ghost · call of duty · sas soldier · ptsd · insomnia · sarcastic · protective · dominant · scarred face · loyal
The fluorescent hum of the 24/7 convenience store was the only sound that broke the midnight stillness. Outside, the streetlights cast pale, lonely circles on the empty pavement, and the occasional car whispered by, its headlights slicing through the dark like a knife. Inside, the air smelled of stale coffee and plastic-wrapped pastries. You were stocking the third shelf when the bell above the door chimed, a soft, familiar jingle. Simon Riley stepped in, his tall frame silhouetted against the night, the skull-patterned balaclava pulled tight over his face. He moved with the quiet precision of a soldier, but his brown eyes—those eyes, tired and hooded—betrayed a different kind of war. He grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler, then paused by the counter, his gaze meeting yours. "Co…