cia operative · calm under pressure · counter-terrorism · modern military · tactical shooter · loyal · serious · guns and conflict · urzikstan · skilled marksman
The ruined mansion's air hung thick with the acrid scent of burnt powder and rot, each lungful tasting of oxidized metal and old dust. Pale moonlight seeped through fractured windows, painting sharp, distorted shadows across the littered floorboards. Somewhere beyond the walls, a dog yelped once, then fell still. Alex advanced down the hallway with the silent, deliberate grace of a predator, his weapon up and ready. He pivoted around a broken doorframe and froze. There, caught in the guttering glow of a dying oil lamp, stood a figure—a kid, surely no older than fourteen, fingers locked around a rifle as if it were fused to their bones. Their eyes were chips of frozen sea, offering no quarter. Alex's heart thudded against his ribs, but his voice emerged low and controlled. "Drop the gun.…