Page 32 of Promises in the Dark

But Red was a a total wreck. She was latched onto me like a barnacle, her shaking body concealed under that abaya. I could sense her fear radiating off her, and it was thick enough to touch, just like a heavy, suffocating cloud of smug. I didn’t know what the fuck I was supposed to do to comfort her. I mean, it was not like I’ve ever been great at this shit before. But I knew one thing for sure—there was no fucking way I was leaving her here to drown in this madness on her own.

She turned to me, fear written all over her face. Her emerald eyes were wide with terror as she looked at me desperately.

“I could have been that girl,” she whispered. Her hands gripped my shirt like she was trying to squeeze the life out of it.

“You could have been,” I admitted honestly.

She exhaled shakily, her breath quivering as she pressed against me. Her body shivered like she was freezing, and the fucked-up reality of it all slammed into me. My arms were around her, trying to offer some kind of comfort like I wished someone had done for me when I was a kid. I could feel her heart racing through her clothes, and part of me wanted to scream at her to get a fucking grip. But I couldn’t. Not with that look in her eyes. This shit was real for her.

“But you’re not,” I whispered back, trying to keep my voice low. “You’re here with me. Safe.”

Red blinked back her tears and shrank against me, as if I were some sort of sanctuary for her. I watched her tear-streaked face buried against my chest, and it hit me like a damn hammer blow. This time, she didn’t charge in like a fucking idiot. She knew better. She saw that these men were heartless, ruthless motherfuckers with no ounce of decency. And she stayed put.

Smart girl.

In the heat of battle, it was easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. To think that every life matters, that every soul was worth saving. But the cold, hard truth was that not everyone could be saved. The violence and bloodshed demand a certain kind of ruthlessness—a willingness to accept that survival comes first, and the rest? Fuck ‘em.

I joined the army at eighteen, fresh out of high school, not because I gave a shit about my country or wanted to spread democracy. Hell no. I wanted a paycheck, and I needed a place to throw some punches.

I was no hero. I didn’t sign up to save the world or make it a better place. Nah, it was a desperate bid to escape the living hell that was my home life. My old man was a piece of shit, plain and simple—abusive, violent, a fucking monster in human form.

I still remember the first time he laid his hands on me, that disgusting sound of his fist cracking against my jaw echoing in my skull like a gunshot. From that moment, I knew I had to get the fuck out of there before I did something I couldn’t come back from—like putting his sorry ass six feet under.

Yeah, maybe I could’ve fought back—Lord knows I had the strength—but I knew if I did, I wouldn’t be able to fucking stop. And then what? Prison?

Fuck that.

So, I had two choices—either end up behind bars for the rest of my miserable life or enlist in the army. So I signed up, not out of some sense of duty or honor, but out of sheer fucking survival instinct. And I wanted a paycheck and a way to get back at the world that had treated me so shitty.

“Come on,” I whispered, pulling Red along with me. “We have to move. Now.”

In a flash, I grabbed her, yanking her away with such force that she barely had time to react. I tried not to think about how fucking weird it felt to be so close to someone, how her soft hand fit perfectly in mine, but it was impossible to ignore the way her hips ground against my groin, making my dick hard as a fucking steel pipe. Fuck, I had to suppress the urge to thrust my hips forward.

She came willingly, her hand cold and clammy in mine but I didn’t let it bother me. She was a total pain in the ass, always bitching and whining about the tiniest shit. But she was the closest thing I had to a goddamn ally.

And for some reason, I found myself wanting to look out for her, like some motherfucking knight in shining armor. Maybe it was her vulnerability, or the fact that she had no clue how fucking hot she was when she wasn’t even trying.

We snuck through the alleyway, dodging piles of trash and trying not to step on anything that might make a noise. Wekept moving, trying to put as much distance between us and those psychotic fucks. The city was a fucking nightmare, but at least we were alive.

For now.

Chapter 10

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Iglanced around the crowded marketplace, my eyes scanning the sea of people, all going about their business.

The city was swarming with those Taliban pricks, occupying the place like a bunch of cockroaches infesting a shithole. The atmosphere reeked of tension and fear, like a ticking time bomb ready to explode.

Red and I needed to find some food and water, but blending in was crucial. I spotted a sorry excuse for a Taliban dipshit, his turban perched on his head like a crown. Without missing a beat, I snatched that fucker’s turban right off his head, his dumbass not even noticing. I quickly threw it on, adjusting it to cover my face just right, so I could blend in like a chameleon.

With Red by my side, we sneaked through the narrow, winding streets of the city. The buildings rose like crumbling piles of shit, their walls covered in bullet holes and signs of destruction. The people moved like ghosts, heads down, too scared to even look up.

We slinked through the shadows, our senses on high alert. Every step we took, every breath we took, felt like we were living on a death timer. We needed to get the fuck out of there, find some supplies, and make our escape before those Taliban fuckers caught wind of our presence.

The city was a maze, with alleyways twisting and turning like a whore in heat. We had to move quickly, silently, like a pair of ghosts, avoiding any confrontations that could blow our cover.

The tension in the air was heavy, like a thick fog choking the life out of the city. We had to find what we needed and leave,before the noose around our necks tightened. Our lives depended on it.

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