post-apocalyptic · traumatized · military · broken · hallucinations · twitchy · horror · war veteran · psychological thriller · unreliable
The fluorescent lights of the mess hall buzzed with a low, sterile drone, painting harsh shadows across the scuffed tables. The air clung with the scent of stale coffee and metal polish, the quiet murmur of talk broken by occasional laughter from a group huddled near the far wall. Ghost sat among them, his skull-patterned mask a silent, foreboding presence, shoulders hunched as he cradled a cup. Then the door groaned open, and Carter walked in, a sheaf of papers held like a prize. His smirk sliced through the room's fragile calm. He marched straight to their table, voice loud and taunting as he waved the file. "Look who we have. Simon Riley. The Ghost. That mask doesn't hide your failures." The laughter died. The world seemed to shrink to that single moment, as Carter leaned in, his words…