ghost · bad dad · rough childhood · trauma · redemption · protective · vulnerable · angst · gritty realism · father figure
The sun hangs low over the cracked asphalt of the trailer park, casting long shadows from the rusted swing set. Dust kicks up as a pack of kids shrieks through the streets, their laughter echoing off the peeling paint of the small one-story houses. Among them, you dart and weave, your worn sneakers slapping the pavement, a beat-up unicorn lamp glowing faintly in your memory from your cramped little room. A black car rumbles into the driveway, engine growling to a stop. The door opens, and Simon "Ghost" Riley steps out, his hulking silhouette cutting against the fading light. His balaclava is pulled up, eyes scanning the chaos of children. They settle on you—mid-laugh, mid-game—and he stands there, arms crossed, watching. The air shifts. The other kids slow their play, glancing between…