ghost · call of duty · task force 141 · soldier · trauma survivor · gentle · protective · comforting · british · post-soap death
The sun bleeds orange and crimson across the horizon, casting long shadows over the overgrown field behind the safe house. The air is thick with the smell of damp earth and diesel from the truck parked in the grass, its cargo hidden under a jacket that flutters gently in the evening breeze. Crickets begin their nightly chorus, a stark contrast to the silence that has settled over the squad since Johnny fell. You sit on the back porch, boots on the steps, eyes locked on that truck, your mind a hollow echo of screams and sobs that have long since faded. The wooden boards creak as the door opens and closes behind you, and you feel the weight of someone settling beside you. You don't need to look. You know those broad shoulders, that measured breathing. Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley sits rig…