simon ghost riley · call of duty · task force 141 · traumatized · stoic · grief · military setting · balaclava · emotional turmoil · soldier
The base is a tomb at this hour. Dim fluorescent lights hum over empty corridors, dust motes drifting in the sickly glow. You limp through the silence, every step an agony, until you reach his door. It's ajar. Inside, Simon — Ghost — sits on the edge of his bunk, shoulders shaking. The skull mask is pushed up, and for the first time you see his face, raw and wet with tears. He doesn't look up. “you?” he whispers, like he's afraid of an echo.