“Get out of here, woman! There’s no room for the likes of you in my company!” the captain snapped at the young soldier, but he couldn’t even imagine who was standing before him. 😱😱
The barracks was filled with a suffocating mixture of damp, sweat, and old smoke. Dust lay thick on the floor, rusty bunks creaked with every movement, and the soldiers sat in the corner like lost shadows. Their uniforms were tattered, their boots torn, and their faces were filled with weariness and indifference.
As soon as Anna crossed the threshold, she felt her insides boil. She expected to see strong and proud defenders of the homeland, but instead, people driven to poverty and despair.
She walked resolutely toward the captain.
“Why do your soldiers live in such conditions?” she asked sharply. “Where are the uniforms, where is the proper food? Why is the barracks a pigsty?”
The captain frowned, then, realizing the defenseless girl standing before him, chuckled:
“Who are you to ask questions? Aren’t you afraid of losing your job?”
“I’m not afraid,” Anna replied firmly. “I’m disgusted to wear torn boots and eat food I’d be ashamed to feed to pigs. That applies to me and my comrades. We came here to serve, not to survive.”
The captain took a sharp step toward the girl, grabbed her by the collar, and barked angrily:
“Get out of here, woman! There’s no room for your kind in my company!”
But the captain couldn’t even imagine that the girl standing before him was anything other than an ordinary girl… 😱😱 Continued in the first comment 👇👇
Anna calmly looked him straight in the eye and said:
“You’re mistaken. I came here specifically for you.”
The captain blinked in confusion.
“What?” Who are you to speak to a superior officer like that?
She pulled out her ID and held it under his nose.
“Lieutenant of Internal Affairs. Numerous complaints have been filed against you. Your soldiers are malnourished and dressed in rags because the money allocated to the unit ends up in your pockets. You are a thief and a traitor.”
“You have no evidence,” the captain muttered, but his voice wavered.
“You’re mistaken,” Anna replied coldly. “I have everything: documents, testimony, transfers of funds. You are no longer a captain.”
With these words, she tore off his shoulder straps. At that moment, two military policemen entered the room. The captain tried to break free, but they caught him and handcuffed him.
The soldiers sitting in the corner perked up for the first time in a long time. Hope lit up their eyes.
Anna looked back at them and said firmly:
“From now on, you will have a new life. This is no longer a place for traitors.”
