Chapter 22
Even though it had rained through the morning, Hunter forced himself to go outside about noon, when the downpour had abated, and work in his garden. Mud and mosquitoes aside, the garden was still a comfort for him, giving him the simple equation of slow and steady reward in exchange for his hard work. Weeding and seeing that everything was optimized for his plants’ growth also took him away from his troubles, and today he needed that oblivion.
He had thought the monster had left him, thought he had beaten it. But now he knew the thing was only waiting for him to let his guard down. Would this never work out?
After about an hour, the skies darkened quickly and opened up to drench Hunter even before he was able to get to his feet. He knelt between rows of knee-high green-leaved
