The ghost of War
Introduction to War (5 Panels)
Panel 1 – (Wide shot) A war-torn battlefield. Explosions in the background. Soldiers taking cover as bullets fly. (Narration: "War changes a man. It forges him in fire, only to leave him hollow.")
Panel 2 – (Close-up) The protagonist, David Kane, a battle-hardened veteran, leading his squad. His face is scarred, eyes sharp. (Dialogue: "Stay low! We push forward on my mark!")
Panel 3 – (Action shot) David charging forward, leading his team against enemy forces. (Sound FX: "BOOM! RATATAT!")
Panel 4 – (Over-the-shoulder shot) A soldier next to him gets shot, falling. Blood splatters. (Dialogue: "NO! Stay with me!")
Panel 5 – (Close-up, dramatic) David grits his teeth, his mind racing. (Narration: "One second too late. Another name to carry.")
PAGE 2: The Battle Escalates (5 Panels)
Panel 1 – (Wide shot) A desperate push forward, David's squad taking cover behind debris. (Dialogue: "We need air support! Now!")
Panel 2 – (Flashback effect, blurry edges) He remembers his wife and daughter back home. A promise left unfulfilled. (Narration: "Did I really believe I would return whole?")
Panel 3 – (Tight shot, eyes only) His gaze hardens. (Dialogue: "Keep moving! We don't stop!")
Panel 4 – (Explosive shot) An explosion knocks him back, dirt and shrapnel flying. (Sound FX: "BOOOOM!")
Panel 5 – (Blurred vision effect, POV shot) He sees his fallen comrades around him as the sounds of war fade. (Narration: "This is where I should have died.")
PAGE 3: Waking Up in Civilian Life (4 Panels)
Panel 1 – (Sudden transition, bedroom shot) David wakes up in his bed, sweating, gasping for air. (Narration: "But fate had other plans.")
Panel 2 – (Mid-shot) His wife, Sarah, sits up next to him, concern in her eyes. (Dialogue: "Another nightmare?")
Panel 3 – (Tense shot, side profile) David looks away, gripping the sheets. (Dialogue: "Go back to sleep.")
Panel 4 – (Dark hallway shot) He walks to the living room, staring at the city outside. (Narration: "This world is too quiet. Too... fragile.")
PAGE 4: Family Tension (5 Panels)
Panel 1 – (Breakfast table shot) Sarah and their daughter, Emily (6 years old), sit eating. David joins them silently.
Panel 2 – (Emily smiling, looking up at him) "Daddy, can we go to the park today?"
Panel 3 – (David forcing a smile, looking exhausted) "Maybe later, sweetheart."
Panel 4 – (Sarah glancing at him, tension in her face) "You can't keep avoiding us, David."
Panel 5 – (David clenching his fist under the table, silent.) (Narration: "She doesn't understand. None of them do.")
PAGE 5: War Flashbacks in Public (4 Panels)
Panel 1 – (City street, day) David walks alone, trying to adjust. (Narration: "Breathe. One step at a time.")
Panel 2 – (Sudden trigger: Car backfires) The sound echoes like gunfire. (Sound FX: "BANG!")
Panel 3 – (Close-up, terrified eyes) David drops to a knee, gripping his head.
Panel 4 – (People staring at him, confused, some laughing.) (Narration: "Weak. Broken.")
PAGE 6: Confronting the Past (4 Panels)
Panel 1 – (Nighttime, David drinking in the kitchen.)
Panel 2 – (Sarah enters, arms crossed.) "You're shutting us out."
Panel 3 – (David scowling.) "You didn't wait for me."
Panel 4 – (Sarah looks hurt.) "I never left you. You left yourself."
PAGE 7: Breaking Point (4 Panels)
Panel 1 – (David looking at old war photos.)
Panel 2 – (Flashback panel: His fallen comrades, haunting him.)
Panel 3 – (David gripping his head, overwhelmed.) (Narration: "Why am I still here?")
Panel 4 – (Emily appearing in the doorway, small and innocent.) "Daddy?"
PAGE 8: Choosing to Fight Again (4 Panels)
Panel 1 – (David looking at Emily, softening.)
Panel 2 – (He kneels, hugging her tightly.)
Panel 3 – (Sarah watching, eyes filled with hope.)
Panel 4 – (Narration: "Maybe... just maybe, I can still win this battle.")
His continued struggle with paranoia about Sarah.
Facing a moment of crisis that forces him to decide: succumb to the past or embrace his family?