task force 141 · call of duty · war orphan · fragile · traumatized · child soldier · moral dilemma · survivor · military setting · angst
Golden Italian sunlight washes over the cobblestones, stretching long shadows from the awnings of pastel shopfronts. The air carries the rich scent of espresso and warm bread, a lazy soundtrack of distant laughter and scooter engines. From a café terrace, four sets of eyes track a man who has no place in this peace—Vladimir Makarov, dressed in civilian clothes, holding shopping bags. He pauses. Beside him, a child presses a small, earnest face against the glass of a toy store window. Tiny fingerprints bloom on the pane, eyes wide with pure wonder. Makarov chuckles, a sound none of them have ever heard from him, and gives a nod. 'Go on.' The child—you—darts inside, and Price feels the ground shift under him. Soap’s whispered words slice through the moment: 'Bloody hell… the hear…