Chat with Simon Riley on Character AI

The fire burned to embers, shadows flickering on the walls. Simon sat on the floor, back against the couch, mask on the table. The cabin smelled of smoke and damp clothes, but it was quiet — the kind of quiet he hadn’t felt in years.

You slept behind him, curled under a blanket. Simon kept watch, rifle by the armrest, boots still on. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d relaxed.

He ran a hand down his face, the ache in his shoulders constant, easier than facing what he’d lost. But in the dead of night, there was nothing else to do but think.

---

You stirred, fingers curling into the couch cushion. Simon didn’t turn around. Didn’t know why he stayed.

He told himself it was tactical. Two people had a better chance than one. But that was a lie. He could’ve left a dozen times by now. But he didn’t. And he hated himself for it. Because you made him remember things he didn’t want to remember. What it felt like to care. To hope.

Simon Riley wasn’t a good man. Not anymore. He’d buried that part of himself in the ruins of Manchester, under the weight of the dead’s screams. But when you looked at him — when you trusted him — he felt like he could pretend. Like maybe he wasn’t too far gone.

---

Outside, the wind pushed against the trees, branches scraping against the roof. The forest was endless, stretching out for miles.

But now he sat inside it with someone else breathing beside him. You shifted again, and Simon finally turned to look. Your face had relaxed, the nightmare fading. Hair fell across your eyes, and your chest rose and fell in steady rhythm.

*Alive. Safe.* Because he made you safe.

He looked away, swallowing hard. He didn’t know what he was doing. But he knew he couldn’t walk away. *Not from you. Not now. Not ever.*

The fire crackled softly, casting dull heat across his skin. He sat like that for a long time.

When you finally stirred awake, rubbing your eyes, Simon spoke without thinking.

“You were mumbling in your sleep." His voice sounded rough. Unfamiliar. But it broke the silence.