Burn [Larry Stylinson AU]

Chapter Five

I blame life for not letting me update sooner. 

Vote, Comment, Fan, whatever! Just enjoy the chapter! 

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Smoke. Fire. Ashes.

All Louis could taste, see, smell, was thick clouds of smoke. They manuevered into his lungs and clouded his eyes. They settled over his uniform and tin helmet, and dusted his hair and eyelashes. 

He ran quickly to the trenches, while at least 30 of his comrades incenerated into ashes. He didn't have time to mourn, didn't have time to say goodbye, only was given time that was as precious as the heaviest of diamonds. Time to run to safety. 

His boots slid and scampered over dirt and blood, eyes trained on the ladder that jutted from the muddy earth and led down into the uncertain promise of safety. Tom Fryer, who had just turned 20 two weeks prior, was gunned down next to him. Louis quickened his pace, his hands gripping his gun firmly as he dodged bullets that were being pelted at his fellow soldiers. Around him, men he had grown to know in the last hour fell faster than flies. Some were still alive, but Louis knew he wouldn't be able to help them. Their fate was already sealed. 

He leaped over logs and patches of frozen ground as grenades flew to the earth. Columns of smoke climbed into the sky, blocking out the purple haze of dawn in the west. His legs and lungs burned, but they never faltered for him, knowing he needed them more than ever. 

German cries rang threw the air as airplanes droned above. The pounding of machine guns rang and echoed around the frozen forest, cut shortly with cries and screams of agony. Men barked orders, shouted ill-tempered insults at the enemy, and some cried out their last words. 

Time seemed to slow down; everything captured in slow motion. The picture was clear and every detail was enhanced in front of Louis' eyes. He could see men who had come into battle fearless and with determination, cower for safety looking hopeless and scared. Small, black grenades descended slowly in front of his eyes, breaking earth and exploding dirt and rock when it came in contact with the surface. British soldiers raising their guns at German enemies and squeezing the trigger, before rushing to gain more ground for the advancement. 

"In the Name of the King!" 

"Don't turn back now lads! Send those bloody huns a message!"

"C'mon now, we're Devon boys!"

An artillery shell flew over his head and landed a few feet in front of him. He paused for a fraction of a second, and broke out into a run, his feet pounding as fast as his heart. The shell went off, exploding into millions of fragments and smoke. The impact of the explosion hit Louis like a wall, sending him four feet from the ground. He landed with a heavy thud onto the permafrost ground, his ears ringing. His breath had been whooshed out from his lungs, and he took in gasps of clouded air. He remained to the ground for a couple of seconds, before scrambling onto his feet and dashing toward the trenches that stood less than 20 feet away from him. He reached the ladder and climbed down back into the sanctuary that held temporary protection. 

When his feet hit the muddy earth, he looked around at the corpses that piled along the man-made walls of mud and carpeted the soppy dirt. Men, some as young as 16 years old, dead. The combination of their reeking flesh, the damp soil, and the sewage that accompanied the trenches made a ghastly odor. An odor Louis had learned to endure and recognize over the last few months as the smell of war and hell. 

He held his gun firmly, his stance ready to fend or guard. He couldn't be sure if an enemy had snuck into his allie's trenches, sneaking around the walls of mud and ready for the attack. He stayed low and cautiously, he stepped toward the other wall that was concealed from his line of vision. Outside the trenches, Louis could hear artillery and commands battling on the ground, raging toward the hope of a battle won. Rats scurried along the wall, as insects and unknown specimens swam in puddles of rain water and sewage. As he inched closer and closer, his foot caught a twig and snapped it in half.