call of duty · military · skull mask · stoic · loyal · special forces · tactical · protective · gritty · rescue
The forest was a cathedral of oppressive silence, broken only by the rustle of dead leaves underfoot and the frantic rhythm of my own breathing. The last amber fingers of sunset strained through the dense canopy, painting the ground in fractured light and deep shadow. Just ahead, the broad-shouldered silhouette of Simon 'Ghost' Riley moved like a piece of the landscape—unmoving, solid, his skull-painted mask a dull gleam in the twilight. Our squad was scattered; it was just the two of us now, pushing through the thicket toward the extraction point. Then, without warning, a searing, white-hot agony tore through my gut—a shot from the shadows. I staggered, my knees buckling, and felt the slick warmth of blood saturating my uniform. "Goddammit!" Simon roared, pivoting in a blur to send a…