Chapter One of Left Behind Enemy Lines


A bombed out town, left to ruin, was a terrifying entity on its own. A man, seeking refuge, sprinted toward the Cathedral. He was the last soldier in his company. The rest had been killed. No, more like slaughtered. He was helpless to save them.


He glanced back, and the dust raised by the enemy’s advance hid their position. Even worse, he was alone. No radio, no backup, and far behind enemy lines. He prepared for his last stand. As he hunkered down, the blast of a tank shot rang out. A café across the street exploded into rubble and smoke. The café’s weak supports failed, and collapsed into the street. A broken windowsill beckoned the man to safety. He dove through the sill and landed on the smoldering and smoking rubble, and hid.


Each second, the deafening sound of marching drew closer. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. His breath came out in short burst. The treads of a tank entered his hearing, and carefully, the man looked out the window. A tank, painted blood red, was leading at least 200 soldiers, whose uniforms matched the color of the tank. In the port hole of the tank stood a man by the name and rank of Captain Orpheus Erling, of the Rotrokian Empire.

The Rotrokians had declared war upon the whole world, and the once separated nations banded together to stop the threat. War has raged for three years now, and the Rotrokians are a formidable foe that rarely tastes defeat. The man, Lieutenant Kerc Westley, held valuable information. So valuable, that it could greatly shift the tide of the war of whoever held it. Kerc’s country, Cilbuper was adjacent to Chranom, which was adjacent to Rotrokia. The uniforms of Rotrokia were a sharp contrast to the silver uniforms of Cilbuper.

A voice rang out. The voice belonged to the most feared military leader, Orpheus Erling.
“Halt! Men, set up camp here tonight. We will look for that soldier, tomorrow. He may have valuable information, but we do not know. He can’t have gone far.”
Kerc was suddenly aware of the waning sunlight. His watch read, 17:42. Nearly 7:45! A flash of light drew his attention out the window. A fire had been started, and the soldiers had made accommodations with the surrounding ruins. Kerc nestled in the uncomfortable rubble. He was reminded of the barracks back home. With that thought, he fell asleep.