It was on a cursed day that he was deployed. The sun was but a shadow of its usual brilliant self, hiding from view behind a swath of dark clouds, which covered the pale sky like ugly bruises. A storm was coming. The trenches were not going to be pretty.
'Just perfect.'
Hans adjusted his rifle strap, shivering all the while at the bitter wind.
“THE LAST TRAIN TO REINLAND IS ARRIVING NOW, ALL SOLDIERS PREPARE TO BOARD. I REPEAT, ALL SOLDIERS PREPARE TO BOARD…” The announcer's voice rang through the speakers. “THE TRAIN WILL BE DEPARTING SOON.”
Their train had finally arrived, though it was already nigh evening. Hans watched the troops lining up to board the train nervously, his mind racing with worry. A firm slap on his back jolted him from his thoughts.
“What’re you looking so worried for?”
He sighed when he found out it was just his friend. The boy adjusted his belt before replying.
“You have to stop doing that, Marx.”
Marx gave him a dopey smile. “Then stop looking like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Hans was about to retort, only to get interrupted.
“He has a point, you know.”
It was Karl this time, habitually adjusting his glasses as he approached. Hans alternated between his comrades, trying to find a response before sighing.
“Fine, fine, you're...”
“Cadets! Say your goodbyes and group up, we board in five minutes!”
He was interrupted yet again, this time by his squad leader, Senior Private Steven. Hans hurriedly left his squad mates, rushing to speak to his parents before he left. Not that he hadn’t already done so, it just felt inadequate.
It took a bit of squeezing through the crowd to find them. His nose crinkled as even the wind seemed unable to suppress the stench of sweat emanating from the sheer density of people there. Luckily, he found them quickly enough. They sat on a crowded bench next to an overflowing waste bin, not noticing him until he spoke.
“We’ll be boarding soon.”
His mom stood up immediately, hugging him before he could react. He’d lost count of how many times she’d done that today.
“It’s alright, son, just come home safe.”
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She released him, placing her hands on his shoulders. She gave him a fragile smile.
“Just a year, okay? I’ll find a nice girl for you by then… okay? So… so just come back safe… okay?”
She ruffled his hair, tears welling in her eyes. He could only answer her with a nod and a wry smile. His dad rubbed her back, calming her down before she burst into tears. He took a cursory glance around before looking at Hans. He had always been a man of few words.
“Keep your head down and follow orders, reasonable orders.” His tone brokered no argument. “Your main objective is to come back home safe… alright?”
His voice cracked. Hans didn’t know when he’d rushed and hugged them both as tightly as possible.
“Sir, yes, sir!”
They stayed like that for a bit before Steven's voice broke their moment.
“Cadets! Form up, we board now!”
Hans released them both. “I have to-”
“It’s alright, go. Stay safe. May the emperor be with you.”
Hans smiled, rubbing his tears with a sleeve. “Thank you, for everything.”
He adjusted his rifle sling again, then left without looking back. He’d never leave if he did.
The crowd had reduced a lot more now, most families already done with their farewells. There were a few that weren’t quite willing to let go of their progeny.
Hans averted his gaze from them. He found Marx, Karl, and the rest of his squad lined up in front of one among the numerous entrances to the train. Steven stayed outside the formation, his head darting from one direction to another as though looking for something or someone.
“Shit, that’s me.”
Hans quickly entered formation, keeping his head down and avoiding eye contact with Steven. Regardless, he could feel the man’s gaze burrowing into him. He must have shifted his gaze at some point because he was soon addressing the squad.
“Good, you’re all here. Deserters would have just made things worse. Proceed to cabin 12. It’ll be a four-hour trip from here to Kruz Border Station, so best get comfortable.”
He entered the train immediately after, followed closely by the squad. Hans looked back; there were quite a few other squads behind him. Not to mention the entrances.
'There’s at least half a thousand men on this train, and this is just the evening trip. There are numerous other stations across the empire too… This many-'
His train of thought was interrupted by Karl of all people. Hans hadn’t even noticed he was behind the boy.
“It’s really happening, isn’t it?”
The boy looked even more serious than he usually did, not even adjusting his glasses as he spoke. Hans shook his head, sighing.
“It still feels like a dream, like Mother’s going to be waking me up any moment now.”
There was a moment of silence, moving ever closer to the maw of the train, before Hans continued.
“But she won’t now, will she?”
They both shared a wry laugh, and then, they were in.
The inside was damp and musty, the rank smell of sweat assaulting his nose. It likely would have overwhelmed him, had he not experienced worse in boot camp.
Karl spoke again. “You know… Back at the boot camp, I got in touch with some guys just coming back from the front lines. They gave me a bunch of tips for surviving out there.”
That piqued Hans’s interest, though it didn’t surprise him. It was just like Karl to do that sort of thing. He was already working on finding the best path he could take to survive.
“I don’t suppose you’d mind sharing the details of those with us.”
Karl laughed, nimbly maneuvering his way around a metal pole in the center of the rather large interior. Their cabin was just up ahead.
“Sure thing, It's really just basic stuff though.”
Hans nodded. “Smart.”
Karl grinned. “I know, right.”
Hans merely smiled, shaking his head. Karl had never been one for humility. Karl abruptly stopped walking. There was no need to ask why—they’d reached their cabin.