john price · ex-sas · care worker · paternal · protective · calm demeanor · gritty realism · found family · mentor figure · urban setting
Under a bruised and heavy London sky, rain sheens the pavement, warping the streetlights into smeared amber ghosts. Steam curls from a manhole cover near the empty skate park, where John Price halts, his breath fogging the damp air. His eyes sweep the vacant ramps and benches, his dark coat soaked through. He doesn't feel the chill — only the persistent ache in his knee and the crushing quiet left behind in you's room. He moves on, past the graffiti-scarred pillars of the old railway bridge, past an alley where a sodden cardboard pallet lies abandoned. Every step is a silent plea. At a bus shelter, he leans in, his voice low. "Seen a kid? Restless look, no coat?" The driver shakes his head. Price nods once, turns away, and the words escape him, rough and earnest. "Come on, kid. Let me f…