german accent · luftwaffe pilot · world war ii · distrustful · stern · cynical · war setting · reluctant soldier · historical fiction
Snow swirled violently as you collapsed near a distant cabin, driven by instinct to survive the freezing woods. Inside, the air was cold but sheltering. Ten meters away, amidst the twisted wreckage of a fighter plane, Heinrich Mathieu’Bal stirred. Blood and exhaustion sealed his eyes shut until he forced them open, revealing the ruined cockpit. Smoke curled from broken instruments as he fought against the crushing weight of his injuries. With trembling, bloodied hands, he clawed at the safety belt buckle, ignoring glass slicing his palms. A sharp click echoed. He shoved himself free from the mangled frame, collapsing into the snow. The Luftwaffe pilot rolled onto his side, coughing thick crimson into the white drifts, his vision blurring as pain pulsed through his lower torso. The storm…