trenches

You are a British soldier. The Great War has been going on for long enough for you to lose your initial hopes. You often look back to the summer of 1914, right before everything started. No one really knew what was happening, yet everyone knew that a single spark would blow everything up. The assasination of the Archduke and Duchess of Austria in Sarajevo pretty much served as a declaration of war, and suddenly, the majority of Europe was involved in the greatest war the world had ever seen. You remember the day you and your brother and cousins enlisted. Your family was proud, and they cheered on you as you got in the train and left. It was supposed to be an easy win. [[Next]]

It's 1916. The British and the French army have settle near the river Somme. The disaster of Verdun brought the Germans closer to victory and forced the British army to launch an offensive ahead of schedule. But this is a new type of war. The new artillery and machine guns have put an end to open field battles, and created a war of trenches. You've spent long days in the trenches. Most of the times, everything is quiet. Some times you can't even stand straight, or raise your voice at night. The majority of the days, nothing happens in what you call [["No Man's Land."]] But you all now that behind that dead stretch of land, a German soldier stands behind a machine gun, waiting for you to poke your head out. [[Next|Continuation]]

Your battalion has been sent to the first line for six days. You have been going back and forth for the last two years, and have seen all type of horrors. In your last permit, you didn't even go home, as you thought you couldn't let your sisters see you like this. You write to them every week. You are one of the three original members of the battalion that are still alive. You've seen most of your mates die. The luckiest ones were sent home sick or seriously injured. The other two remaining soldiers are [[Captain Roberts]] and [[Tim]]. You follow them through the tunnels. You've never been in this [[trench]] before, however, they all look basically the same.

Captain Harry Roberts is your direct superior. You have been under his orders since day one, and admire his courage and leadership. You have rarely seen him rest, and he is a great strategist. He enlisted long before the war started, motivated by his patriotism and love for England. Now, not much of that love remains, but he has a very strong sense of duty. He oftens drinks. He says that alcohol is the only thing keeping him from running away every time he hears a gun. It was him who suggested that you didn't go home during your last permit. [[Back|Continuation]]

Timmy and you enlisted together and have been together ever since. He got married to your sister just before the war. He lost one of his brothers, John, a few months ago. You have seen Timmy break down throughout the years. In the early days of the war, he would have been sent home due to mental inestability. But the situation is too fragile now, and almost no one is dismissed because of mental problems, as it would mean sending the great majority of men home. [[Back|Continuation]]

{(set: $day to 1) (set: $drinks to 0) (set: $hours to 1) (set: $write to 0) (set: $keep to 0) (set: $read to 0) (set: $post to 0) (set: $duty to 0) (set: $kitchen to 0) (set: $not to 0) (set: $Timmy to 0) (set: $outside to 0)}

You are now used to the claustrophobic underground tunnels that connect the different lines of trenches. You walk behind Roberts, almost in complete dark. The sound of your steps echoes on the walls. In the distance, you can hear the sound of grenades and machines guns. It is before 8 a.m. when you get to the first line. Inside the trench, all you see is just a few feet on either side. The walls are made of sandbags, wood, wires and mud. Soldier lean on the walls, facing the enemy's trenches and holding their weapons. It is awfully quiet. Most of the time nothing happens. You know how they are feeling: they are relieved your battalion got there. [[Next|Description of trenches]]

Roberts turns to you. "You and Timmy come with me. Sam, Charlie and George will do the first guard. We'll relieve you at 10. Oliver and Jacob, [[morning chores]]. You follow Roberts and Timmy through one of the tunnels that leads to the dugout where you and your mates will be sleeping. Roberts picks the "bed" closest to the entrance. You and Timmy pick beds next to each other. With a knife, you carve a stick in one of the wooden pole. It is your way of keeping track of time: 1 stick = 1 day. [[Next|Day]]

Morning chores are routinary. Every day, with the first rays of sun, both sides fired shells and machine guns towards the enemy. Sandbags often had to be fixed and refill, and debris had to be cleaned up. [[Back|Description of trenches]]

You take your boots off. It is the only time of the day your feet get a break from those thick and painful shoes. (set: $hours to it + 1) The dugout is slightly illuminated by three candles. You get under the blankets and take a quick nap. [[Back]]

(if: $day is 1)[Next to the dugout where you sleep, there is a small entrance to a tunnel that leads to a second dugout. The kitchen doesn't really look like a kitchen. It is a bit more illuminated than other rooms, but not too much, and it is definitely not clean. Charlie (the cook) and Arthur (the servant) are usually there.] Charlie and Arthur sit in two big wooden boxes that probably contain some sort of rotten food. It's been ages since you had real meat. Charlie often announces his creations as if they were very elaborated dishes, but they mostly consisted of hard bread, potatoes and other vegetables, and, if you're lucky, ham or beef. And a lot of beer and tea. Charlie nods when he sees you, and Arthur stands up, ready to obey any orders. "Do you want some rum?" asks Charlie. You could [[grab the bottle Charlie is offering you]] or [[decline it and just sit down with them]]. (set: $hours to it + 1) (set: $kitchen to it+1)

You leave the dugout and go back to the exterior alleys of the trench. The sound of war is louder here. It is probably one of the most dangerous places here, but it is the only open space. You walk hunched over. Althought the walls are taller than you, you have internalized the fear that your head will peek out and be seen and shot by the Germans. As you walk around, you see a group of three other soldiers that have decided to do the same thing as you. You stop by them. They offer you a cigarette. [[You take it]] (set: $hours to it + 1) (set: $outside to it +1)

(if: $post is 1)[You sit down in the wooden table next to the bed and light up a candle. You have gotten used to reading and doing all your tasks with almost no light. You always carry your letters with you. You could [[reread some of the letters]] or [[write]] a letter.] (else:)[You sit down in the wooden table next to the bed and light up a candle. You could [[reread some of the letters]] or [[write]] a letter.] (set: $hours to it+1) (set: $post to it+1)

(set: $read to it +1) You know some of the letters by heart. Some times you think that they are the only thing that make you keep going. (if: $read is 1)[Captain Roberts sits next to you. "New mail came in today, mate." He leaves a pile of envelopes on the table. You go through it, looking for a letter addressed to you, but something catches your attention. There is a letter for Timmy, from John, his deceased brother. Roberts sees you looking at it. "It probably got lost in the mail." "This will break him," you say. Timmy went crazy when he found out about his death. After all these years, the same way soldiers had become used to rats and cockroaches prowling their bed and food, many men became oblivious to death. But Timmy couldn't handle his brother loss. One night, you saw him leave the dug out and decided to follow him. You found him outside, with a gun in his mouth. Sobbing. You were just in time to stop him. You didn't tell anyone. "There's nothing we can do." Captain Roberts stands up and leaves you alone. You know that hiding the letter is a crime that could get you in real trouble. You wonder if you should [[do it]] or [[not]].] (else:)[ Although you know that new mail won't be coming in for a while, you like to go through your post. Timmy's mom's letter still haunts you. [[Back]]]

What you write now won't be mailed until you get relieved from the front line, and then, it won't reach your family in weeks. However, that doesn't stop you from writing. It helps you feel closer to your family. (set: $write to it +1) (if: $write is 1)[You decide to write a letter to your sister. Before the war started, you had a cordial relationship with your sister, but that was it. You acted like her older brother, and looked out for her, but you never spent a lot of time with her. You were happy when she married Timmy. He was a very capable man before the war, before losing his brother and his mind. You are not allowed to tell anyone where you are, but you tell your sister that you and Timmy are healthy. You even make up a few funny stories to make her smile.] (if: $write is 2)[You write a letter to your mom. The family house was transformed into a military hospital and your mom and sister work there as nurses. You know that even if they are not in the front line, they are still exposed to the horrors of the war. Your communication with her is a lot more sincere and straight forward than with your sister.] (if: $write is 3)[You write a letter to Angela, your neighbor. She is your same age and has been writing you letters religiously since the war started. Your sister always writes about her in her letters, and even told you to propose to her during one of your permits, but you wanted to do things right and wait until the war ended.] (if: $write is 4)[You write a letter to your dad, who lost a leg in 1915 and has been home since then. He knows about military strategy, and is the only one that really knows what you are going through. His sense of honor and duty is very strong, and you know that being home is almost a humiliation to him.] (if: $write >4)[You wrote four letters in the last couple days. Captain Roberts mocks you, and says that you might want to slow down or you'll run out of paper. You can't tell if he's joking or not, so you decide to [[reread|reread some of the letters]] some of your old letters instead.] [[Back]]

(if: $hours < 3)[You have some free time before you have to go on duty. You could. [[Go to the kitchen]] [[Get some air]] [[Go through your post]] [[Try to get some rest]]] (else:)[3 hours have gone by. It is time you go on [[duty]].]

(if: $day is 1)[(goto:"duty day 1")] (if: $day is 3)[(goto:"duty day 2")] (if: $day is 2)[(goto:"duty day 3")] (set: $duty to it +1)

(set: $day to it + 1) It is a new day, but it looks just like the previous one. (display: "Day")

It is a new day. You draw one more stick in the wooden pole: 4 in total. Captain Roberts calls you. "I have just met with Major Gordon. The offensive planned for next week has been brough forward. We have to carry it out now." "Why is that, sir?" "The Germans captured a spy last night. We have to act before they get any information. We need ten men, and some one to command them. Tonight." [[Volunteer to go on mission]] [[You decide not to volunteer]]

"I'll do it, sir," you say. Roberts looks at you and nods. You have lost all your patriotism and faith in your country, but you respect and admire your captain, and his approval makes you feel slightly better. Your mission is to rescue the captured spy. Ideally, you'll rescue him and come back to your trench. If that's not possible, you have to kill him, as he knows important information that could compromise England. [[Next|Mission]]

(if: $Timmy is 0)["It's going to be Timmy leading them," says Roberts. Your heart drops to the ground, but you won't sing up for a mission that will probably get you killed. Two years ago, men would have fought each other to command a mission like that, but not anymore. That afternoon, Timmy and you sit together in the dugout. He takes his ring off and put it in your hand. "You keep it for me, mate." "I'll keep it until you come back," you say, but neither of you finds comfort in those words. You think of Timmy's mom, and your sister, and consider [[taking his place|Mission]] but [[you don't find the strength to do it|Siguiente]]] (if: $Timmy is 1)[(goto: "mission 3")]

To be defined

You only have to resist for two more days, and your batallion will be relieved, but things are not looking good. Charlie, the cook, has been suffering a strig fever for the last two days. Everyone noticed how sick he was, but no one dared to say anything. He spent the entire night in bed, too weak to stand up, and this morning, he was sent to the nursery. You have also started to feel bad. You have a terrible headache, and your entire body shakes. When you think it can't get worse than that, the vomiting starts, making you feel even weaker. You are finally sent to the nursery too. You are inmediately diagnosed with cholera, a contagious disease. You probably got it from Charlie, after sharing the same bottle of alcohol several times. You are kept in the nursery several days. You've almost died from dehydration. When you start to recover, the poor conditions of the nursery makes you get an infectious disease that ends up affecting the wound you have in your left foot. The only thing the doctors can do to save your life is to amputate your left foot. After that, you are sent home, back with your family, but the horrors of war will never stop chasing you. THE END

To be defined

(if: $outside is 1)[Cigarettes and alcohol are the only goods that abound in the trenches. At the beginning, your family send you your favorite cigars, and you kept them as a treasure. But as time went by, everything started tasting the same. "The German //Minnies// did no damage this morning," says one of the soldiers. "I bet our shells got a few //Boches//." "I heard some good screaming," says another one. "You still have that spare helmet?" "Yeah. Do you want to mess with the Boches a bit?" You know what they mean. It is a common practice to held a helmet up with a stick and see if the enemy sniper can shot it. Just the thought of it makes you shiver. [[You decide to continue walking around]] [[You stay and play]]] (else:)[(goto: "soldiers2")]

{(if: $outside is 2)["You'll be here until Friday, won't you?" asks one of the soldiers. You nod. "There are rummors that one spy got captured. I bet there'll be a rescue mision soon, man." You know that if that's true, your batallion will be in charge of it. That's terrifying. The conversation goes on, but you're not listening anymore.] (if: $outside>2)[You listen to the other soliders' conversation, but you don't really participate. You are tired from the meaningless conversations. It feels surreal to be talking about girls, football or rugby when there are bullets flying over your head.]} You finish your cigar and go back to the [[dugout|Back]].

You nod with head as a farewell and keep walking. You despise those games, and know that any misstep could get you kill. But you don't blame the other soldiers for playing. You all have spent two years surrounded by guns, shells and blood. There is not much humanity left in any of you. You finish your cigar and go back to the [[dugout|Back]].

One of the soldiers puts the helment on a stick and holds it up. Two seconds later, a bullet goes trough it. Two seconds. That's the time it would take you to get killed if you miss a single step. "That was slow. I could've shot three bouches in that time!" says one of the soldiers. The men laugh around you. You know it's their way of copying with war. But it is terrifying. You finish your cigar and go back to the [[dugout|Back]].

You take a sip directly from the bottle. The first time you did that, two years ago, the drink burned your throat and made you cough. That doesn't happen anymore. [[Next|Rat]] (set: $drinks to it +1)

"It is too early in the morning," you say, although you are now more than used to drinking rum. [[Next|Rat]]

(if: $kitchen is 1)["Bloody rats" murmurs Arthurs, and points to a rat gnawing a piece of food in the corner of the room. Charlie doesn't even turn around. Rats aren't the worst thing one could find in the trenches...Germans would be worse. "They eat like men." You could [[let the rat live]] or [[shoot it]].] (else:)[(goto: "cockroach")]

Charlie takes his gun out and points at the rat. "Just leave it alone, mate. We've taken too many lives already," you say. After talking to Charlie and Arthur for a bit, you decide to go [[back|Back]].

You take your gun out and point at the rat. Your pulse doesn't tremble when you pull the trigger. This is your easiest kill. After talking to Charlie and Arthur for a bit, you decide to go back. [[Next|Back]]

It is midnight. At Roberts' sign, you open fire against the enemy line. It doesn't take them long to reply. No Man's Land is only illuminated by the explosions of light caused by the bombs and machine guns. The noise is defeaning. You watch Timmy and ten more soldiers climb out of the trench and crawl on the ground. The open fire is just a distraction. You watch them until they get lost in the dark. If everything goes well, it shouldn't take them more than a few minutes. Suddenly, a shell explodes a few meters in front of you, and you are ejected backwards. A loud beep rumbles in your ears as you [[lose consciousness]].

When you wake up, you are back in the dugout. Charlie lies next to you, with his eyes closed, but he is breathing. You are alright. All your limbs are in place, and you are able to stand up. Your left foot hurts, as you have an open cut in your ankle, but that's all. You see Captain Roberts sitting dow in the table. "What happened? Where's Timmy?" "The captured spy was rescued. He swears he hasn't talked," he answers. "But only three of our men made it back. I'm sorry." His words hurt like a bullet, but, sadly, this pain is not new to you. "What do we do now?" "Two more days to go, mate. Two more days." [[Next|Finales]]

(if: $drinks > 1)[(goto: "sent home")] (else:) [(goto:"end of 6 days")]

Although you regret your decision right after you say it out loud, you know it had to be you. At midnight, your army opens fire against the Germans. This is just a distraction so that you and your team can crawl through the death land and reach the enemy's trench. You can [[go first]] or [[cover the rear]].

You are the first one to climb out of the trench, followed by the rest of the soldiers. You sprint across No Man's Land, shells exploding around you. You can barely see anything, and the only lights comes from the machine guns. The noise is defeaning. A bomb explodes right behind you, and you are ejected forward. Your entire body hurts, but you stand up. Some of your men have been killed. You continue running. You're getting closer to the enemie's trench, and they can see you now. They start shooting at you. You shoot back. It's a massacre. [[Next|Conclusion]]

You are the last one to climb out of the trench. You follow the other soldiers and run across No Man's Land, shells exploding around you. You can barely see anything, as the only light comes from the machine guns and the explosions. The noise is defeaning. A shell explodes right where you are. You are thrown backwards. You can only hear a loud beep for a few seconds. Then reality hits back in. You feel a sharp pain in your left arm, it's probably broken, but at least it's still there. You could [[try to stand up and continue]] or [[try to crawl back to the trench.]]

You wake up. Everything is dark, you don't know where you are. The first thing you notice is that you cannot hear any explosions or guns. You try to move, but your body feels heavy. Someone turns a light on. As your eyes get used to the light, you realised you are not in the trenches. It looks like a hospital. A nurse approaches you. She treats you with a lot of respect, and informs you that you are back in England. She says that it will take you a few months to recover from the injuries caused by the bomb and bullets. You got three bullets in you, and suffered severe burns on your left arm, but you will recover from it. You don't remember much of the night of the attack. A few days after you woke up, you receive a letter from Captain Roberts wishing you a speedy recovery, and letting you know that the spy was rescued. In fact, it was you who carried him back to the trench, and you'll probably receive a medal. THE END

You make sure no one is watching and put the letter in your pocket. You won't keep it forever, you tell yourself. You just have to wait for the right moment. You go through the mail again until you find a letter addressed to you. You're surprised to see it is from Timmy's mom. The first thing she tells you that your sister and Timmy are expecting a child. She tells you that she is concerned about the last letter Timmy send her. Mothers, you say to yourself, even with a war going on, it was a letter what concerned her. She ends the letter telling you that she has already lost her husband and two of her three sons, and begs you to protect him. You finish reading the letter. [[Back]] (set: $hours to it +1) (set: $keep to 1)

You go through the mail again until you find a letter addressed to you. You're surprised to see it is from Timmy's mom. The first thing she tells you is that your sister and Timmy are expecting a child. She tells you that she is concerned about the last letter Timmy send her. Mothers, you say to yourself, even with a war going on, it was a letter what concerned her. She ends the letter telling you that she has already lost her husband and two of her three sons, and begs you to protect him. (set: $hours to it +1) You finish reading the letter. (set: $not to it +1) [[Back]].

{(if: $day > 1)[You draw one more stick in the wooden pole. Now there are $day sticks, which means that $day days have gone by. You have some free time before you have to go on duty. You could] (if: $day is 1)[You have some free time before you have to go on duty. You could] (if: $day is 4)[(goto: "attack")] } (set: $hours to 0) [[Go to the kitchen]] [[Get some air]] [[Go through your post]] [[Try to get some rest]]

Captain Roberts, Timmy and you go on duty. <img src="https://victoriaasuar.neocities.org/trenchesimage1.jpg"> You spend the next hours lying on mud, holding your weapon against your shoulder, and pointing at an enemy you cannot see. From time to time, you hear a shell explode, followed by screams. Then everything is quiet again. Awfully quiet. Timmy is right next to you. He's shivering. His entire body has been shaking violently for the past hour. You tried to pretend you couldn't notice it, but it's getting worse. "It's okay, mate" you say. "We'll be done soon." "It won't end. We won't see it end." "We'll be okay, mate, and we'll be back with our families." You immediately regret saying that. "I don't want them to see me like this." Suddenly, a shell explodes a few meters in front of you. Instinctively, Timmy throws himself to you and you both fall to the ground. "It's okay, it's okay Timmy." Although the shell didn't hit you, you cannot stop thinkng about how Timmy's first reaction was to protect you. One hour later, you're sent to do chores until they finally call for supper. You are extremly tired when you finally get some time to [[rest|Sleep]].

You spend the next hours lying on mud, holding your weapon against your shoulder, and pointing to an enemy you cannot see. From time to time, you hear a shell explode, followed by screams. Then everything is quiet again. Awfully quiet. One hour later, you're sent to do chores until they finally call for supper. You are extremly tired when you finally get some time to [[rest|Sleep]]

TRENCHES <img src="https://victoriaasuar.neocities.org/trenchesimage.jpg"> [[Play|Start]]

You hear someone call your name. Some of your mates have been kill by the shell. But you know you have to keep going. Limping, you run as fast as you can. When you reach the German's trench, you shoot your gun without rhyme or reason. It's a massacre. [[Epilogue]]

You can't run, something's wrong with your left leg, and you just crawl back to the trench. You receive another bullet and pain shakes your entire body. You make it back to a trench, but it's not your batallion's trench. "//C’est un soldat britannique! Arrêtez le feu!//" You hear someone shout. Two French soldiers lift you up and carry you inside a dugout. When you wake up, everything is dark, you don't know where you are. The first thing you notice is that you cannot hear any explosions or guns. You try to move, but your body feels heavy. Someone turns a light on. As your eyes get used to the light, you realised you are not in the trenches. It looks like a hospital. A nurse approaches you. She treats you with a lot of respect, and informs you that you are back in England. She says that it will take you a few months to recover from the injuries caused by the bomb and bullets. You got three bullets in you, and suffered severe burns on your left arm. You will recover from that, but you lost your left leg. You don't remember much of the night of the attack. A few days after you woke up, you receive a letter from Captain Roberts wishing you a speedy recovery, but he also tells you that the mission was a failure, and the spy was never rescued. You don't know how serious the consequences are. Maybe the spy didn't reaveal anything, or maybe he did. But you have already lost too much, and at least now you're going home. THE END

You sit down in one of the wooden boxes. A cockroach come from under the box, dodges your feet, sprints to the opposite side of the room and disappears between food boxes. "That's the third one this morning," says Charlie. After talking to Charlie and Arthur for a bit, you decide to go [[back|Back]].

Two weeks later Your mom receives a letter informing her of your death in combat, along with a medal. Your sister puts an old picture of you and the medal on top of the chimney, where everyone can see it. They mourn your death. You died a hero, but that is no consolation for your mom and sister. Your dad is proud. Seven months later, your nephew is born and your sister gives him your name. And a year after that, in 1918, the war is over and Timmy comes back home to his wife and his son. THE END

Timmy stands next to you. All of the sudden, he starts climbing the wall, trying to get out of the trench. You grab his legs, making him fall to the ground, and start shouting at him. "Have you gone mad? You're going to get us killed! One more step and you would be dead now!" But he starts crying. "You should have let me do it. I can't do this anymore." He takes his gun out, but before he can do anything with it, you knock him down. "Stop! You'll get shot if anyone hears about this! This is treason!" "Treason?" when he speaks, he laughs hysterically."Who am I betraying? The King? Where is the King? The Prime Minister? Huh? Where are they? I don't see them here!" "Timmy, listen to me. Timmy." You grab his shoulders, making him face you. "What about my sister? Are you going to leave your son without a father?" When you say this, Timmy opens his eyes wide. "Am I going to be a father?" You hug him. "We just have to keep going, mate. It'll be over soon." One hour later, you're sent to do chores until they finally call for supper. You are extremly tired when you finally get some time to [[rest|Sleep]].

(if: $not is 1)[(goto:"duty2.2")] (if: $keep is 1)[(goto:"duty2.1")] (else:)[(goto:"duty2.3")]

Timmy stands next to you. All of the sudden, he starts climbing the wall, trying to get out of the trench. You grab his legs, making him fall to the ground, and start shouting at him. "Have you gone mad? You're going to get us killed! One more step and you would be dead now!" But he starts crying. "You should have let me do it. I can't do this anymore." He takes his gun out, but before he can do anything with it, you knock him down. "Stop! You'll get shot if anyone hears about this! This is treason!" "Treason?" when he speaks, he laughs hysterically."Who am I betraying? The King? Where is the King? The Prime Minister? Huh? Where are they? I don't see them here!" Captain Roberts calls your name from the other side of the trench. You turn around. taking advantage of your distraction, Timmy gets out of the trench. You are not fast enough to stop him this time, and when you pull him down, he's already been shot in one shoulder and he's bleeding badly. Captain Roberts runs to you. He has seen everything that happened, and you know that whether Timmy recovers or not, there'll be consequences. Timmy is still alive when he leaves the front line that night, but now you know that you won't have any news about his health in a long time. [[Next|Sleep]] (set: $Timmy to 1)

You give him the letter, and he sits down to read it. Someone could complain to your superiors and you would get in trouble, but no one seems to care. "Think of John, Timmy. He wouldn't want you to give up." This calms him down. An hour later, you are relieved and sent to do chores. When they call you for supper, your are exhausted. Finally, you get some time to [[rest|Sleep]]

You think that this would only break him more, and decide not to give him the letter. But you cannot think of anything to calm him down. Captain Roberts calls your name from the other side of the trench. You turn around, taking advantage of your distraction, Timmy gets out of the trench. You are not fast enough to stop him this time, and when you pull him down, he's already been shot in one shoulder and he's bleeding badly. Captain Roberts runs to you. He has seen everything that happened, and you know that whether Timmy recovers or not, there'll be consequences. Timmy is still alive when he leaves the front line that night, but now you know that you won't have any news about his health in a long time. [[Next|Sleep]] (set: $Timmy to 1)

It is midnight. At Roberts' sign, you open fire against the enemy line. It doesn't take them long to reply. No Man's Land is only illuminated by the explosions of light caused by the bombs and machine guns. The noise is defeaning. You watch eleven soldiers climb out of the trench and crawl on the ground. The open fire is just a distraction. You watch them until they get lost in the dark. If everything goes well, it shouldn't take them more than a few minutes. Suddenly, a shell explodes a few meters in front of you, and you are ejected backwards. A loud beep rumbles in your ears as you [[lose consciousness|lose consciousness2]].

When you wake up, you are back in the dugout. Charlie lies next to you, with his eyes closed, but he is breathing. You are alright. All your limbs are in place, and you are able to stand up. Your left foot hurts, as you have an open cut in your ankle, but that's all. You see Captain Roberts sitting dow in the table. "What happened? "The captured spy was rescued. He swears he hasn't talked," he answers. "But only three of our men made it back." "What do we do now?" "Two more days to go, mate. Two more days." [[Next|Finales2]]

(if: $drinks > 1)[(goto: "sent home1")] (else:) [(goto:"end of 6 days1")]

You only have to resist for two more days, and your battalion will be relieved, but things are not looking good. Charlie, the cook, has been suffering a strig fever for the last two days. Everyone noticed how sick he was, but no one dared to say anything. He spent the entire night in bed, too weak to stand up, and this morning, he was sent to the nursery and diagnosed with cholera. Your left foot still hurts, but your group is already too damaged. You keep yourself busy, but time goes by slowly. When the end of the sixth day comes, you don't really feel alleviated. You leave the front line, knowing you'll be sent somewhere else soon, restarting the cycle. THE END

<img src="https://victoriaasuar.neocities.org/nomansland.jpg"> [[Back|Next]]