Man at War – Excerpt No. 4

14 September 2025

“A fog rolled in,” Roy said. “The Huns can’t see us.”

“But they can hear us,” Murphy whispered, in a way that bordered on making a confession in church.

“Right, Sergeant,” Roy whispered in return.

They had been stranded here for eighteen hours. Before first light his regiment had been readied along the trenches, and orders given. Upon hearing the whistle men went over the top of the wall and began the perilous journey towards their enemy.

a cinematic photograph of British soldiers going over the top of their trench during the Great War, with Brodie helmets, traditional Scottish kilts, and Lee-Enfield rifles, set against a backdrop of a war-torn no man's land with destroyed barbed wire and muddy terrain, the soldiers' facial expressions are determined and tense, with varied skin colors and unique attributes, the kilts are predominantly made of wool in shades of blue and green, the Brodie helmets are worn and weathered, the rifles are held firmly in their hands, the atmosphere is intense and dramatic, with a focus on the harsh realities of war, the photography style is gritty and realistic, with a muted color palette and deep shadows, capturing the chaos and uncertainty of the moment.

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.