Sleep On, Dear Willie

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“…Thomas. M-my names Thomas…” //he responds.// //As a minute or two passes and he can compose himself, Thomas looks up at me, a confused expression on his face.// “So… Why did you help me?” //He questions me.// “Hmm? Well… it seemed like you needed some help, and I had nothing better to do so…” //I answer, a response which seems to do nothing to alleviate his confusion.// “Well… Thanks for doing it in any case,” //Thomas sheepishly muttered,// “Most people just ignore me when I get like that, so I... I really appreciate it.” “Its no big deal,” I say. “…Well if you’re good to go, I would like to meet back up with my friend.” “Oh yeah I’ll be fine, you’ve already done enough… so I’ll see you around I suppose.” //Thomas says, [[waving me off as I get back to my feet.|A5.B4]]//

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<<audio "concept1" play>> <<fadein 8s>> ''April 9th, 1917'' "It’s been three weeks since we were first stationed here around Vimy. The French and Brits have tried to kick the Germans outta this place for years, with nothing to show for it, so now they’ve turned to us to get it done. I suppose if you want to win a fight, you bring the Canadians… Life here has been miserable. Weather’s been stormy, so everything has been turned into a muddy mess, though with how much our artillery has been hitting the Germans, I can’t imagine that life’s going any better for them! By now the sound of it has become white noise to the rest of the infantry, but recently everyone has been abuzz with activity, [[so I have to imagine that something major is on the horizon”|A2]] <</fadein>>

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> "Will!” //A soldier yells, snapping me out of my writing. I looked up to find Private Edward, a well-to-do city boy and my friend, pushing through the throng of soldiers towards me.// “Oh, hey Ed, what’s going on?” //I asked, stuffing the half-finished letter in my pocket as I pull myself to my feet.// “Sergeant’s orders Will,” //Ed responds, somewhat out of breath. // “We’re on the move.” “Oh wow, I’m shocked…” //I say in a monotone voice as Ed begins to lead us down the trench line.// “So then, what’s it this time? Another drill? Man, it’s only been a day since the last one… I swear they’re gonna have a mutiny in the week at this rate!” “Not this time, I think,” //Ed says,// “Haven’t you heard the rumors? I swear it’s been all anyone can talk about in the past few days!” //At this I stared at him for a few moments, processing what Ed had just told me.// [[“Wait… You don’t mean...?”|A3]]

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> //Edward nods.// “Yup, seems like today is the big push. Apparently, the quartermaster started handing out an additional rum ration to everyone so that pretty much confirms it.” //Suddenly he sticks his arm out, stopping me in my tracks.// “Here, give me a moment,” //Ed says, unslinging his rifle.// “If we’re going to battle, then I better make sure the Lee-Enfield is in working order, don’t you think?” //He says nonchalantly, working the bolt of his rifle.// How will Willie respond [[…How are y’all so calm about all this Ed? |A4]]

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “…Hmm? Now what do you mean by that?” //Ed says, focusing on his weapon// “Well, if you’re right, and I reckon you are, in a few hours we’ll be chargin’ the goddamn Kraut line! We’ve been hitting them with the big guns for weeks and they haven’t budged! Are ya telling me the idea of chargin’ into that doesn’t scare ya even a little bit?” //I respond, a touch of exacerbation entering my voice.// //Ed finally looks up at me, with a bemused expression on his face.// “Oh well of course it does! But when I signed up I did so to defend my nation, do my part you know? Well, that nation gave me a job to do, so what’s the use in panicking and moping about it? Would rather just go on and get it done, that’s what I think… Especially with a rifle this good!” //He beams, giving his gun a final inspection before slinging it across his back.// //Before we set off again however, a familiar whistling fills our ears.// “Shit, artillery!” //I shout,// “Seems like those Germans are hittin’ us again!” “Appears so,” //Edward agrees.// [[“Still, we better get our heads down, just in case.”|A5]]

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/><img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="right"/> //While we hunker down, however, some aren’t so prepared. Specifically, one boy catches my eye, can’t be older than 17, tucked into a fetal position and babbling to himself not a few feet away from us. When Ed notices him too, he chuckles to himself.// “Heh, goddamn rookies… Must have only gotten here a week ago if this is all that it takes to freak him out.” //Edward says, a slight scowl betraying his lighthearted tone. // //Before I could respond however, the shells began to hit, drowning out any conversation in a cacophony of noise. Luckily, the bombardment only lasted a few minutes before subsiding, whereupon everyone returned to their normal duties as if nothing had happened. Barring the young recruit, who had refused to move from his position.// “Hmph, poor kid, shouldn’t even be here…” //Ed pauses for a second, his face blank, before once again cracking a grin and slapping me on the shoulder.// “Well, up and at’em, lets get a move on.” //He says, pushing me forward.// ~Will You~ [[Follow Ed.|A5.A1]] or [[Help the rookie out.|A5.B1]]

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Well, alright… Where are we going, anyway?” //I ask, walking briskly down the line with Ed, pushing an ever-thickening throng of soldiers out of the way.// “Well, I told you, didn’t I? Free rum from the quartermaster! I’m not going to let either of us miss out on that.” //Ed answers with a laugh.// “Ha! Of course.” //I chuckle.// //[[A few minutes later and we’re resting against the wall of the trench, each of us clutching a small cup of rum like our lives depended on it.|A6]]// <<set $metthomas to 0>>

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/><img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="right"/> “Hey, I’ll catch up with you,” //I tell Edward, //“I’m gonna try and help out that rookie there.” “Eh, be my guest. You can find me at the quartermaster’s station when you’re done.” //Ed responds, already making his way down the trench.// //As he promptly vanishes from sight, I turn my attention to the panic-stricken rookie, who hasn’t moved an inch since the bombardment finished. Despite the crowded state of the trench, everyone is making a concerted effort to avoid the panicking soldier, [[making it surprisingly easy to reach him.|A5.B2]]//

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “So…” //Ed says after taking a long sip,// “Why did you sign up to the Army anyway?” “Hmm? Now what makes you think I didn’t do it for King and Country?” //I answer with a exaggerated shock.// “Well, you seemed surprised when I said that, so I thought you weren’t too keen on it. Well, am I right?” //Ed retorts.// //I sigh.// “Fine, ya got me there. Can’t feel too much love for a King who makes us keep our buttons shiny in these parts, eh?” //I say, gesturing to the lake of mud the trench was currently covered in.// “Ha, I knew it!” //Ed exclaims, being careful not to spill any of his precious drink in his little celebration.// [[“So, what is it then? Family troubles? A bad relationship? The money?”|A7]]

<img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Hey there man, are you doing okay? Would you like some help?” //I ask, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.// //The moment I touch him, however, he puts his hands on my chest and pushes me away before jolting up into a sitting position, as if he had woken up from a horrible nightmare.// “AH-WHA-WHO… Who are you?” //The rookie asks, hyperventilating as he recovers from his ordeal.// “My name’s William, I’m a Private with this here division. How about you?” //[[I respond, trying to give him some space.|A5.B3]]//

<img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “…Thomas. M-my names Thomas…” //he responds.// //As a minute or two passes and he can compose himself, Thomas looks up at me, a confused expression on his face.// “So… Why did you help me?” //He questions me.// “Hmm? Well… it seemed like you needed some help, and I had nothing better to do so…” //I answer, a response which seems to do nothing to alleviate his confusion.// “Well… Thanks for doing it in any case,” //Thomas sheepishly muttered,// “Most people just ignore me when I get like that, so I... I really appreciate it.” “Its no big deal,” I say. “…Well if you’re good to go, I would like to meet back up with my friend.” “Oh yeah I’ll be fine, you’ve already done enough… so I’ll see you around I suppose.” //Thomas says, [[waving me off as I get back to my feet.|A5.B4]]//

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Yeah, I’ll see you around… Now where the hell did Edward go?” //I inquire, walking down the trench I saw him disappear into.// //A few minutes later I find him at the quartermasters, just like he said. [[When he notices me he hands me a cup of rum he had been saving for me, which I greedily snatch from his grip.|A6]]// <<set $metthomas to 1>>

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “No, none of those!” //I answer, shaking my head at his last guess in particular.// “God, I feel for the poor soul who can’t find a better paying job than this… No, I love my family, love my home, but I felt stuck there, y’know? I didn’t want to be trapped in some podunk prairie town, so I looked for a way out, to see the world, y’know? And what with a war going on, I signed up as soon as I could! It’s not like I came here cause I wanted to kill the Germans, they seem like a fine people. I suppose I just wanted an excuse to leave home and not feel guilty about it. Never really thought I might not come back till I got here…” //Ed sits there for a second, nodding slightly.// [[“…Hmm, so that letter you were writing, was that for your family?”|A8]]

<<audio "concept1" unloop fadeout>> <img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Oh, yeah! What with all the activity I haven’t had the chance to write them back for nigh on a month now… Gotta thank’em for all the care packages, y’know? And if I don’t let Ma know I’m okay, soon I’m afraid she might get a heart attack from the worry.” //After a few moments of contemplation, Ed swings back the remainder of his booze and pats me on the shoulder.// “Well, I’m glad to hear you got some people who care back home. In a place like this, a man without something to go back to might never be able to leave it…” //He says, seemingly lost in thought for a moment before refocusing back on me.// “…Well, finish up your drink. If we aren’t at our post soon, I think the Sergeant will save the Fritz the trouble and shoot us himself!” “Oh, right… Of course Ed.” //I mutter.// //[[Some time later…|A9]]//

<<audio "frontline" loop play>> <img src="./graphic/Generic_Portrait.png" align="left"/> //We’re standing at attention as the Sergeant addresses our squad.// “Ahem… Well, as I’m sure you’ve all heard by now, today is the day we have been preparing for, in which we succeed where the Brits and French failed and kick the Hun from this blasted stretch of countryside for good!” //The Sergeant yells, elating a disjointed yet enthusiastic cheer from the troops.// “Yes yes, calm down… Now, before we are to be sent in, the boys in the Artillery battalions are going to hit the Krauts with a massive barrage to soften them up for us.” “Bigger than this, sir?” //One soldier shouts, getting a few laughs from the crowd.// “Apparently!” //the Sergeant responds,// “I, for one, am excited to see what they come up with. In the meantime, however, we are to set up on the line here. You will know when to attack when you hear my whistle. Now men, to your positions!” <<set $progress to 0, $maxProgress to 100>> To Position: <<showmeter 'progress' `$progress / $maxProgress`>> <<link 'Move to your positions.'>> <<set $progress to Math.clamp($progress + 25, 0, $maxProgress)>> <<if $progress == 100>> <<goto 'A10'>> <</if>> <<updatemeter 'progress' `$progress / $maxProgress`>> <</link>>

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> //The squad breaks from formation, scrambling along the line as Edward and I set up alongside each other, rifles at the ready.// “Well then Will, ready to fight?” “Heh, for King and Country, right Ed?” “That’s the spirit! Ha ha…” //As the minutes turn to hours, the artillery barrage begins, a massive bombardment involving every gun we have firing on the German positions ahead. In the meantime, the mood amongst the men shifted, conversations growing silent as the adrenaline kicked up by the Sergeant wore off. Some of the men seem to be silently weeping. [[But, as the sound of the artillery tapers off, the Sergeant’s shrill whistle fills the air.|A11]]//

<<audio "frontline" unloop fadeout>> <<audio "whistle" play>> “Come on now men, OVER THE TOP!” //The Sergeant roared. At this signal we scrambled up from our positions, sprinting from the relative safety of the trench line into No Man's Land. Despite the ferocity of our barrage, the Germans are quick to respond, answering our charge with a hail of machine gun fire. It isn’t long until their shots begin to find their targets, tearing through soldiers’ limbs as they fall to the floor, dead.// “Quick, over here!” //Ed yells at me, pointing towards a shell crater. Not wanting to die just yet, I dive into it, bullets whizzing by above me as I rest my head against the lip of the crater, [[struggling to catch my breath.|A12]]//

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/><img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="right"/> “Hmph, a few meters in and we’re already pinned down. Typical.” //Edward huffed. Definitely not disagreeing with him there. Wanting to get a lay of the land, I glance over the edge of the crater we were huddled in, scanning for any way we could move forward, but instead finding a field of churned up mud, interspersed with the bodies of those soldiers who were still trying to push ahead, along with anyone unlucky enough to have caught a bullet, or was victim to an artillery shell. Soon though my gaze fixes on one soldier huddled behind a boulder, tucked into a fetal position. Suddenly I realize that this is the soldier I <<if $metthomas is 1>> had helped before, Thomas. <<else>> saw having a panic attack earlier.<</if>> Following my gaze, Ed scoffs at the sight of the panicking soldier.// “Goddamn rookies,” //He says,// “Now c’mon Will, we have to move up!” “But… We shouldn’t just abandon him there, right?” I ask. “What, are you going to risk your life to try and calm him down?” //Ed laughs.// “Look at him, he’s a lost cause! Even if you succeed, he’ll just get shot a few minutes later. Now come on!” <<cont append>>\ Make your choice: [[Help the panicked soldier|A12.A1]] [[Keep moving up with Edward|A12.B1]] <<set $seconds to 12>> $seconds <<silently>> <<repeat 1s>> <<set $seconds to $seconds - 1>> <<if $seconds gt 0>> <<replace "#countdown">> $seconds <</replace>> <<else>> <<replace "#countdown">><</replace>> <<goto "A12.B1">> <<stop>> <</if>> <</repeat>> <</silently>> <</cont>>

//Ignoring Ed’s words, I pick myself up and prepare to sprint over to Thomas's position.// “…Wait, what are you doing you idiot?!” //Ed yells.// “I’m not just going to leave a comrade behind!” //I yell back.// “Fine… It’s your funeral” //Ed replies through a grimace, before climbing out of the crater and continuing towards the German line alone.// //A few minutes later, I take a deep breath and sprint out of cover, running towards Thomas. I reach him in a few seconds, <<if $metthomas is 1>>[[diving next to him.|A12.A1.A1]]<<else>>[[diving next to him.|A12.A1.B1]]<</if>>//

//After a deep sigh, I respond,// “I suppose you have a point…” “Good, glad to see you’re still making sense.” //Ed responds, a smug smile on his face. //“Now, we move up on my mark. Ready? [[Mark|A12.B2]]!”

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> //At that moment we sprint out of the crater hole, however I glance back as we leave <<if $metthomas is 1>>Thomas<<else>>the panicked soldier<</if>> to be drowned out in the mayhem of the battlefield.// “My lord, would you look at that!” //Ed exclaims, looking towards the German line. As I follow his gaze, I see the peculiar sight: about a hundred meters in front of us a massive barrage of artillery was hitting the battlefield. However, instead of hitting our troops, it seemed to be slowing creeping forwards toward the Germans, churning the defending German troops to mulch before we could reach them.// “Dear god… How could anyone survive that?” //I ask as a German machine gun nest was vaporized by a direct hit from an artillery shell.// “You’d be surprised,” //Ed responded, lightly panting from the push.// “Now, eyes sharp! German soldiers could be hiding anywhere… You see that forward position? We got to clear that out.” //I look to where he was pointing, seeing a partially collapsed German bunker. [[Damaged, but still dangerous.|A12.B3]]//

“Alright… Understood.” //I respond, shouldering my rifle. We move forward into the fortification, scanning the structure for any sign of the enemy, but finding nothing but damaged concrete. Edward, in the lead, rounds the corner, and what he finds makes his stance relax, but his face maintains a grim expression.// “Oh Jesus Christ…” //[[He mutters, lowering his rifle.|A12.B4]]//

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/><img src="./graphic/German_Soldier_Portrait.png" align="right"/> “What did you… Oh…” //I trail off as I see what Ed found. In front of us was a German soldier, still alive, but barely. Apparently, an artillery shell had hit this bunker, as the entire left half of his body had been shredded. The blast had left the leg on that side of his body limp, with large chunks of his thigh and calf muscles being blown off entirely, while his arm had been thrown to the other side of the room. It was a miracle he was still alive, let alone apparently conscious, [[his breathing ragged as he looks up at us.|A12.B5]]//

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/><img src="./graphic/German_Soldier_Portrait.png" align="right"/> “Eine… Eine Ziggarette, Bitte Soldat…” //He gasped, using his good arm to point vaguely in my direction. Realizing what he was asking, I began to reach down for a pack of cigarettes until I noticed Ed walking up to the injured soldier.// “Really Will? You’re gonna honour this Kraut's last request?” //Ed asked incredulously, spitting in the German’s face.// “This piece of human waste deserves nothing.” //With that, he gave the German a swift kick to the waist, causing him to cough raggedly.// ~Will You~ [[Honour his last request|A12.B5.A1]] or [[Leave him to his fate.|A12.B5.B1]]

<img src="./graphic/German_Soldier_Portrait.png" align="left"/> //Looking at this unethical scene, I push Ed away from the German.// “Get the hell out of the way, Ed!” //I snap.// “He’s dying, least we can do is give him a smoke.” //With that, I crouch down, fishing out a cigarette and gently putting it in the soldier’s mouth. Striking a match, I light it for him, letting him take a weak puff, a weak smile appearing on his lips.// “Danke… kanadisch…” //He mutters, before the light seems to leave his eyes as he goes limp, [[finally succumbing to his grievous wounds.|A12.B5.A2]]//

//Brushing himself off, Ed surveys the scene.// “…Well, now that we’re all done with wasting our time, I just took a glance outside and from the looks of things the Germans have been pushed out of this zone, so I believe we’re going to be digging in at this line for the night.” “Uh huh.” //I mumble, still staring at the dead soldier.// “[[So, why did ya kick him?|A12.B5.A3]]”

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Hmm? Well, because he’s a dirty Kraut! What has he done to earn my respect, my sympathy??” //Ed responds, frustration rising in his voice.// “And what did he do to lose it? For gods’ sake for all we know he could’ve been here for the same reasons we are!!”// I say, my voice growing into a yell.// “And you think we have the opportunity to think about that?” //Ed snaps at me,// “For gods’ sake, we’re soldiers Willie, not philosophers. We’re here to kill the enemy, not coddle them. Now, lets go and find the Sergeant, find out who else survived.” “…Alright Ed.” //With that we exit the bunker, [[leaving the body of the German soldier behind.|A13]]// <<set $injuryed to 0>> <<set $stoped to 0>>

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/><img src="./graphic/German_Soldier_Portrait.png" align="right"/> //Not knowing how to respond, I instead step back, letting Ed continue to give the dying German a few more kicks. Suddenly, he looks up at Ed and screams,// “Ihr… Ihr Schweine!” //Reaching down to his waist, he pulls out a pistol and begins firing at Ed, his shots going wide.// “Get down, Ed!”// I scream. As he leaps out of the way, I raise my rifle, firing a shot that hits true, killing the German on the spot.// “Ah… Good shot…”// Ed mutters,// “But the fucker got me in the leg…” //Looking down, I see the damage, [[a rapidly growing bloodstain on his thigh.|A12.B5.B2]]//

“Don’t worry about it Will, the bullet only grazed me…” //He says, wincing through the pain.// “…and from the sudden lack of gunfire around us, I suspect we just finished securing this trench line, so how about he go and find a medic?” //With that he awkwardly pulls himself up, leaning on the wall for support before hobbling forward, [[eventually accepting my help before he falls over.|A12.B5.B3]]//

<img src="./graphic/Medic_Portrait.png" align="left"/> //A few hours later, we’re at an overcrowded medical camp, Ed lounging on a cot as I stand next to him, listening to the medic.// “Well, luckily the bullet did indeed only graze him, so he should be good to go after a day or so.” //He tells us.// “That’s great news, thanks Doc!” //I answer, relief flooding my voice.// “No problem. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have countless more soldiers to patch up so please get the hell out of my hospital.” //He barks at us, waving me away. Surprised by the sudden hostility, I promptly shuffle out of the camp, passing by the scores of far more grievously wounded soldiers before going out into the newly captured trench system, [[finding a hole in the wall where I could rest.|A13]] // <<set $stoped to 1>> <<set $injuryed to 0>>

<img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “JESUS, w-who the hell-” //the panicking soldier screams once he notices me.// “Willie, one of your comrades! Now what’s your name, soldier?” //I bark, trying to distract him from his current predicament.// “Wuh-what? My name? I-its Thomas… What the hell are you doing here, Sir?” //He asks.// “I’m here to help you!” //I answer, [[putting my hands on his shoulders.|A12.A1.B2]]//

<img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “JESUS, w-who the hell-” //Thomas screams once he notices me.// “Hey Tom, it’s me, Will!” //I say, trying to calm him down.// “Wuh-what? What the hell are you doing here Will?” //He asks. // “I’m here to help you!” //I answer, [[putting my hands on his shoulders.|A12.A1.A2]]//

<img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “W-well If you wanna help me, then we gotta get out of this hellhole before we all fucking die!” //He screams at me, trying to shake me off him.// “Calm down Thomas,”// I tell him, refusing to let him,// “Now you gotta know that we can’t do that. If ya want to survive, we have to drive the Germans out, and that means ya need to smarten up and get out of this hole!” //This apparently does nothing to help Thomas regain his composure, as he promptly starts hyperventilating.// “N-no, you idiot! What are you, blind?!! If we go that way, we die! I don’t wanna be here, I wanna go home! N-now get the hell out of my way!” //He screams, trying to push past me and, apparently, run away.// <<cont append>>\ ~Will You~ [[Try to restain Thomas|A12.A1.(A2,B2).A1]] or [[Let him go|A12.A1.(A2,B2).B1]] <<set $seconds to 15>> $seconds <<silently>> <<repeat 1s>> <<set $seconds to $seconds - 1>> <<if $seconds gt 0>> <<replace "#countdown">> $seconds <</replace>> <<else>> <<replace "#countdown">><</replace>> <<goto "A12.A1.(A2,B2).B1">> <<stop>> <</if>> <</repeat>> <</silently>> <</cont>>

“W-well //If you wanna help me, then we gotta get out of this hellhole before we all fucking die!” He screams at me, trying to shake me off him.// “Calm down Thomas,”// I tell him, refusing to let him,// “Now you gotta know that we can’t do that. If ya want to survive, we have to drive the Germans out, and that means ya need to smarten up and get out of this hole!” //This apparently does nothing to help Thomas regain his composure, as he promptly starts hyperventilating.// “N-no, you idiot! What are you, blind?!! If we go that way, we die! I don’t wanna be here, I wanna go home! N-now get the hell out of my way!” //He screams, trying to push past me and, apparently, run away.// <<cont append>>\ ~Will You~ [[Try to restain Thomas|A12.A1.(A2,B2).A1]] or [[Let him go|A12.A1.(A2,B2).B1]] <<set $seconds to 15>> $seconds <<silently>> <<repeat 1s>> <<set $seconds to $seconds - 1>> <<if $seconds gt 0>> <<replace "#countdown">> $seconds <</replace>> <<else>> <<replace "#countdown">><</replace>> <<goto "A12.A1.(A2,B2).B1">> <<stop>> <</if>> <</repeat>> <</silently>> <</cont>>

<img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Hey, what the hell do ya think you’re doin’?” //I holler, trying to push him back down.// “At this rate, you’re gonna get both of us killed!” “Get the FUCK OFF ME!” //Thomas snaps, grabbing his rifle before swinging it like a club, [[hitting me square in the jaw.|A12.A1.(A2,B2).A2]]//

“Fine, if you wanna get yourself killed, be my guest.” //I say, letting him go. Without my resistance Thomas quickly scrambles to his feet, sprinting out into the chaos without looking back.// “Jesus, what an idiot…”// I mutter, looking around. //“Now what the hell am I gonna do?” //Poking my head out, I survey the scene before letting out a heavy sigh.// “…I suppose I just need to keep moving forward…” //Standing up, I begin to jog forward, [[attempting to catch back up to the assault.|A12.A1.(A2,B2).B2]]//

//I collapse next to him in a daze, barely registering Thomas running off in a random direction. After… I don’t know how long, I regain full consciousness, pulling myself up as I cradle my still-throbbing head.// “Jesus, what an idiot… Now what the hell am I gonna do?” //I mutter, looking around the battlefield.// “Well, I guess I just gotta keep moving forward…” //I say, stumbling forward into the now thankfully quiet battlefield. As I follow the remains of our advance, I’m shocked at the scale of the carnage. Hundreds of bodies scattered as far as the eye can see, the burning hulks of disabled tanks peppering the battle-scarred countryside. The only sight that tops this is what I see as what remains of the German line comes into view, [[a nigh-endless line of ruined concrete fortifications and dead German defenders.|A12.A1.(A2,B2).A3]]//

“Well, I suppose the attack went fine without me… In any case I better find Edward though.” //I mumble, scanning the remains for friendlies. Soon enough I come across an impromptu medical post the Canadians had set up, overflowing with wounded soldiers. Walking through I quickly spot the Sergeant, wandering around the medical cots with a clipboard in hand.// “Sir!” //I wave him down. //“I wanted to ask you, has anyone seen Private Edward?” “Hm? Oh, William… Yes let me check…” //He mutters, flipping through a mess of files before pausing on one.// “Mhm… Mhm… Oh…” //He mumbles.// “I’m sorry to tell you this, Private, but Private Edward passed away an hour ago from blood loss. He had gotten into a firefight with a German soldier and was gravely wounded… My condolences.” //I simply stare at him. //“Oh… Oh god…” //[[I fall to my knees, my face buried into my hands.|A13]]// <<set $riped to 1>> <<set $injury to 1>>

//As I follow the remains of our advance, I’m shocked at the scale of the carnage. Hundreds of bodies scattered as far as the eye can see, the burning hulks of disabled tanks peppering the battle-scarred countryside. However, when I reach the German line it appears that I have finally caught up to my allies as I find it under heavy assault. Dozens of firefights rage in the trench as artillery continues to strike remaining German positions. However, one noise sticks out to me out of the chaos: [[The sound of Ed screaming.|A12.A1.(A2,B2).B3]]//

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> //Looking for the source of it, I spot a partially collapsed German bunker. Sprinting into it, I find Ed leaning against a wall, clutching a gunshot wound as blood oozes from it. Opposite of him is the body of a German soldier, clutching the pistol that he had no doubt shot Ed with.// “Oh thank Christ Will, it’s you!” //Ed exclaims, before wincing from his wound.// “Heh, with my luck I assumed a Kraut would have heard me…” //I quickly run over to him, fumbling out a tourniquet which I promptly begin applying, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.// [[“Sweet Jesus Ed, how did this happen to you?”|A12.A1.(A2,B2).B4]]

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Oh, I thought that would have been obvious…” //He chuckles to himself, glancing at the German corpse.// “When I moved into this bunker to clear it out, this bastard gave me a hell of a surprise and shot at me with his pistol! Luckily, he was a terrible shot, but before I could put him down, he got a lucky shot in the leg…” “Those bastards…” //I growl.// “Well, you're lucky I got here, you’re getting out of this all good, right?” “Yeah… Right….” //He whispers, before passing out.// [[“Ed? ED!”|A12.A1.(A2,B2).B5]]

<img src="./graphic/Medic_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Well, you're lucky that you got him here when you did…” //A medic tells me a few hours later. After Ed passed out I had to carry him to safety, luckily finding a medic before too long.// “If you hadn’t found him when you did, he would have been dead for sure.” “So… He’s going to be alright then?” //I ask, nervously glancing at my sleeping friend.// “Well… Depends on what you count as alright.” //He responds.// "At this point I’m confident that he’ll survive, but the leg got infected… Its going to have to be amputated. To give him the best chance, he needs to rest for now so I’m going to have to ask you to clear out.” “Oh… Okay…” //I mutter, still reeling at what the medic just told me. I quickly shuffle out of the overflowing medical camp, passing by a nearly endless field of grievously wounded soldiers, [[countless men suffering the same fate as Ed|A13]].// <<set $riped to 0>>

<<fadein 8s>> “Well ma, I thought I should write you another letter to let you know that I’m alive and kicking. We began our attack on the Germans yesterday and they’ve already given up their first line of defense without much of a fight. A few of them put up a stiff resistance, but most of them just surrendered to us without much fuss… They say our shellfire was hellish, and it’s been days since they’ve been able to get anything to eat, or any new troops to relieve them. At this point I’m thinking that we’ll have kicked them outta here by the end of the week at this rate! <<if $riped is 1>>[[Anywho, I’ll try and write to you again soon, say hi to the family for me!|A13.B1]]"<<elseif $injuryed is 1>>[[Anywho, I’ll try and write to you again soon, say hi to the family for me!|A13.B1]]"<<else>>[[Anywho, I’ll try and write to you again soon, say hi to the family for me!|A13.A1]]"<</if>>` <</fadein>>

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> <<set $branched to 1>> //As I put the finishing touches on my letter, I look to my side to see Ed napping, oblivious to the world around him. Before someone important caught him like this, I quickly amended his condition with a swift knock on his helmet, causing him to bolt upright.// “AH! What the hell?” //Ed cried, searching for his assailant.// “Up and at ’em Ed,” //I respond, gathering my kit,// “We’re on sentry duty today, and I’m not gonna let the Sergeant catch you passed out somewhere you shouldn’t be.” “Ah hell, could’ve been a bit gentler about it…” //He muttered as he picked himself up, pointedly ignoring my chuckling. After this little interaction, however, our march down to our position on the parapet was relatively uneventful, the events from yesterday still hanging heavily on us. It wasn’t until we were set up on the observation point that either of us uttered another word to each other.// “So…” Ed began, as he set himself up on the Vickers, [[“I can tell you’re still bothered by what happened yesterday.”|A13.A2]]

<<set $branched to 0>> <<set $happythomas to 1>> //As I put the finishing touches on my letter, I look to my side, expecting to see Ed napping, but only finding the rookie Thomas there instead. Since Ed// <<if $riped is 1>>//…died… the Sergeant saw fit to assign Thomas to me as a replacement, seemingly oblivious to our previous interaction. I for one was simply shocked to find him alive and kicking, much less unharmed. As I was in no condition to argue with the Sergeant, I found myself stuck with him, [[a man currently fast asleep, oblivious to the world around him.|A13.B2]]//<<else>>//Was shipped away from the front for surgery, the Sergeant saw fit to assign Thomas to me in his stead, seemingly oblivious to our previous interaction. I for one was simply shocked to find him alive and kicking, much less unharmed. As I was in no condition to argue with the Sergeant, I found myself stuck with him, [[a man currently fast asleep, oblivious to the world around him.|A13.B2]]// <</if>>

“W-what?” //I stammered, surprised that he was the one bringing it up more than anything else.// “Oh, don’t give me that!” //He said, exasperated.// “For one thing, I’m not an idiot, and for another, you’re not as good at hiding your feelings as you think.” “Ah… I suppose so…” I sighed. “I won’t lie to you then, the way you treated that German… it wasn’t right, Ed.” <<if $stoped is 1>>“Well, sure, if he was anyone else, I might agree with you.” //Ed said, staring out into No Man's Land.// “But he wasn’t just some innocent bystander, now, was he? [[He was an enemy, a Prussian bastard.|A13.A2.A1]]”<<else>>“Well, sure, if he was anyone else, I might agree with you.” //Ed said, staring out into No Man's Land.// “But he wasn’t just some innocent bystander, now, was he? He was an enemy, a Prussian bastard who would have done the same thing to me, given the chance…” //Saying this, he then gestured to his thigh//, //[[the gunshot wound hidden by his uniform.|A13.A2.B1]]//”<</if>>

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “But he wasn’t though, was he?” //I pushed back.// “He was just a man like us, who was on death's door and wanted nothing but a smoke, and all you did was kick him while he was down!” “Alright, maybe you had a point there…” //Ed muttered,// “But what do you want me to do, automatically treat every German I see like he’s my friend?! Will, these Hun aren’t our friends, they’re our enemies, and we’ve been killing each other for 3 years now. Any show of empathy won’t be seen as chivalrous, they’ll see it as weakness and just try to kill you. If we don’t hurt the Hun any time we can, then they will just try to kill us instead. [[Will, the only way this ends are with either our side or theirs dead.|A13.A3]]”

“Well, maybe you have a point…” I respond, “But still-” “Still what?” //Ed cut me off.// “We’re at war, Will. If we want to survive, we can’t show any mercy. Only brutality.” <<cont append>>\ ~Will You~ [[Make your point.|A13.A3.A1]] or [[Let it go.|A13.A3.B1]] <<set $seconds to 12>> $seconds <<silently>> <<repeat 1s>> <<set $seconds to $seconds - 1>> <<if $seconds gt 0>> <<replace "#countdown">> $seconds <</replace>> <<else>> <<replace "#countdown">><</replace>> <<goto "A13.A3.B1">> <<stop>> <</if>> <</repeat>> <</silently>> <</cont>>

“Would he have, now?” //I pushed back.// “For all we know, the only reason he fought back was because you were kicking him!” //At this Ed scoffed at me.// “Oh yeah? So, what, you think we can just stop this fighting, huh? If we don’t hurt the Hun any time we can, then they will just try to kill us instead. Will, the only way [[this ends are with either our side or theirs dead.|A13.A3]]”

“No!” //I snapped.// “Ya don’t have let this war make ya a monster. Just because we’re all in this situation doesn’t mean we have to abandon our morality… I mean we’ve seen it happen before, the Christmas Truce! [[Who’s to say we can’t make something like that happen again?|A13.A3.A2]]”

“Fine, never mind then. Ya win.” //I muttered, not wanting to strain our relationship any further. After this we continued our bout of silence for the next few hours of sentry duty, [[with only the sound of soldiers and artillery strikes to punctuate it.|A13.A4]]//

“Our commanders.” //Ed scoffed.// “Face it Will, no matter how idealistic you talk at the end of the day those in charge don’t want us to make peace with the Hun, they want us to kill them.” //With this, we continued our bout of silence for the next few hours of sentry duty, [[with only the sound of soldiers and artillery strikes to punctuate it.|A13.A4]]//

<<audio "frontline" loop play>> //Suddenly, a new collection of sounds made themselves known; shouting, screaming, and gunfire.// “Ah shit!” //Ed screamed, manning the machine gun.// “It’s a German counter-attack!” //Looking out at No Man's Land, his suspicions were confirmed as we watched dozens of German soldiers stream over the horizon, pushing against a withering barrage of Canadian firepower to make it to our lines. Soon enough we watched, helpless as close quarters fighting broke out all along the line, German soldiers turning our front into a chaotic mess of disconnected brawls, groups of soldiers fighting for their life. Looking out in horror, I’m thrown back to reality by Ed shaking me.// “C’mon Will!” //He cried//. “We gotta get moving!” “What do you mean?” //I ask, as he swung his rifle over his shoulder.// “The Germans are at our door, Will,” //He replied,// [[“It’s our job to kick them out.”|A13.A5]]

<img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="left"/> //Before someone important caught him like this, I quickly amended his condition with a swift knock on his helmet, causing him to bolt upright.// “AH! T-the hell?!” //Thomas stammered, searching for his assailant.// “Get up, private.” //I gruffly responded, gathering my kit.// “We’re on sentry duty today, and I’m not gonna get shit from the Sergeant when he finds you passed out somewhere you shouldn’t be. “Oh, o-okay Sir…” //He muttered as he picked himself up, seemingly ignorant of our shared rank. After this, however, we failed to talk to each other on our march down to the parapet, the events from yesterday still hanging heavily on me. It wasn’t until we were set up on the observation point that either of us uttered another word to each other.// “So…” //Thomas began, as I set myself up on the Vickers,// “D-do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?” “H-huh?” //I stammered, surprised that he was the one bringing it up more than anything else.// “Well, sir…” //He began,// “You went through a lot yesterday… Ed seemed like a good friend, and I’m sorry for what happened to him. D… Do you want to talk about it?” ~Will You~ [[Indulge him.|A13.B2.A1]] or [[Blow him off.|A13.B2.B1]]

“…I mean, what is there to talk about?” //I ask.// “A German shot my friend, and we lost another good soldier. It happens everyday.” “I mean, sure…” //he said,// “But… W-well, I know he meant a lot to you, [[I thought that talking about how you were feeling would help you out with it…|A13.B2.A2]]”

“I’m not talkin’ about it, and definitely not to ya!” //I snapped.// “I-I just wanted to-“ //He stammered, looking down at his shuffling hands.// “Enough,” //I stated.// “A-alright…” //[[Thomas said, defeated.|A13.B3]]//

<<audio "frontline" loop play>> //We spent the next few hours of sentry duty in an uncomfortable silence, listening only to the background noise of soldiers and artillery strikes. As our shift was about to end, however, a new collection of sounds made themselves known; shouting, screaming and gunfire.//“Shit!”// I screamed, manning the machine gun, opening fire as I watched dozens of German soldiers surge over the horizon, pushing against the barrage of Canadian firepower to make it to our lines. Despite our best effort, soon enough we watched, helpless, as close quarters fighting broke out throughout our trenches, German soldiers turning our front into a mess of disconnected brawls, random groups of soldiers fighting for their lives. Looking to my side, I find Thomas frozen, staring out in horror at the scene in front of us. He is only thrown back into reality by me shaking him.// “C’mon Tom!” //I cried.// “We gotta get moving!” “W-What do you mean?!” //He stammered, as I swung my rifle over my shoulder.// “The Germans are here, Tom,” //I replied,// [[“We gotta kick’em out.”|A13.B4]]

“How I feel about it?”// I scoffed. //“Anger, that’s what I feel. Those Prussian bastards killed Ed in cold blood… What else is there for me to feel, to want, but revenge?! We can’t give them sons of bitches empathy, or treat’em with honour… They’re nothing but monsters, ghouls who we can never trust.” “Oh… Well, I’m sorry for bringing it up…” //[[Thomas muttered.|A13.B2.A3]]//

“No, its okay… Ya might be a bit off in the head, but I can’t fault ya for tryin’ to help, Tom.” //I respond.// “No, I’m not!” //He snapped, throwing me off guard.// “I-I mean, you tried to help me, and how do I repay you? By almost killing you! As far as we know, if you didn’t try and help me, Ed would still be-“ “Don’t say that!” //I interrupt him, both of us still looking out at No Man's Land.// “Ya can’t know that.” “Yeah, I guess so…” //[[Thomas muttered.|A13.B3]]//

“W-what the hell do we do now, Sir?” //Thomas panickedly whispered to me as we made our way up the line, scanning our surroundings for any sign of the enemy. Unfortunately, all we had found up to that point was the aftermath of firefights, more and more bodies of Canadians and Germans in various states of mutilation littering the trench floor as we made our way towards the sounds of battle.// “Goddamn bastards… See, this is why we can’t trust them!” //I muttered to myself, oblivious to Thomas’ nervous question as I poked my rifle at a German corpse, making sure he was down for good.// “Yeah... sure…” //He responds, carefully sidestepping the bodies,// [[“But you didn’t answer my question, Sir. What’s the plan?”|A13.B5]]

“Simple.” //I state.// “We ain’t much use on our own, so we gotta regroup with our boys, help’em push out the Krauts. But, if we’re gonna do that we need to find them, and if ya wanna find a soldier, ya go where the fightin’s thickest.” //As he began to respond, however, we reached an intersection in the trench, where a glance around the corner showed a harrowing sight: a group of three German soldiers slowly making their way towards us, brandishing bayonets, trench clubs, and knives. As soon as I saw them, I whipped my head back around the corner, putting a hand over Thomas’s mouth and pushing him to the side, trying to make us as stealthy as possible.// “Three Germans, armed for close combat.” //I told him, before he could ask me.// “Oh shit.” //He replied.// “What are we going to do about that?” “Only one thing we can do,” //I say, unslinging my rifle,// [[“Take them out.”|A13.B6]]

“W-What?!” //He sputters,// “Are you trying to get us killed?” //I shook my head, keeping my focus on loading and prepping my Lee-Enfield.// “I’m not tryin’ to get us killed here, Tom.” //I said, while I cycled my gun’s bolt.// “We’ve got Krauts in front of us, and they’re between us and where we need to be. So, if we wanna make it out of this, and maybe save some of our men, then we gotta take’em out.” “Maybe there’s… Something else we could do...?” //He half-heartedly offers, causing me to shake my head again.// [[“What if we follow them, see where they’re going?”|A13.B7]]

//His suggestion makes me pause, considering it.// “Hmm…” I mutter to myself. “That may not be a bad idea… We’re running out of time though.” //As if on cue, the Germans had gotten so close to us that we were able to hear their conversations over the din of gunfire, their voices growing louder and louder.// “Well, I don’t think fighting them is the best idea…” //Thomas whispers to me,// “But it’s your call Will.” <<set $branched to 0>> ~Will You~ [[Attack|A13.B7.A1]] or [[Follow|A13.B7.B1]]

<<if $injury is 1>> //Before I could answer, a throbbing pain struck my head out of nowhere, feeling as though my brain was going to explode out of my skull. As I looked around, I noticed that the colour seemed to be draining from the environment, and by the time I had turned to Tom, sound seemed to have followed, his lips making no sound no matter how much they moved.// “Uhh… W…” //[[I sputtered, before collapsing to the ground.|A13.B7.(A6,B6).A1]]// <<else>> //I pat him on the shoulder.// “We’re fightin’ our way outta this one.” “Understood…” //He sighs, unslinging his rifle.// “What’s the game plan then?” “Your enthusiasm fills me with confidence.” //I dryly remark, before leaning myself up against the corner, preparing to attack.// “The plan is easy. They're still a way’s away, so when I say so, we jump out and gun ’em down. You take the guy on the left, me the right, and whoever is done first deals with the guy in the middle. [[Good?|A13.B7.A2]]” <</if>>

<<if $injury is 1>> //Before I could answer, a throbbing pain struck my head out of nowhere, feeling as though my brain was going to explode out of my skull. As I looked around, I noticed that the colour seemed to be draining from the environment, and by the time I had turned to Tom, sound seemed to have followed, his lips making no sound no matter how much they moved.// “Uhh… W…” //[[I sputtered, before collapsing to the ground.|A13.B7.(A6,B6).A1]]// <<else>> //I sigh, lowering my rifle.// “Alright, lets go with your plan, but if they spot us, then I’m gonna kill ya. Hug the wall and wait for them to pass. We’ll think of our next move after they’re gone.” //Thomas silently nods, clearly not wanting to draw the attention of the Germans at the last minute as we post ourselves up on the trench wall, my rifle pointed at the corner just in case. As the Germans get closer, I’m able to pick out what they’re saying, [[though the language barrier holds strong.|A13.B7.B2]]// <</if>>

//Thomas silently nods, clearly not wanting to draw the attention of the Germans at the last minute.// “Alright then,” //I whisper…// “On my mark… MARK!” //I jump out from behind the corner, with Thomas following a moment later as I began to lay down fire on the unsuspecting Germans.// “SCHEIßE!” //The one on the left was able to scream before my bullet tore through his head, killing him before he could hit the ground. The man on the right, meanwhile, was desperately trying to unsling his rifle when Thomas’s shot hit him in the gut, [[leaving him writhing in pain on the ground.|A13.B7.A3]]//

“GOTT MIT UNS!” //The final German’s cry brought our attention to him, as he barrelled towards us at an inhuman sprint, brandishing a raiding club. Thomas, his hands shaking, tried to aim his rifle on him, but the bullet went wide, missing the man entirely. By the time I had trained my sights on him, he was on us, clubbing Thomas over the head before I could put him down. His limp body fell over Tom, forcing me to heave the body away before I could get to him.// “Ah shit! Are ya okay Tom?” //I ask, [[surveying his head for any visible injuries.|A13.B7.A4]]//

“Y-Yeah I think I’m fine…” //He responds, standing up unsteadily.// “He got me in the helmet, so I should be good…” “If ya say so…” //I say, keeping an eye on him just in case. As Tom began to regain his bearings, I made my way over to the injured German, still writhing on the ground.// “So, what do we do no-” //He began before my gunshot cut him off, putting another round into the downed German and killing him on the spot.// “Jesus Will, the fuck are you doing?!” //[[He cried.|A13.B7.A5]]//

“Puttin’ him outta his misery.” //I bluntly respond, not looking away from the corpse.// “Ya got him good, but not good enough. He was a goner anyway.” “…If ya say so…” //He said, concern spilling from his voice. Whether that concern was for my wellbeing or his, I couldn’t tell.// “…So, what’s our next step?” “Hasn’t changed!” //I say, slinging my rifle.// “We gotta find our boys, so lets get a move on!” //With this I began to walk in the direction the Germans were headed, [[before Tom moved to hold me back.|A13.B7.A6]]//

<img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Now hang on there, Will. Why exactly do you think we should be going that way?” //He asked, refusing to let go.// “Well…” I began. “…It’s not like these Krauts were gonna be walking away from the battle, now would they? So if we wanna find our boys, I reckon we should be finding out where they were headed.” “Or, maybe we would be more useful where they’re coming from!” //He counters.// “If we go back there, then we may find some wounded that needs our help.” “And if we don’t go where they were headed, we might well be damning some of our boys to their deaths…” //I muttered, before looking up at him.// ~Will You~ [[Retrace their steps.|A13.B7.A6.A1]] or [[See where they were going.|A13.B7.A6.B1]]

<img src="./graphic/German_Soldier_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Was ist mit ihren Opfern?” //One of them apparently asks as they continue up the line.// “Schwer, wie ich gehört habe. Viele kanadische Monster, die man gefangen nehmen kann!” //Another responds, leading to a hearty laugh from all of them. Luckily for us, their conversation was apparently so engrossing that they [[passed by us without so much as a glance.|A13.B7.B3]]//

//As they wander out of earshot, I finally stop holding my breath, letting out a sigh of relief.// “Well, the good news is your plan didn’t get us killed, so… good job, kid.” //I tell Thomas, patting him on the shoulder as he hyperventilates.// [[“So, then, where do you think we should go next?”|A13.B7.B4]]

<img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Huh?” //He asks, befuddled.// “Why’re you asking me that?” “Well, your gut feeling paid off this time, so I’m willing to give it a second chance.” //I tell him, surveying our surroundings for any straggling Germans.// “So, what’s your opinion?” “Well… If we want to find the battle, I suppose we should see where they were going. After all, they wouldn’t be walking away from the battle, right?” “Fair enough! In that case, lead the way.” //I respond, gesturing for him to lead the way. He cautiously accepts, slowly leading us down the trench lines and towards the Germans. It wasn’t long, however, [[until the sound of a new firefight opened up in front of us.|A13.B7.B5]]//

//I pushed ahead of Thomas, rifle in my hands as I began to sprint forwards.// “C’mon Tom, they’ve engaged, let’s move!” //I screamed as I surged ahead. Thomas could barely keep up with me as I tackled the first German I saw, locking into hand-to-hand combat with him. One of the other Krauts was already down, shot through the shoulder, while the remaining one was locked in a firefight with the Canadian soldiers they had come across.// “TOM!” //I yelled.// [[“TAKE’EM OUT!”|A13.B7.B6]]

//My order made him snap to attention, sprinting towards the last German and tackling him to the ground, catching him entirely off guard. As Tom struggled, I had gained the upper hand in my fight, giving me the opportunity to kill this German, take him out once and for all… But now Tom had gotten into my head. Did he deserve it? I could just knock him out, give him a chance…// ~Will You~ [[Kill him.|A13.B7.B6.Kill]] or [[Knock him out.|A13.B7.B6.Knockout]]

<img src="./graphic/German_Soldier_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Was war das?” //One of the Germans said, barely audible over the throbbing that now dominated my senses. The next couple of minutes went by like a blur, as Thomas opened fire on the Germans, taking one out immediately before he could reach his rifle. The other two are able to grab their pistols, and one gets a shot off before Thomas puts a bullet into both. Unfortunately, that German’s shot was a hit, [[as a splatter of blood began to blossom out of Tom’s gut.|A13.B7.(A6,B6).A2]]//

“…Alright Tom.” //I relent.// “Let’s see where they came from.” //A subtle grin invades Thomas’s expression as he takes the liberty of leading the way, pushing down the trench line and towards whatever the Germans had left behind. Luckily for us, it wasn’t long until we would find out. Crossing a corner, we see it; [[at least half a dozen Canadian soldiers, all in various states of injury.|A13.B7.A6.A2]]//

“Well, I appreciate your suggestion, but we’re going this way.” //I say, sticking my thumb in the direction the Germans were headed.// “Well… Alright, whatever you think is best…” //Tom sighed, falling into step behind me as we pushed down the trench line. Luckily for us, it wasn’t long until our search struck pay dirt, [[as we came across a fellow gaggle of Canadian troops, numbering a half dozen in total.|A13.B7.A6.B2]]//

<img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="left"/> //It only took another minute for me to regain my senses, and as soon as I was able to stagger up I made my way over to Tom, who at this point had leaned himself up against a wall, the colour draining from his skin as blood poured out of his wound. // “Tom, oh Jesus…” //I muttered, trying to put pressure on the wound.// “Don’t worry, you’ll be okay, W-we just gotta get ya to a medic, then-“ “Nah… D-don’t worry about me…” //He interrupted me, his voice reduced to a whisper.// “Did… Did I get them?” “…Yeah… Yeah, you got’em good.” //I told him, refusing to stop trying to stop the bleeding.// “G-good to hear…” //He murmured.// “…I’m dying, aren’t I?” “…Yeah.” I admit to him, “I think so.” “Oh… What a shame…?” //He responds. Before I could say anything else to him, however, his arms grow limp as the light seemed to leave his eyes, [[leaving me with nothing but another corpse.|A14]]// <<set $riped to 1>> <<set $ripthomas to 1>>

“Ah shit!” //Tom exclaimed.// “C’mon Will!” “Got it!” //I say as I rush over to the nearest casualty.// “Get out some gauze and wrap his wound!” //Tom commands, pointing towards the blood- soaked spot around the man’s waist.// “We gotta help these guys, buy enough time for help to arrive!” “Gotcha!” //I replied, [[leaping into action while he got to work on the next man.|A13.B7.A6.A3]]//

<img src="./graphic/Medic_Portrait.png" align="left"/> //As we tended to the men’s wounds, it took an hour for another Canadian soldier to come across us, a runner telling us that the Germans had been kicked out. Taking advantage of the situation, we sent him off to wrangle up a gaggle of uninjured troops, who proceeded to help us move the wounded men over to the infirmary.// “We’ll take it from here,” //A medic said, surveying our work.// “Not bad for some grunts, thanks to you these men might just have a chance… [[Now get out of here and do your job, so I can do mine.”|A13.B7.A6.A4]]

//Following his instructions, we went out to get an idea of what the damage was. Our losses were heavy, but we had held, pushing the Germans back and securing our front lines. In the chaos that followed, it wasn’t until an hour later that I saw Tom again, finding him holed up in a nook dug into the trench wall.// “Oh, hey Will.” //He muttered after noticing me.// “…Is there something you want?” “Not particularly, I was just coming to see how you were holding up.” //I reply.// “If it wasn’t for you… [[Well, I don’t think those men would’ve made it.”|A13.B7.A6.A5]]

“Maybe…” //He continued to dejectedly moan,// “But I… I shouldn’t even be out here! I mean you saw what I did yesterday, how I freaked out like that! I mean, there’s something wrong with me, right?! I mean, who the hell would try to punch someone who was trying to help them?!? I don’t have what it takes to be out here I can’t, I can’t-” //I put my hand on his shoulder, interrupting his spiral.// “Listen, Tom…” I say, “I can’t say that I don’t agree that you’re maybe not cut out for the front… But if you weren’t there, a few more men would’ve died today. You aren’t useless, you just had a breakdown in an awful situation. Listen… I’ve been hearing this new term being thrown around the troops, “shell shock”. I think you should look into it, find out what treatments are out there. But for now, next time we’re out there [[I’ll stick by your side and make sure we both make it out in one piece, okay?”|A13.B7.A6.A7]]

“…Okay, sounds good…” //He responds.// “And… thank you, for all that. I’ll think it over.” “It’s nothing,” //I nonchalantly reply.// “And hey, thanks for not calling me Sir.” “Oh, you’re welcome, Sir.” //He grins.// “Ha ha.” //I reply in a monotone voice.// “I’ll see ya around then, Will.” //With this he waves me off, I continue on my way, [[heading off to help out with another inane task to keep this war machine running.|A14]]// <<set $riped to 1>> <<set $ripthomas to 0>>

<<set $happythomas to 0>> //Grabbing my knife, I stab into his neck, killing him near-instantly. Gently laying the corpse down, I turned my head just in time to see Will finish off the last German, beating his head in with a trench shovel.// “Will, are you okay…?” //I ask him, as he sat there over the body of the German he had just killed, but I got no response, only silence as he stared at the bloodied pulp of the man’s face. A few moments after the shooting had stopped, the Canadians who were trapped in the firefight struck up the nerve to peek over to see what was going on, and once they realized what had happened, they came scrambling out to meet us, [[at least half a dozen men.|A13.B7.B6.A2]]//

//Grabbing my knife, I use the hilt to smack the man over the head with it, sending him into a state of delirium. Another hit or two, and he’s out for the count. Gently laying the unconscious body down, I turned my head just in time to see Will finish off the last German, beating his head in with a trench shovel.// “Will, are you okay…?” //I ask him, as he sat there over the body of the German he had just killed, but I got no response, only silence as he stared at the bloodied pulp of the man’s face. A few moments after the shooting had stopped, the Canadians who were trapped in the firefight struck up the nerve to peek over to see what was going on, and once they realized what had happened, they came scrambling out to meet us, [[at least half a dozen men.|A13.B7.B6.B2]]//

<img src="./graphic/Generic_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Ah thank god!” //I exclaimed.// “Y’all have no idea how happy we are to see ya.” “The feeling’s mutual.” //The soldier replied.// “Now, you boys want to join up with us? There’s strength in numbers, and we still need to kick these German asses out of our lines.” //Gladly accepting their offer, it wasn’t until an hour later that a runner was sent out to give us the all-clear. Our losses were heavy, but we had held, [[pushing the Germans back and securing our front lines.|A13.B7.A6.B3]]//

<img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="left"/> //In the chaos that followed, it wasn’t until an hour later that I saw Tom again, finding him holed up in a nook dug into the trench wall.// “Oh, hey Will.” //He muttered after noticing me.// [[“…Is there something you want?”|A13.B7.A6.B4]]

“Not particularly, I was just coming to see how you were holding up.” //I reply.// “If it wasn’t for you… Well, I have a feeling that we saved a good few men today.” “T-Thank you for that, but I don’t deserve that kind of praise…” //He says, staring at the human traffic that was clogging up the trench.// “I didn’t do anything important, I mean if it wasn’t for you I don’t know if I would have left our sentry position!” “Now, there’s no need for that kinda talk!” //I reassure him.// “Listen, if we didn’t work together today, neither of us would’ve made it. [[So face it, you did some good work today.”|A13.B7.A6.B5]]

//I put my hand on his shoulder, interrupting his spiral.// “Listen, Tom…” //I say//, “I can’t say that I don’t agree that you’re maybe not cut out for the front… But if you weren’t there, a few more men would’ve died today. You aren’t useless, you just had a breakdown in an awful situation. Listen… I’ve been hearing this new term being thrown around the troops, “shell shock”, I think you should look into it, find out what treatments are out there. But for now, next time we’re out there [[I’ll stick by your side and make sure we both make it out in one piece, okay?”|A13.B7.A6.B7]]

<img src="./graphic/Generic_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Thank God you reached us when you did, I don’t know if we could have held out for much longer…” //One of the soldiers told me, as the rest of them took a moment to check their rifles and treat the wounded.// “Think nothing of it,” //I casually responded,// “Now, once we’ve gotten our bearings, we should find more troops, [[help with the wounded.”|A13.B7.B6.A3]]

“Agreed.” //The soldier said, rounding up his men. It wasn’t until an hour, and another dozen wounded men, later that a runner was sent out to report that the Germans had been driven off. Our losses were heavy, but we had held, pushing the Germans back and securing our front lines. In the chaos that followed, it wasn’t until an hour later that I saw Tom again, [[finding him holed up in a nook dug into the trench wall.|A13.B7.B6.A4]]//

<img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Oh, hey Will.” //He muttered after noticing me.// “…Is there something you want?” “Not particularly, I was just coming to see how you were holding up.” //I reply.// “If it wasn’t for you… [[Well, I have a feeling that we saved a good few men today.|A13.B7.B6.A5]]”

“T-Thank you for that, but I don’t deserve that kind of praise…” //He says, staring at the human traffic that was clogging up the trench.// “I didn’t do anything important, I mean if it wasn’t for you I don’t know if I would have left our sentry position!” “Now, there’s no need for that kinda talk!” //I reassure him.// “Listen, if we didn’t work together today, neither of us would’ve made it. So face it, you did some good work today.” “Maybe…” //He continued to dejectedly moan,// “But I… I shouldn’t even be out here! I mean you saw what I did yesterday, how I freaked out like that! I mean, there’s something wrong with me, right?! I mean, who the hell would try to punch someone who was trying to help them?!? [[I don’t have what it takes to be out here I can’t, I can’t-”|A13.B7.B6.A6]]

//I put my hand on his shoulder, interrupting his spiral.// “Listen, Tom…” I say, “I can’t say that I don’t agree that you’re maybe not cut out for the front… But if you weren’t there, a few more men would’ve died today. You aren’t useless, you just had a breakdown in an awful situation. Listen… I’ve been hearing this new term being thrown around the troops, “shell shock”, I think you should look into it, find out what treatments are out there. [[But for now, next time we’re out there I’ll stick by your side and make sure we both make it out in one piece, okay?”|A13.B7.B6.A7]]

“…Okay, sounds good…” //He responds.// “And… thank you, for all that. I’ll think it over.” “It’s nothing,” //I nonchalantly reply.// “…I’ll see ya around then, Will.” //With this he waves me off, I continue on my way, [[heading off to help out with another inane task to keep this war machine running.|A14]]// <<set $riped to 1>> <<set $ripthomas to 0>>

<img src="./graphic/Generic_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Thank God you reached us when you did, I don’t know if we could have held out for much longer…” //One of the soldiers told me, as the rest of them took a moment to check their rifles and treat the wounded.// “Think nothing of it,” //I casually responded,// [[“Now, once we’ve gotten our bearings, we should-“|A13.B7.B6.B3]]

<img src="./graphic/German_Soldier_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “KANADISCHER ABSCHAUM!” //The cry pierced the air as one of the Germans got up and ran at us, bayonet at the ready.// “SHIT! Get down Tom!” //I cried as I pointed my pistol at the man. I thought he would be charging at me, the armed man with a gun in his face, but instead he went straight for Tom, still frozen in place over the German’s comrade. It only took one shot to send the German tumbling to the ground, but not before he stuck his bayonet through Tom’s chest, [[leaving him a crumpled heap on the ground.|A13.B7.B6.B4]]//

<img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “TOM!” //I cried, running over to him. I fumble some gauze out of my webbing, pushing it on the wound in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, despite Tom’s vague attempts to wave me away.// “W-where am I…” //He muttered, delirious.// “W-who are you…?” “It’s me Tom, Will! Your… your friend.” //I tell him, trying to keep him from passing out.// “Oh, hey Will…” //He murmured, blood dripping from his mouth.// [[“Did… did something bad happen?”|A13.B7.B6.B5]]

“…Yes Tom, something bad did happen.” //I confess to him.// “Just… just try to stay awake, okay? Stay with me!” //But in spite of my pleading, it was already too late as his muscles turn limp as the light left his eyes.// //It was an hour until a runner was sent out to tell us that the Germans had been driven off. Our losses were heavy, but we had held, pushing the Germans back and securing our front lines. I threw myself into my menial duties, but nothing could truly distract me from the loss of Ed… of Tom… of anyone close to me in this godforsaken hellhole. [[Now, I was truly alone.|A14]]// <<set $riped to 1>> <<set $ripthomas to 1>>

“Well what the hell are we gonna do now, huh?” //I whispered to Ed as we made our way up the line, my eyes scanning our surroundings for any sign of the enemy. But as we pushed up, moving towards the sounds of battle, all we found was the aftermath of firefights, bodies from both sides littering the floor in various states of mutilation.// “Pieces of shit… See, this is why we can’t trust them!” //Ed ranted, poking his rifle at a German corpse.// “Sure…” //I respond, making sure to not step on any bodies,// “But ya didn’t answer my question. [[The hell are we gonna do, exactly?”|A13.A6]]

“Simple.” //He said, as if it actually was.// “We aren’t much use on our own, so we gotta regroup with the main force, help them push out the enemy. But before we do that, we need to find them first, and if you want to find soldiers in a warzone, you go where the fighting is thickest.” //Before I could point out the insanity of his statement, as we approached an intersection in the trench Ed suddenly pushed me to the side.// “The hell?” //[[I started before he shushed me.|A13.A7]]//

“Look.” //Ed mouthed, gesturing around the corner. Following his lead, I cautiously glanced over to see a group of three German soldiers slowly making their way towards us, brandishing bayonets, trench clubs, and knives. As soon as I saw them, I whipped my head back around the corner, trying to stop my heart from racing. And, perhaps not to my surprise, my eyes were then met with Ed readying his rifle.// “The hell?” //I exclaimed under my breath.// “What’re you going to do? Get us killed?!” //Ed shook his head at me, never looking away from his Lee-Enfield.// “I’m not getting us killed, Will,” //He replied, cycling the gun’s bolt,// “We’ve got Kraut soldiers in front of us, trespassing in our newly acquired trench. If we wanna make it out of this, and maybe even save some of our lads, [[then we gotta take them out.”|A13.A8]]

“…Maybe there’s something else we can do…” //I offer, to which Ed shakes his head.// “Maybe we can follow’em, see where they’re goin’?” “Hmm…” //Ed thinks to himself.// “…That may not be a bad idea… We’re running out of time though.” .” //As if on cue, the Germans had gotten so close to us that we were able to hear their conversations over the din of gunfire, their voices growing louder and louder.// “If I do this without you, I’m sure I’ll die… So, it’s your call. What are we doing, Will?” <<set $branched to 1>> ~Will You~ [[Attack|A13.A8.A1]] or [[Follow|A13.A8.B1]]

//I sigh and unsling my rifle.// “Alright then,” //I say,// “What’s the plan?” “Good to see you come to your senses!” //Ed, very quietly, exclaims.// “The plan is simple. We still have distance on our side, so on my signal, we jump out and fire. I’ll take the guy on the left, you take out the guy on the right. Whoever’s done first takes the guy in the middle, clear?” “Clear.” //[[I mutter, readying my rifle.|A13.A8.A2]]//

//I grip my hand onto Ed’s shoulder, holding him back.// “I’m not gonna let ya kill us, Ed.” //I say,// “Hug the wall, and wait for them to pass.” “Shit! Alright, fine… But you better not have gotten us killed.” //Ed responds, before pushing himself up to the trench wall and aiming his rifle at the junction, just in case. As the Germans get closer, I’m able to pick out what they’re saying, [[though the language barrier holds strong.|A13.A8.B2]]//

“Alright. On my mark… MARK!” //Ed yells, jumping out a moment before me and laying down fire on the unsuspecting Germans.// “SCHEIßE!” //The one on the left was able to scream before Ed’s bullet tore through his head, killing him before he could hit the ground. The man on the right, meanwhile, was desperately trying to unsling his rifle when my shot hit him in the gut, [[leaving him writhing in pain on the ground.|A13.A8.A3]]//

“GOTT MIT UNS!” //The final German’s cry brought our attention to the desperate man sprinting at us, brandishing a raiding club. His final stand was quickly put to a stop by Ed and I’s combined fire, cutting him down before he could get to within a meter of us.// “Good god, we actually did it...” //[[I panted, surveying the remains of the enemy.|A13.A8.A4]]//

“So, what do we do no-” //My sentence was cut short by a loud bang, as Ed put another bullet into the German I had shot.// “JESUS!” //I cried,// “The hell are ya doing, Ed?!” “Putting him out of his misery.” //He bluntly responded, failing to look up from the corpse.// “Ya got him good, but not good enough. He was a goner anyway.” “Like the guy in the bunker?” //I ask.// “Nah. If I left this guy alive, he might draw some more Germans to us.” //Ed responded, either missing or ignoring my accusatory tone entirely.// “No time for you to dwell on my hypocrisy though, Will! We still got a job to do.” “Find friendlies, yeah I remember.” //[[I say, looking around us.|A13.A8.A5]]//

“So then, lets get a move on!” //Ed says as he begins walking in the direction they were headed before I grabbed onto his coat, holding him back.// “Now, why do you think we should be going that way?” //I asked, refusing to let go.// “Well, they’re not gonna be walking away from the battle now, are they?” //He answered.// “If we wanna rendezvous with our boys, I reckon we figure out where they’re going first.” “Or!” //I counter,// “We go back the way they came, then maybe we can find us some friends who we can help.” “And maybe if we don’t go where they were going, we will be damning some of our boys to their deaths.” //Ed says, finally looking at me.// “Well,” He continues, “You seem to have your head screwed on right today, so I’ll make it your call. Where are we going?” ~Will You~ [[Retrace their steps.|A13.A8.A5.A1]] or [[See where they were going.|A13.A8.A5.B1]]

<img src="./graphic/German_Soldier_Portrait.png" align="left"/> ”Was ist mit ihren Opfern?” //One of them, I would assume, asks as they continue up the line.// “Schwer, wie ich gehört habe. Viele kanadische Monster, die man gefangen nehmen kann!” //Another responds, leading to a hearty laugh from all of them. Luckily for us, their conversation was apparently so engrossing that [[they passed by us without so much as a glance.|A13.A8.B3]]//

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> //As they wander out of earshot, I finally stop holding my breath, letting out a sigh of relief.// “Well,” //Ed also sighs,// “You didn’t get us killed, I’ll give you that. So then, where do we go next?” “Well, they’re not gonna be walking away from the battle now, are they?” //I answer.// “If we wanna rendezvous with our boys, I reckon we figure out where they’re going first.” “…Not a bad plan at all!” //Ed exclaims.// “In that case, lead the way Will.” //He gestures forward, and I head forward, pushing down the trench line and towards the Germans. It wasn’t long, however, [[until the sound of a new firefight opened up in front of us.|A13.A8.B4]]//

“C’mon man, they’ve engaged, lets move!” //Ed screamed, surging ahead of me. I had to break out into a sprint to keep up with him, and in a few moments I had caught up to him, locked in hand-to-hand combat with a German soldier. One of the Krauts was already down, shot through the shoulder, while the remaining one was locked in a firefight with the Canadian soldiers they had come across.// “WILL!” //Ed yelled.// [[“TAKE HIM OUT!”|A13.A8.B5]]

//Not needing to hear anything else, I ran at the remaining German, catching him entirely off guard and tackling him to the ground. He was putting up a good fight, but the man was clearly losing. So, I had an opportunity to kill him, take him out once and for all. But… did he deserve that? I could just knock him out, give him the chance to have a life…// ~Will You~ [[Kill him.|A13.A8.B5.Kill]] or [[Knock him out.|A13.A8.B5.knockOut]]

“…Alright Will.” //Ed relents.// “Lets see where they came from.” //Risking a grin, I take the liberty of leading the way, pushing down the trench line and towards whatever the Germans had left behind. Luckily for us, it wasn’t long until we would find out. Crossing a corner, we see it; at least half a dozen Canadian soldiers, all in various states of injury.// “Ah shit!” //I exclaim.// [[“C’mon Ed!”|A13.A8.A5.A2]]

“…Alright, you were right once, lets see if lightning strikes twice.” //I say, gesturing for him to lead the way. A wide grin on his face, Ed happily took my invitation, pushing down the trench line and towards the Germans. It wasn’t long, however, until our search struck pay dirt, as we came across a fellow gaggle of Canadian troops, [[numbering about a half dozen in total.|A13.A8.A5.B2]]//

“W-What?” //He stammers as I grab his arm, pulling him towards the nearest casualty.// “Get out some gauze and wrap his wound!” //I command him, pointing towards the blood-soaked spot around the man’s waist.// “We gotta help these guys, buy enough time for help to arrive!” “Gotcha!” //Ed replied, leaping into action while I got to work on the next man. As we tended to the men’s wounds, it took an hour for another Canadian soldier to come across us, a runner telling us that the Germans had been kicked out. Taking advantage of the situation, we sent him off to wrangle up a gaggle of uninjured troops, [[who proceeded to help us move the wounded men over to the infirmary.|A13.A8.A5.A3]]//

<img src="./graphic/Medic_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “We’ll take it from here,” //A medic said, surveying our work.// “Not bad, for some grunts, thanks to you these men might just have a chance… Now get out of here and do your job, so I can do mine.” //Following his instructions, we went out to get an idea of what the damage was. Our losses were heavy, but we had held, pushing the Germans back and securing our front lines. In the chaos that followed, it wasn’t until an hour later that I saw Ed again, [[finding him holed up in a nook dug into the trench wall.|A13.A8.A5.A4]]//

“Oh, hey Will.” //He muttered after noticing me standing next to him.// “…So, you see my point now?” “Huh?” //I ask,// “What are ya talkin' about, Ed?” “My point,” //He cryptically responded,// “About this battle, this war. This death, this slaughter, this stupidity; it’s all their fault!” “Lemme guess, the Krauts?” //I jab.// “OF COURSE THE GODDAMN KRAUTS, WHO ELSE?!” //Ed snapped, flashing a flask in his wild gesturing.// “They took everything from us… They shipped us over here, to defend this land, to die over a conflict a continent away…” “Ya sure you’re still talking about the Germans? 'Cause it almost sounds like you’re talkin' about…” “YES OF COURSE I AM!” //He interrupted me.// “Listen… If you’re just going to needle me, then just… Leave me alone.” “Alright Ed,” //I relent,// “I’ll see ya around.” //With this, I continue on my way, [[heading off to help out with another inane task to keep this war machine running.|A14]]// <<set $riped to 0>>

<img src="./graphic/Generic_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Ah, thank god!” //Ed exclaimed.// “You all have no idea how happy we are to see you.” “The feeling’s mutual.” //The soldier replied.// “Now, you boys want to join up with us? There’s strength in numbers, and we still need to kick these German asses out of our lines.” //Gladly accepting their offer, it wasn’t until an hour later that a runner was sent out to give us the all-clear. Our losses were heavy, but we had held, pushing the Germans back and securing our front lines. In the chaos that followed, it wasn’t until an hour later that I saw Ed again, [[finding him holed up in a nook dug into the trench wall.|A13.A8.A5.B3]]//

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Oh, hey Will.” //He muttered after noticing me standing next to him.// “…So, you see my point now?” “Huh?” //I ask,// “What are ya talkin' about, Ed?” “My point,” //He cryptically responded,// “About this battle, this war. This death, this slaughter, this stupidity; it’s all their fault!” “Lemme guess, the Krauts?” //I jab.// “OF COURSE THE GODDAMN KRAUTS, WHO ELSE?!” //Ed snapped, flashing a flask in his wild gesturing.// “They took everything from us… They shipped us over here, to defend this land, to die over a conflict a continent away…” “Ya sure you’re still talking about the Germans? 'Cause it almost sounds like you’re talkin' about…” “YES OF COURSE I AM!” //He interrupted me.// “Listen… If you’re just going to needle me, then just… Leave me alone.” “Alright Ed,” //I relent,// “I’ll see ya around.” //With this, I continue on my way, [[heading off to help out with another inane task to keep this war machine running.|A14]]// <<set $riped to 0>>

//Grabbing my knife, I stab into his neck, killing him near-instantly. Gently laying the corpse down, I turned my head just in time to see Ed grab his revolver, sticking it in the struggling German’s gut and firing a series of shots into him, [[causing the man to slump onto him.|A13.A8.B5.A2]]//

//Grabbing my knife, I use the hilt to smack the man over the head with it, sending him into a state of delirium. Another hit or two, and he’s out for the count. Gently laying the unconscious body down, I turned my head just in time to see Ed grab his revolver, sticking it in the struggling German’s gut and firing a series of shots into him, [[causing the man to slump onto him.|A13.A8.B5.B2]]//

“You dealt with him?” //Ed panted, pushing the corpse off of him.// “Yeah… Yeah, I did…” //I muttered, surveying the dead Germans around us. A few moments after the shooting had stopped, the Canadians who were trapped in the firefight struck up the nerve to peek over to see what was going on, and once they realized what had happened, they came scrambling out to meet us, at least half a dozen men.// “Thank God you reached us when you did, I don’t know if we could have held out for much longer…” //One of the soldiers told Ed, [[as the rest of them took a moment to check their rifles and treat the wounded.|A13.A8.B5.A3]]//

“Think nothing of it,” //Ed casually responded,// “Now, once we’ve gotten our bearings, we should find more troops, help with the wounded.” “Agreed.” //The soldier said, rounding up his men. It wasn’t until an hour, and another dozen wounded men later, that a runner was sent out to report that the Germans had been driven off. Our losses were heavy, but we had held, pushing the Germans back and securing our front lines. In the chaos that followed, it wasn’t until an hour later that I saw Ed again, [[finding him holed up in a nook dug into the trench wall.|A13.A8.B5.A4]]//

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/><img src="./graphic/German_Soldier_Portrait.png" align="right"/> “Think nothing of it,” //Ed casually responded,// “Now, once we’ve gotten our bearings, we should-“ “KANADISCHER ABSCHAUM!” //The cry pierced the air as one of the Germans got up and ran at us, bayonet at the ready.// “SHIT, get down Will!” //Ed cried as he pointed his pistol at the man. It only took one shot to send the German tumbling to the ground, but not before he stuck his bayonet through Ed’s chest, [[leaving him a crumpled heap on the ground.|A13.A8.B5.B4]]//

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “ED!” //I cried, running over to him. I fumble out some gauze, pushing it on the wound until Ed waved me away.// “I-it’s okay Will, I’m a goner anyway…” //Ed coughed, blood dripping from his mouth.// “No, stay with me man, stay with me…” //I plead, but by then it was too late, [[his muscles turning limp as the light left his eyes.|A13.A8.B5.B5]]//

//It was an hour until a runner was sent out to tell us that the Germans had been driven off. Our losses were heavy, but we had held, pushing the Germans back and securing our front lines. I threw myself into my menial duties, [[but nothing could truly distract me from the loss of Ed… Of my friend.|A14]]// <<set $riped to 1>> <<set $ripthomas to 0>>

<<audio "frontline" unloop fadeout>> <<fadein 8s>> “Hey ma, I don’t know when I’ll be able to write you another letter so I’m going to get one done while I can. Today’s the big day… After their raid a few days ago, we’ve managed to push the Germans back to their biggest fortification. We’ve been calling it “The Pimple”. I don’t know how they’re still holding out… Which makes me think this last push won’t be where they give up. The Brits have been causing havoc behind their lines, firing artillery and gas everywhere they can it seems, so I suppose they’re trying to soften them up best they can! [[I’ll write to you as soon as I can.”|A15]] <</fadein>>

//Putting down my pencil, I sigh, rubbing my temples. I’ve been trying to keep a happy tone for the family back home, trying to keep them from worrying about me too much, but as the days go by it’s gotten harder and harder to keep up with this act. Everyone had heard the stories from the initial assaults earlier this morning. Bloody fighting against fortifications manned by desperate Krauts who refused to budge, heavy casualties and nothing to show for it. In spite of our recent victories, pushing further into this godforsaken Ridge than either of our European allies had ever managed, men seemed to be running on inertia more than anything else. The normal canned foods had given way to iron rations, consisting of a handful of three-ounce cakes and one-ounce chocolate bars, and whatever individual soldiers could scrounge up. Men walked through the trenches with sunken eyes and blank expressions, acting as if they were sleepwalking, their minds disconnected from their bodies <<if $riped is 0>>[[as they went about with the day’s tasks.|A15.A1]]<<elseif $ripthomas is 0>>[[as they went about with the day’s tasks.|A15.B1]]<<else>>[[as they went about with the day’s tasks.|A15.C1]]<</if>>//

<img src="./graphic/Ed_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Hey, Will? You alright?” //Ed asked me, concern in his voice. This snapped me back to reality as the water we were oh so carefully boiling over a tiny fire in a hole dug into the side of the trench, paranoid of any hint of smoke catching a sniper’s attention, had finally started steaming over.// “Oh, well… Fine as I can be, I suppose.” //I answered, distracted by the water. With the application of a few tea leaves, and leaving it to brew for a few minutes, we had managed to produce some incredibly thin tea which we greedily enjoyed, grateful for this one remaining luxury.// “So…” //I began after a few minutes of silence had passed,// “I was wondering, after this is all over, after we’ve beaten the Germans, [[what’s your plan for when you get back home?”|A15.A2]]

“Hm?” //he asked, startled by my seemingly random question.// “What’s brought this on?” “Oh, nothin' really… Was just writin’ to my family back home so I suppose it was on my mind.” //I answered, as flaccid a response as it was.// “Fair enough.” //He said.// “Well, I’m not sure, if I’m being entirely honest. To be frank, I didn’t really expect that I’d make it this far into the war, let alone survive it. In fact, I think I’ve been pretty much planning on it…” “What?!” //I say, bewildered by this response.// “What about your people back home? Have ya really been hoping that you’d leave all of them behind?” //At this he laughs.// “Well, what makes you think I have anyone back home? My parents died years ago, all my brothers signed up for the military, same as me, but they were in Passchendaele… So, I won’t be hearing from them again. And the rest of my family? Heh, they don’t want anything to do with me.” “Well, why’s that?” //I try to push a little further.// [[“What could you have done that would leave ya cut off from your own family?”|A15.A3]]

//I don’t notice how long I had been spacing out for until the sound of the water I had been oh so carefully heating up began to boil over.// “Ah shit!” //I grumbled to myself, scrambling to remove the pot from the tiny fire it was hanging over, dug into a hole in the side of the trench, paranoid of any hint of smoke catching a sniper’s attention. Despite the setbacks, with the application of a few tea leaves, and leaving it to brew for a few minutes, I had managed to produce some incredibly thin tea which I greedily enjoyed, grateful for this one remaining luxury.// //Of course, even this little reminder of normal life had to be shattered by the lack of company, <<if $branched is 1>>of Ed,<<else>>of Thomas,<</if>> of anybody I cared about. I tried to help people, to save who I could, but all I could save was myself. It was everyone else who did all the work, made the right calls that saved soldiers lives… [[All I could do is protect my sorry hide and try to live another day…|A15.C2]]//

<img src="./graphic/Thomas_Portrait.png" align="left"/> “Hey, Will? You alright?” //Tom asked me, concern in his voice. This snapped me back to reality as the water we were oh so carefully boiling over a tiny fire in a hole dug into the side of the trench, paranoid of any hint of smoke catching a sniper’s attention, had finally started steaming over. // “Oh, well… Fine as I can be, I suppose.” //I answered, distracted by the water. With the application of a few tea leaves, and leaving it to brew for a few minutes, we had managed to produce some incredibly thin tea which we greedily enjoyed, grateful for this one remaining luxury.// “So…” //I began after a few minutes of silence had passed,// [[“I was wondering, how did you even get into this war in the first place?”|A15.B2]]

“Well, I suppose they didn’t agree with my… disinterest in marriage, let’s put it.” //Ed chuckled.// “And my love of pansies didn’t help either!” //He added, his chuckle having grown to a slightly unhinged cackle.// “…And as for friends?” //Ed promptly continued, refusing to let me question what he had just said, and perhaps not wanting to talk about family any longer.// “Just like me, just like my brothers they all signed up to serve their country, and those of them who aren’t dead? Crippled, scarred, hell a few seem to have lost their minds entirely. This war… This war has taken everything from me, and I’m not sure whether I’ll ever be able to leave this hell, alive or dead.” ~Will You~ [[Reassure Him|A15.A3.A1]] or [[Sympathise|A15.A3.B1]]

“Well now,” //I began, not letting the silence envelope us again,// “Ya shouldn’t say that! Life is always worth livin, ain’t it?” “Are you so sure?” //He bitterly replies, the humour from his tone before gone.// “Look around us! Are the joys of life worth going through all of this, through gas, through getting shot, through watching your friends and comrades die in the dirt? I don’t know if there’s a place after this, a God or just nothingness, but whatever it is, it’s getting harder and harder to see [[how it could be worse than this.”|A15.A3.A2]]

“Well… I suppose you got a point.” //I say, mulling over his words.// “Oh yeah?” //Ed responds, surprised by my candor.// “Well now, I wasn’t expecting to hear that! An attempt to cheer me up? Sure, hell even some kind of impassioned rebuttal, [[so why this nihilism?”|A15.A3.B2]]

“Well-” //I start, but Ed cuts me off.// “It’s okay Will, I’m not going to do anything to myself, I’m fine… Or well… You know what I mean. I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, but you don’t need to bother." “A-alright, if ya say so Ed…” //I say,// “But, just remember that you still got people who care about you, like me, so you’re not alone. “Thanks, Will.” //[[Ed said, before going back to his tea.|A15.A4]]//

//We wouldn’t go on the final assault for another hour, but at 5:00 AM we were once again posted on the trench wall, preparing ourselves to cross into No Man's Land. Much like that first push, the shrill scream of a trench whistle called a wave of Canadian troops surging forwards, Ed and I following the current. However, this time I wouldn’t be so lucky, [[as I felt a sharp pain rip through my leg.|A15.A5]]//

“I’m not too sure…” //I admit.// “I guess that when you’ve seen the things you see out here, it changes your outlook on things. I mean, I still got family who’ll talk to me, and even then, I can’t really talk to ‘em about what’s happening out there, they just… wouldn’t understand.” “Hmm…” //Ed mumbled to himself.// “It seems my nihilism has finally gotten to you then” “Maybe not that far,” //I chuckled,// “But it’s made me rethink some things, that’s for sure…” “Well, just remember Will, you’re not the same as me, you got something to go back to. Hold onto that, so this place doesn’t take you down with it.” “Heh, thanks Ed.” //I said, [[before we got back to drinking our lovely, thin tea.|A15.A4]]//

“WILL!” //I heard Ed shout as I fell to the ground, screaming in pain as I clutched a hole in my thigh.// “Don’t worry man, we’ll get you out of here…” //He reassured me, but as he began dragging me back to our lines I blacked out. Consciousness would only come back in bursts, leaving my memory fragmented; A medic bandaging my leg under a blue sky, a surgeon operating over me, a hospital wing filled with other scarred soldiers. But despite the efforts of doctors and nurses, people trying to bring me back to my family, that gunshot wound would become infected, and I would die two weeks later, leaving my friends, my family, my home behind… for Vimy Ridge. <<if $branched is 1>>[[As for Ed...|ED]]<<else>>[[As for Thomas...|THOMAS]]<</if>>//

“Huh?” //He asked, startled by my seemingly random question.// “Why… Why do you ask?” “Well, I mean everything you’ve done hasn’t really made ya out to be a ‘borne soldier’, y’know? Now I’m not calling ya a coward or anything but… why a soldier?” “…That’s fair...” //He conceded, looking down into his tea.// “If I’m going to be entirely honest with you, it wasn’t my decision.” “What do ya mean?” //I questioned him further.// “Canada doesn’t have conscription, we’re an all-volunteer force, right?” “That we are,” //He agreed,// “But it wasn’t the government that made me go overseas, it was my parents. See, my family has always been made up of proud military members, my father was a captain, and my grandfather was too. So of course, it was expected that I would carry on the tradition, you know? I mean, I was the oldest sibling, it was my responsibility!” “But…” //[[I began.|A15.B3]]//

“But… that’s not what I wanted.” //He continued,// “My place was always in school, the library. I wasn’t the biggest sibling, and I got a lot of grief over that, but I was also the first person in our family to graduate high school! And after that, I wanted to go to college, get my Bachelors, really make something of my life… but my dad didn’t like the sound of that. I fought tooth and nail, but… family can have a powerful influence, you know? Without them, I wouldn’t be able to pay that kind of tuition, let alone have somewhere to live! So next thing I know, I was down at the recruitment office, [[and eventually was on the Olympic sailing towards Europe.”|A15.B4]]

“Man…” //I mutter, shaking my head,// “And y’all have only been out here a few weeks, right? So, this is your first battle? Now there’s some rotten luck…” “Luck had nothing to do with it!” //He chuckled.// “My father still has some friends in the Army and was able to pull some strings to make sure his son was part of the most important battle Canada was to be a part of. Just one last little gift from him, I suppose…” ~Will You~ [[Play devil's advocate|A15.B4.A1]] or [[Try to sympathize|A15.B4.B1]]

“Well…” //I began, not wanting to let silence envelope us again,// “I suppose all your family wants is what’s best for ya, right? So maybe you should look for the silver linings.” “Oh yeah?” //He scoffed, gesturing around.// “And what silver linings am I meant to find out here?” “Hmm…” //I pondered his retort.// “I suppose the only real one is knowing that what you’re doing here is important, you’re defending the Western world, pushing the Kraut invaders back and [[helping us end the war just that little bit sooner, right?”|A15.B4.A2]]

“Well…” //I began, not wanting to let silence envelope us again,// “I can’t act like I can really understand what you’re going through… My family doesn’t have any fancy connections, hell there’s barely 100 people out where I’m from!” “Sounds wonderful…” //Tom grumbled.// “Yeah, maybe… But that doesn’t mean I don’t get the pressure that comes from what family expects of ya.” //I continue.// “When everyone you know has done the same thing for generations, well it does make it hard to forge your own destiny, y’know? For me, the war was kinda a blessing in disguise in that way, it gave me a way to [[break outta my hometown and not make my folks hate me for it.”|A15.B4.B2]]

“Perhaps…” //He muttered to himself,// “But that’s what you’re doing out here, not me! Anytime I’m in the heat of battle, under gunfire, hell near an artillery shell I panic! I’m useless out here, at least on the front. I should be in the back, doing logistics, SOMETHING that actually uses my skills, somewhere that I can be helpful.” “Hmph, maybe you’re right.” //I conceded.// “But the thing is, that’s not what you were dealt, now was it? Like it or not, you’re stuck in the shit with the rest of us, so you might want to make your peace with that before you drive yourself insane.” “Maybe you’re right… Maybe…” //He mumbled to himself, [[before we eventually went back to drinking our thin tea.|A15.B5]]//

//We wouldn’t go on the final assault for another hour, but at 5:00 AM we were once again posted on the trench wall, preparing ourselves to cross into No Man’s Land. Much like that first push, the shrill scream of a trench whistle called a wave of Canadian troops surging forwards, Tom and I following the current. However, this time I wouldn’t be so lucky, [[as I felt a sharp pain rip through my leg.|A15.B6]]//

“In that case I’m happy to hear that you managed to break out of the prison I’m stuck in…” //He answered, a humorless grin plastered on his face.// “Now I didn’t mean it like that,” //I say, trying to defend myself,// “I just… I mean… I get what it’s like to feel trapped like that, like you can’t decide anything for yourself… Just… Just remember that this doesn’t have to be the end of your journey, you can still make your own destiny after all of this is over…” “I suppose you’re right… Perhaps…” //Tom mumbled to himself, [[before we eventually went back to enjoying our wonderfully thin tea.|A15.B5]]//

“WILL!” //I heard Tom shout as I fell to the ground, screaming in pain as I clutched a hole in my thigh.// “Don’t worry man, we’ll get you out of here…” //He reassured me, but as he began dragging me back to our lines I blacked out. Consciousness would only come back in bursts, leaving my memory fragmented; A medic bandaging my leg under a blue sky, a surgeon operating over me, a hospital wing filled with other scarred soldiers. But despite the efforts of doctors and nurses, people trying to bring me back to my family, that gunshot wound would become infected, and I would die two weeks later, leaving my friends, my family, my home behind… for Vimy Ridge. <<if $branched is 1>>[[As for Ed...|ED]]<<else>>[[As for Thomas...|THOMAS]]<</if>>//

//After I had finished that bitterly thin tea, we wouldn’t be sent on the final assault for another hour, but at 5:00 AM I was once again posted on the trench wall, preparing to cross into No Man’s Land. Much like that first push, the shrill scream of a trench whistle called a wave of Canadian troops surging forwards, this time only myself following the current. [[However, this time I wouldn’t be so lucky, as I felt a sharp pain rip through my leg.|A15.C3]]//

//I fell to the ground, screaming in pain as I clutched a hole in my thigh. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that someone had noticed me, a random private who had the courtesy of dragging me back to our lines, my last memory before I blacked out. Consciousness would only come back in bursts, leaving my memory fragmented; A medic bandaging my leg under a blue sky, a surgeon operating over me, a hospital wing filled with other scarred soldiers. But despite the efforts of doctors and nurses, people trying to bring me back to my family, that gunshot wound would become infected, and I would die two weeks later, leaving my friends, my family, my home behind… for Vimy Ridge. <<if $branched is 1>>[[As for Ed...|ED]]<<else>>[[As for Thomas...|THOMAS]]<</if>>//

<<link 'Fun WW1 Facts'>> <<dialog 'Fun WW1 Facts'>> <<set _facts to ['Throughout the First World War, tanks were grouped according to their "gender". The male tanks had cannons attached while the females carried exclusively machine guns. The prototype tank was named Little Willie.', 'Inspired by the sight of soldiers‘ faces ravaged by shrapnel, many of which remained covered by masks, Harold Gillies established the field of plastic surgery, pioneering the first attempts of facial reconstruction. As well as this, blood transfusions became routine to save soldiers, with the first blood bank established on the front line in 1917.', 'Despite the fact that they weren‘t granted citizenship in America until 1924, nearly 13,000 Native Americans fought during the war. Over 200,000 African Americans also served, but only 11% in combat and this in segregated divisions. The most famous of these divisions was known as the Harlem Hellfighters, who despite their poor treatment by the American people was known as the hardest fighting unit of the US Army in WW1, having spent the longest amount of time in the trenches (191 days) and lost the most of any other American unit (1500 casualties)', 'Many young men faked their age in order to sign up early. The youngest to do so was Sidney Lewis, who was only 12 years old at the time.', 'The First World War can be said to be completely a family war. Except that France is not a monarchy, Britain, Austria-Hungary, Tsarist Russia, and Germany are all monarchies. Moreover, Britain, Russia, Germany, and Luxembourg are all relatives, and their countries were good friends when they were young. So some people say that World War I was the war of Queen Victoria‘s family.', 'The last soldier of the British Empire to die in World War I was a Canadian soldier named George Price. While patrolling a canal in Belgium on November 11th, his patrol would be pinned down by machine gun fire from the Germans. However, realizing they were outflanked, these Germans began to retreat, and when the Canadians moved to follow them, George Price would be fatally shot through the left breast by a German sniper at 10:58, just two minutes before the armistice went into effect.', 'At the beginning of the war, the UK employed a recruitment strategy known as “Pals Battalions”, where volunteers would be assigned with a battalion composed of people from their town or village. This would lead to the male populations of entire towns being wiped out in days as these battalions got torn apart during the Sommes offensive of 1915, which would also lead to the end of the program.', 'Canadian soldiers in particular were known for their ruthlessness during the War, known for fighting harder than other nations soldiers, and for being particularly vicious towards prisoners of war. This would lead to a special hatred to be reserved for Canadians by the Germans, an attitude best explained by one case where the Germans, who were used to the “Live and let live” policy practiced by other armies, congregated around a spot where Canadian soldiers were throwing cans of ham. Eventually, these Canadians would suddenly switch from cans of ham to grenades.', 'Fritz Haber, a German scientist, is primarily known for the Haber-Bosch process, a revolutionary way to separate ammonia from hydrogen and nitrogen gas, which is so essential to the mass production of fertilizer that its estimated that up to half of the world’s population is supported by food reliant on ammonia from this process. However, he is also known as “The father of chemical warfare”, having been instrumental in the weaponization of chemical gas, and was present on the day it was used in the Second Battle of Ypres. He would later defend the use of chemical weapons, saying that “death was death” to accusations of its inhumanity.', 'Both of the Titanic’s sister ships would see service in WW1. The Britannic would serve as a hospital ship before being sunk in 1916 when it hit a mine, with one of its survivors also having been on the Titanic’s maiden voyage. Meanwhile the other ship, the Olympic, would have a much more successful career as a troopship, ferrying thousands of men across the Atlantic and even taking out the German submarine U-103 through a ramming maneuver before returning to civilian service after the end of the war.', 'A decorated hero from the Serbian army of the First World War, Milunka Savić was a women took the place of her brother in order to serve her nation in the fight against Austria-Hungary. She was an incredibly well decorated soldier, the most well decorated female soldier of all time in fact, earning honours like the Karađorđe Star for capturing 26 Bulgarians singlehandedly, as well as being the only woman to have won the French Croix de Guerre 1914-1918.', 'In a conflict on the Eastern front, 7 000 German soldiers attacked Osowiec Fortress, which was held by no more than 900 Russians. After they hit the fortress with gas, however, they were surprised to find a Russian counterattack approaching them, 150 men sprinting at the German’s who, from the effects of the gas were coughing up blood and bits of their own lungs. The sight of these men frightened the Germans so much that they retreated, with the remaining Russian artillery guns opening fire on them as they fell back. This battle would later be coined as “The Attack of the Dead Men,” in reference to the Russian’s zombie-like appearance.', 'Due to the British blockade, German citizens had to rely on increasingly desperate rations for sustenance. This led to situations where bread had to be cut with sawdust, as well as an event known as the “Turnip Winter”, where food had gotten so scarce from poor potato harvests, combined with the aforementioned blockade, that turnips, traditionally only used as animal feed, became the only food available during the 1917 winter. Thousands would die from these conditions, and quality of life would decrease massively, with female mortality in particular suffering a 30% increase in 1917 compared to pre-war rates.', 'Francis Pegahmagabow was a Canadian sniper who is known for being the most decorated First Nations soldier of the First World War, and the most effective Canadian sniper of the War, killing an estimated 378 Germans and capturing 300 more. He was a part of the Obijiwe First Nations, and would serve as a politican and activist for the reserves upon his return to Canada.', ]>><<= _facts.random()>> <</dialog>> <</link>>

<<set $progress to 98, $maxProgress to 100>> <<showmeter 'progress' `$progress / $maxProgress`>> <<link 'Stabbing'>> <<set $progress to Math.clamp($progress + 100, 0, $maxProgress)>> <<if $progress >= 100>> <<goto 'A13.A8.B5.A1'>> <</if>> <<updatemeter 'progress' `$progress / $maxProgress`>> <</link>> <<repeat 0.7s>><<set $progress to Math.clamp($progress - 8, 0, $maxProgress)>><<updatemeter 'progress' `$progress / $maxProgress`>><</repeat>>

<<set $progress to 0, $maxProgress to 100>> <<showmeter 'progress' `$progress / $maxProgress`>> <<link 'hit him'>> <<set $progress to Math.clamp($progress + 25, 0, $maxProgress)>> <<if $progress == 100>> <<goto 'A13.A8.B5.B1'>> <</if>> <<updatemeter 'progress' `$progress / $maxProgress`>> <</link>> <<repeat 0.7s>><<set $progress to Math.clamp($progress - 20, 0, $maxProgress)>><<updatemeter 'progress' `$progress / $maxProgress`>><</repeat>>

<<set $progress to 98, $maxProgress to 100>> <<showmeter 'progress' `$progress / $maxProgress`>> <<link 'Stabbing'>> <<set $progress to Math.clamp($progress + 100, 0, $maxProgress)>> <<if $progress >= 100>> <<goto 'A13.B7.B6.A1'>> <</if>> <<updatemeter 'progress' `$progress / $maxProgress`>> <</link>> <<repeat 0.7s>><<set $progress to Math.clamp($progress - 8, 0, $maxProgress)>><<updatemeter 'progress' `$progress / $maxProgress`>><</repeat>>

<<set $progress to 0, $maxProgress to 100>> <<showmeter 'progress' `$progress / $maxProgress`>> <<link 'hit him'>> <<set $progress to Math.clamp($progress + 25, 0, $maxProgress)>> <<if $progress == 100>> <<goto 'A13.B7.B6.B1'>> <</if>> <<updatemeter 'progress' `$progress / $maxProgress`>> <</link>> <<repeat 0.7s>><<set $progress to Math.clamp($progress - 20, 0, $maxProgress)>><<updatemeter 'progress' `$progress / $maxProgress`>><</repeat>>

<<audio "Tipperary" play>> //<<if $ripthomas is 1>>Like my story, both Thomas and Ed had already met their end at Vimy Ridge. While my family would grieve my death, collecting my letters and handing them down through the generations, Thomas’s family celebrated their son’s heroic sacrifice, honouring the family name. <<elseif $happythomas is 1>>While I wouldn’t live to see the end of the war, Thomas would, being sent home with the rest of the Expeditionary Force once the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919. And while he had witnessed horrors on the Western Front, events which would scar him for the rest of his life, he did something few had the courage to attempt: He asked for help. While his family chastised him for it, with humility he searched out therapists and psychoanalysts, experts who were able to help him explore his trauma and, in a way, save him from what he had seen on the fields of France.<<else>>While I wouldn’t live to see the end of the war, Thomas would, being sent home with the rest of the Expeditionary Force once the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919. However, the man who was sent back was a broken one, scarred by what he had seen and experienced. Refusing to seek help upon his return to the homeland, he would grow increasingly isolated as his “un-gentlemanly” behaviour would ostracise him from his family, eventually leaving him in a mental asylum after a major breakdown. While his body had returned to Canada, Thomas had truly died in the fields of France.<</if>><<if $injuryed is 1>> And as for Ed, there were few left to remember him, leaving his name, his legacy, to be lost in the mists of the countless men like him who would never return from the fields of France.<<else>> And as for Ed, while he would return to his home, he would return a broken man, both in body and in spirit, having lost a leg and many of his friends to the war. He would never truly recover from this, instead growing increasingly reliant on drugs and drink before eventually dying an early death, forgotten and alone.<</if>>// THE END...

<<audio "Tipperary" play>> //<<if $riped is 1>>Like my story, Ed had already met their end at Vimy Ridge. While my family would grieve my death, collecting my letters and handing them down through the generations, Ed’s had already been shattered by the costs of the war, leaving few to grieve him and resigning his legacy to be lost to history, disappearing in the mists of the countless men like him who would never return from the fields of France.<<else>>While I wouldn’t live to see the end of the war, Ed would, being one of the few in his family to return home from the fields of France. While his experiences on the front would forever scar him, given enough time he would eventually learn to live with them, striving to live his own life to the fullest, while also carrying on the legacies of those he lost on the fields of France.<</if>>// THE END...