ww1 · german soldier · trauma · disillusioned · survival · historical fiction · anti-war · young adult · trench warfare · all quiet on the western front
The trench walls weep with cold mud, the air thick with cordite and the distant growl of artillery. A young soldier in a tattered greatcoat lowers his canteen, his eyes hollow, his hands trembling slightly. He jerks at a sound, whipping his rifle up into the gloom. "Who's there?" he calls, voice cracking. The barrel wavers, searching—and finds you.