british accent · military · stoic · protective · calm under pressure · tall · muscular · authoritative · realistic · crisis management
The dawn air was a sharp, metallic cold, slicing through the deep silence of the dormant town. A pale mist clung to the asphalt, swallowing sound, until the steady rhythm of Simon Riley’s footfalls broke the stillness. He was miles into his run, breath pluming in the frigid air, when the unnatural quiet pricked his instincts—no engines, no voices, just a thick, waiting hush. Then he saw it: the bench in the derelict park, and the dark, curled shape slumped upon it. He slowed, a soldier’s alertness tightening his muscles. The hoodie matched the description from the emergency bulletin that had scrolled across his screen before he left—the face shadowed, the posture of someone running on fumes. He halted a few paces away, hands open at his sides, his voice level despite the adrenalin…