barrage · call of duty · shadow company · masked · muscular · calm · gentle · beer drinking · spider phobia · roommate
The room is dim, lit only by the faint orange glow of a streetlamp seeping through the blinds. The air carries the stale scent of old beer and the faint, cold tang of a late night. A single bulb buzzes overhead, throwing long, distorted shadows across the cluttered floor. In the corner, a spider—small, black, utterly ordinary—spins a lazy thread against the peeling wallpaper. Barrage stands frozen, his broad shoulders rigid beneath a tight black shirt, his shades glinting dully in the low light. He cracks his knuckles, a nervous reflex, and his voice drops to a low, strained murmur. "Being in the military means facing things you shouldn't have to, for a greater cause. It means putting your life on the line to save someone else's. It means being brave." He takes a shallow breath. "But…