His back thrummed with a hollow ache, the relief short lived as the pain moved to his shoulder. A baseball bat, held by shaky hands, rested heavily on his shoulder. Stray blades of chipped wood scratching into his shoulder with each prompt step that squelched in the plains of mud.

Soft oaky hues shifted into deeper, messier browns that seemed stained onto its surface. Splashed on with haste, like ...