Chapter 81
Author: ijay
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

The neighborhood was only beginning to wake as he made his way through it. He forced a smile onto his face as he nodded to the ladies walking their dogs. He saw a busier street up ahead. Behind him, he heard sirens going by.

Now all he needed was to find a place to flag down a cab.

He shuddered. OK, maybe he should speak to someone about what he'd just witnessed too. He increased the speed of his walk.

***********

Xiong hiked to the top of the mountain behind his village once a week to visit the shrine he built on the plateau. He kept it tidy, did a little sweeping, replaced the incense and candles, and when necessary did some repairs on the small structure. He would have loved to have built a full-size temple, but that would have been pushing his luck. The shrine was small enough to be ignored by the local government.

His old bones ached from the arduous climb as he finally stepped onto the small flat area, but he knew the ache just meant he was still alive.

This morning, the a
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