You walk. The road is wet. It is dark. Rain falls. It is cold. You are a soldier. You are old. Your body hurts. Every step is a pain. You walk because you must. You do not know why. You only know the walking.

The city is ahead. It is big. It is grey. It smells of iron. It smells of coal. It smells of death. You smell it in your teeth. You taste it on your tongue. You are tired. You are so tired. But you do not stop.

You reach the gate. It is high. It is black. It has teeth. The teeth are iron. They bite the wood. A man is there. He is small. He is quiet. He wears a coat. The coat is brown. The coat is wet. He looks at you. He does not speak. You look at him. You wait. He moves. The gate opens. It groans. The sound is low. The sound is long. It hurts your ears. You walk in.

The hall is vast. The floor is marble. It is white. It is slick. Your boots slide. You catch yourself. Your heart beats. It beats hard. It beats fast. You look up. The ceiling is high. It is painted. There are stars. There are gods. They look down. They do not care. You walk on. The air is still. It is thick. You breathe. It is hard. You breathe. It is slow.

You see them. They are there. In the room. They sit. They are many. They wear red. They wear gold. They look at you. They do not smile. They do not frown. They are stone. They are cold. You stand. You wait. You do not bow. You do not look down. You look at their eyes. Their eyes are empty. Their eyes are deep. You see nothing. You see everything.

A voice speaks. It is loud. It is sharp. It cuts the air. It cuts you. It is the General. He is tall. He is thin. He is pale. His hair is white. His eyes are black. He points at you. The finger is long. The finger is cold.

You are a traitor, he says.

You hear the words. They are clear. They are true. They are false. You do not answer. You stand. You are still. The room is silent. The silence is loud. The silence is heavy. It presses on you. It presses on your chest. It presses on your head.

He speaks again. He speaks fast. He speaks hard. He says you sold the map. He says you let the ships pass. He says you killed your own. He says you are weak. He says you are a coward. He says you are a rat.

You do not move. You do not blink. You feel the words. They are knives. They are ice. They are fire. They burn you. They freeze you. They kill you. But you are not dead. You are still here. You are still standing.

The General stops. He looks at you. He waits. He wants you to beg. He wants you to cry. He wants you to break. He wants to see you fall. He wants to see you die.

You look at him. You look into his eyes. You see the fear. You see the lie. You see the smallness. You see the void. You do not speak. You do not argue. You do not defend. You know the truth. They know the truth. But they do not want it. They need the lie. The lie is their power. The lie is their breath.

A hand moves. It is quick. It is strong. It hits you. You fall. The floor is cold. The floor is hard. Your head hits the stone. There is a sound. It is dull. It is wet. You see the stars. The stars are spinning. The stars are bleeding.

You are on the floor. You are alone. The others are gone. The General is gone. The room is empty. The light is dim. The air is cold. You are in pain. You are in so much pain. Your head is a ball of fire. Your body is a bag of bones. You try to move. You cannot. You try to stand. You cannot. You stay. You lie. You breathe.

Time passes. It is slow. It is fast. You do not know. You count the drops of water. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. The drops fall. They are cold. They are clean. They are life. You watch them. You wait.

A sound. It is soft. It is near. You hear it. You know it. It is a footstep. It is a boot. It is heavy. It is slow. It comes closer. You turn your head. You see a face. It is young. It is kind. It is wet. It is Edward.

Edward is there. He is small. He is quiet. He wears a coat. The coat is brown. The coat is wet. He kneels. He is on his knees. He looks at you. His eyes are wet. His eyes are soft. He does not speak. He touches you. His hand is warm. His hand is rough. He touches your cheek. He touches your blood.

He lifts you. He is strong. He is gentle. He carries you. He walks. He walks fast. He walks hard. He does not look back. He does not speak. He walks through the hall. He walks through the door. He walks into the night.

The night is black. The rain is hard. The wind is cold. It hits your face. It stings your skin. You are wet. You are cold. You are alive. Edward walks. He does not stop. He does not rest. He walks until the city is gone. He walks until the road is long. He walks until the light is coming.

You are in a room. It is small. It is warm. It is dark. There is a fire. The fire is low. The fire is red. You are on a bed. The bed is soft. The bed is old. You are covered. The blanket is thin. The blanket is cold. You close your eyes. You sleep.

You wake. The light is in. It is grey. It is soft. You are alone. The room is empty. The fire is out. The ashes are cold. You are in pain. You are in so much pain. You try to sit. You cannot. You lie still. You wait.

The door opens. It is loud. It is fast. Edward is there. He is tired. He is dirty. He is pale. He holds a cup. The cup is white. The cup is warm. He puts it on the table. He stands. He looks at you. He waits.

You look at him. You see his face. You see his hands. You see his eyes. You see the pain. You see the guilt. You see the love. It is bad. It is bad love. It is a love that eats. It is a love that kills. It is a love that saves.

You reach for the cup. Your hand shakes. Your hand is weak. You hold the cup. It is warm. You drink. The water is cold. The water is clean. It is life. You drink. You drink. You drink.

You look at Edward. You do not speak. You do not thank him. You do not hate him. You do not love him. You know. You know the truth. You are not a traitor. You are not a hero. You are a man. You are broken. You are fixed. You are free.

Edward leaves. The door closes. The room is quiet. The light is bright. The day is coming. You are alive. You are here. You are alone.

You think of the General. You think of the room. You think of the lie. You think of the truth. The truth is heavy. The truth is light. The truth is nothing. The truth is everything. You let it go. You let it fall. You let it sink. You do not hold it. You do not fight it. You let it be.

You look out the window. The sky is blue. The sky is clear. The sun is up. The sun is warm. The sun is bright. It hits your face. It hits your skin. It feels like fire. It feels like life. It feels like peace.

You close your eyes. You breathe. It is easy. It is soft. It is deep. You breathe in. You breathe out. You are here. You are now. You are enough.

The pain is there. It is still there. It is in your head. It is in your chest. It is in your bones. But it is not you. It is not all of you. You are more than the pain. You are more than the past. You are more than the lie.

You are the bridge. You are the pale bridge. You cross it. You cross the dark. You cross the fear. You cross the hate. You cross the love. You cross to the other side. The other side is quiet. The other side is still. The other side is free.

You open your eyes. The light is in. The day is here. You are here. You begin. You walk. You walk. You walk.

The road is long. The road is hard. The road is wet. You walk. You do not look back. You do not look down. You look ahead. You see the light. You see the end. You see the peace.

You walk. You walk. You walk.

The rain stops. The sun comes. The air is clear. The air is fresh. The air is new. You breathe. You breathe. You breathe.

You are alive. You are free. You are you.

The end is here. The end is now. The end is you.