Gluttony of Violence
Chapter 1
Thick stagnant air, strong with the deathly scent of iron floods my head with every breath. Every moment is spent fighting off a voice that whispered sweetly into my ear, telling me to give up, to lie down and sink deep into the muddy battlefield I had been condemned to. My nails dig into the dirt as I drag my body forward. Above me, fire, metal, and poison fly across the sky back and forth, and dying cries would rip into my ears before being abruptly silenced. And each time it happens I can only pray. Pray that each scream was not one of the voices I had heard as laughter before. Voices that had spoken to me of their hopes, their dreams, their fears. I grit my teeth and lurch forward. Blood seeps out of my muddy mouth while I ignore the burning pain emanating from my gut. My vision fades in and out, my mind almost blanking from horrible overloading from each one of my senses. Almost. I can almost feel my life slip away from me. Give in. I can hear the voice grow louder, more tempting. Screeching. A piercing whine fills my ears as the sounds of the battlefield grow quieter and my vision starts to fade away. A pale white clouds my eyes slowly, slowly.
My hand finds its way into the dirt once more, and my eyes snap to focus onto the dirt beneath me. I clench my jaw tight and pull energy into my core, before lunging, throwing myself forward again.
Again and again, I scrape through the dirt as I come to the brink and back. With each horrible exertion, I move closer to base camp. Through my blurred, fading vision I catch glimpses of more and more familiar sights. Of an oddly shaped rock I recall passing, a track of footprints in the dirt of our boots we left when we charged in, a dying tree that stood alone as if warning us of our similar fates. Before long I see a group of men in uniforms that match my own. Relief floods my body and I find myself losing strength rapidly. Before I feel the last of my energy leave me, I muster up whatβs left and push against the soil. My head rises and my ragged throat shakes as I shout out to them. I see someone rush forward and hear their voices rising. I hear the concern in their voices as they move closer and I drop to the floor, assured of my safety and losing all strength in my body. I faintly feel gentle hands wrap around me and voices cry out for a response, but my hearing fades and my body numbs as I fall unconscious.















