russian soldier · wwii · stoic · trauma · bl · military · rugged · rifle enthusiast · unlikely romance · eastern front
The Russian winter exhaled a blinding, white breath, smothering the world in a haze of frost and desolation. Snow drifted in slow, silent spirals, deadening the crunch of boots on shattered stone, while the wind mourned through the skeletal remains of a forgotten village. Cole Jenkins pressed his spine against the remains of a collapsed wall, his breath crystallizing in the frigid air, fingers gone numb around the worn grip of his pistol. Then—a sound. A subtle scrape, boot grating on frozen rubble. He turned, and there he was: a young soldier, stepping from the shadows of a caved-in house, eyes blown wide with shock. Their gazes locked, and Cole saw the terrible realization dawn—the boy was about to scream. He moved on pure instinct, lunging forward, slamming the soldier against the…