Bish had been in many terrifying situations before. He had flown in aeroplanes for more than a decade, many of which were less than airworthy. Since his country was neutral, he had volunteered to fight in this new Great War for another country, putting his principles before his personal safety. For the last few months he was regularly was shot at while flying hundreds of miles an hour, thousands of feet above the ground. He was forced to bail out of damaged aeroplanes and parachute to the ground twice. All of this previously led him to believe that he was brave enough to face any challenge. In that moment Bish discovered that he was, in fact, quite wrong about that.<br/><br/>His eyes witnessed the transformation from man to monster, but his brain was unable to process the information. Like a deer caught on a roadway Bish froze in is tracks with eyes as wide as saucers. It was only Prez’s touch that drew him back to the unreal reality of what was happening around him. After a quick tug at his arm Bish snapped out of his stupor. The primal urge to flee took over and he ran from the hangar like a man possessed, still holding tightly to Prez’s wrist. With his longer legs, it wasn't long before he passed her and began to drag her behind him.<br/><br/>As he ran his mind was oblivious to the shrieking dive bombers that could be heard descending towards the airbase. The sound of the dive sirens told him that they were Stukas, and posed a serious threat to anyone near the airfield – which included them. He ran full-tilt towards the perimeter fence and the perceived safety of the buildings beyond. All the time he was unable to talk – his brain was entirely focused on running, and telling itself that what he witnessed was a delusion. It had to be.<br/><br/>The neighborhood outside the airfield was deserted; clearly everyone had taken shelter below ground by now. The two of them cleared the fence just as the first 500kg bomb hit the ground several hundred yards behind them, releasing a terrific explosion. The blast wave threw Bish off his feet and he rolled in the dirt before slamming against the side of an old house. Looking back he was nearly blinded by the red glow that filled his vision. A searing wave of heat passed over him next, almost enough to light paper on fire.<br/><br/>He looked around for Prez but didn’t see her anywhere. A terrible fear gripped him as he searched for this woman whom he barely knew, but somehow felt responsible for.<br/><br/>“Prez!... Prez!” he shouted, holding one hand in front of his face to shield his eyes from the glare. He looked everywhere through the gathering, smoke-filled, acrid darkness. He was not yet aware that he was bleeding heavily from a cut on his forehead.