Safer With A Ghost | Simon "Ghost" Riley

Chapter 16 - Part 2

Ghost and Price stood above Alejandro and Valeria with their hands on their heads, in disbelief they just lost one of theirs. Rudy got up and held Alejandro as he held Valeria. Price got on the floor next to Rudy and put a hand on his shoulder, tears building up in his eyes. Ghost rushed to the bathroom, knocking on the door. "Ivy it's me, don't shoot." He walked in and saw an empty bathtub and his emptied pistol on the floor. When he looked around, he saw the window open and bullet holes surrounding it. He went to the window and saw Ivy fighting off someone in the distance. He ran out of the bathroom to the living room as he shouted, "They got Ivy again, she's outback." Ghost grabbed his gun from the couch and reloaded it as he ran out the back door, heading in the direction he saw Ivy. He looked around and saw Gaz and Soap before yelling to them, "Soap on me, Gaz head inside." Soap ran after Ghost as Gaz ran inside, not knowing what he was going to walk into.

Soap enclosed on him quickly as he ran towards Ivy and the man that held her. Stopping for a moment, Ghost aimed his gun towards the pair, hoping for a clear shot to hit him in the leg to slow him down. "I can't get a shot Johnny." As he stood up, a familiar pain in his chest began to grow. The same pain that he felt when he watched Graves and his Shadow's drive away with her. He tried to push the panic to the back of his mind but couldn't. He couldn't live with himself if she were to be taken again. As Soap and Ghost kept running Soap stopped and took a shot, hitting the man in the kneecap, sending him and Ivy to the ground. Ivy rolled roughly before standing up and looking around in fear. Once she spotted Soap and Ghost, she started running towards them. Feeling somewhat relieved, Ghost ran towards her as quickly as his feet would carry him, knowing she wasn't safe again until she was in his arms. Soap quickly made his way to the man that was shouting in pain on the ground.

Ivy finally made it to Ghost, crashing into his large body as he lifted her up for a moment and setting her back on the ground. Cupping her face with his gloved hands, his voice was shaking, "Did he hurt you?" as he quickly glanced down her body, stopping at the graze on her arm that she suffered as the shooting began. Quickly shaking her head no, Ghost lifted his mask quickly and planted a soft kiss on her forehead, breathing out a sigh of relief.

Looking behind Ivy, Ghost saw Soap drag the man by his arm towards them. When he was closer, Ghost spoke, "Take him inside and restrain him somewhere so we can question him." Looking at the man up and down, Ghost realized it was one of Graves men, a Shadow.

Walking back to the house, Ghost worried about Ivy's reaction to seeing Valeria. He stopped her at the foot of the deck and told her to wait. "Ivy, you should know..." he delayed trying to catch his breath, "Uh.. Valeria was shot in the abdomen. She didn't make it." Ivy's eyes widened and her knees buckled under her as she let out a loud sob.

Ivy's POV

Valeria's gone? Ivy almost couldn't believe what Ghost had said but her heart broke and she felt a deep ach in what was left of it. Ghost grabbed her gently and pulled her in to hold her as she cried. As he held her, she made a realization. Alejandro. She pulled away from Ghost, running inside with Ghost trying to protest. Once she was inside, she saw Alejandro on the floor with Rudy and Price as he held Valeria's motionless, bloodied body. "Alejandro..." Ivy began sobbing again, she felt such sorrow for Alejandro. Her knees once again failed her as she fell to the floor, with Ghost behind her, hugging her around her neck as she sobbed for her friend.