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The explosions were not loud. Leopold could hear voices, quick and angry. One close, the other at a distance.
He opened his eyes, and saw a masked face. Behind this was the figure of a trooper, facing away, but already the trooper was becoming hazy, as if a fog was descending.
He saw the fist rising, and knew it belonged to the one on top of him. He knew it would come down on him. And he knew it would hurt.
And then everything changed. There was a shout, maybe a cry, and then a dull pain in his shoulder. Enough to hurt, but not as much as he had anticipated. The weight crushing Leopold’s chest shifted to one side as the trooper fell forward, his masked head colliding with Leopold’s chin. A jolt of pain shot through his body, and he tasted blood.
There was a glint of metal,
