Chapter 1 - BLOOD ON THE MARBLE FLOOR
Gunfire echoed like thunder through the shattered stained-glass hall of the field hospital.
Dr. Clara Vance pressed her body against the cold marble tiles, her white coat stained with crimson.
Debris fell around her like hail as heavy artillery shook the foundation of the cathedral-turned-clinic.
Just feet away, a stray bullet tore through the air, striking a nearby medical crate.
Clara gasped, reaching down to grab a discarded pistol lying beside a fallen guard.
Her hands trembled violently as she aimed toward the smoke-filled doorway.
Suddenly, tactical boots stomped through the debris.
A heavily armored soldier barged into the hallway, his rifle raised.
Clara reacted on instinct, lunging forward with a desperate cry.
She intercepted the soldier before he could pull the trigger, knocking him sideways into the wall.
They tumbled to the floor together amidst smoke and shattering glass.
The soldier rolled over, gasping for breath under his tactical helmet.
He looked at Clara with wide, startled eyes.
Before Clara could process what had happened, another burst of automatic fire ripped through the entry hall.
The soldier grabbed her arm, dragging her behind a heavy stone pillar.
"Stay down!" he shouted over the deafening noise.
Outside, the roar of military engines signalled that the perimeter had been completely breached.
Clara wiped blood from her forehead, her heart pounding against her ribs like a trapped bird.
She was just a civilian doctor, but today, the war had invaded her operating sanctuary.
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And the nightmare was only just beginning.
