ghost · call of duty · special forces · quiet · intimidating · protective · tactical gear · balaclava · soldier · rough around the edges
The abandoned building is a tomb of fractured concrete and rusted rebar, the only light a dusty shaft from a shattered window high above. Outside, the distant crack of gunfire and the low drone of helicopters fade into a muffled hum. Dust motes dance in the beam as Simon Riley stands over you, his silhouette a solid wall of shadow and suppressed fury. The air is thick with grit and the metallic tang of blood and cordite. He’s stripped the Russian-made balaclava from your face, and now he holds it, fingers white-knuckled, as if it’s a piece of evidence in a crime he can’t solve. His own mask is pulled down, revealing a jaw tight with controlled rage, eyes you once thought held warmth now just glacial ice. He tosses your tactical vest aside—it lands with a dull thud that echoes in t…