Lest We Forget - Chapter 1

Succumbed by my weight, the hinges broke and the door fell to the ground with a thud. I already had my gun up by the time the door had hit the ground. I entered swiftly, looking around each corner, left, right, left, right, until I was sure I was completely alone. I call behind my back. "CLEAR!"

The other four men enter after my signal, dressed in the same vest, shirt, pants, and helmet as I am. I sighed in the relief of safety and shelter, and tore off my heavy helmet, laying it down on the dirt. Beads of sweat land at my feet, and the other soldiers lay their guns down, relinquishing the time to relax. I lay my Thompson down against the brick wall. Another deep sigh and I sit down with my companions. Private Robert gives me an uncertain look.

"And you're sure as hell this place has been secured?"

"Of course it is, I wouldn't have called clear if it wasn't.

A pat on the back seemed to reassure the Private, this was his first time in the hellfire of war.

After taking a swig from my canteen, I pass it to him. Robert happily takes it and drinks.

The hot sun had gotten to all of us, and this was the rest we needed. The Jerry were chasing us through North Africa, separating us from the other Platoons. We were the only ones for miles, or at least thats what we assumed. The constant trek through the sand was exhausting, and the sight of a little abandoned village was like a miracle for us. Until we could find anyone, all we could do was keep going, hoping against all hope we find anything.

Pulling out my radio, I give it another shake and try the on button. Nothing but loud static. "Damnit! The radio is still cactus."

I throw it against the brick wall and it crumples into two metal parts. My squad looks at me, silent.

"When the hell are we gonna figure ourselves out!?" I shout at my fellow ANZACs. "When are we gonna get out of this never-ending bloody - " My words are cut off an ear-deafening boom. Parts if sand brick wall slam into us, knocking us onto the ground, and bits of stone rain down from the shake of the explosion. Through the massive hole in the wall, the barrel of a German Tiger tank is aimed straight at our now crumbling refuge.

Thanks for reading Chapter 1 of my story, feel free to leave a comment, what you enjoyed, what you didn't enjoy, or what you think could change. I will use this when I write the next Chapter, and hopefully keep writing chapters until I have myself a novel. Thats the plan anyway, this is merely a work in progress. Thanks for reading, goodbye my chives.