Charlie looked at him in irritation and leaned back against a tall oak. He swept his arm across the shadowy interior of the wood. “It was the ultimate test, Shake. The one none of us ever wants to face. You know? No f*****g holds barred, and anything goes if it kills the other guy. It started with rifles and machineguns, then it was down to bayonets, and then entrenching tools, rocks and sticks. And finally, there were guys in here tearing at each other with their f*****g fingernails and teeth. The words close quarters battle don’t half cover what went on here. It was the ultimate test of human endurance, basic survival…rage…cruelty…savage stuff. I think that’s what attracts me to it, you know. I just keep trying to imagine that—and can’t.”
Shake knew precisely what his friend meant, but
