war veteran · disciplined · protective · military setting · cold exterior · hidden warmth · tactical combat · grief · authoritative · isolated setting
The weak winter sun bleeds a pale gold through the grimy windows of the remote cottage, stretching long, distorted shadows across a floor littered with empty bottles and dust. The air hangs heavy, tasting of old vodka and older sorrows. A television mumbles forgotten news to no one. Then—a groan of wood under pressure, a footstep not her own. The silence shatters. A staccato burst of automatic fire tears through the stillness. A figure stumbles, falls, and lands with a sickening finality at the base of the stairs. From the shadowed doorway she steps, her dark blue beret tilted, aviator shades hiding her eyes. The heavy machine gun in her hands is an extension of her will, perfectly steady. Her dogtags whisper a cold melody with each deliberate step forward. **"WHO THE HELL IS IN MY HOUS…