Throughout It All

28 | Hold On To What You Can | October 12, 1918

Oh look, it's based on my birthday. That wasn't intentional. My notes just said that this chapter would be one week after the last one, which was October 5th. Which is the birthday of my best friend.

...That was kind of the last of my notes of where I planned where this chapter would go haha.

So, I guess we'll figure out together  where this chapter will go.

Enjoy! :)

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Jack was not a part of the 194 of the 77th Division that were rescued.

Mush and Spot weren't happy learning this.

But ... what about Race? What about his division? Where is he right now?

They have no way to learn about either of their friends.

And where is David now?

Mush and Spot have been fighting for a day over a week now. Some of the German defenses have been broken through now, so that's good.

But soon, they're going to reach Montfaucon, and a whole other bout of fighting will begin.

They just need to hold on.

They just need to make it sure that they keep seeing the dawn of each new day.

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It's been two days since the Battle of St. Quentin Canal, and David has no clue how time has passed like that. It feels like he only just landed safely on a runway in some airport with a French name he can't pronounce.

He feels guilty since he only fought for five days out of twelve, but those last few days were rough. A lot of the pilots that he had looked down on had lost their lives fighting for a cause that they believed in, and so David will forever carry their names with him. Out of the ones survived, all he can see is a hauntedness in his eyes. He hasn't seen a mirror in days, but he is pretty sure he looks exactly like them: haunted glimmer in their eyes, completely disheveled, as if they've never known happiness and never would, as if they've lost their whole world.

And each day that David spends away from his family--from his parents, his sister; Jack, Mush, Spot, Race--he's losing his world too.

Maybe two days ago was his last day of fighting. Maybe they'll just stay in this little French village until the war ends, when everyone goes back to England, and then he can go home to America. Or maybe they'll be fighting elsewhere tomorrow. Maybe he won't get a break until the war is over.

But all he has to do is think of seeing his family again. And that's enough to help him carry on.

He will see them again. Even if that's the last thing he does.

He can't give up hope.

And so he won't.

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Life in the prison camp is not fun.

It's the same bland look every day. The same bland food. The same bleak out look. The same bleak sky.

How long will they be here?

Jack has no clue. Nor does anyone else in here.

And there are a lot of people here. All separated by division or infantry or regiment or something or other. But there have got to be hundreds, if not thousands of people here.