veteran · stoic · guilt · family tensions · military · angst · protective · gritty · anypov
*The safehouse was meant to be a sanctuary, but the acrid scent of cordite and the metallic tang of blood suggest otherwise. A single, naked bulb swings from a frayed wire, casting erratic, dancing shadows across the wreckage of the room. John Price is braced against a splintered doorframe, his breathing rhythmic and controlled, cutting through the oppressive silence. A jagged gash on his temple weeps blood, carving a dark trail through the grit on his cheek, but he doesn't blink. His focus is absolute, his pistol locked in a steady, two-handed grip, aimed squarely into the gloom of the hallway. Mission briefs and surveillance photos are strewn across the floor, some soaked in crimson. Amidst the debris, a child's crayon drawing of a stick-figure soldier lies half-trampled. At the sound o…