𝗪𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗵, 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗺!

𝑨 𝒈𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉
𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈!

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏?

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑠𝑚𝑜𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑦, 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑒𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡.

𝐴 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑠ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑, 𝑗𝑎𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑤 𝑔𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑤 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑔𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦.

Oh my God!

𝐶ℎ𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒, ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛...

"Nataliya!"

Are you okay?

Oksana, Daryna!

Speak to me, where are you?

No!

"This can't be happening honey, I think we are being shelled by what has to be Russian forces, but, but the news said this was not going to happen."

Nataliya!

"Fadeyka," I'm over here looking for our twin daughters, I can barely see because of all this intense smoke.

"Stay where you are I'm
coming, are you hurt?"

...𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝐹𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑦𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑟.

𝐼𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑑𝑒𝑒𝑝, 𝑛𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑦 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔
ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒...

"Oksana, Daryna!"

Nataliya yelled, "Where are
you?"

Answer me, are you hurt? Momma is coming for you children. ...Wait, sit down, Fadeya said,

"Your shoulder, you are badly injured honey, it has to be treated right now."

...𝐻𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑎
𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑡 𝑤𝑟𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑟𝑚.

Oh, oh, Nataliya stammered,
"I don't feel so good Fadeya and she went limp, falling unconscious."

𝐾𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑠𝑒, ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠...

𝐻𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑, 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑜𝑓𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑘, 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑟

Oksana...

"Oksana!"

He knelt, shaking her body, wake up baby it's daddy, are you okay?

"Yes, I think so daddy but Daryna might be injured, the blast threw her across the room."...Okay, Oksana
stay here while I look.

𝐹𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑦𝑎 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑛, 𝑠𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑠 𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙 ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑓𝑎...

𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑡...

𝐀𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐲...

"Daryna!"

𝐹𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑦𝑎 𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑤𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑙𝑒, 𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦...

"God no!"

𝐻𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑐𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑
𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑠...

𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑟𝑎𝑛 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛
ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒...

𝑆𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑠 ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑
𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑂𝑘𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑢𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑡𝑜...

"No"...she screamed after realizing her beloved sister was dead, convulsing in tortured tears of remorse.

Ahh, ahh,...horrified, she couldn't grasp the fate that had befallen her sister.

"She can't be dead!"

She just can't!

𝐹𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑦𝑎 𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑦𝑛𝑎 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑑
𝑎 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑝𝑠𝑒...

"There's nothing we can do for her Oksana as he held her tightly, this is
a living nightmare."

Your mother has lost a lot of blood,
we need to get her to a hospital
soon or she won't make it....

He reached down to feel for a pulse and felt nothing.

"Yahh, yahh,"

he yelled, spasms of 𝐞xcruciating, painful suffering like he had never known invaded 𝐡is soul.

𝐻𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒...

𝐒𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰...

The room was a world of ruin and silence, punctuated by the soft crackling of flames licking at the debris. Fadeyka knelt on the blood-smeared floor, his trembling fingers tracing over the lifeless body of Daryna, his youngest. Her small face was peaceful, almost like she was asleep.

But the bruises and cuts, the unnatural stillness-nothing could deny the terrible truth. His fingers curled into fists, pressing against the cracked floor as he held back the sobs that clawed at his throat.

He felt Oksana's small hand tugging at his sleeve, her wide, terror-filled eyes pleading with him, demanding something he couldn't give. Not here, not now. Not in this senseless destruction.

"Papa..." she whimpered, clinging to him with a desperate strength that belied her fragile, shaking frame. "Daryna...she...she's just sleeping, right? Right?"

Fadeyka looked away, clenching his jaw, his face crumbling as he tried to steel himself. "I...I don't know, Oksana. But we need to help Mama. She's hurt."

Oksana sniffled, nodding, her eyes still fixed on her sister. But with a last look, she took Fadeyka's hand and let him guide her back toward her mother, who lay on the floor, eyes closed, blood soaking her blouse.

With trembling hands, he felt for her pulse. A faint beat throbbed beneath his fingertips, fragile and slowing.

"Stay with me, Nataliya," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Stay with us."

He tightened the makeshift tourniquet around her shoulder, and she stirred, groaning softly. Her eyelids fluttered, and a faint smile touched her lips as she looked at him. But the look was brief; her eyes flicked past him, and she registered the absence of Daryna.

"Where...is she?" Nataliya's voice was barely a whisper, her face already crumpling as the grim answer hung in the silence.

Fadeyka's grip on her tightened, a futile attempt to shield her from reality. But as her eyes wandered, her face twisted in horror as she spotted their daughter's motionless form, and she let out a cry that tore through the smoke-filled apartment.

"No! No, no... Daryna!" Her voice cracked, hoarse and filled with a desperation that was beyond any words.

"Nataliya...she's gone," he said, his voice breaking, the words like acid on his tongue. "I tried... but..."

The cry that left her lips was agonizing, like a wound that could never be healed. She reached out for Oksana, who crawled into her arms, clinging to her mother and sobbing as though her heart would burst. Fadeyka wrapped his arms around both of them, holding them as tightly as he could, his family, shattered and broken.

Then a distant rumble broke through their grief, a sound that sent an electric jolt of terror down Fadeyka's spine. The artillery fire was getting closer. Windows shattered somewhere nearby, a rain of glass hitting the floor as more explosions rang out, too close for comfort.

Fadeyka looked around, mind racing, frantically searching for anything that might offer them an escape. They couldn't stay here. They had to move, get to safety, but every exit he considered felt like a death sentence.

"We have to go, Nataliya. We need to get you and Oksana somewhere safe," he said, gently helping her to her feet, supporting her as best as he could.

Nataliya winced, clutching her wounded arm as they stumbled across the rubble-strewn floor, every step a test of her willpower. Her face was pale, and Fadeyka could see her strength waning, but she nodded determinedly, holding onto him with every bit of strength she had left.

"Papa," Oksana whispered, clutching his hand tightly, her voice barely audible over the chaos.

"Where are we going? Is it... safe?"

"We'll find somewhere, my love," he murmured, stroking her hair, trying to soothe her despite his own fears. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

The street outside was unrecognizable. Smoke billowed from shattered buildings, debris littering the ground, vehicles overturned and burning. People were running in all directions, their faces masks of panic and despair as they searched for loved ones, cried out for help, or stumbled in shock.

Fadeyka pulled his family close, guiding them through the chaos, his senses alert, every instinct screaming for survival. Each footstep felt like a step through a nightmare, as if the world itself had turned on them.

Just then, a figure stumbled toward them from the smoke, a man clutching his arm, face pale and streaked with soot. It was Vadim, Fadeyka's old friend from university, his face haunted, as though he had seen death itself.

"Fadeyka!" Vadim's voice was hoarse, raw. "Where... where are you going? There's nowhere safe. They're...they're everywhere."

Fadeyka felt the tremor in Vadim's voice, the same horror that pulsed through his own veins. "We're trying to find a way out, Vadim. Nataliya's hurt, and we... we need to get Oksana out of here."

Vadim looked at them, his eyes filling with a strange, hollow understanding. "There's a shelter," he whispered, voice shaking. "Down near the old factory. Not many people know about it. It might be... it might be your only chance."

Fadeyka nodded, feeling a flicker of hope, a faint light in the darkness. "Thank you, Vadim. Thank you."

Vadim hesitated, looking back into the darkness. "Good luck, my friend," he said, voice barely a whisper. And then he disappeared, swallowed by the smoke and the shadows.

Fadeyka took a deep breath, gripping Nataliya's hand tightly. "We'll go to the factory," he said, his voice steady, more for their sake than his own. "Stay close to me. Whatever happens, don't let go."

They made their way through the shattered streets, skirting around burning vehicles, dodging fallen power lines that crackled ominously in puddles of rainwater that had gathered on the broken asphalt.

Nataliya stumbled several times,
each step a fight, but she kept going, determination in her eyes despite the pain that etched her face.

The factory loomed ahead, a shadowed relic of the past now offering a glimmer of salvation.
They moved quickly, slipping inside through a jagged hole in the wall, stepping into the cool, musty darkness.

But the silence in the shelter was short-lived.

Another blast echoed through the city, the sound rattling through the building and sending dust trickling from the ceiling. Nataliya swayed, her eyes fluttering as she leaned against Fadeyka, her strength failing.

"Nataliya!" he gasped, catching her before she collapsed to the ground. Her pulse was weak, fading.

"Stay with us, love," he whispered, pressing his forehead to hers, fighting to keep the tears back. "Just a little longer."

Oksana knelt beside her mother, tears streaking her soot-covered face. "Mama, please... don't go."

Nataliya's eyes fluttered open, her gaze softening as she looked at her daughter, lifting a hand to touch Oksana's cheek.

"I... I'm here, my love," she whispered, her voice a fragile thread. "I will always be with you. Always."

With a last, shuddering breath, her hand slipped from Oksana's face, her body going limp in Fadeyka's arms.

"No," he whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. "No... please, no..."

Oksana's cries filled the air, piercing the silence as she clutched her mother's hand, pleading with her to come back. Fadeyka held them both, his heart breaking, his soul shattering into a thousand pieces.

As the city burned around them, he knew he had to be strong, for Oksana, for the memory of his wife and youngest daughter. He had to survive, no matter what. But the emptiness in his heart, the searing pain that twisted through him, would haunt him forever.

"Papa," Oksana whispered, her voice trembling, "What...what do we do now?"

Fadeyka took a deep breath, gathering every ounce of strength he had left, feeling the weight of their tragedy bearing down on him. He looked into his daughter's tear-streaked face, and in that moment, he knew he had one final purpose.

"Now, we survive," he said quietly, his voice resolute. "We survive... for them."

With Oksana's hand in his, they moved forward, stepping into the darkness, carrying the memories of their lost family members in their hearts as they faced the uncertain, terrifying world beyond.