Mark turned his head to the distanced gunshots. Then with a bit of hurry, he headed to the slope facing the enemy and peered over, luckily seeing that nobody was traversing dead man's land. The only sight on the empty city expanse was some modest rubble and copious amounts of bodies.
It might have been a good strategy to push ahead while his side was distracted, as many of the soldiers in his trench were converged at one spot. Then again, he wasn't much of an expert on the topic. Maybe it was actually a horrible idea. There was no way for him to know.
Now that he thought about it, maybe it was a bad idea to separate himself from the rest of the force. If the other side were to launch an attack, he would be alone amidst the chaos.
Dropping from the slope, he parted with hurried steps back to the area of the tunnel. But before he could get far, he abruptly stopped and scratched his head, turning around and thinking that there could be others still resting further away.
So he walked in that direction. But before he could get far there, he stopped once more.
Maybe there wasn't anybody further away? He would simply be heading further into isolation. At least by going back, he would be guaranteed to have some people to rely on.
Turning around once more, he walked to the hole and stopped.
The opposing force may have slaughtered the soldiers on his side. Wouldn't it be better to run?
He sighed.
'Make up your mind and go.'
As much as he would have liked to continue weighing his options, time wasn't very available on the battlefield. Indecision by leaders and soldiers alike was fatal. It would be best to find people further away, but relying on chance wasn't always the best option. Then again, he was gambling that the forces on his side were still alive and fighting.
Judging from the continuing gunshots, he could very well assume so.
On the way back, he saw a man on the floor, listlessly sprawled as if he were dead.
Judging from the rising and falling of his chest, Mark could argue that the soldier was very well alive. What better person could there be to accompany him as bait than someone who was trying to keep himself hidden from all of the fighting?
Approaching the stagnant soldier, he reached forward with his hands and turned the body over so that it was facing up with its back against the slope of the trench. He then tried to shake it.
"Hey. Get up. We have a battle going on right now. Stop sleeping and go help. Do you hear me?"
The man didn't respond and his eyes never opened. Yet, his chest continued to expand and contract every so slightly, betraying the fact that the soldier was alive.
"Oi. Stop messing around and get up already. You aren't fooling anyone right now. Go and support your allies near the tunnel opening."
He was met with more silence.
"I'm telling you to get up! Do you hear me!?"
Nothing changed. The body was still at rest.
"Do you... hear me?"
Fearing that someone had happened to the resting soldier, Mark began to shake the body with much greater intensity.
"Hey, open your eyes already. Are you ok? Are you even awake?"
The head of the listless soldiers violently bobbed amidst the shaking. It would have been comedic if Mark wasn't so serious. In the distance, the gunfire seemed to be dying down, signaling the start of the end of the battle.
A resounding crack entered his eyes while he looked away.
'Hmm?'
He turned his head back to the body he was just shaking.
'Oh.'
Its neck was... broken.
Mark took his hands off of the soldier and stood up, scanning his surroundings for anyone who might serve as a witness.
Seeing that nobody was around, he continued to the battlefield.
Thinking back, that soldier seemed to be quite sick. That probably debilitated the man to the point where he wasn't able to even remain conscious. That's the most likely explanation behind what happened.
After a few seconds, the thoughts remaining inside his mind faded away as he brought utter attention to what was happening before him.
At the part before the place where the tunnel was, the trench had a small but jagged break, creating a disconnect between the straight line that consisted of the majority of the dugout.
And so, the path before him went to the right a bit before continuing further.
He hid behind the wall and peeked out, watching the events of the fight wrap up in his gaze.
The wind was blowing his hair to the side as the genial gusts of wind danced from the enemy's trench to his own.
On the ground, there were bodies of soldiers from both sides. More importantly, there didn't seem to be anyone at the tunnel entrance, which probably meant a good thing. It might mean that the local forces from the army were invading through the gate.
Mark came into the open and peered into the tunnel entrance.
It was hard to tell if there was still fighting taking place underneath the surface. It might be dangerous for him if there was.
That being said, if his side was being pushed back then there wouldn't be conflict inside.
At that moment, Paul came out from the tunneling with a small cough.
"How was it?"
Recognizing the voice, the major looked at Mark.
"Where were you the entire time?"
Internally sighing, Mark suddenly thought that it might have been better to come up with a good excuse. Maybe it would help avoid the pain in the ass of explaining himself to
Alas, he ultimately found himself without the time to do so. A sudden occurrence stole the moment away.
They both looked above their trench, in the direction of their enemies.
In the sky, a wave of gray was rolling in their direction.