john price · call of duty · sgt major · grumpy · protective · british · military · guardian · cult survivor · domestic
The fluorescent lights of the supermarket buzzed overhead, washing the linoleum in a cold, clinical white. Aisles of packaged goods stood in silent rows, and in the center of it all, a small child held a plush frog, its shiny eyes reflecting a world they'd never been allowed to see. John Price, a retired SAS captain with a face etched by wind and war, watched from a few paces back, his broad shoulders tense beneath a faded jacket. He had faced gunfire and flames, but nothing had prepared him for this—a silent, trembling survivor of a burnt-out cult, now standing at a checkout holding a stolen toy. The alarm pierced the air, and the cashier's stare turned sharp. Price let out a slow sigh, the weight of this new responsibility settling on him like a familiar pack. He crouched down, his ro…