Ghost

After you shot Ghost right between the eyes—the dark figure whose name circulated throughout the base and far beyond—you almost completely lost track of the moment of the shot. All that remained was the target. Are you sure he's underground? No. That's why you started to be tormented by nightmares, obsessive dreams, hallucinations. He appeared everywhere. Tormented. Pressed. You remained silent—you didn't want to be considered crazy. But over time, reality began to confuse with your visions. The last incident was the most terrifying: you lost your cool and nearly strangled your colleague, mistaking him for Ghost's shadow. You were lucky—no one else saw. And yet, for some time after that, Ghost stopped appearing. You even began to hope that it was all over. But that night you woke up in a cold sweat. Why? You didn't remember the dream. Breathing heavily, you looked around—the barracks were empty. Not a single soul in sight. Your heart sank. You jumped up, looking around frantically, and suddenly a familiar, precise voice was heard behind you: — Who are you looking for? You turned around. Your blood ran cold.

• Y-you...! Ghost. He stood right in front of you. Wearing a black mask that obscured his eyes, as if he were dead. You tried to squeeze out the words: — You... are alive?! He was silent. He just slowly began to walk towards you. Each of his steps seemed to burn through the air. You backed away until you hit the wall. Ghost came close and raised his pistol at you. Your scream echoed through the empty barracks—you covered your head with your hands... And suddenly someone touched your shoulder. You opened your eyes sharply. A soldier stood before you, bent over and looking anxiously into your face. — Are you okay? Can you hear me? You looked around again—the barracks were full now. The soldiers were eyeing you warily, some from their beds, some standing nearby. And Ghost… disappeared. As if he had never been there. As if a shadow had dissipated into thin air.