Word count: 4k

Gaz scoffs, glaring at me from the left side of Price, "she's not one of us," he bitterly snarled, with a profound tone of animosity in his voice. There was a look of pure hatred in his eyes, his facial expressions were hardened, with furrowed eyebrows and a clenched jaw. My eyes shifted from the Captain, and fixated on Gaz, narrowing my eyelids down at him. He was pissing me the hell off. 

Price sighed, there was a small look of annoyance spread across his features as he pursed his lips into a thin tight line, he clearly didn't like people questioning his authority, or snide and unnecessary comments. "Maybe not yet," he quickly added, "she will of course need to prove herself first." I decided to just keep my mouth shut, I wouldn't be able to control my words if I dared to speak.

The Captain walked toward my direction before standing behind me, he pulled a knife from his thigh holster and carefully cut the zip ties binding my wrists behind my back, the sound of the plastic being sliced into 2 pieces was like music to my ears. As my wrists were released I flexed them, relieved to have the restraints removed after being bound for what felt like an eternity. 

I brought my wrists into my eye line and examined them. They were swollen, black and blue bruises littered where the zip ties had been placed, and there was an indent of where they once were, with speckles of blood in the small valley's. "Thank you," I muttered to Price as I used one of my hands to massage a wrist, repeating the same motion to the other one. 

Price didn't say anything in return, he faced the group once more after stepping to the right side of me. I focused my attention on him and I positioned my body to face him, still mindlessly massaging my wrists. I could see Gaz still glaring at me in my peripherals before Price cleared his throat, and he moved his gaze over to him. 

"Ghost and Soap, you will be heading to Las Almas where you both will link up with Mexican Special Forces," he paused for a moment before continuing, glancing over at me for a second, "Y/n will be joining you, if her intel his correct, she will aid in the capture of Hassan for an interrogation." I looked over at Soap, his face remained stoic, but his eyes spoke a thousand words, I could tell he wasn't happy about the fact I was joining him and Ghost.

"Yes sir," was all Soap managed to say, it was clear he wanted to protest, but he knew better than to talk back. I could feel Ghost's eyes on me, it took everything in my being not to look at him, I wasn't in the mood to meet his piercing gaze. Price looked over at Ghost, who finally brought his attention away from me. He gave a slight nod at the Captain, and relaxed further back into his seat. "Graves and his shadow company PMC's will assist in Las Almas," he continued, "you three leave in a couple of days," he looked at each of us individually, before letting his gaze rest on Ghost, "Ghost, you will take Y/n out training before then, help her improve where she's lacking."

He let out a low grumble, muttering something inaudible to himself before nodding, "might need more than a couple days," he scoffed as he looked me up and down, turning away afterwards. 

I shot him a dirty look, my lips curled into a snarl, "if anyone needs training, it's you and your fucking attitude," I growled. He turned to face me again and narrowed his eyes, "watch your bloody mouth," he sneered. My jaw tightened as I clenched and unclenched my fists. It was taking all my will power not to show him just how much of a psycho bitch I was. 

"That's enough," Price warned, looking between the both of us. "You all are dismissed, Y/n hang back."

Gaz dryly chucked, "good bloody luck," he muttered as he stood up and left the room, giving a slight nod to Price as he exited. Soap followed, making his way to the door, shooting me deadly stares the entire time before he moved out of view. Ghost silently trailed behind them, making his way through the doorframe and leaving it cracked open behind him, not bothering to look at me once, still grumbling words I couldn't decipher. The sound of their heavy boots walking away slowly faded into silence, alongside Soap and Gaz's hushed chatter. My blood was boiling.

Price looked over at me, a corner of his mouth pulled to the side as he examined my appearance. "We have a spare barrack, I'll show you to it, " he rasped as his gaze fixated on the large bloody bruise on my forehead, "and maybe clean yourself up." As he spoke I noticed the slight British accent in his deep voice, I just nodded my head, not wanting to speak. "And listen, maybe try and get along with these guys, out in the field it's smart not to be enemies with your allies." I stared at him for a second, "great idea," I responded with a slight sarcasm in my voice.

He sighed and rubbed his temples for a moment before motioning for me to follow him, he led me out of the small building and toward the housing quarters. It was dark outside, the heat that plagued the compound had slowly dissipated into a cool breeze. My body ached, and my clothes were covered in muck and dried blood. I couldn't wait to shower and wash away the past couple day's events. 

He didn't bother for any small talk, and honestly I preferred it that way. I didn't like any of them as much as they didn't like me, Price was at least a little more bearable to be around than the other three. 

We finally reached a small concrete building with a slanted roof covered in worn tiles. There were a few windows that could be seen from the outside, and similar multi-story buildings were lined up next to each other in close proximity to one another. Stairways could be seen at each corner.

He walked up to the door as I closely followed behind him, he turned the handle and pushed it open, holding it for me to walk inside. The room was nice, as nice as a military barrack could possibly be at least, better than the ones Al-Qatala gave their soldiers. I was expecting 8 bunks to be shoved into every possible corner of the room, but was met with one bed positioned at the far right side of the wall. 

"Here you are," he stated as he pulled out a cigar from a small pocket located on his vest and placed it between his lips, "don't try anything, my boys can smell bullshit like a hound dog." I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes straight out of their sockets with that comment, he studied me for a second before lighting his cigar and walking away. 

I grumbled to myself as I walked through the open door and stepped inside, closing it shut behind me. The furniture in the room was very minimalistic, a wooden desk and chair occupied the far upper-right corner of the room, and a small wardrobe sat against the wall on the opposite side. There was a door centered on the wall between those two corners, which I assumed led to a bathroom. I looked down at the bed, on top was a stack of folded white sheets and a grey fleece blanket.

I brought my hands up to my face, softly rubbing my eyes before slowly dragging my fingers down my cheeks, slightly tugging at the skin. "How the hell did I get here.." I softly mumbled to myself as I let out a long, drawn out exacerbated sigh, dropping my arms back down to my sides. I set my sights on the wooden wardrobe and began to approach it, gently grabbing the small knobs and pulling the doors open. 

I was met with a small arrange of clothes, and quickly began to fish through the limited selection, grabbing a pair of grey sweats that looked like they'd fit well enough, alongside a white fitted tee. I crouched down and pulled open a small drawer located at the bottom of the wardrobe where I snagged a white sports bra and underwear.

With the set of clothes in hand I made my way over to the bathroom door and opened it, the shower was decently sized, with a curtain that served as protection from anyone who may walk in. Next to the door was a sink and a rectangular mirror that hung just above it. A toilet was stationed at the far side of the wall adjacent to where I was standing. Not bad. 

I placed the set of clothes on the sink, and made my way over to the shower, pulling the curtain to the side and turning the crystal knob to its highest setting. I began to slowly peel off my clothes that clung tightly to my body. I discarded my grey tank top, drenched in blood and covered in dirt, off to the side. As I moved my arms to my back, I undid the clasps of my once white bra, which was now a dark brown color. I slid off my black cargo pants, followed by my underwear, throwing everything into a heap in the corner of the bathroom. 

The steam slowly began to fill the small area, creating a comfortable warmth around me, and leaving the space in a misty haze. The sound of the running water, softly splashing against the shower floor, echoed gently in the small confinement of the room. The mirror gradually became more obscured as the steam began to accumulate, turning the clear glass into an opaque surface. The tile floor became slightly slick with condensation. 

I stepped into the shower, and pulled the curtain closed behind me. I tilted my head up toward the shower head, and slowly closed my eyes, letting the warm water splash down my face. Thoughts of Blaze, whether or not he was okay... of my other comrades all swirled around in my head. My mind wandered over to Al-Qatala, of the things they made me do. I softly sighed as my lips curled into a frown.

It was never my decision. I was always out of control, control I deserved to have over my own life, and honestly, a part of me was glad that Task Force whatever the fuck had swooped in and stole me away. And yet, this felt like betrayal. I knew it was only a matter of time before everything would catch up to me. I could never outrun the truth, it always found a way of coming out. I could never get away from it, never hide from it. 

"What am I going to do..." I whispered to myself as I opened my eyes once more. 

I softly sighed as I grabbed a small bar of unused soap, my fingers slowly lathering the substance into a thick foam. The gentle fragrance filled the air as I began to scrub every pore and crevice of my body, turning the water below me into a murky brown color, dirt began to litter the shower floor. The water washed away the foamy suds covering my body, leaving me somewhat clean. I doused my hair with shampoo, massaging my scalp with my fingers and finally letting the water wash it away, before repeating the process with the conditioner. 

I cupped my hands under the shower head, filling them with warm water as I began to wash my face, being mindful of the bruise on my forehead. After thoroughly cleaning myself, I chose to stand for a few more moments under the shower, not wanting to ever leave. After a few minutes, I reluctantly turned the knob back to its original state, the water halting. The only sound left in the room was the soft hum of the ventilation. 

I pulled the shower curtain to the side, and stepped out. My warm feet against the cool tile floor sent shivers up my spine, and goosebumps emerged from my skin. I bent down and quickly grabbed a folded tower under the sink, wrapping it tightly around my body, and tucking the top inwards to keep it in place. With a gentle hand I began to wipe away the thick condensation on the mirror, leaving wet streaks in my path.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror and softly bit at my lip as I rested both my hands on either side of the sink. The bruise and small cut on my forehead was less noticeable now, turning from a deep purple color into a greenish yellow one. I straightened myself back up and reached for a small hand towel, patting my face dry. I opened the small drawer connected to the sink, and began to rummage through it before grabbing a hairbrush. 

Tiny droplets of water fell from my hair as I brushed it, leaving a small puddle on the floor beneath me. I carefully untangled the wild knots in my hair with a gentle hand, never pulling too hard. As I brushed I couldn't stop thinking about the dumb ass "training" I had to do with Ghost tomorrow. I was great on the field, I didn't need help from anybody, especially somebody who's too insecure to show their ugly fucking face.

I rolled my eyes as I finished brushing my hair, picking up a loose hair tie in the drawer before shutting it closed. "I mean who does that guy think he is?" I muttered to myself as I began to braid my hair behind my back. I untucked the towel and loosened it around me, letting it drop to my feet as I reached for the clothes I had set out for myself. Once I was dressed I opened the bathroom door and stepped back into my room, by now it was pitch black outside. 

My stomach emitted a low growl, begging for food, I couldn't even remember the last time I had eaten. I glanced over at the digital alarm clock on the bedside table, 10:17 pm. I traipsed over to my door, standing in front of it with my right hand hand gently holding the handle, debating whether or not to open it. The only thing holding me back was the thought of having to deal with any one of the four assholes if they were there. 

As the desire for food continued to gnaw at my mind, I decided to just fuck it. I wasn't a pussy anyways. Gingerly I turned the handle downwards and pulled the door open, a rush of crisp, cool air greeting me. More goosebumps emerged on my skin as I stepped outside, pulling the door closed behind me. Slightly shivering, I began to progress toward what looked to be a common room. 

The cool air nipped at my exposed skin, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around my chest to provide some sort of coverage from the cold. In all honesty, it probably wouldn't have been that chilly to most people, I had just been accustomed to the dry heat of where I used to live. As I approached the open doorway I groaned to myself, I could hear the annoying voices of Gaz and Soap occupying the room. No Ghost though, at least something was working in my favor. 

When I walked inside, the small room suddenly went quiet, Gaz and Soap both turned to look at me, the atmosphere crackling immediately with tension as it filled the room, almost suffocatingly. "Take a picture, might last longer," I grumbled as I met both of their cold stares. "Don't flatter yourself lass," Soap snapped back, giving me a small eye roll before going back to whatever he was doing beforehand, I glanced at his hands. Was he drawing? 

Gaz continued to stare me down, I narrowed my eyes at him, the look of "I dare you to try me" inscribed all over my face. He grumbled something inaudible to himself before he broke off eye contact and whispered something to Soap, causing both of them to break out into a small fit of laughter. My jaw tightened and my fists clenched, my body language spoke a thousand words, most of them being "I wish I could kill both of these fuckers". It was clear we weren't going to get along. I just hoped it wouldn't come and bite my ass on the field.

Anger danced in my eyes as I let out a long, harsh sigh, turning away from them and making my way toward the small pantry. I could hear Gaz and Soap talking indistinctly, a part of me wanted to strain my ears and eavesdrop on what they were discussing, but I knew if it was about me, I wouldn't be able to control my anger for much longer. A small frown formed on my lips as I rummaged through the half-filled pantry, most of the items being labeled by the names of the squad. I missed talking, joking and laughing with my comrades. 

I finally found something without a name and immediately understood why, it was an almost expired can of sardines. Awesome. Slowly, I peeled the can open, the pungent aroma of old gross sardines filling the room, causing my nose to scrunch up in disgust. Both the men looked over at me and grimaced, "really?" Gaz asked as he held his fingers to his nose, squeezing softly in an attempt to block out the odor. 

"Yes really," I replied as I looked down into the can, examining the contents. If I wasn't so hungry, I would've thrown it straight into the garbage. With a shaky hand I grabbed a sardine and opened my mouth, "bloody christ," Soap whispered as he stared at me, his face full of repulsion. I snapped my head in his direction, glaring at him, "there is literally nothing else," I growled as I turned back to face the slimy sardine in front of my face. "Oh god, I can't watch..." Gaz ogled as he looked away. 

With trembling fingers I brought it to my mouth and popped it inside, slowly chewing. My face contorted into absolute disgust, my lips twisting in distaste. The gross flavor filled my senses as I ran over to the sink and spat it out, my body shuddering. "Ugh.." I groaned as I wiped my mouth with my hand. Soap and Gaz glanced at each other before erupting into laughter, the corners of my lips curled up into a small smile. It was kind of funny. 

I turned on the sink and tilted my head down and slightly toward the side, letting my mouth fill up with water before spitting it right back out. I slowly turned the handle back to its place, the water ceasing to flow. As I turned back around, I rested my back against the sink and looked over at Soap and Gaz, "those fucking sardines alone could've gotten the information out of me a lot sooner," I lightly joked, the tension in the room slightly easing. 

Soap gave me a cheeky grin in return, "I'll keep that in mind." Gaz remained a little standoffish, but I noticed a small smile tug at the corners of his lips. Soap closed the small notebook he was working in and placed his pencil on top of it before standing up and walking toward me, "you can have some of my food," he smiled, a small laugh hidden in his voice. He opened up the fridge and pulled out a sandwich. My mouth began to salivate, it looked really good even if it it was just a fucking sandwich. 

He opened the small ziploc bag and handed it to me, it looked like it was peanut butter and jelly. Without a second though I grabbed the soft bread from his hands and began to eat it like wild animal, I closed my eyes and savored every rushed bite and quick swallow. Gaz started to laugh again, "she looks a little hungry, yeah?" he playfully joked at Soap who let out a small laugh in return. As I scarfed down my last bite, I opened my eyes and sighed, flashing a small smile between the two. "Thank you," I said as I licked the corners of my mouth, swiping any remnants of crumbs onto my tongue. Maybe they weren't that bad.

Soap chuckled, "yeah, no problem," he walked back over to the worn brown couch and plopped down on top of it, grabbing his notebook and pencil once more. A part of me wanted to stay, I missed these types of interactions, but I decided against it, and I wasn't really sure why. I watched as Soap and Gaz went back to their light banter, and lightly sighed. I turned on my heel to leave, only to met with none other than Ghost, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed down at me. Because of his balaclava, which probably smells like mold because he never seems to take it off, I couldn't make out the emotions on his face. The dim lighting of the room didn't help either. 

The energy between us was sharp with tension, my crooked smile dropped almost instantly as my lips pressed tightly together. Anger flashed in my eyes like a fiery storm, I crossed my arms tightly around my own chest and tilted my head back to look at him in his eyes. The force of his gaze was unwavering, he peered down at me through the slits of balaclava. The room fell silent once more. I drowned everything else out, my full undivided hate and attention was on him. 

A fierce resolve overtook my better judgement as I charged at him. With swift and purposeful steps, I launched myself at his stature, my body becoming a coiled spring. I threw my arms out to grapple him, aiming to take him to the ground. As I threw my body into his large frame, I wrestled him down onto the hard terrain, the impact against it sent shockwaves through me, Ghost gasped out for air as the breath was knocked out of him. "Fuck you," I growled as I began to choke him. His hands struggled against my fingers that remained tightly locked around his neck, but I was stronger. Slowly his eyes began to roll back as I tightened my grasp further. He let out one final wheeze before succumbing to death. 

"Are you deaf?" he sneers as he looks down at me, his booming voice knocking me out of my trance. I blinked rapidly and shook my head a bit, "w-what?" I asked as I continued to stare up at him, my voice speaking a level of uncertainty. I was slightly embarrassed, but at the same time I couldn't give a rats ass what this stupid Brit thought of me. He stared at me for a bit before speaking again, "tomorrow, 6am. Meet me at that field," he spat as he pointed somewhere off into the distance.

"Guessing it's not much of a choice," I grumbled as I brushed past him, purposefully knocking my shoulder into his chest. Before I could walk away, I felt a firm hand latch onto me and spin me around, "watch it," he growled, his eyes shooting daggers into my soul. I hid the fear I felt deep down in the pit of my being, my heart was racing wildly in my chest, hard enough I almost thought he could hear it. My mouth felt dry as I swallowed hard, struggling to regain my composure. With a shaky exhale I rolled my eyes and jerked myself forward, escaping out of his tight grasp. "I'm not scared of you," I barked as I turned away once more. 

He let out a low chuckle, "you should be."