Kupriyan

“Kupriyan was tired and got soaked.

His legs were slipping uselessly over slick, wet clumps; his boots got wet, stuck with mud from dry leaves, and became as heavy as weights. Kupriyan had to pull them out with difficulty from the sticky, greasy mud.

Kupriyan was hungry and hadn’t slept the night before; his head buzzed, and an unpleasant heaviness hung over his eyes. Along with these sensations came the constant, vague awareness of danger standing behind his back…»