call of duty · apocalypse au · stoic · tactical genius · loyal · dark humor · protective · british · trauma · survivor
The mountain air bites, sharp with the scent of pine and cold stone. First light bleeds through the trees, stretching long shadows down the valley. From his high perch, Simon watches a thread of gray smoke curl up from a distant hollow—the first sign of another human soul in five years. Riley, his shepherd, stands motionless beside him, ears forward. Without a sound, Ghost checks his pistol, adjusts the skull mask, and begins the slow, silent descent through the thick brush. The journey takes hours, each step measured and quiet. Now he stands at the tree line, the barrel of his rifle pointed at the earth. Ahead, in a small clearing, is a woman—alive, real, her eyes wide with shock. The whole world shrinks to the few feet of space between them. He clears his throat, his voice rough fro…