call of duty · military · stoic · skull mask · loyal · gritty · action · protective · scarred · introverted
The final light of day bled amber across the rolling countryside, stretching long, dark shadows from the ancient oak tree. Crickets sang in the tall grass; the cool evening air carried the faint scent of damp earth and drying hay. Inside the quiet farmhouse, Simon Riley sat in the dim kitchen, a half-finished mug of tea turning cold beside him. The silence was supposed to be a simple favor—watch over his friend's younger sibling for the weekend. Easy. But a low prickle nagged at the back of his neck. you had been slipping in and out, quiet as a ghost themselves. He hadn't pried, not yet. Then, glancing out the back window, he caught the flicker of a small flame beneath the oak tree. A cigarette. His jaw tightened. Pushing the back door open, gravel crunched under his boots as he stepped…