diff --git a/src/torture/torture.c b/src/torture/torture.c
index 1bf492a2..ff175d87 100644
--- a/src/torture/torture.c
+++ b/src/torture/torture.c
@@ -1632,9 +1632,7 @@ t_common_block(void)
     coff_obj_writer_section_push_reloc(obj_writer, data_sect, 0, symbol, COFF_Reloc_X64_Addr32);
     String8 a_obj = coff_obj_writer_serialize(scratch.arena, obj_writer);
     coff_obj_writer_release(&obj_writer);
-    if (!t_write_file(a_obj_name, a_obj)) {
-      goto exit;
-    }
+    if (!t_write_file(a_obj_name, a_obj)) { goto exit; }
   }
 
   String8 b_obj_name = str8_lit("b.obj");
@@ -1647,9 +1645,7 @@ t_common_block(void)
     coff_obj_writer_section_push_reloc(obj_writer, data_sect, 0, symbol, COFF_Reloc_X64_Addr64);
     String8 b_obj = coff_obj_writer_serialize(scratch.arena, obj_writer);
     coff_obj_writer_release(&obj_writer);
-    if (!t_write_file(b_obj_name, b_obj)) {
-      goto exit;
-    }
+    if (!t_write_file(b_obj_name, b_obj)) { goto exit; }
   }
 
   String8 entry_obj_name = str8_lit("entry.obj");
@@ -1660,45 +1656,32 @@ t_common_block(void)
     coff_obj_writer_push_symbol_extern(obj_writer, str8_lit("my_entry"), 0, text_sect);
     String8 entry_obj = coff_obj_writer_serialize(scratch.arena, obj_writer);
     coff_obj_writer_release(&obj_writer);
-    if (!t_write_file(entry_obj_name, entry_obj)) {
-      goto exit;
-    }
+    if (!t_write_file(entry_obj_name, entry_obj)) { goto exit; }
   }
 
-  int linker_exit_code = t_invoke_linkerf("/subsystem:console /entry:my_entry /out:a.exe /fixed /largeaddressaware:no a.obj b.obj entry.obj");
-  
-  if (linker_exit_code != 0) {
-    goto exit;
-  }
+  int linker_exit_code = t_invoke_linkerf("/subsystem:console /entry:my_entry /out:a.exe /fixed /largeaddressaware:no /merge:.bss=.comm a.obj b.obj entry.obj");
+  if (linker_exit_code != 0) { goto exit; }
 
   String8             exe           = t_read_file(scratch.arena, str8_lit("a.exe"));
   PE_BinInfo          pe            = pe_bin_info_from_data(scratch.arena, exe);
   String8             string_table  = str8_substr(exe, pe.string_table_range);
   COFF_SectionHeader *section_table = (COFF_SectionHeader *)str8_substr(exe, pe.section_table_range).str;
+  COFF_SectionHeader *comm_sect     = t_coff_section_header_from_name(string_table, section_table, pe.section_count, str8_lit(".comm"));
+  COFF_SectionHeader *data_sect     = t_coff_section_header_from_name(string_table, section_table, pe.section_count, str8_lit(".data"));
+  if (comm_sect == 0) { goto exit; }
+  if (data_sect == 0) { goto exit; }
 
-  COFF_SectionHeader *data_sect = t_coff_section_header_from_name(string_table, section_table, pe.section_count, str8_lit(".data"));
-  if (data_sect == 0) {
-    goto exit;
-  }
+  // blocks must be sorted in descending order to reduce alignment padding
+  if (comm_sect->vsize != 0xB) { goto exit; }
 
-  // test common block sort, if absent vsize is 0x1D
-  if (data_sect->vsize != 0x1B) {
-    goto exit;
-  }
-
-  String8  data   = str8_substr(exe, rng_1u64(data_sect->foff, data_sect->foff + data_sect->fsize));
-  U32     *a_addr = (U32 *)data.str;
-  U64     *b_addr = (U64 *)(data.str + sizeof(a_data));
-  if ((*a_addr) - (pe.image_base + data_sect->voff) != 0x18) {
-      goto exit;
-  }
-  if ((*b_addr) - (pe.image_base + data_sect->voff) != 0x10) {
-    goto exit;
-  }
+  // ensure linker correctly patched addresses for symbols pointing into common block
+  String8             data      = str8_substr(exe, rng_1u64(data_sect->foff, data_sect->foff + data_sect->fsize));
+  U32                *a_addr    = (U32 *)data.str;
+  U64                *b_addr    = (U64 *)(data.str + sizeof(a_data));
+  if (*a_addr != (pe.image_base + comm_sect->voff + 0x8)) { goto exit; }
+  if (*b_addr != (pe.image_base + comm_sect->voff + 0x0)) { goto exit; }
   
   result = T_Result_Pass;
-
-
 exit:;
   scratch_end(scratch);
   return result;