Unseen | Ghost x Soap

Chapter 58: Before the Mission

Ghost's POV:

The meeting room was filled with a tense silence as Price stood at the front, his eyes scanning each of us with that piercing gaze of his. The gravity of the situation was evident in every line etched on his face. Tomorrow's mission was critical, and the weight of its importance bore down on all of us.

"The mission is tomorrow," Price began, his voice steady but heavy with the burden of what was to come. "We go in at dawn. This is it, lads. We've trained for this, and we're ready. Stick to the plan, watch each other's backs, and we'll get through this."

I tried to focus on his words, absorbing every detail of the briefing, but my mind kept drifting to Soap. He sat a few seats away, his expression serious and focused. I couldn't shake the fear gnawing at my insides, the terror of losing him. Every possible scenario played out in my head, each one worse than the last.

After the briefing, the rest of the day was a blur of intense training. Every drill, every exercise felt like a desperate attempt to outrun the fear that clung to me. I watched Soap closely, my heart hammering in my chest every time he pushed himself to the limit. I couldn't let him see how scared I was, how the thought of him getting hurt paralyzed me.

We trained hard, pushing our bodies to the brink, but my mind was elsewhere. The fear of what might happen tomorrow was a constant shadow, whispering doubts and worst-case scenarios. I forced myself to keep going, to stay focused, but it was an uphill battle.

As the day ended and we were dismissed to get some rest, I found myself lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep was impossible. My thoughts were a whirlwind of fear and worry, my heart racing with every imagined danger that awaited us. The room felt suffocating, the silence oppressive.

I couldn't stay there any longer. I needed to move, to clear my head. I slipped out of bed and quietly made my way through the dimly lit halls. The base was eerily quiet at this hour, the usual hustle and bustle replaced by a heavy stillness.

I wandered aimlessly until I found a secluded room with a couch. It was a small, forgotten space, offering a momentary refuge from the storm inside my head. I sank onto the couch, my elbows on my knees, my face buried in my palms. The panic was building, my breathing growing heavy and erratic.

Every possibility of what might happen to Soap tomorrow ran through my mind, each one more terrifying than the last. I was scared, more scared than I'd ever been. The thought of losing him, of not being able to protect him, was unbearable. My chest felt tight, my heart pounding so hard it hurt.

I don't know how long I sat there, fighting the rising tide of panic, but eventually, I heard footsteps. I looked up, my breath catching as I saw Soap standing in the doorway. His eyes were full of concern as he took in the sight of me.

"Ghost, are you okay?" he asked, his voice gentle but insistent.

"Yeah," I lied, trying to compose myself, to push the fear back down. "Just needed some air."

He didn't believe me. He came over and sat next to me, his presence a calming force amidst the chaos in my mind. For a moment, neither of us spoke, the silence filled with unspoken worries.

Finally, I couldn't hold it in any longer. "I'm fucking terrified, Johnny," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm scared of losing you. I can't... I can't stand the thought of something happening to you again."

Soap's expression softened, and he placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Hey, look at me," he said, waiting until I met his gaze. "You won't lose me, I promise."

His words were a lifeline, something to hold onto in the storm of my fear. I wanted to believe him, to take comfort in his certainty. But the fear was still there, gnawing at the edges of my mind.

Soap's hand moved to my inner thigh, a gentle, comforting touch that grounded me. "We'll get through this, Simon. Everything's alright."

The sincerity in his voice, the warmth of his touch, slowly began to calm the panic inside me. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. His presence, his reassurance, made the fear more manageable, something I could face.