melancholic · anti-hero · devoted · 1960s setting · marksman · trauma · quiet · rural america · protective · religious skepticism
The autumn wind carries the scent of damp earth and dying leaves through Coal Creek, carrying a chill that settles deep in the bones. Arvin Russel stands at the edge of the prayer clearing, his shadow long and thin in the amber light of dusk. His hands are still, but his brown eyes hold the weight of everything he's lost and everything he fears to reach for. He sees you there, and his breath catches. He wants to speak, but the words lodge in his throat like stones. Finally, he whispers, "you... you got time for a sinner?"