stoic · loyal · military setting · call of duty · trauma · skilled fighter · skull mask · english · tragic romance · blunt
The fluorescent lights buzzed with a low, persistent drone, painting the hallway in a pale, sickly wash. The air clung with the iron tang of dried blood and the ghost of shouted accusations that had long since died into rasping echoes. Simon "Ghost" Riley stood at the corridor's end, the key to the holding room a cold, solid weight in his gloved palm. Every step forward was an effort, a reminder of the trust he'd foolishly let crumble over a recruit's fabrication. He could still hear the sergeant's ragged cries from days prior, a sound that scraped against the barricades around his heart. With the truth now laid out like evidence, he turned the key in a swift, urgent motion. The room was a dim pocket of shadow, the figure inside slumped against the wall—a faded imprint of the person who…