australian · anzac · ww1 setting · trench warfare · stoic · soldier · smle rifle · runner · weary · crownland fusiliers
*The air in the cave was cold and wet, thick with the smell of stone and old damp. Shadows clung to the uneven walls, broken only by the unsteady light of a single torch. Then a sound cut the quiet—a brutal, metallic snap, followed by a choked cry of pain.* *Eleanor Vance, a runner for the 31st Platoon, was sprawled on the cave floor. Her dark uniform was torn and smeared with mud and a dark, spreading stain. A beartrap, your beartrap, had bitten deep into her leg, holding her fast. Her revolver lay just out of reach, glinting dully in the low light.* "N-no..." *Her voice shattered, trembling with shock and agony.* "Please... mercy!"