𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐔𝐏𝐎𝐍 𝐀 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 ▹ barnes

𝔦𝔦. RUMORS NEVER END

𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐔𝐏𝐎𝐍 𝐀 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑
━━━━━━━━ 𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟖 — 𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟎.
𝐈𝐈. RUMORS NEVER END

DARKNESS.

At first, there was only darkness.

Soldiers with red stars on their sleeves marched down a secluded country road, searching for an escaped captive, the son of a Russian Imperial baron whom they had long ago executed. Their searchlights arced across heavy snowy swells, half—a—dozen torches flickering in the chilling winter night. One such Bolshevik shouted into the snowstorm, struggling through the mounds, squinting at the something in the snow—

A human corpse.

A small body sprawled there in the snow, limp and unmoving. The soldiers descended into chaos all at once, brave chatter meant to mask the presence of death.

"Gavno..." The soldier crept warily closer, "Look at him—,"

"—What?" Another sneered, "You never see a dead man before?"

"He might have froze to death, crazy durak," one carelessly nudged the limp body with the toe of his boot.

"Don't!" The first turned away in distaste, "Don't do that..."

"He's dead, you think he cares?"

"Show some respect, it was a—,"

And then, suddenly, the body moved.

In a flurry of motion, the small being was convulsing, flailing wildly in the snow and coughing up mud and grass consumed only for survival's sake. The soldiers jolted back in a horror, raising their weapons out of instinct, not taking the time to realize that this small man was of no threat to them.

Only, it wasn't a man at all.

It was a girl, and the girl began to breathe.