into the dugout, his foot making a loud pounding noise on the wooden floorboards. The soldier looked at him and quickly stuffed the photograph back inside his backpack. Wally took another step in, nodding and smiling at the soldier
"Hello," Wally said to him.
"Um…h-hi," the soldier replied, replying with a small, but nervous smile.
"Are you alright?" Wally asked him.
"Uh…y-yes. I-I'm fine," he replied, stammering.
"You nervous about being here?"
"Yeah,"
"Don't worry," Wally walked up to the soldier and rested a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be alright. I was nervous when I came here as well, but you'll get used to it,"
The soldier smiled a little more now. "Thanks."
"My pleasure," Wally took his hand off the soldier's shoulder and held it up to him. "I'm Wally by the way,"
The soldier took Wally's hand and shook it. "Albert," he said.
The two let go of each other's hands and Albert turned back to his backpack. "Is there a free bed where I can put this?" he asked.
Wally nodded. "One of the bunk beds, apart from that one," he replied, also pointing at Moe's to let Albert know it was taken.
Albert thanked him and walked over to one of the lower bunk beds, the one below Moe's, and sat down on it.
"I'll wait outside for you," Wally told him. "Introduce you to everyone else,"
Albert nodded and Wally walked out of the dugout back into the trench. That Albert recruit was strange. Friendly, but strange. There was something odd about him, as if he were scared of something.
It's probably because he's at the frontline Wally thought.
Yes, that was probably, and most likely, to be it, but still, he could just not help but feel there was something strange and different about that new recruit. It was as if he were different somehow, like he had a different purpose here. What, Wally did not know, and if he would eventually know, he also did not know.
Overall, what it was about this new recruit he found to be different he may or may not find out in future.
