!” repeated David. He continued before she could interrupt. “I don’t care if you like that word or not. It is what it is. Scott took what he did, and he embraced it!”
Svetlana shook her head emphatically. “You know that is not who he is!”
“ Then why doesn’t he throw away that uniform?”
At that question, Svetlana was quiet. David took the opportunity to make his case.
“ Why doesn’t he reject what they are? Why doesn’t he put in an order to EDEN for new gear? Why doesn’t he leave the Nightmen behind? Why doesn’t he do any of these things?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out.
“ You chew on that for a while,” David said with contempt. “But in the meantime, don’t call me a coward. I’m not the one who tucked tail and ran.”
Max stepped in to block David’s path. “Watch your mouth, old man.”
“ Save it for someone you’re trying to impress.”
Svetlana came to Max’s side and glared at David. “Who are you? You have changed more than Scott.”
“ I woke up! I saw through the scat! I saw a holy man exposed for what he was. I can forgive a lot, Svetlana. I can forgive him for hitting a girl.”
Esther’s eyes sunk.
“ I can forgive him for causing Galina to die. I can forgive all of those things. But Scott killed a man. He took an innocent life. Maybe you can forget about that in your idiotic little fairy-tale world. But I can’t. I have a soul. And so did the boy he killed.
“ You think you know so much, Sveta. You think you can prance in here, wave your arms, and make this dung heap smell like red roses. It’s not like that. Life doesn’t work that way. Whether you choose to accept it or not, he is not the man you knew. He is someone else. If you haven’t seen it yet, just sit back and wait.”
Svetlana stood trembling beside Max, tears trickling down her face.
David didn’t wait for her to answer. Turning his back to her again, he walked into the lounge. Nobody got in his way.
Varvara touched Svetlana’s back. “We will go now, okay? Let us leave here.”
On the other side of the room, Esther looked away.
“ How could this have happened here?” Svetlana asked Varvara in Russian. “I did not think it would be like this. How could a loving God allow this?”
Varvara eased Svetlana to the door. “We will talk about it. It will be fine. Everything will be fine. Let us go now. Let us talk and walk together.”
Max and the others watched as the women walked off.
Svetlana quickened her pace as she approached the hall door. As she turned the corner to make her escape, her footsteps grew faster. Then her exit came to a halt. She ran straight into Dostoevsky’s chest, just as he was about to enter from the hall. Their collision forced both of them to stop.
As soon as Dostoevsky saw her, he started back. He stared open-mouthed at her face, his eyes wide with surprise. “Sveta!”
Slap!
He was silenced by the force of her palm.
Slap!
Then she slapped him a third time. Then a fourth and fifth. They came one after the other so fast that the Nightman was unable to react.
When she finally paused, he tried to plead, his face flushed with red welts. “Svetlana—”
“ You do not speak to me,” she spat, cutting him off. “You do not touch me. You do not say my name.”
His mouth hung open.
“ For what you have done, you will never be forgiven. You are dead to me, Yuri. You are dead.” She pushed past him without saying another word.
The commander watched as the two women walked off and rounded a corner, out of view. His eyes fell despondently.
He never made it into Room 14. He didn’t so much as glance inside. He walked right past the door, retreating down the hall.
Svetlana hardly made it around the corner. The instant she was out of Dostoevsky’s view, she slumped against the wall, covering her face with her hands. “What am I doing?” Tears cascaded down. “What have I done?”
Varvara knelt by her side and patted her
Svetlana shook her head emphatically. “You know that is not who he is!”
“ Then why doesn’t he throw away that uniform?”
At that question, Svetlana was quiet. David took the opportunity to make his case.
“ Why doesn’t he reject what they are? Why doesn’t he put in an order to EDEN for new gear? Why doesn’t he leave the Nightmen behind? Why doesn’t he do any of these things?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out.
“ You chew on that for a while,” David said with contempt. “But in the meantime, don’t call me a coward. I’m not the one who tucked tail and ran.”
Max stepped in to block David’s path. “Watch your mouth, old man.”
“ Save it for someone you’re trying to impress.”
Svetlana came to Max’s side and glared at David. “Who are you? You have changed more than Scott.”
“ I woke up! I saw through the scat! I saw a holy man exposed for what he was. I can forgive a lot, Svetlana. I can forgive him for hitting a girl.”
Esther’s eyes sunk.
“ I can forgive him for causing Galina to die. I can forgive all of those things. But Scott killed a man. He took an innocent life. Maybe you can forget about that in your idiotic little fairy-tale world. But I can’t. I have a soul. And so did the boy he killed.
“ You think you know so much, Sveta. You think you can prance in here, wave your arms, and make this dung heap smell like red roses. It’s not like that. Life doesn’t work that way. Whether you choose to accept it or not, he is not the man you knew. He is someone else. If you haven’t seen it yet, just sit back and wait.”
Svetlana stood trembling beside Max, tears trickling down her face.
David didn’t wait for her to answer. Turning his back to her again, he walked into the lounge. Nobody got in his way.
Varvara touched Svetlana’s back. “We will go now, okay? Let us leave here.”
On the other side of the room, Esther looked away.
“ How could this have happened here?” Svetlana asked Varvara in Russian. “I did not think it would be like this. How could a loving God allow this?”
Varvara eased Svetlana to the door. “We will talk about it. It will be fine. Everything will be fine. Let us go now. Let us talk and walk together.”
Max and the others watched as the women walked off.
Svetlana quickened her pace as she approached the hall door. As she turned the corner to make her escape, her footsteps grew faster. Then her exit came to a halt. She ran straight into Dostoevsky’s chest, just as he was about to enter from the hall. Their collision forced both of them to stop.
As soon as Dostoevsky saw her, he started back. He stared open-mouthed at her face, his eyes wide with surprise. “Sveta!”
Slap!
He was silenced by the force of her palm.
Slap!
Then she slapped him a third time. Then a fourth and fifth. They came one after the other so fast that the Nightman was unable to react.
When she finally paused, he tried to plead, his face flushed with red welts. “Svetlana—”
“ You do not speak to me,” she spat, cutting him off. “You do not touch me. You do not say my name.”
His mouth hung open.
“ For what you have done, you will never be forgiven. You are dead to me, Yuri. You are dead.” She pushed past him without saying another word.
The commander watched as the two women walked off and rounded a corner, out of view. His eyes fell despondently.
He never made it into Room 14. He didn’t so much as glance inside. He walked right past the door, retreating down the hall.
Svetlana hardly made it around the corner. The instant she was out of Dostoevsky’s view, she slumped against the wall, covering her face with her hands. “What am I doing?” Tears cascaded down. “What have I done?”
Varvara knelt by her side and patted her
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