You are a pilot of a UH-60 Black Hawk engaging in air-to-air rotary wing combat with a Ka-52 Alligator. The enemy pilot is clearly on par with your skills as the dog fight drags on and on. In a twist, both helicopters strike one another simultaneously. You are in neutral territory in the middle of a snowy mountain. The blizzard outside is relentless as you come to your senses in the crashed Black Hawk. Suddenly, you hear the cocking sound of a hammer of a gun
Natalia She points her Markov pistol at you with pure hatred. You notice her leg has a gash wound, soaking her camo pants red "This is for all the suffering and pain you caused for my people and for Mama and Papa!!" She pulls the trigger. All you heard if a click and nothing happened
I look at her and weakly stand up walking towards her
You approach her. She is clearly shaken up, but her eyes are burning with rage. You can see the veins in her neck bulging as she struggles to contain her anger. You decide to take advantage of her momentary weakness and attempt to talk some sense into her.
sighs "listen..... we are stranded out here by ourselves. And our only chance at survival is if we work together"
"You think I am some fool, Yankee dog? You think I don't know what you and your kind are capable of? No! We can not work together!" With that, she points her gun at your heart with all her remaining strength and pulls the trigger again. This time, it gives a click just as before. Tears well up in her eyes as anger slowly fades into despair.
"My gun... my ammo is gone...," she whispers, more to herself than to you. The Markov pistol has become nothing but an empty shell casing in her hand. "We are both helpless now..."
I look around before spotting an abandoned cabin "are you sure I think we might have a bit longer to survive"
She sniffles and glances around, then at the cabin. "Yes... we might," she finally says, her voice barely audible over the howling wind. Together, you both hobble over to the abandoned structure, doing your best to shelter from the harsh elements as best you can. The snow begins to fall even harder now, blinding everything around you in a frosty white haze.
I pick her up and carry her
Surprised by your sudden show of strength, she sputters out in protest. "What are you doing? Put me down this instant!" But her words lack conviction as she clings onto you, not daring to let go even if it meant falling to the ground once again. You continue carrying her towards the cabin despite her feeble struggles. Perhaps there's still hope for both of you after all.
You're in no condition to walk your leg is brike and you have a nasty wound.
She glances at her own leg, still soaked in blood, and realizes that you're right. Her strength is sapped; she can barely stand on her own two feet. With a sigh of defeat, she gives up struggling against your grip. "Fine," she mutters beneath her breath. "But don't think this means I'm forgiving you or anything."
I walk inside the cabin and set her down on the couch
She lays down grumpily, her anger still evident in her posture as she crosses her arms under her head. The cabin is small and cozy, with a roaring fireplace that provides much-needed warmth against the bitter cold outside. You spot some supplies on a shelf: matches, firewood, canned food, blankets... all of which could be lifesavers in this harsh environment.
"What do you intend to do now?" she asks through gritted teeth, still not ready to give up her animosity towards you entirely.
I grab a med kit from my jacket "I'm going to tend to your wound but I need you to remove your pants"
"Fine," she grumbles, uncrossing her arms and looking away as she struggles to pull down her pants, revealing soaked, bloodstained underwear beneath. Once they're off, she kicks them across the room in anger before turning back to you with a glare.
"Go ahead," she says through clenched teeth. "But don't think I'll thank you for it."
I hand her pain medication and start to quickly clean the wound
She snatches the painkiller from you gratefully, gulping it down before handing it back with a shaky hand. "Thank you," she whispers. Her expression softens slightly as you begin cleaning her wound, wincing in empathetic pain every time the disinfectant touches her skin. You can see her body tensing up involuntarily as the burning sensation intensifies, but she forces herself to stay still for your sake.
"How bad is it?" she asks between clenched teeth. "Will I need stitches or...?" Her voice trails off as a tear rolls down her cheek.
Yes I'll need to stitch it
She swallows hard, taking a deep breath as you prepare to stitch up her leg. "Do whatever you have to," she says through gritted teeth. "Just make it quick." Her eyes never leave yours as she braces herself for the pain ahead. Even though she hates you and believes you're her enemy, there's a certain level of trust that has formed between the two of you now, in this dire situation.
The air inside the cabin grows heavy with tension as you begin stitching up her leg, working carefully to make sure it heals properly. All around them, the snow continues to fall relentlessly outside, trapping them further into this mountain hideaway. There's no telling how long they'll be stuck here, or what challenges they might face in the meantime.
She shudders, trying not to react too much as you stitch her up. Her eyes never leave your face, a mix of fear, anger and something else she doesn't quite understand playing across her features. This whole situation is surreal; enemies suddenly working together in the face of death, both forced to rely on each other for survival... It confuses her, and she doesn't know how to feel about it.
All she can do now is focus on getting through this, one stitch at a time. "How long will it take?" she asks between clenched teeth.
I'm almost done
She closes her eyes tightly, trying not to react as you finish the last stitch. There's a sharp pain as you remove the needle, and she grits her teeth until it subsides. A bead of sweat trickles down her forehead; she wipes it away impatiently. "There," she says hoarsely, voice shaking with relief. "Now what?"
I sit down next to her looking conflicted "I don't know"
She glances at you, her expression unreadable. "I'm tired," she says after a moment. "Can I rest?"
Of course I'll still be here
She thanks you again, if somewhat hesitantly, and then curls up on the couch, pulling a blanket over herself. Sleep takes her quickly despite the discomfort in her leg. In dreams, she imagines home: her parents tending to their small vegetable garden, the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the air... She tries not to think about the world outside this cabin, and for now, it almost works.
As she drifts off, you can't help but wonder what the future holds for both of them. Will they ever escape this mountain sanctuary? And if they do, will they part ways or find a way to make peace with one another? Only time will tell.