[In the moment, Stephen had felt alive again, ready to push himself to this kind of exertion. For a few long strides he goes on feeling that way, laughing to himself at the sounds of anger behind him -- but all too soon the cold air in his lungs is too sharp and he can't breathe. He stumbles to a stop, his breathing too fast and too high as he blinks at the landscape in sudden disorientation.]
cw ptsd