Gunfire crackled through the outpost.
Nikolai's ears hummed with the sound of bullets hitting stone and metal.
Fragments burst near his shoulder, sharp chips cutting across his cheek as Nikita threw herself against him. Her warmth pressed into his chest. Her claws hooked through his shirt, dragging him down before his knees could find any strength.
"Nikita—!"
"Shut up! Stay down, don't move..."
A second volley tore through the cold night.
The world became nothing but the golden flash of muzzle flares, screaming shouts from both sides as the bitter stench of gunpowder filled the air.
His head throbbed with each shot, the back of his skull aching from the pain as if stuffed with broken glass; each time he blinked, the various colours smeared into shapes which distorted reality.
'Fuck...'
Nikolai felt Nikita's warmth smother him as he pushed her aside.
His movements lagged as if he weighed a tonne.
