Dark clouds rolled into the sky, my feet-...Wet, mud clung to me from last nights torrential rain, wind whistled through the trenches and into my Bare ears as our men stood still quiet and unmoving like statues, eyeing the top of the trench like petrified animals sensing the fear that quickly passed to one another. For just a few moments had not the gunfire silenced, no one would have bat an eye at the strange phenomenon, anticipation and tension swallowed the atmosphere whole as the colonel looked at his men, the first one to move breaking from the frozen spell that seemed to have infected his infantry.

Colonel Finch was a nice bloke wouldn't hurt a fly that's until you piss him off, he's been here longer than us longer than these trenches were made. He looked at One of the guys at the front, private Jack slate- ... The poor chap stiffened up knowing what was about to happen to him, he started staring at Finch, fearful expressions were exchanged in that awkward stare until Jack broke the ice " you want me to?-" Jack swallowed hard unable to suppress the fear, Finch nodded half heartedly as if the action hurt him, the boy looked at the top of the ditch, mind you we only had 'boys' on this side of the line, Sixteen Jack was just a lad just a bit younger than me and the next person, he lied about his age to get in trying to show up his older brother, in my opinion he should have stayed put and at home " walk slate, walk towards the other trench" colonel ordered watching a nervous boy shakily climb up the old weathered ladder stepping down one step so he was only just below the top and looked back down at the colonel and holding out a hand to shake " farewell chaps" he smiled happily accepting what lies ahead forgetting momentarily about up coming dangers, finch took the offer shaking his hand and receiving a piece of tattered paper in his palm, Jack stepped up bracing himself for the walk " a letter to my bird Lucy Doe, give this to her if i don't retu-" it all happened so quickly his words stopped and a gunshot echoed in our ears as his face contorted into shock , his now limp body like a falling sack of flesh dropped down into the mud, shared expressions of helplessness were passed around as Jack lay still, a hole in the back of his head leaked Crimson fluids, a pungent scent of fresh blood polluted the air around them.

Gas sirens abruptly went off and on que men started to panic trying desperately to get their thick masks over their battered tin helmets, I fortunately managed just in time before getting engulfed with thick smog, the smell was musty and it was hard to breath, it smelt like rubber and dust, my vision was also clouded a little from my breath steaming up on the lenses, I looked to my left as the man next to me started to scream he had his mask half on, his screams were blood curdling as the strap was digging into the side of his face, breathing heavily almost in a frantic agonising fit, he dropped to his knees, I froze unable to move I felt I couldn't do anything, I watched him tearing at his own face in pain soon he started to rip out his own eyes in hysteria before planting his hands into the mud, breathing almost like an animal ,watch him choking up blood I felt my stomach wrench, he followed to the floor, much like Jack had, he just lay there, I stared-... I stared for the longest time in my life, this was my first gas attack in the three months I had been there, with no instructions on what to do, before I knew it I was being dragged through the maze, an unfamiliar hand had wrapped his bony fingers around my arm, he was running  boots clunking and splashing hitting the wooden boards and mud, I stumbled following barely able to keep up , I didn't get a good look at the figure they were tall and slim unhealthily slim. We started to clear the thick suffocating smog of the gas relief had washed over my body and I couldn't wait to get my mask off  'chemical warfare' I thought, never had I ever been so scared of gas more than bullets, the thoughts of the soldiers skin burning into my brain replaying, tearing at himself screaming, dying, dying a death I hope to never experience nor wish upon anyone else.

The person stops after a little while of clear air and points up the ladder, I see the smog closing in quickly flooding the Ditch, I don't hesitate to do as he says not even hearing the bullets and hurrying up the ladder the man follows looking at me as I lay on the ground, flat scared to move and clenching my eyes tight shut wishing this would have never happened but what was I expecting when they told me it would be over by Christmas, I lost myself in trail of though my breathing felt muffled through the mask my head spun as Soon as i opened my eyes and looked up no pretty blue skies and white fluffy clouds like childhood, no what was I expecting of this grim place just harsh stony clouds and ... 'barbed wire?" sudden realization hit me, I was in no mans land I wasn't in second line, panic set into my stomach laying still, something or rather than someone shifted next to me.