1
A girl walks on a lonely aisle of a vineyard. Her body is illuminated in a blue tint by the purple sky. I follow her as she picks grape and goes into a house in the middle of the vineyard. She eats the grape and drinks its wine. Her life is beautiful. I am losing myself in her purple eyes.
Gases sting my eyes as our base is attacked with the enemy's chemical weaponry. I see fragile frames of men crumble under the violent impact of artillery. Bolts of fire shoot from the scorched sky to annihilate all life in their way. I see men I have known die in my arms, never to return. My sight is blurry as my gas mask is covered in dust. Infernos of hell consume the flesh of men and its dark abyss their blood. I see flashbacks of politicians and wealthy men in suits who authorised this war grin and pat our backs as they send us to this hell. My firearm is heavy as I fidget and fire in the dark emptiness eager to kill. Morning light reveals the waste and despair that saps the heart of its hope and goodwill. We march on, the remaining soldiers of the battered battalion.
The girl shows me around her vineyard. We sit on a hill, her eyes let me see a love. A love unlimited, a love unconditional, a love supreme. I thump my open palm and bang my knees on the dusty ground as I collapse under the scorching sun. Obscenities, a kick in the ribs and a yank on my arm from war mates have me up and marching on.
We make another base somewhere unknown. We needed to make a call for location, more ammo, food, water but all the phones were destroyed. We would then have to rely on chance or our poor navigation skills to get to the main base. I see one of us dragging his mangled foot, another wincing as he adjusts his dislocated shoulder. We share a measly meal among the seven of us. I see the temple of one of us crush and explode bloody brains as he falls in the ensuing ambush. A rifle butt is extended and shoved in my face with massive force to render me unconscious.
