Chapter Text
Kabul, Afghanistan
Nothing remained as it was before.
John silently let his gaze wander over the largely destroyed dining room. He was cold, he hadn't showered in months, hadn't eaten in two days and yesterday his dining room had been set on fire.
Mrs Watson had disappeared three weeks ago and it seemed impossible to him that he would ever see her again. Alive, at least.
"John!" his father hissed. "Are you out of your mind? Come down here this instant, you can't just sit out in the open like this."
"Strictly speaking, I'm inside. No one could have known our roof would give up so soon."
"Come here!"
"Why? Is it safer down there?"
"What are you doing?"
"It's your fault, Dad! All of this is your fault." John spoke his thoughts calmly and without any emotion. "You move your family into a war zone and expect nothing to happen because we have two bodyguards?"
He hesitated. "Had, we had two bodyguards, right. Then they got blown up because you didn't dare go and see for yourself who was hanging around outside the gate."
He wrapped his arms around his legs and watched the sandy ground. "You're a coward, Hamish. Leave me alone."
His father crawled along under the table to him. "John, we'll come home. I promise."
John swallowed. "You also promised that nothing would happen to us here," he said in a shaky voice. "And you lied."