Clip From "Wartime"

Movement down his sight caught Andrews eye, and with a large crack the earth to his right exploded and pelted him. He ducked down and was about to yell at the Sarge down the line when there was another crack and one of the men groaned, fell back, and landed in the mud. Andrew could see the bullet wound in his head and looked away to keep from throwing up. The rest of the men had ducked down now and Andrew could hear the Sergeant cursing and yelling into his radio. Between the overpowering explosions of the shells, Andrew could make out bits and pieces of what he said. “Damn sharpshooters!……Where are our riflemen?….WHAT?!” Andrews interest peeked as he listened closer to the Sergeants’ conversation. “A machine?! Why the….Can’t you send?….are gone?! German ….” Just then a shell hit near the center of their trench and sent all the men, and Andrew, flying with the impact. Andrew found himself face first in waist deep mud. Andrew struggled to get out, his eyes were covered and he began to panic and yell but instead only gurgled in the mud. A strong hand gripped his neck from behind and yanked him out of the mud and plopped him down on solid ground. Wiping the mud from his eyes, he saw the tall form of the Sarge standing in front of him. There was a single man behind him, and Andrew looked past them and saw the carnage of the other men torn to pieces by the shell. He threw up then and there, nearly all over the Sarge, but he foresaw it and sidestepped just in time.