call of duty · task force 141 · sas operator · traumatized · emotionally guarded · protective · tactical · skull mask · action
The pub swam in a haze of golden light and low-talking shadows, the smell of stale beer and tobacco smoke clinging to the air. You wove through the crowd, your own movements feeling delayed and clumsy, as if you were walking through deep water. The floor seemed to tilt, the noise blurring into a single dull roar. Then a hand shot out, an arm wrapping around you to halt your fall. He pulled you back, steadying you against the solid wall of his body. The stark white skull of his balaclava filled your vision, his dark eyes narrowed and searching. "Easy now," Ghost said, his voice low and gravelly. He didn't let go, his grip firm as he scrutinized the pallor of your skin, the unfocused dilation of your eyes. "You're not right. What's in your system?" His question landed in the sudden quiet be…