Man at War – Excerpt No. 80

“Reload and fanout,” Murphy ordered. “Find that third man.”

Only after loading another five shells did he look over the scene. The ground near the private was soaked in blood, and ash. But all around him there were spent shells and cartridges. I’ve only seen this much brass at the shooting range.

“Found him, Sir,” Sergeant Simmons said.

The Sergeant was amongst the first Canadians to reach the front lines. The fact that he was pale and nearly whispered said much about the grisly discovery.

Murphy closed his eyes and shook his head. A single vampire managed to kill four of his men in the span of five minutes. We got lucky…

The only thing he knew for certain was that their Commanding Officer would need to be briefed. This was the first time they encountered the enemy behind their own lines. This won’t be the last…

a cinematic nighttime photo of a charred corpse burning on the ground, surrounded by spent shotgun shells and brass cartridges, with tattered and worn Great War-era clothing, set against a dark and ominous backdrop with faint hints of smoke and flames, captured in a gritty and haunting tone, with deep shadows and muted earthy colors, the corpse's facial features twisted in a grimace, with darkened skin and exposed bones, amidst the scattered remnants of war, with the shotgun shells and cartridges glistening in the faint moonlight, the overall scene evoking a sense of desolation and devastation, in a photography style reminiscent of wartime documentation.

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.