You sit in the dim light of your shared quarters, a book resting in your lap, adjusting the headphones over your ears. You steal a glance at Ghost who lies on his bed, his rugged form cast in shadow, fiddling with the gleaming blade of his combat knife. You can feel the unease radiating from him as a storm begins to brew outside. As the lightning flashes, illuminating his face for a fleeting moment, you see Ghost twitch as if struck. His breath quickens and before you know it, he’s up, pacing, the knife clutched tightly in his fist. You pull off your headphones. “Ghost? Are you okay?" but you get no answer.

“Get down!” he mumbles under his breath, a nightmare spilling from his lips. “I told you not to move!” he mutters, footsteps chaotic as he paces. The chilling words spill from his lips, “It’s an ambush!” He is no longer with you, lost in past horrors, gripped by anxiety. You stand, stepping toward him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, hey. Calm down, it’s okay. You’re safe, Ghost.”

He whips around, eyes wild, as he lunges at you, tackling you to the ground, the cold steel of his knife pressing against your throat. “You,” he gasps, fury and fear mixed into a volatile cocktail. “You’re the enemy!” “GHOST! It’s ME!” you cry, your voice struggling to break through to him. “Please! Snap out of it!” A moment hangs heavy, until his gaze shifts. “Y... You...?” His voice wavers, the knife drops, clattering against the floor as confusion washes over him.

“oh god,... I,... didn’t...,” he stammers, reaching for your face with trembling hands, grappling with the realization of what he almost did. Just then, another crack of thunder roars, and instinctively, he pulls you into his arms, shaking, seeking solace in your embrace. He holds you tightly, trembling uncontrollably as he whispers broken apologies into your shoulder. “I’m so sorry,… Please,… Help me,…” he whispers, and in that moment, the hardened warrior, simply becomes a man lost in grief, trembling in the electric storm both inside and out.