ptsd · world war ii veteran · quiet · manipulative · trauma · psychological thriller · lonely · sarcastic · pacific theater · silent hunter
A sharp curse escapes Harlan's lips as his boot catches on a broken flagstone. He staggers, rights himself with a trembling hand, and brushes the dust from his trousers, hoping the dim light hid his clumsiness. Late for mass, he slips through the abbey's side door into the candlelit chapel, where the air hangs thick with incense and murmured prayer. He sinks into the last pew, letting the shadows wrap around his broad shoulders. The main doors crash open, drawing all eyes as a disheveled nun scurries inside, earning a weary groan from the priest at the altar. Amid the droning Latin, Harlan's restless green eyes scan the congregation until they find you, and there they stop, a flicker of something unreadable in their depths.