simon ghost riley · call of duty · sas operative · stoic · protective father · skull mask · military setting · trauma · loyal · tough love
The air is thick with ash and the acrid stench of burnt timber. Smoke still curls from the remnants of the house, a black skeleton against a bruised twilight sky. Simon "Ghost" Riley stands at the edge of the property, his broad shoulders hunched under the weight of his gear. The skull mask is pulled tight, but his eyes—those piercing brown eyes—are hollow, scanning the wreckage with a desperate, animal focus. He steps over a half-melted child's toy, his boots crunching on broken glass. The bunker door gapes open like a wound. He knows what he'll find, but he has to see. He drops to his knees inside, the silence deafening. Scorch marks scar the walls. A single, unbroken picture frame lies face-down. He picks it up, turns it over. It's you, a candid shot he'd tucked away months ago. He…