The trench

EXTERIOR MUDDY FIELD - NIGHT

A vast muddy field with burning trashed metal and wood. Rain pours down and smoke is all over. Barbed wire lies on the ground. Suddenly a machine gun are being shot and bullets are spreading water and mud.

EXT. TRENCH - NIGHT

A group of soldiers dressed as if they were from the first world war are taking cover in a trench digged out from the mud. The bullets are hitting the mud close to them.
JACK a young soldier with a sensitive face are protecting himself.

The soldiers are having a symbol on their helmets that are similar to the southern-states-flag-from the American civil war, but It’s a black cross on sepia-brown bottom.

TOM Looking bored
The Spinnauer again.

SIMON watches his pocket watch. It is silent, everybody are waiting. The rain pours down on their helmets and clothes. Their breaths are cloudy and white since the cold.

JACK Inner monologue
How long have I been here? A week, two. A year. Shit I’m going to die here.

TOM
Got a light?

JACK answers by shaking his head.

BILL
I’ve got

TOM turns to BILL who lits TOM’s cigarette with a couple of safety matches. A distant shot is heard and someone shouts from the field. TOM takes a deep breath of smoke and lets his disgust out toghether with the smoke.

TOM
Dogs

SIMON
They eat each other

BILL
Don’t talk about eating.

A whistle blows and the CAPTAIN enters with the company of a SERGEANT. Everybody rises and stands up in a strict military manner.

CAPTAIN
It’s time. I need a volunteer.

The CAPTAIN looks at his men. BILL takes a step forward. The CAPTAIN sees BILL but passes him. BILL gets insecure and takes a step back again. The CAPTAIN stops at JACK,

CAPTAIN
What does this mark mean soldier?

JACK
The best gunman at the cadet-school sir.

KAPTEN
Good, give him the ammo.

The SERGEANT gives a box with ammunition to JACK.

CAPTAIN
What is it I always tries to teach you?

BILL
God is with us, tomorrow the civilisation will thank us for the battle we fight tonight.

CAPTAIN
On my signal, fire.

TOM To Jack
When you run, cross the field side to side. It makes you difficult to hit.

JACK listens and nods, then he leaps over the edge.

EXT. MUDDY FIELD - NIGHT

He runs over the smoky field carrying the ammo and crossing many dead soldiers on his way.

JACK comes to a hole surrounded by wooden logs. A wounded soldier lies there holding out with a huge machine-gun.

EXT. HOLE - NIGHT

JACK drops to the ground.

JACK
We start soon.

The wounded GUNMAN looks at JACK a while, then they both await the signal from the CAPTAIN. Everything is silent.

EXT. TRENCH - NIGHT

The CAPTAIN watches his pocket-watch and gives the sign to the sergeant.

SERGEANT
ATTAC!

TOM, BILL and SIMON starts to shout and starts runnning over the field together with other soldiers.


EXT. HOLE - NIGHT

The GUNMAN starts to shoot while JACK is feeding the ammo.


EXT. ENEMY-TRENCH - NIGHT

The enemy soldiers looks above the edge of their line and starts shooting.


EXT. HOLE. - NIGHT

Bullets start to crevade around the GUNMAN and JACK. Who keeps on shooting.

EXT. MUDDY-FIELD - NIGHT

It rains and smoke is all around. BILL is hit and falls down, SIMON and TOM keeps running together with the others.

EXT. HOLE - NIGHT

The GUNMAN shoots but gets hit in the head by a bullet and dies instantly. JACK tries to take over and the enemy fire gets more intense.


EXT. MUDDY-FIELD - NIGHT

Men are falling from the line of running soldiers, they get shot one by one.

EXT. HOLE - NIGHT

JACK takes over and starts to shoot with the machine-gun

EXT. MUDDY-FIELD - NIGHT

The soldiers run pass JACK who lies and shoots. They come forward to a metal-wire. A soldier lays himself over the wire with a big sack in front of him for protection. The others Including TOM and SIMON runs over the back of the lying soldier and gets over the wire.

They get shot all of them. They fall down. TOM is only wounded so he tries to crawl back, but is shot in the back and dies.

EXT. HOLE - NIGHT

JACK
NOOO! Take this you motherfuckers!

JACK shoots with the machine gun.

EXT. ENEMY-TRENCH - NIGHT

Several of the enemies are getting shot by JACKS fire.

EXT. HOLE - NIGHT

JACK continues shooting, the ammo is finished so he takes forward the ammo-box he brought with him, reloads and continues to shoot.

EXT. ENEMY-TRENCH - NIGHT

More enemy soldiers gets killed by JACKS fire, there are now only two left.

EXT. HOLE. -NIGHT.

The ammo is now finished and JACK takes a rifle and aims and shoots against the enemy-line.

EXT. ENEMY TRENCH - NIGHT

One of the standing enemy soldiers are being hit the other flees away.

EXT. MUDDY FIELD - NIGHT

JACK starts running forward, he runs over the field passing his dead soldier-friends. He is all alone. He comes to the enemy-line.

EXT. ENEMY-TRENCH - NIGHT

JACK leaps down into the digged-out-trench. He shouts and lands in water. He screams filled with adrenaline and runs through the trench. It’s only silence all around. He sees that the entire enemy side is killed off. Their bodies lies all around.

He slows down and breathes deep. He grabs a lit oil-lamp and sneaks around looking. He looks at a dead soldier, we see that the dead soldier got the same flag-symbol on the helmet as JACK has. JACK walks further and stops again. He sees the collar on an enemy-soldier and finds that it is the same as his own. He lifts a rifle and sees that it is identical with his own rifle. He continues to walk and sees more flag symbols on dead soldiers helmets, on clothes and bags. He stops.

EXT. MUDDY-FIELD - NIGHT
As in a dream we see JACK coming through smoke on the field, he passes the wire and his dead comrades on his way back to his own trench. Some shooting occur back at his own trench.

EXT. TRENCH - NIGHT

JACK hits the ground in his own trench. The Captain sees him and speaks out.

CAPTAIN
What happened?

JACK
Everybody is dead.

CAPTAIN
Good.

JACK
The enemy got the same uniforms as us.

CAPTAIN
You’ll be promoted for this! Just wait till the men here this.

The CAPTAIN goes away and draws JACK with him. They pass sitting soul-less soldiers just watching and waiting, some look in his direction. Someone want to congratulate. Others are injured and are being taken care of. Ahead of JACK goes the CAPTAIN encouraging his soldiers.

THE END

Detta är ett bidrag till Sourze och SFI:s tävling Manusfabriken

Av Niels Knudsen 27 nov 2002 15:28