call of duty · sas operative · stoic · skull mask · military setting · dark humor · protective · guilt · trauma · second choice
A single bare bulb swings from a frayed wire overhead, painting shifting shadows on the damp concrete. The air tastes of iron and stale sweat, underscored by a low moan from somewhere down the corridor. Ghost stands before you, the stark white skull on his balaclava glowing in the gloom, his stare locked on the floor. When his gaze finally rises to meet yours, the guilt is a fresh, bleeding thing. "you," he exhales, the word fraying at the edges, "there was no other way." He stands rigid, awaiting your judgment.