Over the Top
he sat by around his comrades as they walked around, all clad in heavy layers of clothing in front of him. Carrying a Needle rifle. A weapon carrying thousands of needles that can be heated and launched to hit the enemy. And an entrenchment shovel, acting as a weapon and a tool to create holes or trench lines.
Donning masks connected to oxygen tanks they all walked around as Corbin sat inside with his rifle on his lap.
"Hey Corbin, feeling better after yesterday?" A muffled but intelligible voice asked.
"Moris, yeah i'm doing fine. At least i died fast and didn't start burning away slowly." The two started laughing through their masks.
The soldiers walked around, rifles hung on their backs by a sling. Some stepping on duckboards, acting as sentries. The area above was dead silent, only brisk winds whistling by emanated any form of noise while the two sat.
"If only we have some form of ranged weapon, all we can do now is just charge and attempt to shoot them while laying low. Pretty tiresome and annoying." Moris complained.
"Maybe we will once we get those runts at the other trench, unsure whether it leads to their main base or it's just a smaller encampment." Corbin replied.
"Fair, once we take the trench we'll probably be put to trench expansion duty." Moris laughed.
"I just hope we get extra rations right now, or hell, find a different form of food. The fungus rations are getting pretty stale." Corbin replied.
"ATTENTION." A loud voice echoed through the trench. All the soldiers froze and started laining up shoulder to shoulder on the sides. Moris and Corbin hastily got up and joined with the others.
An officer, bearing a red colored leather pauldron walked by each soldier. Passing by the two. Carrying a needle pistol by the waist.
"Command has ordered that we prepare for a charge at exactly 12." The officer pulls out a small pocket watch, stained by dirt but still working. "We have about 10 minutes before this, all must prepare to head onto the firesteps and await the signal to go over the top. IS THAT CLEAR?"
"Sir yes sir!" Everyone yelled in response.
"Finish your preparations, there will be no delay once the time has been reached."
After speaking, the soldiers began dispersing, running around and going above to the ladders facing up while others stepped on elevated slabs. Pulling out their rifles, ready for the fight.
"See you back at the rear, or in that trench." Moris chuckled. The two stacked up on different ladders. Behind the others who were already posted on it.
The noises of clattering footsteps on wooden boards and creaking soon ceased, an eerie quietness followed once everyone was ready. All were ready and prepared for the signal. Weapons up and keeping composure.
As they all waited in silence, a loud screech of a whistle pierced the trenches.
All at once, soldiers began climbing out fast, one by one they all got to the top. Awaiting them was an empty field of dirt mounds. The entire unit began running, the ground rumbling as they all ran at once. Corbin charged behind a few other soldiers, rifle in hand, breathing more and more through his mask.
As they continued running, red bolts began whistling past them. Cutting down a few at the front as their bodies became lifeless. Many began hiding behind the mounds, returning fire while others continued charging. Corbin continued running with others who were still in front of him. Soldiers behind the mounds returned fire against the shooters. Soon, more and more bolts were fired back and forth. More were cut down as they grunted in pain before quickly succumbing to injuries.
As they neared the source of the shots, the people in front of Corbin were quickly cut down. Now in the midst of getting shot, Corbin lunged at a nearby mound as bolts passed above him and others kept running past him or getting shot in the process. He peeked to the side, raising his rifle in front of him to fire. He saw the flashes of the rifles as they fired at them.
After a few seconds though, it ceased. The flashes now started illuminating the ground below in the trench instead of outside. The charge breached. Corbin emerged out as the others were running to the trench.
As he stayed on the top of it, Corbin opened fire on the remaining hostiles, landing shots on them as they fell on the ground. No more present, he jumped down.
They began searching the trench itself, checking corners and other pathways inside. Corbin advanced forward with a few others, being at the very front. As they crept through the jagged pathway, picking off the remaining strgglers, they reached the other side of the trench. Linking up with other soldiers who emerged from other routes. The trench was cleared out.
Sporadic firing erupted from one of the other pathways, flashes of light illuminating where it came from. Corbin rushed the route. In front of him, hostiles emerging from an entrance, he immediately opened fire, sending them to the ground as the needles slammed into them, causing a small patch of blood quickly dried along with a large burn mark on their fabric.
The soldiers stacked up on the entranceway. The officer of earlier stood with them. Pistol in hand and approaching the entrance. A few stormed inside, the entrance brightened as more gunfire began. Quickly ceasing. Corbin, along with a few others stacked up rushed in to join in combat. A small lightbulb lit up a small part of the entrance.
More began decending down the entranceway, deeper down, more small lightbulbs continued lighting up the pathway.
The unit began breaching through doors present and found, quickly eliminating any threats inside.
A few minutes passed of this and it was done. The unit emerged out back to the irradiated but gray colored sky.
"Congratulations Stormbringers. We have claimed the trench." The entire unit roared in joy, still muffled by their masks.
"Begin scavenging and taking weapons to anything that can be found in the trench, the second unit will be ordered to collect the dead to bring back their weaponry and dispose of corpses. Congratulations."
Corbin joined with the others in scavenging down in the underground area. Inside one of rooms, he came across a room filled with unmarked boxes. Using his rifle, he fired at the lock on it, with both hands, he threw the top open. Inside were rifles, crude replicas of what they used.
"Did they copy our designs." Moris' voice asked behind Corbin while he examined the crate.
"Oh you survived?" Asked Corbin.
"Yeah, nearly got hit but i managed to join in with the breach, how many did you kill?"
"Probably 7?"
"Nice, not wanting to brag but i got 10."
The two started taking out those crates.
Shovels, rifles, pistols, a few ration tanks, all stored inside the crates.
A few more soldiers joined in, taking the crates and bringing them outside, Corbin and Moris began joining with them, bringing a crate of entrenchment tools above.
The day was won and the plunder has just begun. The officer was nowhere to be seen, but the units continued following the orders given, bringing out anything from the area while a few were on the opposite side, overseeing from firesteps while others were taking things from the dead hostiles.
They all continued with their tasks, more and more crates to boxes were taken out of the underground area, opened or closed or even still locked.
As they continued on, the officer returned. As he approached. The soldiers ceased their actions, quickly falling in line on the sides and saluting.
The officer stayed silent, quickly inspecting the crates and their contents. Walking by until he reached the other end.
"The secondary unit has already taken any remaining bodies from the field. All of you will perform sentry duty in case the opposing forces return. The secondary unit will start bringing back the crates back to home, while the third unit will begin creating trench lines to connect to this encampment. Begin taking position for sentry duty." He ordered. With the crates already fully taken to the top and anything else already brought out as well, the unit started walking to the opposite end, joining the few in viewing above from firesteps.
Corbin climbed up one of the fire steps, seeing through a small hole in a pile of sandbags and wooden boards. A field of brown and a sky of grey was all he could see from the sntry position. Soldiers behind them started patrolling the trenches, walking around, back & forth.
The trench was taken but the battle was not over yet. Corbin continued looking through the gap, viewing the field. They all remained silent, going on with their tasks without question nor doubt. Their heavy clothing wooshed around by the acrid wind while going about their duties.