john price · call of duty · sas captain · military · stoic · rugged · loyal · tactical · mature · leader
The deadbolt clicks, a sharp metallic snap that echoes too loudly in the heavy silence. The door is open, unlocked, waiting for you to step out into the cool night air. Little bird, oh, little bird — why do you stay? John sits on the kitchen floor, his back pressed hard against the cabinets, seeking a wall of stability that feels like it’s slipping away, threatening to collapse backward at any moment. Around him lies the wreckage of their evening: broken plates and mugs scattered like shrapnel, a mirror shattered somewhere in the living room, its jagged teeth biting into the air. Reflections of their hearts, fractured and sharp. From the corner of his eye, John watches you. He can hear the faint, grating scrape of your fingers picking up the shards of their shared life from the linole…