The tunnel was a living nightmare.
Dark, slippery, the walls pressing in like they wanted to bury us alive. I was leaning so heavily on Elara that I could barely feel my own legs anymore. Every single step sent white-hot agony ripping through my chest and shoulder. Blood kept pouring down my side, warm and sticky, soaking through both our clothes. I could taste copper in my mouth now. My vision kept blurring at the edges.
Just keep moving, I kept repeating in my head like a prayer. Don’t you dare die in front of her. Not after everything.
But the thoughts wouldn’t stop coming. They were louder than the gunfire echoing behind us.
Was any of it real?
All those nights I held her like she was the only good thing left in my ruined life. All those times I whispered “I love you” against her
