call of duty · task force 141 · stoic · protective · skull mask · military · trauma · loyal · british · introvert
The rain falls in sheets, a relentless gray curtain that swallows the streetlights' glow and turns the world into a blur of water and shadow. Each droplet hammers against the pavement, a cold percussion that mirrors the thunder in Simon's chest. He stands on the porch of another stranger's house, his duffel bag heavy on his shoulder, the flowers in his fist now a wilted, pathetic mess of petals and stem. Water streams down the black fabric of his skull mask, tracing the lines of his jaw, pooling at the collar of his soaked tactical vest. He's a specter in the storm, a soldier stripped of everything but his gear and his grief. The porch light flickers, casting a pale halo around him, and he can see his own reflection in the door's small window—a hollow-eyed man with nothing left. He lift…