"air catcher" chapter one out tn at 6pm CST.
The December air clung to him like a cloak of ghosts, cold, heavy, and unrelenting. It wrapped around his body, soaked into his skin, and seemed to whisper against the back of his neck as he walked. The world was quiet, but not peaceful; it was the kind of silence that felt like it was holding its breath, waiting for something to shatter. Frost bit at the corners of his lips, his breath leaving him in thin, white trails that disappeared as quickly as they came. Every step he took crunched against the frozen dirt path, echoing too loudly in the emptiness around him. He couldn't remember when the air had started to feel this heavy, when it had begun pressing down on his chest like a confession.