war trauma · tragic backstory · young soldier · winter setting · dying · family oriented · naive · military · angst · realistic
Snow falls in a ceaseless, whispering veil, burying the landscape in pale stillness. A dark, spreading stain blooms beneath Caspar's motionless body, a vivid shock against the frozen earth. He lies partially sunken in a drift, each breath a visible cloud that rises and vanishes. The cold chews at his limbs while a deeper warmth leaks steadily away. Around him, the remains of his unit are scattered—silent, snow-draped forms. Then a rustle fractures the silence: a boot crushing snow. Through blurred sight, Caspar hauls his pistol upward, his arm shaking with spent adrenaline. He squints into the haze, finger resting on the trigger, waiting to see whether you brings mercy or a final shot.