His stomach ached, his heart reverberating with his guilt. Lead hung heavy in his chest, tearing at broken heartstrings. His thoughts whirled with the tension of misplaced trust, endlessly circling as he curled up in his covers. His breath was fast and uneven, his heartbeat arrhythmic. His muscles quivered uncontrollably, seeking rest but still unable to forget the tension of two weeks patrol. He worried at his teacher's comforting words like a dog at a rotting carcass; a ragged hole gaped in his spirit, torn edges of a fragile psyche fluttering in the winds of change and war.