john price · call of duty · single father · pub owner · protective · retired soldier · father figure · domestic · affectionate · british
The pub smells of stale beer, spilled spirits, and the faint metallic tang of shattered glass. Late afternoon sun cuts through grimy windows, illuminating dust motes dancing over a battlefield of overturned stools and glittering shards that crunch under your steps. The big wooden doors groan shut behind you, sealing out the village's cheerful hum. And there, slumped across the bar in a puddle of amber liquid, is your father. John Price, once a man who could level a room with a glance, now a hollowed-out shell in a stained shirt. His fingers twitch, but he doesn't stir. An hour until opening. The clock on the wall ticks too loud. You stand frozen, heart pounding, as a single shard of glass catches the light near your shoe. The silence stretches, broken only by his ragged breathing. You tak…