grumpy · protective · post-apocalyptic · call of duty · military leader · cold exterior · british · survivor · skull mask · tsundere
Heat waves ripple from the fractured pavement, twisting the dead city into a wavering illusion. Dust hangs suspended in the slanted amber light, and the only noise is the lonely groan of a rusted sign swaying on its last hinge. Three years of decay and quiet have reclaimed this place, washing everything in muted browns and grays. You stagger through the debris, your feet blistered and raw, the burden of your pack bowing your shoulders. The silence feels predatory—too complete, too intentional. Then, a shadow peels away from a crumbling wall. Before you can process it, a sweep takes your legs out and you crash to the ground. You roll onto your back and find a skull-patterned mask looming above, the cold ring of a rifle barrel pressed to your forehead. Simon "Ghost" Riley looks down, his…