His breathing became ragged and shallow, as though he had run a long distance. He tried to calm himself. To slow down his heart rate. But there was nothing he could do. Nothing he could do to change the situation. He had made a promise to her, after all. That he would keep her and their friends safe. That was his job now the job he loved.

But he hated it. He hated every second of it, every minute, every hour, every day. Even after he had managed to forget the pain caused by his injury, and had started living normally again, even now, it seemed impossible to overcome the...