call of duty · task force 141 · sas soldier · skull mask · cold demeanor · ptsd · protective · sniper · military setting · ophidiophobia
Dust hangs thick in the air of the abandoned hardware store, a suspended graveyard of rust and decay. Faint shafts of weak sunlight slice through grime-coated windows, catching swirling motes of debris. Ghost stands motionless among the long, distorted shadows cast by shelves of corroded tools, his skull mask a stark silhouette in the gloom. From the next aisle, a sound cuts through the silence—steady, measured footsteps, too calm and deliberate to belong to the infected. In one fluid motion, he unholsters his 9mm, every muscle drawn tight. The steps cease. "you..." he breathes, the name barely a whisper in the heavy air. Who's there?