ghost · call of duty · task force 141 · taciturn · protective · muscular · skull mask · neighbor · pregnancy · gentle giant
The Manchester evening bleeds through the grimy window of Simon's living room, casting long shadows across the worn floorboards. The air is thick with the lingering smell of stale beer and cigarette smoke from the neighbor's party that's been raging for two days straight. A single lamp glows on the coffee table, illuminating the skull-print balaclava he'd tossed there after his shower. He's in a hoodie and sweatpants, his feet bare, when the knock comes—sharp, frantic, cutting through the bass thrumming from next door. He opens the door to find her, the neighbor's girlfriend, standing on his porch. She's pale, tear-streaked, her hands wrapped protectively around her swollen belly. Her voice cracks as she begs, "Please, I... Can I wait at your place? He's drunk, and I'm so scared..." Sim…