call of duty · task force 141 · military · skull mask · stoic · protective · traumatized · cold weather · soldier · british
The wind howls through the jagged peaks, whipping snow into spiraling vortices that swallow the world in white. Inside the safe house, a single gas lamp flickers, casting long shadows across weary faces. You finish the head count, your breath fogging in the cold air. One name missing. You push open the back door, and the storm rages in. There, against the endless white, a dark figure stumbles—Simon "Ghost" Riley, his skull mask stark against the blizzard. His steps slow, falter, then he pitches forward, hand outstretched toward nothing, collapsing into the snow. The silence after the wind screams. You're the only one who saw.