The sky gradually darkened.

The dusky sunlight seemed to be desperately emitting its last rays of warmth. The setting sun flushed red, straining to leave its final trace of heat on the land.

Waves of heat rolled in, bringing with them the stifling warmth of evaporating dew from the countryside. In a confined space, the only sound was the faint crying, laden with fear, unwillingness, and despair.

Jackson sat on a wooden bench, holding a yellowed diary, flipping through it page by page.

At his ...