Episode 2: Regret's Bridge

By Leigh Barker

Season 1: Episode 2 - A 1-hour Bitesize read.

The second episode following our hero, Regret, as he and his squad of infantry head for Charleroi to destroy the enemy guns before they can rain their massive shells on the British Expeditionary Force HQ.

Behind enemy lines with only a squad, it is a desperate mission, but one that cannot fail or the war will be lost in its first few days.

Regret and his squad have survived the slaughter at Mons, but the slightest mistake now and they will all be dead.

In his heart, Regret knows this mission is suicidal, but he also knows the cost of failure for his comrades and the war.

It is a time of heroism and honour. And of death dealt out by the new killing machines on an industrial scale.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Leigh Barker
• Release date: Sep 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310966392

Leigh Barker

Leigh was born in Dudley in the middle of England. He has been a merchant seaman, a (useless) electronics salesman, a programmer, and a business analyst. And now he is a full-time writer, but that doesn't make him a bad person.He is presently writing 4 series:Clan, following the adventures of Calum Maclean as he tries to avoid the Bonnie Prince but still protect his beloved Highlands.The Hellfire Legacy Series follows US Marine Master Sergeant Ethan Gill and his team as they take on the jobs too hot for other special forces. They go where they're sent; South America, Middle East, Korea, but their most dangerous missions are on US soil.Volume #1: A Whisper of ArmageddonVolume #2: The Hellfire LegacyVolume #3: The Orpheus DirectiveEden, a three-volume series -Trinity is at war with Lucid, the son of Lucifer, and he will do whatever it takes to win. The Archangel Gabriel has an army but he needs more. He needs heroes, but they are few and far between. Which is why he gets Dylan and co. Not too much luck in Heaven then.Volume #1: Eden's Last HeroVolume #2: WinterwoodVolume #3: Requiem for Eden.Soldiers is set in 1914 and follows John Regret and his 12-man squad on their suicidal mission to find and destroy the German howitzer nicknamed Big Bertha. Find it before it drops it's thousand-pound shells on the allied army retreating across France. A seemingly hopeless mission that just cannot fail.Other occasional series include:Anarchy, the 'completely true' stories of men doing what men do when there's nobody to keep them in check. Create mayhem and behave like monkeys on speed.Coffee Break Reads - each issue has 5 stories short enough to read while taking a break from life. A mix of adventure, love, disaster, and fun. All with one thing in common; for a moment they transport the reader to another world.Episode 1 of each Season is free and can be picked up with other free books at:https://leighwbarker.com/my-library/Just copy the link above and paste it into your browser and you're there...

Book preview

Soldiers

(Episode 2)

Regret's Bridge

Copyright 2014 Leigh Barker

Published by Leigh Barker at Smashwords

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ISBN: 9781310966392

Regret’s Bridge

Regret counted down from three in his head. That’s how long it would take the sniper to put another round in the chamber, pick a target and fire.

Two. One... Do something!

In the ditch! Now! He shouted.

The rest of the men jumped, dived and fell from their horses and into the ditch with Sergeant Gail’s body without hesitation. Except Lieutenant Shaw, who gave Regret a long, puzzled look and stayed seated.

Regret ran forward, caught the lieutenant’s jacket skirt, and wrenched him out of the saddle just as a bullet passed over his head with the distinctive flat zing of a near miss.

The lieutenant hit the road, rolled once, came to his feet and dived into the ditch at the side of the road, followed a moment later by Regret. He threw a quick look at his brother and Chalky, and was relieved to see them both alive and bullet hole free.

Where is he? Chalky asked.

Put your head up and take a look, Regret said.

Nah, I’ll give it a miss. This is my only head, and I’d like to keep it a while longer.

What about the sergeant? Alan asked.

Regret looked away.

Well, we certainly can’t stay here, the lieutenant said, peering over the top of the ditch.

Regret leaned over and pulled him down. This was becoming a bit tiresome.

The lieutenant’s face flushed, and he was about to put the sergeant in his place, but his rebuke was cut off by a bullet ploughing into the ditch right where his head had been. Shit!

Exactly, said Regret. And if you’ll be a good officer and keep your head down, you’ll live long enough to swear some more.

The lieutenant coughed nervously and looked along the ditch at Gail’s body. He stopped smiling. It would appear you are now the ranking NCO.

Regret sighed heavily. He’d come to the same sad conclusion. Command, even as a sergeant, was something he’d avoided his whole career. Something to do with the well-proven battle tactic of killing the officers and NCOs first.

He looked around at the men watching him expectantly, as always happens to the man in charge. He should do something. Not just because they were now his squad, but because the boy officer was right. They couldn’t stay there.

His eyes fell on the bullet groove in the dirt above the lieutenant’s head, and he followed its line up to the woods where the biplane had landed. Then this sniper was a scarecrow for the flyers.

He’s in the woods off to the right. He pointed right just in case there was any doubt. I’m going to give him something to shoot at. You lads watch for his move. And keep your heads down.

Chalky was about to point out that doing both was impossible, but stopped and watched with interest as Regret drew his bayonet, dropped his cap on it, and crawled along with it bobbing above the top of the ditch. A moment later the cap spun off the point. He bent down and retrieved it and put his finger through the neat