Man at War – Excerpt No. 11

21 September 2025

The realisation sent a chill down his spine followed by a sudden drop in blood pressure. After his vision blurred, Murphy reacted by taking several deep and controlled breaths to regain his wits.

“We…” Murphy began.

It was hard to believe but a scent assaulted his senses. The odor was hard to describe, but it evoked the image of a bloated corpse left out in the blistering heat of the sun. For a man constantly surrounded by death, such a strong reaction only served to motivate him.

“We do this quietly,” Murphy whispered to Roy.

a cinematic nighttime photograph of No Man's Land during WWI, a sergeant in a muddy trench wearing a worn leather helmet and a distressed expression stares at the silhouette of a dark gangly creature feasting on a corpse, the creature's long arms and legs visible in the dim light, with a thick fog rolling in behind it, the sergeant's face illuminated only by the faint moonlight, his facial features worn and exhausted, the overall atmosphere ominous and eerie, the photography style is gritty and realistic, with a mix of dark blues and grays dominating the color palette.

Disclaimer: This novel is an work in progress and readers may encounter grammatical errors and inconsistencies. Please view this a draft and not a published work.