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It would appear to most that came across the slumped Daniel that he was dead, the stillness in his facial features and the lack of movement resembled a corpse. Perhaps he was one of the living dead. A body that refused to die long even after its soul had left it behind in pursuit of salvation or eternal punishment. He thought about the words that Jean said to him. Humanity. Life before the army. Every bit of regret Daniel had for his words faded. Humanity was just an empty word that meant absolutely nothing to him. Daniel broke his statue-like posture as he bared his teeth in anger. Jean knew nothing of what it was like to be trapped in a pit of darkness, reaching for the smallest bit of light each and every day. What was humanity worth when you were starving or cold? 

[color=f6989d][i][b]"Put your faith back in people, please...for me."[/b][/i][/color]

Those words passed through his mind like a faint whisper which was more than enough to shift his thoughts. [color=AD2841][i]You were the only one I ever had faith in[/i][/color]. Slowly he turned his head up to look at the sky, propping his rifle up on his right side. [b]Trust. Faith. Humanity.[/b] These were words that Elizabeth tried to teach him the meaning of that she never got to finish. It seemed like those lessons were not going be completed anytime soon. He put some of his weight onto the rifle and used it to help himself up, the weight shifting now onto his boots which sank a little into the muddy ground beneath him. Daniel didn't change his mind about Jean nor did he have any intention of apologizing. However, he would keep an eye on the lance corporal. 

The sharp whistle, more chilling than a banshee's wail, grabbed Daniel's attention which drowned out any possibility of hearing Jean's yell. His survival instincts immediately kicked in as the first explosion detonated and by the second his body was already moving. Weaving through the trench, he looked for anything that might be able to shield him from the barrage. A fellow soldier, who was visibly shaken, was crouched with his head in his knees crying. Daniel's eyes locked onto a dugout a little behind him, and called out to him [color=AD2841][b]"Move you fucking idiot!"[/b][/color]. It appeared though that yelling at a someone who was already panicking was not the best choice as the soldier barely moved and looked just as scared if not more. Daniel sighed and rushed towards the soldier, who he proceeded to tackle into the dugout. Their bodies hit against the hard ground within the relative safety of the dugout. It was just in time as moments later one of the shells landed a few meters from where Daniel had been standing, sending dirt and other debris flying into the dugout's entrance and landing on the two. After moving off of the soldier, the two spent the rest of the barrage in relative silence amidst the sounds of screaming and explosions.

Emerging from that dugout was like walking into hell once again, leaving the other soldier to deal with their own problems. There was no time to linger in one position for long. What Daniel saw however made him stop in his tracks. Bodies of less fortunate souls were spread across the trench system, many of them missing limbs and their uniform torn to shreds. He felt his chest tighten at the sight as the bitter taste of smoke entered his mouth. Life was cruel. This was something that Daniel always believed but the sight before him only reinforced it. How many of these soldiers came from loving and caring homes only to be tossed away for a bit of dirt on some dumb hill. Meanwhile, a person like him who has known a life of suffering was forced to continue fighting. He thought he would find a purpose in the military but he never considered what it would cost.

Just then he overheard the order to leave the trenches and burned the image of the strewn about bodies into his mind. The same would happen to him if was not careful. Without another thought, he rushed towards the edge of the trench and climbed over the top. It was unnerving running back down the hill surrounded by all the bodies without the loud crackle of machine gun fire. Finally he reached their original trench-line, climbing down from the edge into a group he was all too familiar with. His eyes met with Jean's but didn't say anything to him and simply took a few steps into the area. The man seemed like he had finally cracked from all the death. Nothing that he could say to the lance corporal would help. Daniel did feel relief upon seeing Kalisa even if he had wanted to keep his distance. This was day one and the end of this war was a long ways away. 

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