A Ghost Encounter: My Time with Simon "Ghost" Riley

Part Thirty-Nine: Breaking Point

"Ha! Tough man you are, Hassan. Come over here and pick on someone your own size, eh?" Ghost growls, trying to capture Hassan's attention.

Ghost's attempt falls on deaf ears.

Hassan pulls his pants and boxers just below his hips, exposing himself.

My heart sinks to my stomach.

"No! Stop it! GET AWAY FROM ME!" I screech.

I again try to escape my restraints, kicking and tugging, until I notice I start bleeding.

The restraints are too tight and the more I fight the deeper the cuts get.

"Don't you fucking touch her," Ghost bellows, the sound guttural.

Hassan stops to look at Ghost and laughs in his face. "And what are you going to do about it?"

Hassan can tell I'm a weakness of Ghost's and he's going to play that to his advantage.

Ghost sits there restrained, unable to do anything.

Hassan leans closer to me and has his tip pointed at my entrance.

I shut my eyes tightly and prepare for what's to come.

Find your happy place, Breanna...

"141 is currently here in Iran."

Huh?

Hassan pulls away from me and pulls his pants back up, covering himself.

"There are three other members here who are tracking down and securing the missiles. Two out of the three have been secured."

What is he doing?

Hassan walks over to Ghost.

"They've been unable to determine the location of the third missile. We've not been yet informed about where the Task Force is holding the missiles," Ghost continues.

That's a lie. Laswell informed us that they have the other missiles secured in a run-down warehouse in the heart of Isfahan (one of the most popular cities in Iran) that used to be an auto shop.

He's telling Hassan what he wants to hear but not going into too much detail. Smart.

"Ghost..." I call out to him in a broken whisper, upset that his hand is being forced.

Ghost breaks his eye contact with Hassan and looks at me with glossy eyes.

He looks...broken.

"Keep going," Hassan demands. "Why were you two infiltrating us?"

"Ghost stop!" I cry out.

If he says too much not only will everything we've done for this mission be for nothing but they'll kill us when we become useless.

And if Hassan takes the missiles back there will be a lot of bloodshed.

Hassan starts laughing, his voice dripping with cruelty. "If he stops then I'll rape you right here, right now, in front of him."

My skin crawls.

The color drains from Ghost's face.

Ghost proceeds to tell Hassan everything, that we intended to rescue the hostages and assassinate him.

Hassan looks furious yet pleased with the infamous Lieutenant's submission.

Once they gathered all the information they wanted, Hassan and his men left the room.

"Simon..." I look over at him.

"I'm sorry..." Ghost chokes up. "I've betrayed 141. I've betrayed my country. I've-"

I cut him off.

"Stop it," I say firmly, attempting to reassure him. "You told them the basics to de-escalate the situation. You betrayed nothing."

"I couldn't l-let him...I-I didn't-"

"Stop it, Simon!" I cry out, cutting him off again. "It's not your fault, it's mine. You should have just let Hassan ra-"

"No." Ghost's voice drips with murderous intent—not towards me, but Hassan—as he cuts me off. "Don't you dare finish that sentence."

He's right but I feel terrible. It's because of me that he now feels like a traitor.

"W-what now? What's going to happen?" I ask overwhelmingly worried, my brows furrowed.

Ghost remains silent, defeated.

"W-we have to find a way o-out!" I stammer, the panic returning.

He remains silent, frozen.

"Simon!" I scream his name at the top of my lungs.

Ghost slowly looks at me, his eyes lifeless.

"You did nothing wrong, Simon. You're a good soldier and a good person." My voice breaks.

No, no, no. This is heartbreaking.

"Please, Simon. I love you. Help me find a way for us to get out of this. It's not too late," I plead to him.

We're restrained by thick ropes—tightly wound and knotted.

My eyes wander around the room to look for something that could help us escape...

Aha!

I see some shards of broken glass in the corner of the room.

Our legs and arms are restrained but if I can manage to lay the chair and myself down I might be able to inch myself towards the glass.

"I have an idea." I start rocking the chair so I can fall over, and after a few tries, I do.

SMACK.

That didn't feel good and my pants and underwear are still down.

"I'm going to inch my way to the glass and cut us free," I inform Ghost.

He's silent, dissociating.

"Focus Ghost," I yell out.

He shakes his head, coming back to reality, and looks down at me on the ground.

"A-alright. Hurry," he responds breathlessly.

I slowly but surely inch my way toward the glass like a fucking worm, eventually approaching the pile. I manage to grab some glass in my hand and cut the rope, my hands and arms bleeding but it's the price to pay.

SNAP.

I'm free!

"I-I did it," I say with excitement and shock as I stand up, pull my pants back up, and quickly walk over to the Ghost.

"You're bleeding," he deadpans but furrows his brows.

I cut his restraints.

"So are you," I say.

He stands up. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I say a bit tense but hope he'll drop the topic.

"Are you sure? Hassan almost-"

I cut him off.

"Simon, I'm fine," say sternly, clearly not wanting to talk about what happened. "Can we please not talk about it right now?"

Ghost nods his head in understanding, sympathy shining in his eyes.

We pause for a few moments to collect ourselves.

I take a very deep breath and smirk to lighten the mood. "Ready to put that training to the test?"

Ghost places his hand gently on my shoulder. "It's time to show your Lieutenant what you can do."