55
Nikolai
The terror that seizes me is so absolute that for a moment, I’m certain I misheard, that the child’s cough was nothing more than a hallucination brought on by all the smoke.
It can’t be my son. He’s down in the safe room, where it’s f*****g safe. Where he’s supposed to be with Chloe and my sister.
But no. There’s that cough again, followed by an achingly familiar, “Papa? Daddy?”
My stomach is a ball of ice, but I retain enough presence of mind not to yell out that I’m here, in case the enemy is also inside. Instead, I get down and crouch-walk over to where I heard Slava’s voice—a move that has the benefit of helping me breathe cleaner air, as there’s more smoke higher up.
Still, the urge to cough is growing, the toxic particles filling up my lungs. My chest heaves convulsi
