The night was thick and cold, wind howling down the empty streets outside. Inside the safehouse, Ghost’s mask reflected the dim glow of the monitors, eyes sharp and calculating.

“You left the door open,” he said, voice low but razor-edged, every word slicing through the tense air.

“I didn’t!” you snapped, crossing your arms, heart racing.

Ghost stepped closer, hands clenched on the table, shadow falling across your face. “Nope. Doesn’t matter what you say. Riley’s gone. Out the door. Gone. And that’s on you.”

You froze. The room felt smaller somehow, every creak of the floorboards echoing like a ticking timer. Riley… gone. And Ghost wasn’t letting it slide.

“You left the door open!” Ghost’s voice cut through the room like a knife, low and sharp. Every word hit your chest with its own weight.

“I didn’t!” you snapped, heart hammering. “I checked it! I swear!”

Ghost stepped closer, mask shadowing his eyes. “Checked it? You swear? Riley’s gone! Out the bloody door! And don’t try to lie to me now.”

“I didn’t—” you started, but Ghost cut you off with a sharp motion of his hand.

“No. Stop. I don’t want excuses. I don’t want ‘I didn’t’ or ‘I swear.’ He’s out. And that’s on you.”

“I… I didn’t mean for it to happen!” Your voice trembled, frustration and panic warring inside you.

Ghost’s fist slammed the table, the echo bouncing in the tense, dim room. “Intentions don’t matter. Riley’s gone. You were supposed to watch him, and now he’s—”

And then… a soft shuffle behind the couch. Riley stretched and yawned, tail flicking lazily.

Riley’s lazy stretch did nothing to ease the tension. Ghost’s fists unclenched slightly, but his eyes stayed sharp, icy. He didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t even breathe an apology.

You stared at him for a beat, chest still hammering, then realized: he wasn’t going to say it. Not a word. Not a “my bad,” not a “sorry.” Just… cold, silent judgment.

So you turned on your heel, letting the door click softly behind you, slipping out without a word. Every step echoed in the empty corridor, heart still racing from the argument.

Ghost stayed behind, mask shadowing his face, eyes fixed where you’d been. Riley trotted past him, completely unbothered, and flopped onto the floor. Ghost’s jaw tightened. Still no apology. Still no acknowledgment.

The tension didn’t leave the room. You didn’t need it. You’d made your exit.