Time became stagnant. Warped and diminished. Incomprehendable as a choking cloud was sent uprearing like a stallion. It continued upwards: unrestrained and ignorant of the laws of air resistance. Descent began, a familiar torment of dust, ash — death. Nothing here could escape that fact. Everyone tried too; hip flasks of whiskey, smuggled cigarettes. Agents of numbing, temporary escapes. Days upon days of exhaustive anticipation of cannon-fire, the plight of a machine gun as it rips through the lives of its victims. Flesh-shredding, eye-scarring, brain-etching, no one could escape its grasp. They were brainwashed, indoctrinated. Put simply: psychiatric prisoners of the state; long forgotten, humanity. Dropped like mere pleasantries upon entering the battlefield. Survival was the basic principle. Mud fastened itself upon anything. Faces, shoes, books detailing tactical formations. It wasn’t particular. It dried — forming a filthy crust, but considering it was a welcome contaminant. A force of nature, reminding them they were indeed alive, one of the ‘fortunate ones’ as they were frequently reminded, forbidden to forget. Unrestrained, unlike the soldiers conscripted by their individual nations- wind whipped like a jockey. Urging its horse to gallop, travel faster so the race could be won.However, long ago the finish line became a fictional blur. They whispered, conspired of the war’s demise and their victory. Though time rolled on and victory never seemed any closer. Trapped; encapsulated by the thrill of adrenaline. Adrenaline which never de-escalated but remained, anticipating danger as if it was a surveillance camera trained on a suspect. They could only dream of a battle. Somehow the waiting was worse. Futility engulfed everyone like the mouth of a whale. Frigidity. Sub-zero temperatures sentenced bodies into a permanent state of shock: it became a fight for survival. A fight ignorant of heavy artillery and munitions. A fight between will and capability — the intricate systems within the human body challenged to the upmost. And then they were left to wonder. Why were they sent here? Death seemed to impend. Surely it wouldn't be long now?