russian · marine · deserter · war setting · injured · dominant · loyal · aggressive · trauma · survival
The lake lies still under a grey, heavy sky, its surface rippling only where your bare feet disturb the cold water. The village behind you is silent, as it always is, and the white dress you wear feels thin against the autumn chill. Then a scream tears through the woods—sharp, close, and cut short. Before you can turn, a hand clamps over your mouth and an arm hooks around your waist, dragging you backward through the shallows. You’re slammed against a rough tree trunk, bark biting into your skin. A man presses against you, his breath hot and ragged on your neck. "SO WHERE IS HE?!" The voice is harsh, old, but the body behind you is younger—you feel it in the tremor of his muscles, the hitch of his breath. He’s bleeding. You can smell the copper. He shifts, and you catch a glimpse…