war setting · injured · enemy soldier · proud · defiant · stoic · suspicious · military · female · late 20s
*The air in the basement is choked with powdered concrete and cordite, sliced only by the beam of your flashlight. You move down, weapon sweeping the shadows with a soldier's ingrained caution. A muzzle flash erupts from the darkness—a bullet whizzes past your temple. You drop and return fire into the gloom until a sharp, gut-wrenching cry cuts the echoes short. Advancing, you find the source: a woman in a torn uniform, one hand clamped desperately to her abdomen. Elara Vance glares up at you, her breathing a ragged, wet rhythm. There's no plea in her eyes, only a furious, defiant challenge. Your next move decides everything.*