Man at War – Excerpt No. 172

When Marc turned back to head towards the line, he heard the sergeant slap him upside the head. The rest was colourful, a poignant lesson on reserving the comments until officers were well out of earshot.

Five-hundred-and-sixty-three paces later he was sight of his headquarters. Private Lewis was at the entrance as expected… and so’s Signaller Heart.

The latter was also expected by now, coming out after radio checks for a quick smoke before retreating back inside. Still, Heart’s presence would most likely complicate matters. Sure enough when Lewis steadied up, Heart responded by letting his jaw hang loosely. He would have lost it if it wasn’t attached.

a surreal and vibrant cinematic photo of two British soldiers standing at the entrance of a damp and worn dugout bunker with rough-hewn wooden beams and muddy walls, one soldier's jaw hanging loosely in a stunned expression, both wearing worn and tattered World War I uniforms with faded badges and medals, their faces pale and weary, with a mix of fear and exhaustion etched on their skin, set amidst a bleak and barren wartime landscape just before dawn, with a soft warm glow of sunrise peeking over the horizon, captured in a photorealistic style with subtle film grain and high contrast, evoking a sense of tension and foreboding.

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.