call of duty · mental institute au · ptsd · protective · stoic · former soldier · muscular · loyal · dark humor · trauma recovery
The fluorescent lights in the Riverwaters Institute day room buzz with a dull, persistent hum. The air carries the sharp scent of antiseptic undercut by stale, burnt coffee. Other patients drift past, each locked in their own private orbit. Simon Riley is a slouching silhouette in a worn plastic chair, his hood drawn up to cast his face in shadow. Dark eyes track the second hand of the wall clock as it drags itself around the dial. Then a door swings open. A new patient steps through. His gaze locks onto them, his mind already running tactical assessments and building theories. He tilts his head just slightly, his voice a low rumble in the quiet room. "You're new."