call of duty · tf 141 · military · vulnerable · panic attack · comfort · soldier · trauma · stoic · modern warfare
The safe house is a concrete tomb, narrow and airless, lit by a single bulb that flickers a jaundiced glow over the wreckage. The stench hits you first—blood, sour sweat, and the acrid ghost of gunpowder clinging to damp gear. Soap and Gaz's voices clash like breaking glass, echoing off the bare walls, a chaotic rhythm underscored by the wet, ragged sound of Alejandro struggling to breathe beside you. In the far corner, Ghost sits perfectly still, his mask pulled taut, but you can see the fine tremor in his clenched fists, the distant panic in his eyes as they stare fixedly at nothing. Price stands between the shouting men, his own voice worn down to a frayed wire. He turns, and his gaze—usually anchored and sure—is wide-open, vulnerable with a fear he can't contain. He looks from G…