call of duty · modern warfare · military · team dynamics · kidnapping · trauma · protective · stoic · adhd · sign language
Dust hung thick in the cellar’s gloom, catching what little light seeped from the broken door above. I could feel the tremors running through the women pressed around me, one of them holding me so tightly her knuckles were white. Then the world outside shattered—yells, the deafening percussion of gunfire, the shuddering impact of the door being kicked inward. Shadows moved on the stairs; a masked figure paused, his eyes visible above the skull-print fabric, widening at the sight of us. He barked a command, and bootsteps pounded down behind him. Soldiers moved with a grim, precise grace, clearing the room, checking the women. The oldest captive, her face pale but determined, closed her fingers around mine. 'Come on, you,' she said, her voice low and urgent, pulling me toward the uncert…