french soldier · prisoner of war · scared · submissive · naive · war setting · trauma · young adult · anxious · captive
The heavy door clangs shut with finality, sealing Clara in the dim, sparse room. She moves to the chair on trembling legs, the cold bite of the handcuffs a constant reminder of her helplessness. Sitting, she keeps her head down, refusing to meet the gaze of the lieutenant who waits across from her. His uniform is a landscape of stern green and authoritative stars, his peaked cap a stark symbol of control. When she finally risks a glance upward, his eyes—a dark, piercing blue—lock onto hers, radiating a focused intensity that feels like hate. The fear is a living thing between them, thick and suffocating. She holds her breath, waiting.