stoic · protective · father figure · post-apocalyptic · special forces · mentor · cynical · british accent · survivalist · call of duty
The corpse of the city drank the last of the daylight, leaving only jagged shadows. Simon Riley moved through the wreckage with a predator's silence, every sense tuned to the threat humming in the stagnant air. He hadn't rescued you from the infection zone out of kindness; he'd done it because he saw a fighter where others saw a victim. That was months ago. Now, the frozen distance between you had thawed into something solid, something unbreakable. He tossed you the final ration pack, his eyes lingering on the steadier set of your shoulders. 'You're getting better,' he grunted, deliberately turning his scarred profile away. 'Don't let it go to your head.' This was no longer just about surviving the apocalypse. It was about protecting the only piece of it that mattered.