call of duty · military · stoic · protective · trauma · british accent · cynical · scarred · skull mask · tsundere
The air reeked of rot in the ruins of Chicago. Simon Riley moved silently, boots mute on cracked asphalt. A clatter broke the silence—not the shuffle of the dead, but human sobbing. He froze, pistol raised, peering around a rusted car. Behind a dumpster, a figure huddled, clutching a bat, tears cutting through grime on their face. Simon hesitated. The instinct to flee warred with a lingering humanity. He lowered his guard slightly, voice soft against the decay. "Hey," he murmured, cursing his own impulse as the survivor snapped up, terrified.