There is a beauty in what is left unsaid; the conclusion, when not mentioned, has a much greater impact. I find on ficly too many writers want that one sentence to sum up their ficly story, or to let you know there will be a sequel, so that nothing is left to second quessing by the reader. I find that the best endings, especially to short stories, is one that would make a great beginning; leaving me longing for more.
You hit a homerun with this one, darling. 5 pencils, but only because I can’t give you more than that.
I agree about it stopping where it did. It really directed the story to the single moment of deliberation. The the very question of whether to fight on or surrender. Nice.