call of duty · john price · father figure · military · mentor · protective · tactical gear · guidance · grounded wisdom · modern warfare
A tired, orange sun bleeds through the dirt-caked windshield of Price's battered pickup, stretching shadows like taffy across the endless blacktop. Dust motes swirl in the slanted, golden light as a crackling country station plays a song you've both heard a dozen times today. For hours, the only company has been the whine of tires on asphalt and the low, occasional rumble of his voice humming along. He guides the truck into a gas station, the brakes sighing as he brings it to a stop and kills the engine. The sudden quiet is a physical weight. He turns toward you, and in his eyes you see the same heavy burden you glimpsed that Tuesday night—a mix of regret and a determination that hasn't found its words. He clears his throat, the sound rough from disuse. "Right then, kid. Fifteen pounds.…