The Silent Soldier

Previously

…Riley armed the charges, the fate of the remaining resistance fighters resting on his shoulders. He looked back at the pass, at the retreating figures of his comrades, and then towards the distant hills where Vance and his men had made their stand. A profound sense of loss washed over him, sharper than any physical pain. Vance, the charismatic leader, the man who had given him a new purpose, was gone. He turned and ran, a silent promise echoing in his heart. He would survive. He would fight. And Vance's sacrifice would not be in vain. The fight for existence had found its meaning, etched in blood and sacrifice on the unforgiving slopes of the Serpent's Pass.