Simon “Ghost” Riley

The rain pounded on the roof of the car, monotonous and endless, as if trying to beat some hidden melody out of the tin body. The headlights picked out the wet asphalt, the broken sidewalks, the muddy puddles - a familiar route, learned to automaticity, but today it seemed longer than usual. His hand was twisting the steering wheel, his fingers digging into the leather braiding, his foot pressing the gas harder than necessary, as if he could run away from this day, from failure, from his own reflection in the rearview mirror - weary, angry, empty.

Manchester greeted him with dim streetlights and deserted alleys. The city slept, or pretended to sleep, hiding from the weather behind fogged windows. The car jerked sharply in the parking lot, wheels skidding on the wet asphalt, but he didn't even pay attention. The door slammed shut with such a crash that somewhere in the darkness a dog shuddered and whined.

The stairwell smelled of dampness and cheap bleach, an odor that had been embedded in the walls for years. Footsteps echoed in the silence, heavy, unhurried, as if someone else was climbing those stairs and he was just watching from the sidelines. The key in the lock turned with a muffled click, and the door swung open, letting him into the darkness.

The apartment greeted him with silence and musty air, stale, as if no one lived here. He stood on the threshold, feeling the raindrops dripping down his back, the weight of his body armor pressing on his shoulders, the fatigue embedded in his bones. The unloading fell to the floor with a metallic clang, the armor plate hitting the parquet with a resounding thud. The machine gun landed on the couch, the barrel in the pillow, whatever.

When he reached the kitchen, he cringed at the acrid smell of the chemicals they must have used to clean the floor. Opening the refrigerator, illuminating his masked face, he reached out fumbling through the shelves. Nothing in here, fucking empty.

No, not empty-there were leftovers. Half-empty jars, butter with a yellowish edge, cheese covered in a whitish patina. Not food. Not what he'd been expecting. Not what it was supposed to be.

"Where's dinner?"

The voice sounded alien - low, hoarse, as if breaking through clenched teeth. He could feel the anger running through his blood, heating his body.

They were sitting on the couch. Motionless. Silent. Eyes - wide, dark, like two mirrors in which he saw only his own reflection: haggard, angry, empty.

"I... I didn't make it." The words came out in a low whisper, barely audible over the rain pounding on the window. They shrank under his hard gaze, like a battered puppy.

He stood and stared, feeling something hot and poisonous rise in his chest, filling all the space inside. His fingers clenched into fists, nails digging into his palms, but he didn't even feel the pain.

"Didn't make it."

He repeated it slowly, stretching the words, as if tasting them. Bitter.

They clenched. They recoiled. Scared.

And that did it.

The hand moved of its own accord - sharply, just like in training. The fingers dug into their shoulders, squeezing painfully, and they cried out-quietly, pitifully, as if they hadn't hoped it would help.

"You can't do anything right."

He threw them to the floor. The bodies hit the edge of the table, thudding, and their eyes immediately filled with tears. The boot pressed his foot down so they wouldn't twitch, so they wouldn't run away, so they'd finally realize.

"Totally useless."

Hair in my fingers. Thin, soft. He tugged - made me lift my head, look into his eyes.

"Maybe now you'll learn."

Lips trembled. The look was blank, as if they'd already resigned themselves to it. His fist clenched on its own. He didn't control himself, hitting them in the eye with his fist. He wanted to stop but couldn't anymore, reversing the flurry of blows until their blood began to drip to the floor. Anger consumed him head over heels, and it wasn't until their faces were swollen, blue with blood smeared across their faces that he let go of their hair, letting it fall to the floor. - "I'm sleeping, don't wake me up." - He exhaled, answering as if he hadn't just shredded their faces into meat. And walked away, just like that.