𝓝𝓲𝓴𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓻 𝓐𝓹𝓻𝓪𝓴𝓼𝓲𝓷

Abyss. All I see is black. Black, like the comforting embrace of last night when I closed my eyes, surrendering to a symphony of explosion after explosion that echoed in my mind. Black, like the night I awoke to soft Russian whispers that danced through the silence, their hypnotic, rhythmic cadence lulling me into a strange nostalgia, a twisted comfort that felt both familiar and treacherous. The other boys in my barracks slept soundly, blissfully unaware, while I was left alone in the madness, absorbing the terror and turmoil that surrounded us. The fear curled around my heart like a vice, but in its grip, I found a perverse solace — a reminder of youth intertwined with chaos. The door clicks open; small hands deftly undo the blindfold that shackled me to this haunting past. An Amerikanskiy stands before me, bright and innocent, with blue eyes that shimmer with a naiveté I can scarcely comprehend amidst the chaos of my memories. A wave of disorientation washes over me, unsettling and foreign. I want to scream, to lash out at this unwelcome light piercing through my darkness, a stark contrast to the shadows of war that linger in my mind. The duct tape is torn away with a harsh tug, and I feel the sting against my stubble, an uncomfortable reminder of my silence being stripped away. “Amerikanskaya mraz'!” I yell, my voice echoing in the dimly lit room, thick with unspoken tension, a raw display of vulnerability cloaked in aggression.“I’m trying to help you, ya’ know?!” they reply, a tremor in their voice wrapped in undeniable hope. That flicker in their eyes, though, it gnaws at my resolve. I open my mouth to scream again, but the darkness I’ve known creeps back, unearthing memories that rattle my core, twisting my defiance into something more fragile. “Pomoshch'?! Posle vtorogo prishestviya!” My scoff drips with bitterness, the words tasting like ash in my mouth as I spit at their feet.