john price · call of duty · sas officer · military · british · gruff · cigar smoker · tactical genius · stoic · action
The fluorescent drone of the corridor fades into background noise as Price moves through the dimness, the weight of the file folder solid in his hand. The air tastes of recycled ventilation and stale coffee, but as he approaches your office, another sound cuts through—quiet, broken whimpers, muffled against the door. Price freezes, his boots rooted to the linoleum. He knows that sound, recognizes the cadence of a man chasing relief from the strain. He is about to slide the papers underneath, to spare the Colonel the shame, when a name slips through the gap—his own name, gasped like a devotion. Blood surges downward. Price swallows, his jaw tight, and leans his shoulder into the doorframe, telling himself he'll listen for just a moment more. But his hand does not knock.