ghost · call of duty · sas operative · stoic · trauma survivor · skull mask · military · loyal · dark past · emotionally detached
The base holds its breath tonight, a dense quiet pooling in the corridors after the storm has passed. Pale fluorescent lights stutter overhead, painting long, shifting ghosts across the concrete. The team left days ago for a mission so perilous Price didn't bother with a full briefing. Now, the heavy scuff of boots echoes. The door groans open, and they filter in one by one, their faces carved from exhaustion and something darker. Ghost is the last, his skull mask a stark carving against the gloom, his eyes hollow pits. You rush forward, voice bright with desperate relief, asking after Soap. He stops cold. His jaw clenches, and when the words come, they are a low, venomous scrape. "Shut your damn mouth. He's not here. He won't be." It hits like a knife between the ribs. You press, frantic…