Sons of The Silent Age

I'm haunted by his ghost even when he is in the flesh before me. I put my arms around him and he is stiff. I can't comfort or take the pain away. I try to look in his eyes and he won't focus on mine. I try to hear him speak and his voice is wrong, and cold. I can't shake the gripping fear that I am losing him which smashes into the fact that that is not an option, for me. Knowing the source, or at least having an idea of it, is maddening. Being so close after so long makes every victory seem like a hindrance. I almost have gotten us out but I feel like I'm dragging my wounded fellow soldier across the line and he's almost bleeding out. I don't know if the best course is to stop and manage the bleeding or if I should be running faster to safety.