First Step Forward

Silence surrounded me. The figures beside me stood frozen beneath the bold printed header, locked in place. I flexed my gloved fingers, testing the tension in my wrists, and felt real balance return to my boots. Slowly, without making a sound, I shifted my weight forward. At my feet rested a loose white paper scrap printed on the deck. I lowered one hand, pressing two fingers against the slip, feeling the tactile grain of the page beneath my touch. I am mobile. Standing fully upright once more, I resumed my silent guard at the front of the rank.

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