After the talk with Mckanthy, Vicka was put into a toilet job as punishment. It was worse than jail but he was still alive. Otherwise, he would be executed.

The rain had stopped so the toilets were no longer destroyed by flood. However the trenches were infested with rodents and insects, and the unsanitary environment called for many diseases. The most prominent was diarrhoea. And it was Vicka's job to deliver the smelly buckets from the infirmary to the toilets and threw the soiled contents into the latrines.

Once he entered the infirmary, he found out how hectic it had become in one month of their duty. He entered a bunker covered with a big white cloth at the entrance. It was rather big than the rest. He remembered how he and his friends dug out of the ground and built it.

Inside the dim room, he found soldiers in white aprons running around treating patients. There were around 40 to 50 patients, some were lying on the floor, some sitting in the corners and the rest in bed. Those on the bed were mostly patients with diarrhoea; their beds were attached with buckets below. Those sitting in corners were pneumonia patients or rodent bites.

The scene was like a painting full of agony.

Moaning, groaning, coughing and occasional screaming filled the room. Never once it turned quiet. It was hell let loose on earth.

"Hey private! Come help me. Squeeze his arm hard. I need those veins raised to administer an I.V. drip," asked a medic for help.

After he helped him, Vicka exchanged his empty buckets with full ones and left the room quickly. He believed he would turn crazy if he stayed in there a minute longer. He was relieved that Clooney did not need to be admissioned for the leg.

32nd day at the frontline, 25th day in hellish trenches;

Reinforcement arrived from Davia. Balling wanted those oil fields at all costs so all the routes were reinforced with new troops. Bangoli plain controlled the northern route to black gold so three thousand soldiers were added to there along with new supplies and new socks. They were no longer neglected by the war council as it became one of the main lines.

On the 33rd, a new brigadier general overtook the command in Bangoli plain. General Brundy was infamous as a hot-headed cocky general opposite to Mckanthy. It was his ruthless advances that brought down many Goli towns into Davia during the early time of the war. He was also a cousin to Balling.

Brandy decided the stalemate in Bangoli plain must be ended to secure the northern route so by the evening of the 33rd, a shocking order came to section 3 of the front line.

"All right boys," addressed Officer Lupin to his soldiers, "you must have heard the change in command. Yes, it is the truth. With the new command, a new order has been issued. And it is the order we have been waiting for. That's right. It is TIME to get out of this 'Shithole'."

As soon as they heard that they were getting out of there, the boys cheered loudly. It was true that they all had been waiting to hear that. So did Vicka and Clooney.

Lupin continued, "I knew you are sick of this hellhole with shits and rats because I do too! God! I swear! I hate this. I want to run. I want to see the enemy. And I want to see blood!"

"Yeah!!"

"And our wish is answered! Tonight, when the light out, we will climb that ladder, cross the no man's land and strike the enemy!"

"Yeahhhhh!!"

"So boys! Ready your guns. Pack your ammo and grenades."

"Sir, yes sir!"

With a heavy heart, Vicka approached Sgt Hammond who was preparing for advance. Seeing his long face, Hammond chuckled. He lightly patted Vicka's arm and reassured him.

"Come on, Vicka. Don't do that face. I am getting out of this shithole so be happy for me."

Hammond said it in all smiling but Vicka knew how much Hammond was trembling inside. One did not need to be smart to understand that crossing that godforsaken land meant death. This was the fourth deployment for Hammond. He had seen more men fall in that middle land than anywhere else.

Vicka hugged the man tight.

Clooney also said farewell to his other friends. As an extrovert and private first class, he had a lot more friends than Vicka.

"I am sorry guys. I should have been with you."

"Heck, man. How will you cross that land with your foot? Don't feel bad. Just rest here until your foot gets better. We will be waiting for you on the other side and together we will overrun their entire lines."

"Alright. I will see you there, Mandy, Jacob, Sharon, Dandy..." Clooney hugged each man.

Soon the sun set over the horizon and the warmth over the Bangoli plain turned cold.

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Officer Lupin walked into the front line as he neatly styled his petty moustache and put a cap on. This was the first time they saw him in full uniform. He took out his pistol and checked the bullets. Then he addressed his men, "Alright boys! It is time. Tie your shoes and ready your guns. As soon as the lights are out, we climb. We will cross quietly until further command. Understood?"

The soldiers nodded in unison.

After the speech, it turned quiet. Silence filled the whole Davian trenches as they awaited the signal from Camp Victoria. Under the moonlight, silent conversations were made across the eerie trenches. They shared their feelings through contact with their eyes. Their hearts beat on the same rhythm.

At that moment they saw the lights in Camp Victoria flickered and went dead. The whole side of Davia turned pitch-black.

"All right boys. The moment your foots stepped on that land, I shall call you 'men'. May God be with you all. May God be merciful upon us."

At 8 p.m. on the 33rd day, Vicka watched the brave men of Davia climb the ladder of valour and crossed the land of death.

It was the most nerve-breaking moment. Vicka prayed to all the Gods he knew so that Goli would not notice his friends until they reached the distance to shoot back at the machine guns mounted over the trenches. Those guns were the most devastating weapons of the period.

Under the cloak of darkness, soldiers of Davia slowly approached the Goli front line in hundreds. Sgt. Hammond was near the middle. He told the men near him to duck down the moment the fighting starts. Their breaths sharp and their hands tightly clenched onto the guns, they crossed the grey land which had been tattered in blood, shells and holes from earlier battles.

Just before they reached the firing range to shoot back the enemy's machine guns, silence in Bangoli sky was broken by the sound of rotating blades. It was the biplanes from Davia. They were supposed to come when the ground force reached range but the upwind made the planes 2-3 minutes earlier. And that mere three-minute error cost Davia hundreds of its soldiers' lives.

"Shit. Charge!!" Lupin ordered his men. Upon his order, the men of Davia yelled out a loud cheer and charged toward the Goli line.

At the same time, sparks appeared over the Goli trenches together with a non-stopping roar from machine guns. Bright yellow missiles flew over the Bangoli plain and dropped tens of Davian to the ground in five seconds.

Thunderous sounds also broke out in full strength as the artilleries were fired from both sides.

Sgt.Hammond immediately crouched down inside an artillery hole to cover himself. He yelled at Jacob and Dandy who were beside him to do the same. But the heat of battle carried the two young men forward without fear and soon some strayed bullets hit Dandy in the chest while Jacob to the head.

However, a biplane flew over and quickly took down the machine gun post which killed Jacob. If it was a few seconds faster, Jacob would still be alive.

Boiled by the adrenaline, Dandy tried to get up again but Sgt.Hammond got out of the cover and crawled toward Dandy to save him.

"You have done enough, son. So get in there."

Hammond dragged Dandy toward the hole by the collar.

Unfortunately, God did not favour the good man. The kindness of Sgt. Hammond was rewarded by another strayed shell which fell right toward them. The explosion mercilessly tore them into pieces on their way to cover.

The whole section three turned into madness.

"Tank!" warned a soldier to Vicka. Thanks to him, Vicka crouched down in time. Otherwise, his head would be flattened by a tank from the same side.

Soon three steel behemoths rolled down from Camp Victoria toward the battle. Alongside were hundreds more Davian soldiers. Drummers also dropped their incredible war beats to steel their soldiers' hearts.

Three nights and two days the battle went on. On the third night, exactly on the 30th day in the trenches, Vicka got to get out of it.

Along with injured Clooney and ill soldiers from the infirmary, Vicka and hundreds of others charged toward the already ravaged Goli front line.

"I have lived an honest life; so God, help me," Vicka muttered as he stepped on the ladder.

Vicka shouted a warcry to overcome his fear. It did not work. But when he thought about his family who will be shamed if he were to desert now, it forced him forward.

He apologized to his former comrades as he climbed over their bodies to pass the barbwires.

Round after round, he shot as he kept charging forward like a mad bull.

Then Vicka saw a soldier in a khaki-green uniform a few meters right in front of him inside the trench. The Goli soldier must be younger than him, around 16, his eyes were wavering in fear. The lad pointed his gun at Vicka and so did Vicka the same.

However, Vicka found a bullet jammed inside the chamber. He could not shoot.

The Goli boy clenched his finger first but a bullet did not come out. He was run out of ammo and needed to reload. Both of them panicked.

It was a race against time between the two. Then the boy decided that it was better to use the bayonet and so he charged forward and stabbed Vicka.

A sharp pain felt in his knee and ran over his entire nervous system. Vicka fell to the ground and dropped inside the trench.

Vicka quickly turned over to defend himself but he was too late. The boy was already standing over him and readied to stab his heart. Once the wavered eyes of the boy were now darkened with murderous intent.

The boy aimed his bayonet toward Vicka's heart and stabbed.

Vicka closed his eyes.

At that moment he heard a gunshot and smelled a fresh stench of blood over his face. He also heard a body drop. It was the boy.

Clooney reached the edge of the trench and saw Vicka stepped on by a Goli. He shot at the boy and the bullet went into the temple and exited from the other side. Clooney closely saved Vicka.

Around that time, other parts of section three at Goli's side had been run over by the Davian forces. And it ended the three-day battle.

Davia won over the Bangoli plain.