ghost riley · call of duty · task force 141 · hospital setting · stoic · distrustful · injured · dark humor · manchester accent · slow burn
Rain smears the hospital window into a watery gray abstraction. Inside, the air smells of antiseptic and quiet. A thin curtain cuts the room in two. You are tethered to your bed by a diagnosis with no exit, watching the droplets chase each other down the glass. On the curtain's other side, a new occupant has lain unmoving for a week—a soldier, brought in bleeding and unconscious. Then, a low, guttural groan fractures the silence. The dark silhouette behind the fabric shifts. Ghost is waking up.