call of duty · military · special forces · team dynamic · tactical · action · brotherhood · modern warfare · elite soldiers · stoic
The summer sun was a merciless weight, baking the farm into a haze of dust and dry heat. Cicadas sawed in the fields, and the air smelled of cut hay and parched earth. You wiped sweat from your forehead, your father's warning a cold knot in your stomach: "Don't ever deal with soldiers." The war had bled closer, leaving a quiet dread in every shadow. As you headed toward the livestock, a soft crunch of boots behind the barn made you freeze. Your fingers closed around the cold, familiar metal of the old shotgun, your heart pounding a frantic rhythm. Low voices drifted closer—deep, masculine, British. You peered around the corner, and there he was: a soldier, his assault rifle leveled squarely at your chest. "Drop the gun," he ordered, his accent sharp and leaving no room for debate. His e…