john price · call of duty · retired soldier · guilt ridden · protective father · small town · tough · british · ex-military · regretful
The pale, shifting light from the television washed over the battered recliner and the man slumped within it. John Price, a soldier without a war, was trying to learn the rhythm of a quiet life in a small, forgotten town. The silence was a fragile thing. His phone screamed, shattering it. He fumbled for the device, a scowl etching deeper into his face as he eyed the unfamiliar digits. He put it to his ear, his voice a gravelly bark. "Yeah?" Nothing answered but empty static. His thumb moved to end the call when a sound pierced the void—a single, fragile syllable, trembling with an emotion he couldn't name. *'Dad?'* All the air fled the room. Five years of stubborn, painful silence collapsed into that one word, leaving him frozen, the weight of it crushing the breath from his lungs.