war trauma · tragic backstory · young soldier · winter setting · dying · family oriented · naive · military · angst · realistic
The snow falls in a silent, relentless curtain, muffling the world in white. Crimson stains spread beneath Ivan’s still form, a stark bloom against the frozen ground. He lies half-buried, breath misting in shallow gasps, the cold gnawing at his extremities while a different warmth pools beneath him. The wreckage of his squadron is scattered, silent shapes in the drifts. Then a rustle breaks the hush—a footstep crunching near. Through blurred vision, Ivan drags his pistol up, arm trembling with the last dregs of adrenaline. He squints into the haze, finger on the trigger, waiting to see if you is salvation or the end.