Hey blackbird!

I think you did a great job of characterising Shahid here. In reality, he hasn't really done much in the first portion of the story, simply walked over to an execution spot. But the way you sprinkled his backstory in between glances and observations worked so well I think.

And I quite liked how you described the rescue too. Rashid is blind at this point, and you do a good job of making out the sounds and explosions whilst still making sure enough confusion remained for believability.

Really well done!

I do just have a few bits and bobs for you though,

> After being held indoors for twenty-eight days, he was unused to the light.

I've never seen it written like that. I've always seen it as "he wasn't used to the light." So I'll just leave this here in case it is wrong. But again, it is probably right.

One other thing, how much light was there? Some more description could help here. Was he blinded for instance?

> The battle raged on for what felt like hours, Shahid hoping all the time no stray fire would hit him. As the roar of guns waned, he heard nearby footsteps.

I wanted more from Shahid here. He's clearly experienced with taking care of himself, so what did he do here? Did he lie flat on the ground, burying his head as deep in the sand as possible to protect it? Did he try to get the shackles off or maybe the sack? Maybe he tried to simply run? Just something more would be great here.

> The sack was roughly pulled off his head, and the shackles on his hands and feet were unlocked.

And finally, I expected something about how his rescuer looked here. What were they wearing? What did their face look like? Did they have a nametag? Maybe a country's flag on their armour? Just something like that.

I hope this helps.

Good Words!