Chapter 23: A Wound That Bleeds Secrets
Military Mainland – Midnight
The storm had passed, but in Officer Viren's mind, thunder still echoed.
He sat alone in his quarters, face pale, lips dry, mind spiraling in circles. Every possible method to bypass the communication jammer had failed.
> "They're alive. And I can't warn them."
He stared at the mirror. Not at himself — but at his fear.
Fear of failure.
Fear of the enemy's punishment.
Fear of Abdul's growing suspicion.
> "If I vanish, Abdul will know. But if I stay… I die either way."
And then, a thought so cold and cruel struck him:
"Injury."
A misfire.
A stray bullet.
A "tragedy" to justify his sudden transport away from the bunker.
He opened the drawer.
Inside lay a military-issue revolver, polished, silent.
He picked it up, breathing heavily.
Viren (to himself):
> "Just a graze. A shot in the shoulder. That's all. Enough to get me out."
But fear doesn't guide hands — it shakes them.
BANG!
The gun fired — louder than thunder.
Blood sprayed the wall.
Viren collapsed, gripping his bleeding side. He'd missed the shoulder. The bullet had torn through flesh near his ribs.
The pain was unbearable. But his face smiled — faintly.
Outside — Alarm Sounding
Guards rushed in. Shouts echoed.
> "OFFICER DOWN!"
"Call medical chopper! Now!"
Minutes Later —
A helicopter lifted off, blades slicing the night sky. Inside, medics worked desperately to stop the bleeding.
Viren lay unconscious, pale, drifting between life and death.
---
Back at the Command Post
Colonel Abdul stood silently, watching the blood trail on the floor.
His eyes darkened.
> "A misfire… at midnight… in a locked room?"
He said nothing else.
But a new seed of suspicion had bloomed.
---
Narrator Voice:
> "The wound bleeds.
The truth hides.
And the clock ticks louder than ever.
> Three days remain.
One man bleeds.
Three heroes rise.
> And the war —
is only beginning."