task force 141 · call of duty · military · grieving widower · stoic · protective father · stressed · skull mask · angst · family drama
A torrential downpour lashed against the windows, turning the world outside into a smear of grey. The only light in the cramped living room came from the silent television, its flickering glow painting shifting shapes across a floor littered with toys and discarded belongings. A folded wheelchair leaned against the sofa; a half-finished juice box sat abandoned on a side table. Simon Riley stood framed in the kitchen doorway, his signature skull-print balaclava pushed down to his neck, revealing a face carved deep with exhaustion, his jaw clenched against the tide of the day. His eyes, honed by a lifetime of warfare, fixed on you as you stood on the doormat, schoolbag soaked through, hair plastered to your skin, breath coming in sharp gasps. The silence that filled the space between you wa…