After an hour of silence, the tyres of the MRAP rolled over a ten-inch stone and slammed hard on the ground.
Leon jolted awake after his body was thrust against the metal wall of the car.
He shook his head, brushed his hands on his face, then gasped heavily for air.
His eyes widened when he spotted red liquid dressing his palms the moment after he moved it from his scalp.
At that instant, everything felt silent, including the slow raindrops and the rumbling sound echoing from the outside of the car.
"Where from this?" his face tensed as he wiped his palms across his head for the second time.
Noticing another set of red liquid dressing his thumb – where it hadn't touched – saliva snaked down his throat as he swallowed hard.
"How?" he placed his palms on his head and tilted his gaze around.
Spotting a one-inch sharp metal at the point where his head had slammed, pain surged in him like fire as his breathing caught in his lungs.
