The wind and cold only reminded him of how tired he was. Now he stood shoulder to shoulder with his brothers. He considered them only as brothers because of the pay and promises they shared. But even that was enough to make them kin in some form. The lot of them was filed about in a long line over a grassy field. Another gust of autumn wind rippled his coat collar as he shuffled his feet in anticipation.
Time was dragged on beyond the hope of counting. He could not even trust his heart beat which fluctuated with his thoughts. Mona and Thomas. Elizabeth and Jack. Mother and even that damned dog Ruphus crept into his thoughts. He could see their faces and hear their laughs. The memory of home sharpened his senses and he could feel a warm tear bead and then fall to a chill upon his cheek.
A brother in arms to his left coughed bloody phlegm into his glove and wiped it on his sleeve. It reminded him of his father’s last days. If father hadn’t died I wouldn’t have had to join. He thought. Since then they lost the house and farm. Their family had to move in with another family in an abandoned and tattered barn. Any attempts to outlast winter without money were just dreams and fantasies.
So far he had lasted two months without a battle. That was two full months of pay sent back to feed and warm Mother and Mona and Thomas and Elizabeth and Jack. Today was the day that their training was put to the test. Day in and day out they trained of marching and aiming and firing and reloading and firing again.
His hand started shaking with the sense of battle.
The colors of the world sharpened with the increasing beat in his chest. The green of the grass was electrifying. The clear blue sky was like glass in the sky. The red of the enemy’s coats turned to a vibrant crimson. The brown wood in his rifle seemed nearly fluid.
“Ready!” The captain shouted.
He shouldered the rifle and took aim down the barrel. With his eyes closed their faces phased into view. He took a deep breath and tried to let them calm him. Thomas’ thick brow and broad nose. Mona’s curly brown hair and crystal green eyes.
“Fire!”
