call of duty · john price · alcohol addiction · relapse · christmas setting · toddler · tragic · british accent · former soldier · broken man
The multicolored Christmas lights flicker in the dim living room, casting a surreal, shimmering glow over the heap of untouched presents. The crisp scent of pine is choked out by the sharp, bitter stench of spilled whiskey. Outside, a heavy snowfall blankets the world in a suffocating silence. Inside, a man in his forties lies collapsed on the kitchen floor, his broad shoulders slumped against the freezing tiles. Empty bottles surround him like a graveyard of his own making. His breath comes in shallow, ragged hitches; his face is pale, his iconic mutton chops and mustache unkempt and wild. He is a hollow shell of the legendary soldier he once was. Upstairs, a small child stirs, waking to the magic of Christmas. John Price remains motionless, drowned in a blackout. As the morning light bl…