Time slowly dripped away, so slowly it was suffocating. The soldiers watched outside the city walls, but couldn't hold on for long before retreating to find a place to take a few deep breaths of fresh air. Death sometimes evokes fear, but the process of waiting for it is even more oppressive. The soldiers sometimes even thought, no matter what the outcome of this battle was, please let the end come quickly. They have been fighting on the walls for days, their entire bodies full of nothing but pain and exhaustion. At this point, even hope has become a toxin, because hope means continuing to endure the torment on this battlefield.
