CHAPTER TWELVE. DID YOU HEAR THE FALLING BOMBS?

THEY STAY AMONG THE SHADOWS. Her hands begin to sweat, but he doesn't mind. He just needs to know she's still there. He needs to know he isn't alone in this. The town surrounding them is silent. The sun has yet to rise in the sky. The two find their way to a fork in the path. To their right is an alley. He begins leading them down.

A loud bang stops the two in their tracks. A door ahead of them flings open, revealing a German soldier stumbling out. He's clearly drunk out of his mind. Mags wants nothing more than to shoot him down in this moment, but she knows better. Taking a few more steps, the soldier leans over and begins puking. Both Schofield and Mags wince in disgust before taking a few silent steps forward. The soldier continues vomiting as they make their way into a doorway.

It's the assembly hall of a school. The only light available is the flames from the burning church. A small fire burns by the door that the soldier had just gone out of. A few empty bottles of liquor sit next to it. Glancing around, Mags freezes at the sight of another German soldier. She tugs on Schofield's hand, nodding towards the second soldier. They have no choice but to take him out.

The soldier is facing the corner, pulling up the zipper of his pants with a huff of annoyance as it catches onto a piece of fabric. As he turns, his eyes catch sight of the two. He stops and freezes, unsure of what to do. After a moment, he turns to yell for the soldier outside. Schofield is quick to close the gap, slamming the soldier into the ground. Mags joins their side. Schofield mouths for the man to be quiet. He nods in response.

As Schofield slowly lets go of the soldier's mouth, Mags takes notice of the man slowly pulling a knife out of his sheath. Not again. No, this can't end like Blake. She's quick to grab his arm, holding it back as he begins to shout. Schofield slams his hand against the man's mouth, quieting him. Mags wrestles with the man's arm, careful to not get cut again or even stabbed.

The soldier bites down on Schofield's wounded hand. Gritting his teeth, his hands wrap around the man's neck. Mags finally manages to get the knife out the soldier's grip. Just as the other soldier makes his way into the room, Mags slams the knife into the soldier's throat. Just like the pilot, blood begins to seep from his neck. She pulls the knife out and slams it into his chest, right into his heart.

Schofield pulls back as the soldier's body falls slack. His eyes send a silent thank you to the nurse. The soldier by the door begins speaking in German. They have no idea what he's saying, but they know this isn't a good situation to be in. With no response, the soldier begins to call out the name of his comrade. "Baumer?" He calls out, receiving no answer. "Baumer?" He begins stumbling towards them.

Mags quickly pulls the knife out of Baumer, ready to defend them once again. Schofield quickly pushes himself out of the shadows. His rifle is left alone behind them. He slams his body against the German, knocking him to the ground. They both make their way out of the building as the soldiers screams fill their ears. He's yelling after them. "Don't stop!" Schofield shouts to Mags as they sprint through the town.

A gunshot rings out, hitting the building to their left. Mags thanks whatever higher power there is that this soldier's drunker than she was. As they turn a corner, they catch sight of another German soldier ahead of them. The soldier turns and fires his rifle at them. Schofield reaches out, pulling Mags into an alley. The soldiers race into the alley after them, firing at them and missing.

As they exit the alley, they jump down the flight of stairs. Schofield slams into the wall ahead of them. There's enough space between them and the Germans but that doesn't stop them from running. They continue sprinting until they come up on a bridge. It's broken. Mags nearly stops in her tracks, halting Schofield. "What?! What's wrong?! Are you hit?!" He asks frantically, looking behind her for enemy soldiers.

"I can't swim." She shakes her head. "I'll drown."

"And if we stay here, you'll be shot or raped!"

"Will, I can't! I'll die as soon as I hit the water." Tears fill her eyes. Stop fucking crying, she shouts at herself. "I can't fucking do it, Will!"

His hands grab her face. "Do you trust me?" Her brow furrows for a moment. "Do you trust me, Maggie?" She blinks before nodding. "Then jump. Hold onto me and don't let go. I won't let you drown."

Taking a deep and shaky breath, her hands grabs his tightly. They climb onto the wall of the bridge. Mags wants to throw up at the sight of the water. She doesn't like this. A pit forms in her stomach, but he jumps, pulling her down with him. Her free hand pinches her nose.

They drop forty feet and slam into the rushing water. Schofield is the first to emerge from the water. He looks around for the nurse, but sees only water. His hand pulls up and she gasps for air. Relief floods him as his arms wrap tightly around her. "Don't let go of me, you hear?" She nods in response as her arms wrap around him equally as tight.

The Germans are long gone. The French girl and infant are long gone. Blake is long gone. Schofield guides them as best as he can against the rough currents that carry them. He catches sight of a boulder sticking out of the water and curses spill from his lips. Quickly spinning, he lets his back slam against the rock. With a grunt of pain, his body slides off of the boulder and is being dragged by the currents once again.

The sound becomes louder. They begin to realize what the source is. The currents pick up, pulling them closer and closer to a waterfall. Panic sets into both of them, but it's too late. They both go over the edge, clinging to each other for dear life. The two plunge into the water below for a few moments before resurfacing.

The sun has officially risen. The currents become softer, gently carrying them along. Schofield grabs onto a floating branch. Mags is quick to cling to the bark holding her above water. The soldier across from her lets his eyes fall close, letting the currents carry them. The water is icy and numbs them. The wind blows against the trees, rustling the leaves. If she could stay here forever, she just might. Just her and Schofield, floating along in a gentle river.

Her eyes close, letting the breeze comfort her. A soft tickle grabs her attention. Opening her eyes, she watches cherry blossoms fall from the sky. Schofield reaches out, grabbing the petals in his hand. They share a look. Blake. Something in him restarts. He begins pulling the branch towards the banks of the river. Looking ahead, they're nearing a fallen tree. Bodies surround it. It's a mix of soldiers - both German and British - and women and children. Mags winces at the sight as they collide into the bloated corpses.

His hand grabs hers as they begin climbing over the bodies towards the banks. Tears are already falling from his eyes. He can't stop them anymore. There's no bottling this up. It's far too much to handle to keep in. As they make it onto the bank, Schofield falls to his knees and lets the sobs loose. A gentle hand rubs his back. All she can do is watch with sad eyes. She knows all too well that nothing she says will make it any easier. All she can do is let him cry.

In the distance, there's singing. They both look up towards the sound. Schofield pushes back sobs. Mags pushes herself off of the ground, holding her hand out towards him. Her bicep burns as the blood rushes back to it. His hand grabs hers, using her to pull himself up.

They climb up the banks towards the voice. Their steps are dragging against the forest grass. Schofield begins to wonder if this voice is even real. But Mags had heard it too. Maybe they were both losing it.

Their eyes catch sight of a group of soldiers. They're British. Relief floods their systems. Schofield makes his way towards a tree. His body slams against it as he takes a seat, letting the music consume him. Mags takes a seat next to him. Her clothes cling to her body in an uncomfortable way. She wants nothing more than to strip the dirty uniform off and change into her nurse's uniform.

A hand intertwines with hers. Glancing down, she sees Schofield's hand loosely holding onto hers. A small smile grew on her lips as she lets her forehead rest against his shoulder. There's a moment of bliss between the two, it's a moment where they're alone and not in the middle of a war. It's a moment where they have nothing to worry about but each other.

The song finishes. A few soldiers applaud the singer. "D Company! Move out!" A voice shouts.

"You two alright?" A voice asks both Mags and Schofield. They look up at the two soldiers in front of them.

"Where are you from?" Another soldier asks.

"They've probably got the wind up."

"He's not one of ours. And the nurses are stationed up further behind the line."

"Why's she wearing a soldier's uniform?"

"They're both soaked."

"Where's the Devons?" Mags asks with a new intensity.

"What? What're you talking about?" One of the soldiers furrows his eyebrows. "We're the Devons."

"What? Why haven't you gone?" Schofield asks, bringing himself back to the world.

The soldiers share glances. "We're the second wave."

"We're the D Company, we're the last to go in."

Schofield pulls himself off of the ground, pulling Mags up with him. "Where's Colonel Mackenzie?"

"He's further up the line."

"Which way?" Mags asks, her voice frantic.

"This way." The soldier points down at the path. "We're heading this way now."

Both Schofield and Mags take off down the path. They push past the men in front of them. Mags apologizes as she gently pushes past the soldiers. Her hand tightens around Schofield's. They need to make it to the trenches, no matter the cost.

As they make their way into the trenches, they push through soldiers left and right. Schofield stops, grabbing a corporal by the shoulders. "Where's your commanding officer?"

"He's in the holding pen." The soldier hesitantly answers.

Without another word, they both begin sprinting down the trenches. Their eyes search for any other soldiers to question. A lieutenant shouts orders at his men. "Sir!" Schofield calls out as they reach him. "I have a message from General Erinmore!"

"Who the fuck are you?" The man's eyes turn to Mags. "And what's a nurse doing in the fucking trenches? Who's your head nurse? I'm reporting you!"

"Oh, shove it!" Mags shouts back, anger filling her veins.

"The attack has been called off!" Schofield shouts, grabbing the man's attention. "General Erinmore has called off the attack."

"Balls, man." The man curses, shaking his head. "We're about to go over. We've got them on the run."

Both Mags and Schofield shake their heads. "No, you don't! You can't send your men over."

"Out of the way, Corporal-"

"These are direct orders from the fucking General!" Mags shouts. Both soldiers stare at her in shock. "Where the fuck is Colonel Mackenzie?!" She pulls the letter out of Schofield's jacket pocket, shoving it into the man's hand. It's still soaked from the river.

The man lets out a deep sigh as he reads over the letter. "Jesus Christ, man! Go and see the captain!" He shoves them down the trenches. They both continue sprinting down the trenches. The narrow walkways are clogged with soldiers. Different soldiers shout orders to their men as the two sprint past them.

Schofield stops to another man. "Where is the captain?"

"He's over there." The man gestures them further down the trench.

They rush up to a man who's sitting on the ground. Tears stream down his face as his body rocks from the sobs he lets out. He looks up to them as Schofield shakes him. "Sir! We have a message. This attack has been called off. You have to stop-" He's cut off when the ground shakes from an artillery hit. They're too late. Men press themselves against the wall of the trench to prepare against the impact. "Where is Colonel Mackenzie?!" His voice is almost completely silent from the sound of artillery fire.

The men around them cover their ears from the noise. Even Mags covers her ears. It's almost as bad as the explosion from the bunker. With a groan, she grabs Schofield's arm and begins pulling him further down the trench. As much as her heart goes out to the captain, they don't have time.

Artillery explodes every few feet as they push their way through the trench. Commanding officers shout orders to their men. The two stop for nothing. Their feet begin to drag as their legs grow weak and tired from the sprinting. The trench begins to narrow, leaving little room for them or the soldiers ready to fight.

Ahead of them, artillery slams into the trench. This doesn't deter them as they grow closer to the area. The trench becomes even more narrow. Soldiers completely block the way for them to pass. Mags stops and turns to Schofield. "What now?!" She yells through the booms of artillery explosions.

Schofield turns to the commanding officer that's shouting orders. "Sir, we have orders to stop this attack."

"What?!"

"Where is Colonel Mackenzie?"

"He's further up the line."

"How far?"

"Three hundred yards. He's in a cut and cover." The man answers. They both look around at the sea of men blocking the trench. "You'll have to wait until the first wave goes over."

"We don't have the time!" Schofield returns to Mags' side. "We have to get to Colonel Mackenzie. He's three hundred yards up the trench."

She simply nods. Her eyes turn to the field ahead of them. "Only way through is over!" She shouts over the explosions.

"You'll never make it over that way!" The commanding officer shouts from behind them. "Are you bloody insane?"

Three hundred years. It's a cakewalk. Compared to everything else they've been through, this is easy. Three hundred yards of open field with no cover and hundreds of artillery shells coming at them full force. Easy as pie. Her hands slips into his. Their eyes meet. Mags nods. There's complete trust in her eyes. That's all he needs. The commanding officer shouts at them, but his shouts fall on deaf ears.

Just three hundred yards. Don't stop for anything. Just three hundred yards and this will all be over with. Blake's brother will be saved and they'll be done. Taking a deep breath, they vault themselves over the trench wall and onto the open battlefield.