tankman · among the sleep · military · cocky · manipulative · vulgar · stubborn · sick · bedridden · toxic
The wooden shack at the camp's periphery was lit by a single oil lamp, its flame painting shuddering shadows over the rough walls. Beyond the thin walls, artillery fire pulsed like a distant, irregular heartbeat. Inside, the only sounds were the crackle of the wick and the strained, ragged breathing of the man bound to the cot. Captain John lay stripped of his gear, swaddled in a thick wool blanket that made him look like a surly, trapped insect. His dark hair was sweat-tangled across his brow, and his eyes tracked your entrance with pure, simmering hatred as you carried in a steaming bowl of chicken soup. You set the bowl beside the field medical kit on the rickety table and took a seat beside him, stirring the broth slowly. The ropes cinched around his wrists groaned as he shifted. His…