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It’s almost surreal. But I don’t have time to sit back and think about how weird it is to see Greek and Russian soldiers working together.
We need to leave.
And we’re well on our way to doing just that… until a huge explosion knocks everyone off of their feet.
The ground shakes as a fireball the size of an apartment building rises up from the shipping containers ahead. A wave of shrapnel shreds through our perimeter, and I feel something rip through my shoulder as I roll over on the ground and desperately feel around for Sophia.
I need to protect her.
“Leo!”
Her voice comes from even further away than I feared. And it takes me a second to bite through the pain that blurs my vision in order to see her just ahead, surrounded by bodies.
She must have been thrown forward by the blast.
“Stay there, I’m coming!” I shout, forcing myself onto my feet.
Before I can take a step towards her, though, I’m tackled to the ground by a tremendous force.
“Watch out!” Castor yells, as we both hit the ground.
A bolt of pain erupts up from the wound in my arm as he falls on top of me with a grunt. But I’m used to pain, and I’m immediately trying to push him off and look back towards Sophia.
I only get the quickest glance before a mangled shipping container falls from the sky… right where I had just been standing.
“Sophia!” I try to shout, as she’s blocked off by the wreckage. But the pain in my arm cuts me short.
“Fucking hell,” Castor grumbles, and when I look over at him, I can see blood pouring from his mouth.
“Come on,” I say, reaching over to him as I try to force myself back onto my feet. “We need to go get her.”
Castor takes my hand, and after a great struggle, I finally manage to prop him up.
“Where did she go?” he asks, holding onto his ribs as we both survey the chaos.
“She’s behind that shipping container. Let’s—”
Before I can finish, I hear the most gut-wrenching sound I’ve ever heard in my life.
A scream.
“That’s Sophia!” Castor and I both shout at the same time.
Every protective bone in my body turns into high gear. A desperate fire burns away my pain.
… But when I go to lunge after my screaming princess, my leg immediately gives out on me.
No. Not now, you son of a bitch. It’s not the time to be a cripple. She needs you.
“Fuck. Your leg…” Castor mumbles, glaring down.
Following his gaze, I see what he means. A sharp piece of metal has wedged itself into my thigh.
Fucking hell. I must be so used to feeling pain there that I didn’t even notice.
This isn’t worse than that bomb that killed mom, I tell myself, grimacing as I reach down and take the burning shrapnel between my fingers. You can fight through it.
With a roar, I tear the searing metal from my flesh.
