It was a normal day in the trenches, people walking around in their metal shelled hats, rifles slung over their shoulders, the occasional soldier standing up and returning fire. I’ve been in this trench for so long, and everyday is just like this, but after about an hour of sitting in my place near the edge of the frontlines of the trench talking to my five new friends we suddenly were told to charge the enemy lines in a couple minutes by a commander. I didn’t know what to say. I was so petrified by fear that I just stood there looking at the commander who gave the orders. Charge the lines, he didn’t actually think we’d be able to take the enemy trench. right? not with their machine guns in place, we’d get mowed down, if we got out of the trench then we’d become target practice for the Germans, and we couldn’t return fire to them with only their heads sticking up, while we would be fully exposed. there’s no way we’d make it. I stood there petrified in fear not knowing what to do, I was so lost in thought that I didn’t even feel my friend Adam shaking my shoulder.
“Hey J what are you doing, you got cold feet?” he asked.
That’s what all of my friends call me “J” my real name is Joseph but I never really liked that name so I go by J. I met Adam the first day I was sent to the front lines, he introduced me to all of my new friends. they were all veterans and had lived through ten enemy trench charges, and had been here for one year. Andy and Gavin were from Great Britain, while Jason was from New Jersey, and Adam, Tyler, and I were from New York. I’d only been in the trenches for one week and I’ve never been a part of a charge, I haven’t even used my gun in the whole week I’ve been here.
I guess my face was saying what I was feeling because Andy slapped my shoulder and said
“Hey it’s all right, just stick with us, do what we say and you’ll be fine.”
I didn’t really believe that but I still gave him a little smile and nodded. I checked my weapons to make sure I had everything that I needed, and that my gun was fine. I fixed my bayonet to the top of my gun and waited for the order to charge. every second felt like an hour but finally what felt like an eternity of waiting near the front, packed up with hundreds of other soldiers ready to jump out of the trench and run towards the people shooting us, I saw the general squeeze up to the front, pull out his rifle and yelled.
“Charge!!”
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