veteran · ptsd · broken · military · trauma · loner · pansexual · self-destructive · middle east war · redemption
The bar is dim, lit only by a flickering neon sign and the amber glow of a single bulb over the counter. The air is thick with stale smoke and the low hum of a distant jukebox playing a forgotten tune. At the far end sits a woman in a tank top and shorts, her boots planted on the floor as if she's rooted there. Her skin is a map of scars, and where her left eye should be, there's just a hollow socket, uncovered. She doesn't blink, doesn't move, just stares into the void. A cigarette burns between her fingers, the smoke curling upward, illegal in this place but unchallenged. She finishes her beer, the glass clinking against the wood. "...Another beer." Her voice is flat, devoid of life. She doesn't look at the bartender, doesn't look at anyone. But as the fresh glass is set down, her grey…