"Simon…"
"Simon… why didn't you save us?"
Ghost slowly turned, only to see the family he'd lost years prior. Among them, a new addition- Roach.
"Roach-?" gasped Ghost, "But you're still alive!"
"Am I, Ghost? Or am I dead like everyone else you tried to protect?" asked Roach, his words cutting like knives, "How much is your protection really worth?"
"I-I'm doing the best I can!" shouted Ghost, trying to overpower the murmurs coming from the rest of the congregation- all agreeing with Roach.
"Well, your best isn't good enough! We trusted you and you let us down!" shouted the undead, a chorus of voices.
Ghost fell to his knees, clutching his head in an effort to block out the voices of those he failed to save. Instead, the voices became louder.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" cried Ghost, the voices rising into an unbearable crescendo.
"Apologies won't bring back the dead, English…"
"Ghost…"
"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" screamed Ghost, huddled on the floor, the voices resounding inside his head.
"Ghost! Ghost, wake up!"
"Why didn't you save us?"
"You always were a failure…"
"You let us die, we believed in you!"
"Stop it…please…stop it…" muttered Ghost, his voice barely a whisper.
"Failure…"
"Failure…""You let us all down…"
"Ghost! Wake up!"
"How could you let them kill us?"
Ghost felt a soft tug on his shirt, causing him to roll over.
"Uncle Simon are you okay?" asked a small voice, the voice belonging to a small boy of five.
Ghost swept the Joseph into a tight hug, overjoyed to see his nephew alive. He released the boy slightly to ask him how he managed to survive only for his face to splotched with blood. His eyes' the stare of the dead.
Quietly, his voice said "How could you let me die, Uncle Simon?"
"Waking Sleeping Beauty"
Day 5 - 06:06
Sgt. Gary 'Roach' Sanderson
Task Force 141 - Prisoner of War
Georgian-Russian Border
Ghost was acting weird. It started out as odd murmuring in his sleep, something about doing the best he could or something. Then it became screaming and thrashing in the bed, it was beginning to worry Roach. He figured if he told Makarov that Ghost was having nightmares that my very well cause him to lose touch with reality that Makarov might not take it too well. Roach grabbed a glass of water off the nightstand and poured over Ghost's face, the Lieutenant's eyes snapping open in an instant.
Coughing, he peeled the soppy wet mask off and tossed it on the floor. "What the 'ell was that for?" growled Ghost, drying his face with his shirt.
"You were having a nightmare. Figured I'd wake you up before your yelling woke the whole damn house." replied Roach, trying his best to keep his eyes off Ghost's scar, a pet peeve of the Lieutenant.
Squeezing out his mask, Ghost said "Sorry if I woke you…It was nothing."
"Didn't sound like nothing. Wanna talk about it?" asked Roach, knowing full well that Ghost was lying to him.
"No." growled Ghost, drawing the wet mask over his face.
Roach figured Ghost would talk to him when he was ready, so he let it slide and continued, "So you wanna go with me and Anatoly to that bookstore up the road?"
"Why the 'ell are you headed to a bookstore?" asked Ghost, not understanding why Makarov would want to terrorize a bookstore.
"To buy books. What else?" said Roach, wondering if Ghost had ever done anything other then kill for a living, clapping Ghost on the back he left with, "Ghost, you gotta get out more. Meet you at the car."
"Rise of the Loyalists
Day 5 - 06:06
Cpt. John 'Soap' MacTavish
Task Force 141 - War Criminal
Caucasus Mountains
Soap had checked the defensibility of the small house while the others slept, and he hadn't been impressed with what he saw. Over the last five years Kamarov had made no major renovations to the house, for example the external electric cables that had been so easily exploited then were still easy targets for anyone with half a brain. Soap sighed, this house would be the death of everyone inside if Shepherd's men showed up. They might be leaderless and severely weakened but they still had superior numbers and equipment, two things that could spell disaster for Soap and Price. Soap returned inside from the cold to the interior of the house, enjoying the leap in temperature. Kamarov was toddling around his kitchen, when Soap walked in passing Nikolai who was asleep on the couch.
"Ah, my friend. May I interest you in some vodka?" asked Kamarov, his usual cheerful self.
"No, that's fine. Kamarov, where are the rest of your men?" asked Soap, wondering where Kamarov's platoon of Loyalists had gotten off to.
"My unit was disbanded. The Loyalists are no more." said Kamarov, taking a swig of vodka.
"What? But the Ultranationalists have taken over your country! You're just going to roll over and let them keep it?" asked Soap, flabbergasted that Kamarov was letting the Ultranationalists get away with taking his country.
"Yes, it is what Vorshevsky asked of us. It is what we will do." replied Kamarov, watching the liquid slouch around in the bottle.
"Vorshevsky is a Ultranationalist! Why would you take orders from him?"
"Because, five years ago he was our leader." replied Kamarov, looking up from his bottle. "He's just a puppet for the real Ultranationalists. If we continue this civil war, we will only destroy the entirety of Russia. Russia can never prosper with two separate groups fighting for dominance, the people need to decide what government they want running this country. We cannot decide for them."
"So that's it? You're just going to give up because you might destroy your precious country?" asked Soap, his patience growing thin for Kamarov's sad-sack story, "An ocean away is America, a country more then willing to burn this country of your's to the ground. You need to reinstate the Loyalists."
"And why should I do that?" asked Kamarov, more interested in drinking his vodka and tending to his garden then fighting for independence, "I have already watched generations of this countries young men die for trivial purposes. Why should I watch more die?"
Slamming his fist on the small table, Soap said "Because, this won't be like last time. This won't be a small-scale special forces op. this will be a full-scale invasion. Let the Americans slug it out with them, then went they've got 'em on the ropes, take back your country."
Kamarov grinned, "You may have a point my friend. We may be weak but we are not dead. The Loyalists will rise again!"
"Approved Reading List"
Day 5 - 08:43
Lt. Simon 'Ghost' Riley
Task Force 141 - Ultranationalist
Ten miles south of the Georgian-Russian Border
Ghost found it odd to be without his trademark mask, a balaclava would attract more attention then his scars. Ghost had managed to find a small section of the store that contained books in English, and picked up a copy of Seven Troop. Roach came up to him piled high with magazines, along with a novel sized comic booked called, Van Von Hunter.
Ghost picked up the small book and flipped through the first few pages, "What the 'ell is this? Is this a comic book?"
"No, it's manga. It's Japanese." said Roach, snatching the book from Ghost's hands.
"Aren't you a little old for that stuff?" asked Ghost, assuming that twenty-three was a little old for reading comics or as Roach put it, 'Manga'.
"I don't think their's an age limit. Besides look at this chick's rack." replied Roach, flipping open to one of inside pages. In the process losing on of his magazines, which Ghost picked up.
Ghost flipped the magazine over so he could see the cover and found a naked woman starring back at him.
"Playboy? Seriously, Roach? This is what you're doing while I'm out there getting shot at?" asked Ghost, enjoying the look of pure embarrassment on Roach's face.
"I read it for the articles!" said Roach, making a grab for the magazine, Ghost keeping it safely out of his reach.
"That's what they all say.." said Ghost, before letting out a whistle, "Whoever this Jenna Allen is, she's got a hell of a body."
Read and Review!
Seven Troop by Andy McNab is the book Ghost picked up in the store. It's about the 22nd regiment, which is the same unit Ghost was in prior to the 141.
Van Von Hunter by Mike Schwark and Ron Kaulfersch is the manga that Roach picks up in the store.
Playboy is another real magazine.
All of the above I do not own, not even Playboy.
Plus, a small reference to Same Stuff, Different Day.