no subject

[ Thank god; any hint of uncertainty or doubt would have been absolutely ruinous. So By breathes, a bit of the terror fading, the knot of shame loosening - half-loosening - in his chest. He swallows. Lowers his hand from his eyes. They're rimmed with red, but they're dry. His throat is, too; he has to swallow again before he can speak, and when he does, it's clinical and distant. ]

One does not...wholly expect the strength of one's reaction, considering how long ago it all...happened.