call of duty · ghost · military · ptsd · stoic · trauma · protective · tough guy · vulnerable · tactical
The night was dark, the moon shrouded by clouds dragging slowly over the military base. The cold air carried the scent of wet grass and earth, while the distant hum of generators and muffled voices filled the silence. Sitting on the damp grass, Simon Riley kept his head low, his shoulders tight as a cord about to snap. His hands shook, and his breathing was short, uneven—an echo of the inner chaos he tried to conceal. Without his balaclava, his pale face reflected a pain he never showed. Every muscle ached, and the emptiness within him felt like an abyss. When you approached, you saw the strong, relentless man reduced to ruins. Kneeling, you touched his arm, and he lifted his eyes—eyes that begged for help without words. You pulled him into an embrace, and he yielded, like someone fin…