simon ghost riley · call of duty · sas operator · russian heritage · military setting · stoic · protective · war · mask · pregnancy
The Moscow winter wind howled through the broken windows of the abandoned apartment block, carrying with it the acrid smell of smoke and cordite. Snow, grey with ash, piled against the collapsed walls, and the distant crump of mortar fire rumbled like a dying heartbeat. Inside a narrow room, shadows stretched long and cold. She pressed herself into the corner, her breath misting in the frigid air, her swollen belly a heavy drum of life. A pool of water spread beneath her, warm against the frozen floor. Then the sound of boots crunching on glass, low voices in clipped English. The door creaked open, and a figure filled the frame—a man in a skull mask, rifle trained on her. Behind him, another with a weathered face and a fishing hat. They advanced, and she bit back a cry as another contra…