Chapter 1
Finally reaching the embankment, he fell to his knees. He sunk down in the mud, the mushy brown mess coating his jeans. Dead silence echoed around him. With dirty hands, he wiped the sweat from his forward and sighed deeply as he then wiped his hand down his shirt. He stared off into the distance, his heart pounding in his chest. Panic and fear rushed over him as he stared at the lake in front of him in a daze. The lake, so peaceful and calm at this hour of the night. The waning crescent moon shone overhead, bathing the lake in a soft milky glow. Millions of stars like freckles dusted across the black sky sparkled against the clear water. The smell of rain drifted through the night. A cool breeze blew, causing the hair on his arms and the back of his neck to rise. A soft rain began to fall. The drops of water from the sky rippled across the lake, shattering the reflection of the vast sky above. He sat down on a lone flat rock at the edge of the water. The breeze pushed the water back and forth as it just barely caressed the toes of his now muddy boots. He rested his hand in his hands, the rain slowly drenching him and washing away the city grime and dirt from his clothes. Thin, ominous clouds crept across the sky, blocking the little bit of light that lit up the night. The solemn lake rippled from the rain, broken rays of moonlight dancing across it wide waters. Another cool breeze danced through the night, transporting dead leaves and flowers across the ground. The crunchy fall leaves scraping the ground as they swirled around in the darkness. The rain stopped falling as he lay on his back, staring into the sky. Silence overcame the night once again. The night was so quiet, he was sure his quickened heart rate echoed through the night. Cold began to set in and mist begin to settle on top of the lake. The moon’s glow pierced through the fog in broken rays. Crickets chirped; their quiet song surprisingly loud in the dead of the night. He knelt down at the edge of the still and misty lake, washing the dried blood from his hands.
