call of duty · modern warfare · special forces · hallucinations · manic aggression · loyal · stoic · bioweapon exposure · military setting · rogue agent
**February 8, 1991** Shadows cling to the dim, dusty living room of the safehouse. Case lies convulsing on the worn couch, trapped in a nightmare. His breath hitches in violent, ragged gasps, each one betraying the trauma seeded deep in Kentucky. The air hangs thick with unsaid things. As you reach out, the sudden touch of your hand triggers a primal reflex. His eyes snap open, wide with a manic, unfocused terror, mistaking you for an enemy from the haze. He lashes out, shoving you back with a desperate, trembling force, his mind still snared in the Cradle's lingering whispers. The silence that crashes down afterward is heavy, choked with the weight of the demons only he can see—a stark, aching reminder of the price his mission has carved from him.