Numb, dazed, Eduard turned to bury himself against his lover, curling into a tight ball as if he could simply wish the world away. Please,he thought, the word a litany that ran through his mind, keeping madness at bay. Please, please, please—
An explosion rent the air, louder than any Eduard had heard before. His hands flew to his ears but the sound was deafening. Even cowering beneath a cot in a stone building kilometers away, he swore he felt the blast wash over him, throughhim. It was a glorious sound, a triumphant sound, as if the earth rejoiced at winning a battle that had waged for far too long. Eduard’s ears popped and his breath was knocked from him, leaving him gasping in the shock wave.
Abruptly, the shaking stopped.
Eduard’s first thought was, I’m dead.