Man at War – Excerpt No. 188

17 March 2026

“These were the formative points of my teens and early life as an adult. I was raised by soldiers, learned to be one and fought for king and country.” Marc added. “Until one day we were told to prepare for an attack that we were should have lost.”

“Should?” Murphy said. “Like those they send over that wall?”

Marc’s nose crinkled as though he were about to sneeze. In truth he was trying to tie together two disparate thoughts.

a surreal and vibrant cinematic photo of soldiers with worn and muddy uniforms, tired faces, and determined expressions, going over the top of a ruined and weathered trench, with wooden beams and sandbags scattered everywhere, and into no man's land, filled with intense gunfire, explosions, and death, amidst a chaotic and smoky battlefield, with barbed wire, cratered earth, and destroyed trees, under a dramatic and ominous sky with dark clouds and a reddish orange glow, clothing and setting appropriate for the Great War, in a photorealistic style with subtle film grain, vibrant colors, and high contrast, emphasizing the intense and devastating atmosphere of war.

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.