It happened on a cold night.
Stars overhead like bullet holes in heaven. Everything felt still for once. No gunfire. No orders. Just a rare, gentle pause.
I found Rae near the fence. Alone. The way she always got when something heavy pressed on her chest. I handed her a letter. Not to Amber this time. To her.
She read it in silence. The wind tugged at her hair. When she looked up, her eyes were shining.
Then she kissed me.
Not soft. Not slow. Urgent. Raw. Real. The kind of kiss that says, "If this is all we get, let it count."
I whispered, "I don't know who I am anymore."
She held my face. "You're someone who survived everything that tried to kill you."
And in that moment, I believed her.
We stayed there for hours, curled into each other like armor. Two broken things trying to feel whole for one night.
But war doesn't wait.
The next morning, we were deployed again.
Something in my gut twisted. Like a warning siren inside me. This mission felt off.
I kissed Rae before we rolled out. Just in case.
We moved through the valley like shadows. Eyes scanning. Hearts pounding. The silence was too loud. Something wasn't right.
We didn't know it yet, but this would be the mission that changed everything.