第16章 The Seeds

# Chapter 16: The Seeds Months passed, and Thomas returned to normal life. He found a new job, made new friends, and tried to forget the garden. But memories lingered. He dreamed of roses sometimes — beautiful, terrible roses that whispered promises of power and beauty. He woke with the scent of flowers in his nose and the taste of blood in his mouth. "It's over," he told himself. "It's really over." But deep down, he wondered. Had the counter-agent killed the organism completely? Or had it merely driven it deeper, forcing it to sleep? The journal's final entry haunted him: *The garden sleeps, but it does not die. Wait for the next caretaker. Wait for the next season.* Thomas tried to dismiss it as superstition. But he couldn't shake the feeling that the garden was still there, waiting.