Finding himself short of breath after having it pounded out of him, Kostya coughed up a spittle of blood onto his sleeve and leaned up to take the papers with his other hand.
He stared after the woman who briskly walked away, almost incredulous. The thought occurred to him that she must have gone through something like this herself, and having had seen it countless times afterward it was all normal for her.
The pain in his mouth prompted him to probe it with his fingers; they came back rather bloody.
But the pain reminded him of the simple fact that he was alive to feel it.
He looked back up at the woman who had almost left the room. Knowing his voice would have been too hoarse to say anything she could hear, he swallowed and managed to say quietly, "Thank you, Comrade.."
