You are bleeding.

It is thick. Dark. It drips from your nose onto the white collar of your uniform. You do not wipe it. You cannot move your hand. Your body is a locked box. You are inside it. You are the key. You are the lock.

The air smells of ozone and wet stone. It is a smell you know. It is the smell of the place where you went wrong.

"Get up," a voice says.

It is not a voice. It is a vibration in the air. It hits you in the chest. You try to stand. Your legs are lead. Your knees shake. You are a machine with a broken gear. You are a soldier in a war that does not exist.

"Look at me," the voice says.

You look.

He is standing there. He is tall. He wears a grey coat. It is long. It touches the ground. His face is smooth. He has no scars. He has no dirt. He looks clean. He looks new.

You know him.

You do not know him.

"Thomas," you say.

Your voice is a scrape. It is a dry leaf on pavement.

Thomas smiles. It is a small smile. It is a cold smile.

"You are late," he says.

"I am here," you say.

"You are broken," he says.

You look at your hands. They are red. The blood is drying. It turns black. It looks like dirt. It looks like ash.

"Where are we?" you ask.

"You are everywhere," Thomas says. "You are nowhere. You are the space between the ticks of the clock."

You remember the mission. You remember the order. You remember the file. The file was red. The file was heavy. You carried it in your bag. You carried it for years. You carried it in your head. You carried it in your bones.

The order was simple. Stop the signal. Cut the line. Save the city.

You did not save the city.

You cut the wrong line.

You cut your own.

"Did you do it?" Thomas asks.

"Yes," you say.

"Was it worth it?"

You do not answer.

The ground shakes. A low rumble. It is deep. It is under your feet. It is under your skin.

A shadow moves. It is not a person. It is a shape. It is a void. It has no edges. It is a hole in the world.

It comes at you.

You draw your weapon. It is not a gun. It is a blade. It is made of light. It is made of memory. It is a fragment of your own mind.

You swing.

The blade cuts the air. It hits the shadow. The shadow does not bleed. It does not die. It reforms. It is faster. It is stronger. It is you.

It is the part of you that wanted to die.

It is the part of you that wanted to be free.

You are fighting yourself.

You are fighting the truth.

Thomas watches. He does not help. He does not stop it. He is the judge. He is the jury. He is the executioner.

"You are trapped," Thomas says. "You are in the loop. You are in the code. You cannot leave."

"I can," you say.

"No," he says. "You are the system. You are the firewall. You are the wall. You do not go over. You do not go under. You are the barrier."

The shadow strikes.

You are thrown back. You hit the wall. The wall is cold. The wall is hard. The wall is your mind.

You are on your knees. You are breathing hard. Your lungs burn. Your ribs ache.

You look at the blade. It is in your hand. It is bright. It is hot.

You look at Thomas.

"Why did you tell me?" you ask.

"Tell you what?"

"The truth."

Thomas shrugs. "The truth is a weapon. I gave it to you. You used it."

"You are the traitor," you say. "You told me the signal was fake. You told me to stop. You let me fail."

Thomas stops. His face changes. It is not surprise. It is pity.

"I did not tell you to stop," Thomas says. "I told you to listen. You did not listen. You were afraid. You were proud. You were a soldier. You followed orders. You did not think. You did not feel."

"You are lying."

"I am the mirror," Thomas says. "You are looking at yourself. You are looking at the man who made the choice. You are looking at the man who is still there."

The shadow is behind you. You feel its breath. It is cold. It is empty.

You turn.

You do not swing the blade.

You hold it up.

You look at it.

It is not a weapon.

It is a key.

It is a small key. It is made of silver. It has no teeth. It is smooth. It is round.

You drop it.

It falls.

It does not hit the ground.

It dissolves.

It turns into dust.

It turns into light.

The light expands.

It fills the room.

It fills the world.

The shadow vanishes.

Thomas vanishes.

The wall vanishes.

You are alone.

You are standing.

You are in a field.

It is green. It is wet. It is morning.

The sun is up.

It is warm.

You are in your uniform.

It is clean.

There is no blood.

There is no blade.

There is no shadow.

There is no Thomas.

You are in the field.

You are free.

You look at your hands.

They are empty.

They are clean.

You feel the grass under your feet.

You feel the wind on your face.

You feel the sun on your skin.

You are alive.

You are here.

You are now.

You take a step.

You take another.

You walk.

You walk out of the field.

You walk into the road.

You walk into the town.

You are a soldier.

You are a man.

You are alone.

You are free.

You are broken.

You are whole.

You are the price.

You are the cost.

You are the freedom.

You are the silence.

You are the end.

You are the beginning.

You are the space between the ticks of the clock.

You are the beat.

You are the breath.

You are the life.

You are the death.

You are the truth.

You are the lie.

You are the key.

You are the lock.

You are the door.

You are the threshold.

You are the distant one.

You are the near one.

You are the one who waits.

You are the one who comes.

You are the one who stays.

You are the one who leaves.

You are the one who remembers.

You are the one who forgets.

You are the one who lives.

You are the one who dies.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is free.

You are the one who is bound.

You are the one who is