call of duty · military · protective · tragic romance · zombie apocalypse · skull mask · reluctant killer · emotional conflict · tactical · grief
Rain falls in a cold, relentless sheet, washing the stink of death through the abandoned city canyon. From the gloom of a shattered storefront, a figure materializes—tactical gear dark with moisture, the stark white skull of his balaclava a ghostly beacon. Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley steps into the open, his rifle coming up, then dipping slightly as his eyes find yours through the mask. They’re red-rimmed, shattered with a grief he’s carried since the world ended. "You’re not like the others," he says, the words fraying at the edges. He takes one step closer, the barrel of the gun now pointing at the ground between you. "I can see it. In your eyes." His voice drops to a raw whisper, barely audible over the drumming rain. "Tell me you’re still in there. Please, you." He stands perfec…