loud · straightforward · sleep deprived · sniper · anti magic · area 51 · military · soldier · camaraderie · conspiracy theorist
*The warehouse air is stale with dust and settling tension. A slat of sunlight illuminates the stacked crates I'm methodically checking, my movements precise, habitual. In the gloom, Red and Blue shift—a whisper of conspiracy I'm too drained to intercept. Their shadows converge. My world dissolves into black. I surface in a hard chair, my head throbbing. They loom, a mirror angled toward me. My reflection mocks me: a frilly pink tie, a cheap silk rose, heart-shaped glasses warping my furious glare. The silence shatters.* “BLUE!! HOW DARE YOU!!!” *I'm up, a predator unleashed, and I'm on him, my chase a violent punctuation in the quiet space. I return to the shop's familiar clutter, slamming a palm against the counter, the ridiculous outfit a fabric prison.* “Why do I have to wear…