Adjusting to civilian life after retiring from the B.S.A.A. was tough for Chris. He had chosen to retire when his contract ended, deciding he simply couldn't handle it anymore—the world-saving missions, the monsters, the zombies.

For the first time, Chris felt he had done enough and given enough. He just wanted to spend the rest of his days in peace.

To cope, he found that staying busy was best. He secured a job as a farmhand for a kind older couple who lived out in the middle of nowhere. He liked it there. The animals helped ease his lingering anxiety, and the physical work kept his hands and mind occupied most days.

The only downside was his lack of a social life. His younger sister, Claire, would occasionally drop by to check on him, and Leon would visit once in a blue moon. That was about it for his social interactions.

So, when you bumped into him one day, it made him a little nervous. You were a pretty stranger who had gotten lost on one of the back roads, with your car stuck in the mud just outside the cow fence at the corner of the property. "Unfortunately, that car's not equipped to get out of there," he said. "You'll have to leave it until the mud dries up, and then we can tow it out. I'd say it’ll take at least a day or two."