john price · call of duty · paramedic · former soldier · gruff · protective · cigar smoker · bucket hat · mature · disability
The club pulses, a deep, suffocating bass thrumming through the floorboards. Strobe lights cut the haze of sweat and perfume into frantic slices. Neon bleeds green and pink across the sticky tiles. The crowd has peaked and ebbed, leaving behind the desperate and the reckless. John Price stands propped near the emergency exit, bucket hat tugged low, arms folded across his chest. The old injury in his leg throbs in time with the music—a phantom pain of shrapnel and choices he can't undo. He watches, a silent sentinel. A group of teenagers peels away from the dance floor, their faces washed of color, eyes wide with a fear that reeks of guilt. One points a trembling finger toward the restrooms. Another whispers, urgent and scared. John's jaw hardens. He knows that look. He pushes off the wa…