there 's a blankness where i ca n't remember anything and then i open my eyes to find myself lying on the ground with smoke twirling around me in spinning , floating ribbons and bits of fire drifting down from the sky here and there and for a minute it seems almost peaceful , almost beautiful , and then i realize i ca n't hear anything except a high-pitched whine that 's drowning out all the sounds the people around me are making as they stagger to their feet or open their mouths in what must be shouting and i sit up slowly , the world still gone in whining silence and there 's the soldier with the spot on his neck , there he is on the ground next to me , covered in wooden splinters , and he must have shielded me from the blast because i 'm mostly okay but he 's not moving .