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

Part Seventy-Six: It's Time

I must have been frozen like that for a moment as König asks, "Not hungry?"

"I'll eat right now. Thank you." Another fake smile.

König rests his hand on my shoulder, and squeezes softly, but doesn't move his hand after that.

Ghost notices this. I can tell by his scoff.

Eventually, I managed to eat some of the food on my plate, but nowhere near all of it. This is the first thing I've eaten since yesterday morning but I'm still not hungry.

"Gaz, the plane will be here soon." Laswell breaks the silence. "Be prepared."

Gaz nods in understanding.

Gaz is taking Soap's body back to base. I want to see Soap one last time before he goes. Before he's taken.

I stand to my feet, place my plate on the counter, and make way for the front door.

"Where are you going?" Captain Price asks, rather coldly, as I reach for the doorknob.

"Out," I respond curtly.

I swing the door open but before I'm about to walk out Ghost objects.

"Out where?" he growls, then says sternly, "If your Captain asks you a question, you respond with a real answer."

I can't take this anymore.

"Is this how it's going to be from now on?" I slam the front door, hard—I'll have to apologize to Mateen for that later. "Are we just going to continually blame me for what happened?"

"No one's blaming you, Breanna-" Laswell starts but I quickly cut her off.

"Oh, no?" I scoff. "Because it sure feels like it."

"Oh, sweetheart, don't play the fucking victim," Ghost hisses.

Condescending prick.

"Fuck you," I seethe, and the way Ghost's mask shifts tells me his frowning. "If I'm not to blame then why are you taking it out on me? The misdirected anger is starting to piss me the fuck off!" I yell.

I get that they're all hurting, but I'm hurting too. I get that they need something, someone, anyone, to blame.

But why me?

"Misdirected anger?" Price stands to his feet and slams his hands down on the table, bellowing. "That's rich considering I ordered you to stay inside the building and you left anyway."

"Jesus fucking Christ, I know! You've told me again, and again, and again!" I yell, my voice breaking. "I'm sorry! Is that what you want to hear? I'm sorry I didn't follow your order. Now fuck off!"

If I were anyone else, anyone else, I'd be dead for the way I just spoke to Price.

Price's face is full of pure rage. He's yelling at me. Ghost is yelling at me.

But I can't hear or see anything except for drowned-out sounds and blurry images.

Faintly, I can see König step between us, trying his best to calm the others down.

Without so much as a word, I walk out of the front door and to the barn.

Silence is all I hear coming from the house.

I reach the barn door but a heaviness washes over me and I'm hesitating to go inside. I grip the door handle and go to pull, but I can't.

"Just open it." That's what I tell myself. "It's not that hard."