Man at War – Excerpt No. 211

9 April 2026

At the thirty-three-minute mark a runner exited and requested more ammunition. Those keeping watch on the entrance collected what they could, while another soldier was dispatched to bring in more from their lines.

Gunfire remained sporadic, and so far, Private Lavoie was the only other casualty. The man ended up buried in rubble when part of the tunnel collapsed. Fortunately, his team managed to pull him out of the debris.

Based on the distortions in the sound of gunfire they were clearing out offshoots of the main line. I’m picking up reverberations and echoes.

a surreal and vibrant cinematic photo of a British soldier with a weary expression, strong facial features, and pale skin, caught in rubble, trapped in a dimly lit underground mine with exposed wooden beams and dusty air, clothing and style appropriate for 1915 with a torn and muddy uniform, helmet, and boots, set in No Man's Land at night under a sky with a few faint stars, surreal photography, photorealistic, film grain, with a mix of warm and cool colors, and a sense of desperation and hopelessness in the soldier's eyes.

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.