CHAPTER THIRTEEN.   OUTSIDE THE WALL

HER HEART HAMMERED AGAINST HER RIB CAGE. If it could beat harder, it might have burst out of her chest. She leads him across the open field. Behind them, explosions from shells go off. Shrapnel flies everywhere. To their left, soldiers begin vaulting themselves over the wall of the trench. Both begin running faster. They pass them in every direction. Soldiers cut in front of them and shortly behind the two. "Keep going!" Schofield shouts from behind Mags.

German guns begin firing. Mags' legs pull her faster. Only a little bit more to go. All you need is to get back into the trench, she tells herself. Glancing back, she loses sight of Schofield. Her body skids to a stop. She stumbles over her own feet as she begins pushing herself back. Just as she nears him, she catches sight of him pulling himself free from the corpse of a British soldier. Holding her hand out, she quickly pulls him up. "I told you to keep going!" Schofield shouts over the gunfire.

"When have I ever listened to you before?!" She shouts back as she pulls them through the field. More and more soldiers fill the fields to their right. They need to hurry or more men will die. That blood will be on their hands. Her lungs burn with a new intensity. They hurt more than when she was drowning; they hurt more than when she fell from a tree and broke a rib; they hurt more than when her father died.

Her eyes catch sight of the open trench. "Here!" She shouts before ducking into the trench. Her limbs pull close to her body as she slams her body against the gravel. Pain fills her entire body as her back slams against the wall of the trench. Schofield falls in after her. "Are you alright?!" She manages to shout as she pushes herself off of the ground. He nods in response. His eyes widen at the sight of her head. Blood is seeping down her forehead, and down her cheek. Her hand reaches up to feel the warm, sticky substance. "Shit." She hisses as a sharp pain fills her head. "No time! Let's go find Colonel Mackenzie!"

Her hand tugs on his, pulling him up from the ground. The two begin sprinting down the trenches. She skids to a stop in front of a captain. "Where's Colonel Mackenzie?!" She frantically asks.

"He's in there!" He shouts before giving orders to his troops.

Both the nurse and the soldier make their way towards a small bunker room. Two soldiers stand guard, stopping them. "Let us in!" Schofield shouts with a newfound desperation. "Let us through now!" The soldiers pin Schofield up against the gravel wall.

With a deep breath, Mags manages to shove both men to the side. "Go inside!" She shouts to Schofield. With a moment of hesitance, he sprints into the bunker. Both soldiers shove the nurse to the side before rushing in after the soldier. Mags pushes herself off of the ground and enters the bunker. Her body slams into the backs of the soldiers. Glancing over, she watches as Schofield holds out the letter to the colonel. A moment of relief fills her. They've done it. They've finally done it. They're done.

Her eyes take in the colonel's appearance. A scar covers his left eye, leaving it milky with blindness. His thin mustache almost commands respect for authority. "And who's this?" He asks, his gaze turning to her.

"That's Nurse Margaret Winters. She's the reason I'm here, Sir." Schofield answers.

The two soldiers in front of her step to the side, letting her through. Her body almost collapses to the ground in exhaustion. Her feet drag her to Schofield's right side. "Sir." She nods with a tired but polite smile.

"Nurse." The colonel nods back. "I was just arguing with this young Lance Corporal here. Seems that you two have a letter from the General stating that we need to call off the attack. Is this true?"

"We wouldn't be here if it weren't true." Mags' sore arms cross over her chest. "If you don't call this off, more men will die than necessary. It's a trap that the Germans set."

"Is that so?" The colonel scoffs.

"If you don't call off this attack, you might as well put a bullet in your own mens' heads." Mags snaps. This grabs the attention of all of the soldiers in the room. "You're killing your own men. How would that look for moral?"

"I have heard it all, Nurse... Winters, was it?" She nods in response. "Ah, Nurse Winters. Well, Nurse Winters, I am not going to wait until dusk or for fog. I'm not calling back my men only to send them out there again tomorrow. Not when we've got these bastards on the run. This is their last stand."

"And it will be ours, as well, if you continue the attack." Mags practically begs. "Whether you want to believe it or not, the German are smart. They've been planning this attack for months!"

"Please," Schofield speaks up, "just read the letter, Sir."

The colonel nods once again before reading the letter. All of the soldiers in the room watch in anticipation. Was the letter actually calling off the attack? That couldn't be possible. They had already begun it. This would deplete moral for the troops. But would it be more costly if they let their men die at the hands of the German forces? After another moment of silence, the colonel turns to the man behind the table. "Major." The soldier responds. "Stand them down."

Relief floods into Schofield and Mags' systems. They almost collapse onto each other. That's all they needed. The colonel turns to the two soldiers behind them. "Call up the orderlies. Have them tend to the wounded. I would ask Nurse Winters here to assist, but I believe she's seen enough gore for the day. Hold the line in case they counter."

The soldiers leave the room to enter the trenches. Colonel Mackenzie turns to both Schofield and Mags. "I had hoped today would be a good day." He shrugs his shoulders with a soft sigh. "I suppose hope is a dangerous thing, though." The two remain silent, simply watching him. "That's it for now. Then, next week, Command will send a different message. Attack at dawn." His gaze is sharp and intimidating. Mags feels only two feet small in front of the man. "There is only one way this war ends. Last man standing."

"That's a dangerous mindset to have." Mags scoffs.

The colonel's gaze bores into her, but she refuses to back down. "Both of you, fuck off. Have someone attend to your wounds." He nods towards the bleeding cut on the nurse's head.

Both Schofield and Mags move to leave the bunker. A hand grabs Schofield's arm from behind. An older soldier with a kind face looks up at him. "Well done, lad." His voice is sincere. A smile grows when he turns to the nurse. "You too, lass. You've both have saved a lot of lives today."

Mags' smile grows. Tears begin to brim her eyes, but she refuses to let them fall. "Do you know a Corporal Winters, Sir?" She asks through her hoarse voice.

"Why, yes. He was with the first wave." The man nods with a kind smile. "I suppose he's probably tending to his men."

"What about Lieutenant Blake?" Schofield asks quickly. "There were three of us. We were sent with his brother."

The soldier slowly nods. "He was also in the first wave. Knowing him, he's probably helping his men to the aid stations." He looks out towards the trenches. "You could find both of them near the casualty clearing station, behind the line. If not..." He trails off. That's all Mags needs to hear before pushing past the men and beginning her trek down the trenches.

Shortly behind her, Schofield follows in hot pursuit. His hand finds hers, not wanting to lose her in the sea of soldiers that pass them. Every few moments, soldiers carrying wounded pass them. Glancing at their wounds, she winces. Her pack begins to feel heavy on her body, but she doesn't move it. It's her lifeline. Without it, she is lost. Without the hand holding hers, she is lost.

Her breathing quickens as she pushes past soldiers left and right. Mags knows it's selfish, she knows she's not a good person, but she has to see Alex. She needs to see his face - whether it was warm and tan or cold and pale. She just needed to see him.

They make their way onto a hill. There's a medical tent, filled to the brim with soldiers on beds. It's an all too familiar sight for Mags. Her hand tightens on Schofield's. "Excuse me?" She calls to the doctor ahead of her. "Do you have a Corporal Winters or a Lieutenant Blake?"

"No idea, ma'am." The doctor shrugs before turning back to the patients.

With a sigh of frustration, they continue their trek. "Lieutenant Blake?!" Schofield shouts from behind her. "Is there a Lieutenant Blake here?!"

Men all around them die in seconds. Blood pours from their wounds. Any of these could be Blake's brother, but none of them are hers. Shit. "Now, come on, boys!" A voice shouts from behind them. It's familiar. "He's taken one in the leg. He's lost a lot of blood, too!"

They turn to see an older man. Sharing a glance, Mags' hand drops from Schofield's. She gives him a soft nod. Her hand reaches into her jacket pocket to feel the corks and the string. She still hadn't cut a hole in her two new corks. "Lieutenant Blake?" Schofield calls out to the man. The man stops and looks up at them. Tears immediately fill Mags' eyes. She can't help but remember Blake. His laugh, his stories, his tears, and his dying breath. "We're from the 8th."

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Lieutenant Blake chuckles with a look of surprise. Before Schofield can speak, the man continues. "The 8th, right? You two must know my brother."

It takes all of her strength to not cry in that moment. "We were sent here with him." Schofield responds.

"Tom's here?" A large smile forms on the man's face. "Where is he?" When the two remain silent, he takes in their expressions. He notices that the nurse in front of him is holding back tears. Her eyes become bloodshot and her bottom lip quivers. His smile instantly drops as he puts the pieces together.

"It was very quick." Schofield is quick to reassure. "We're very sorry."

The lieutenant nods with no words. It's a lot to take in. His younger brother is... dead. "What're your names?"

"Schofield, William Schofield." The soldier answers before turning to the nurse. "This is Nurse Margaret Winters."

"My brother mentioned you once." The lieutenant points his finger at the nurse. "Tom said you looked like the toughest woman he'd ever seen." With a soft and sad chuckle, he nods. "He wasn't wrong." Shaking his head, he forces away the tears that begin to build. "Well, you two need to get some food. God only knows what you two have been through to get here."

Schofield is silent for a moment. "If I may, Sir," he begins, "I'd like to write to your mother. Tell her that Tom wasn't alone." Nearing him, he held his hand out to the man.

The lieutenant nods, holding his hand out. A tear slips down his cheek as Schofield places the rings from Blake into his hand.

"He was a good man." Mags is quick to interject. "He was a great man. He was always telling stupid stories in that stupid tone."

"That he was always right?" Lieutenant Blake chuckles as more tears form. "He always did that when he told a story. Made it seem like his word was law." Nodding, he took a deep and shaky breath. He wants nothing more than to break down, but he doesn't have the time. "I'm glad he had you two. Thank you, Will and Margaret." He holds his hand out to Mags first, shaking it before turning to Schofield.

They both nod. "Before you go," Mags quickly lets her words spill, "do you know a Corporal Winters?"

With a warm smile, the lieutenant nods. "I knew your name was familiar. Alex's my best mate." Wiping away any stray tears, his gaze turns to the end of the medical tent. "He's just down there, being helpful as ever. Man never thinks of himself until he's unconscious."

Tears spring to her eyes as she takes in the familiar silhouette of her older brother. She mumbles a thank you to Lieutenant Joseph Blake before breaking into a sprint. Schofield watches her with a soft smile. "Alex! Alex!" She shouts at the top of her sore lungs. Behind her, Schofield jogs to catch up with her.

The soldier ahead of her stops in his tracks. His wide eyes turn to see his younger sister running at him full force. "Maggie?" A chuckle escapes his throat as his arms open wide. The short girl flings herself into his embrace. Lifting her off the ground, he spins her in a couple circles. Both siblings are sobbing against each other. Mags cries from relief, and Alex cries from happiness.

Schofield watches with a gentle smile. He can feel a sort of secondhand happiness just at the sight of them. Mags pulls back from the hug, taking in the features of her brother. He looks older. Dark scruff lines his jawline and dark circles surround his eyes. Other than that, he's no worse for wear. She, on the other hand, has dried blood on her forehead and bicep with tears cleaning off the dirt that had been caked on her cheeks. She almost looks tanner with the dirt staining her face. "You're alive." She breathes.

"As I'll ever be." He laughs. "And you're... barely alive?" His eyebrows furrow at the blood from her head.

"Nothing but a flesh wound, eh?" She chuckles, punching his arm. Glancing to her right, she remembers the presence of her friend. "Alex, this is Will. We uh... We've been through a lot together the past day."

Alex turns to Schofield, holding a hand out to shake. "I'd love to hear about it soon as I can." The two shake hands. "You protected her the whole time, right?"

"More like she protected me." Will offers a tired smile.

Alex laughs and nods. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Never thinks of herself until she's unconscious, eh?" His elbow nudges the nurse. She rolls her eyes. "Look, I need to tend to these men and then I'll find you both, yeah? Get something to eat. You're all skin and bones."

"Just like Mum wanted." Mags mumbles.

"Fuck 'er." Alex presses a loving kiss to his sister's forehead. "And get cleaned up. You look worse than most of the men here. With that uniform, we might accidentally send you out." He lets loose another laugh as she punches his bicep. "Though, if you're up for it, we could really use your help with these wounded."

Mags turns to face the soldier next to her. "Sounds like they need me."

Schofield nods. "You're a very important person, I imagine."

She turns back to her brother. "Can you give me a moment?" Alex is quick to nod before entering the medical tent. "You should rest. Go get some food in you. Lord knows you need it." Mags lets out a soft chuckle. "I know this isn't goodbye, but..."

"It's not." He shakes his head. "You're still stuck with the 8th and you're still stuck with me."

"'Til my dying breath." They share a laugh. Pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek, she offers her most sincere smile. "I wish I had met you sooner, Will. I think my life would've been a lot different if I had."

"Come find me when you're done, yeah?"

"Always."