Buds of A Marigold — IX

The moment Hu Lijing's feet touched the moist sand of the island he was so familiar with, he felt his breath hitch upon laying his eyes on the sand and the shore awash by the roaring waves as the crashed and swept the dirt with it to the depths of the ocean.

This place, this shore, this exact location; all of it was a nightmare that had plagued Hu Lijing's slumber for decades, making him unable to close his eyes comfortably without worrying himself sick over the dreams that would come next.

His free hand, the one fallen to his side, tightened into a fist as he drew in a cold, stubborn breath of air that was filled with the scent of sea water, the putrid stench of blood and decay. It was so much harder to turn a blind eye to the scenery where the vestiges of death lingered in a slow dance of wait.