All Quiet On The Western Front Short Story

A thousand fires burned on the faded green hills around me, hot smoke rose into the air with the aroma of onions and carrots and pork. My company sat closest to the rough bulwark and lines of splintering wooden spikes that marked the edge of the camp. Deep grey clouds set in; suffocating the azure sky the light was swallowed so quickly I thought that the sun had disappeared. I couldn’t see a thing so I decided to join my brothers for dinner, there were plenty of others on watch duty and one man wouldn’t make a difference.
A grey mist had set in over the camp; combined with the smoke of the cook fires it was hard to see more than fifty meters ahead. I frowned and thought about returning to my post when one of my friends called out to me. Siegfried
The enemy army fell into a chant, it seemed to be coming from all sides; we soon found out that it was. They had split their force into three groups to surround us each group with as many troops as our entire army. Their berserkers lead the charge while the rest of their men threw javelins and axes. We all looked to our general for orders only to find that an axe had split his skull open. Panic spread like wildfire, some charged, some fled and the rest stood in shock. I lost my train of thought and simply watched blank faced. A faster berserker had outrun the rest of his army and bashed down Siegfried with the side of a battle axe. He lay in the mud bloody faced and begged, tears filling his eyes. I had never seen a face so full of fear. I couldn't hear what he said, I couldn't hear anything, but I saw what happened next. The berserker slammed his axe down on Siegfried's neck and pulled his head from his body. I had heard that when someone is decapitated they remain conscious for ten seconds. My eyes met Siegfried's. He was confused, then terrified and then he was gone. Bjorn was locked in combat, I wanted to help but I couldn't make myself move. Another fighter was moving in on his back. I couldn't move. He raised his sword. I couldn't move. He cleaved off Bjorn's arm. Tears ran down my face and I couldn't move. He looked at me, his face was screwed up in pain but I could see his eyes saying one thing to me, "You are a coward". Men encircled him and skewered him with their spears. I could move, I moved away and left my friends to be slaughtered. Blood and rain fell in equal portions. I threw down my weapons and ran as fast as I could. Red faced and sobbing I ran. By the end of the ordeal I was right about one thing I had left my friends as a feast for the