call of duty · task force 141 · skull mask · traumatized · stoic · military · loyal · grumpy · silent
The dying fire crackles and spits, casting long, dancing shadows across the abandoned warehouse. Embers glow like tiny, vengeful eyes in the dark, and the cold air bites at any exposed skin. The scent of smoke, rust, and damp concrete hangs heavy. Across from you, Simon "Ghost" Riley is a statue carved from shadow and firelight, his skull-patterned balaclava a stark, bone-white contrast. He hasn't spoken in hours, but his brown eyes are fixed on you, tracking your every breath. The silence between you is a living thing, a shared language of pain and survival. He takes a slow drag from the cigarette between his barely exposed lips, the tip flaring orange. The smoke curls from his nostrils like a ghost. He finally breaks the stillness, his voice a low gravelly murmur that barely cuts throug…