seven thirty one (ex. 2)

"Hit the trenches!" were the screams that were emitted from the officer
As the young grays took the field
Pale
Scared
Fear flooding their eyes as the surviving grays hopped out and boarded the return train
The gray of their uniform barely showing
More mud and blood on them than clothing

The whistle blew, and the train left
We were left in the middle of the soggy terrain
The black coated officer jumped down and erected a turret station on a protruding rock
The craters from bombs and shells of vehicles of destruction littered the Bellevue battleground

We stood
Rifles and pistols ready
Our knifes in our coat jackets aching to be unsheathed
The ragged bunch from Titusville wouldn't last this fight
Not without their treaty with Harrisburg and Allentown

I looked across the fog to see the crumpled remains of the first squadron from the enemy
The dismembered and crippled bodies of the Titusville soldiers laid in a peaceful oblivion
Unaware of what has become of world

An eruption of engines broke from the Tight Line
"Drakes!" were the shouts of the grays
The drakes were Titusville's only real weapon against our Steel City
Tanks that were built from whatever cars they could find
Scrap metal and junkyard arsenal
Each drake having a different purpose

The officer grabbed the mount and waited
Grays stood
Anxious
Afraid

The first drake flew from the Tight Line
"Grays! Shoot the tires! We want to show the drakes what will happen if they attempt to burn our City of Steel!"
The officer had something in mind

One by one, the young trainees fired
Each bullet hitting the scrap tank
Each one getting closer to the rubber
Each getting closer to them witnessing cruel acts beyond thought

It worked

The front left tire spun off as the junk truck collapsed into the mud
"After 'im ya grays! Yinz gotta get 'im!" yelled one of the senior ranks
A small group of grays jumped out and pulled the drey from the flaming car
Four took him to the Steel Line as the fifth sent a bullet into the gas tank
Ultimately saying to the Tight Line to not push

The four boys threw him down
Then took the steel wire we all carry and tied him down
The overcast began to spew rain at this point
Our trench slowly pooling

Our flag flew heavy behind us
Supported by a concrete block
The large metal pole was what the officer had in mind

The officer in black called all of us in line to face the prisoner
He was a young kid
Pale
Dark haired
Bright lips
His brown uniform tearing in multiple places

He was about the same age as me
Would have been a gray, but the dreys don't have sectioned troupes by age

"Attention all grays. This is our example to the Tight Line. We must show them why the City of Steel is not one to challenge!"
At this moment, he took the steel wire he had in his pocket, then began to sew it in and out of the boys lips
Sewing his mouth shut with our product
"You speak against our steel, our steel silences you"
The drones repeated the phrase
The young boy whimpered and tried to scream
But only increased his pain
The officer began to sew his eyes
Gently pulling the eyelids up and thrusting the point through
Tears rolling down in a bloody mess
"You see a problem in our city, we correct your vision. There are no problems"
Repeat

The boy had fallen into the mud
Blood and tears streaming down his face
Many grays turning to vomit from being forced to watch

The officer wound a fair amount of wire around his neck
Then secured it to the rope of the flagpole

"Lieutenant, please raise the flag."
The officer spoke coldly to a shaking and queasy gray
The gray was about to speak when the officer turned and flashed a steel frown at him
His trembling lips stopped as he proceeded to the flag

We watched as the strong, yet shaking hands of the gray pulled the rope
Each tug lifting the boy up
His legs kicking in the air and muffled screams drifted into the night

Once he was at the top, there was no more kicking
No more screaming

The engines stopped
The Tight Line disappeared