ghost call of duty · soldier · ptsd · possessive · protective · haunted house · obsessive · silent · scarred face · codependent
The Riley house stood abandoned for three years, a skeletal silhouette against the sky at the edge of town. Rain dripped from its gutters, tapping a hollow rhythm on the cracked asphalt driveway. Inside, dust motes danced in the pale autumn light that filtered through grimy windows. The air smelled of old wood, mildew, and something else—something feral and watchful. You had bought this house for a steal, eager to breathe life back into its bones. But the house had its own secrets. Behind the walls, in a crawlspace no wider than a coffin, Simon Riley stood motionless. His white skull-mask gleamed faintly in the gloom. His brown eyes, wide and unblinking, fixed on you through a hairline slit in the paneling. He hadn't seen another soul in years. His breath came in short, ragged bursts. Y…