And before she could have thought, seen or felt more, the girl ended up collapsing.
The three men followed her till the time they came across a body lying dead in the middle of the road. The car had come to a stop just a couple of inches away from her body, and a deadly silence lingered in the air.
Another second, the door of the car opened, and a woman ran to the body of the girl. "My goodness, are you alright?"
Hearing the familiar tone, the three men whose hearts had come to the throat sighed in relief. It was the wife of the mayor of their town.
The woman knelt and took the cold hands of the girl in hers. "She is freezing cold!" The face of the girl was hidden by her hair. The wife of the mayor shifted her hair aside to find a girl whose pretty face was structured,, traumatised.
"Is she okay?" The mayor stepped out of the car.
"Honey, we need to bring her to the hospital."
"Mr. Walter!"
"Baldwin? Do you know this girl?" The man was clothed in his usual outfit. He was in a high position, but it still didn't stop the neighbours from interacting in a friendly way.
"We found her at the shore of the sea behind the cemetery. She was unconscious."
"Honey, her nerves are weak! We shall bring her to the hospital first." The cry alarmed them as Bob chipped in, "She seems to be injured too. Earlier, she wasn't able to walk properly."
Mr. Walter crouched and took in the condition of the unconscious girl. "Due to the seastorm, the Woofits' Overpass is almost filled with water. We can't cross to go to the hospital."
The storm was exceptionally cruel today. They were just coming from the city, and though the water level had gone down a bit, it wasn't safe to go from there. "Let's bring her home. We'll call the old lady."
With the car aiding them now, it didn't take long before they reached the Lilac town and specifically, the villa of the mayor.
Mr Walter carried the girl in his arms and moved inside while Baldwin and Bob rushed to the end of the long street. The last house in the street was of an old lady who, though she was considered crazy, had brilliant physician skills.
The knock on the wooden door managed to garner the attention of neighbouring houses, except for the old lady. "Old aunt! Open the door!"
No one knew who she was and what her name was. Several years back, she had stumbled her way into the back woods and then eventually into the Lilac Town.
Because this house was abandoned at the time, she was given this place to live. Ever since, she refused to go anywhere leaving this house.
"I won't," came a careless but stubborn reply from inside.
Baldwin massaged his tensed brows and spoke softly, "Aunt, please come out. We need you to check someone. We found a girl unconscious behind the cemetery-"
Click.
Bob looked at the Old Aunt who looked at him and demanded strangely. "Where is she?"
He speechlessly pointed the finger towards Mr Walter's mansion. Before he could even process her strange behaviour, Old Aunt was out.
Bob looked at her running back thoughtlessly. It must be the first time he saw her running.
By the time Old Aunt got into the house, Mr Walter had laid the girl in one of the guest bedrooms. Her body had turned so cold that he was able to feel it even through the layers of his thick coat.
"Honey, step out for a moment. I'll change her into something warm." Mrs Walter had the bowl filled with hot water and a hand towel in her hands while the clothes for the young stranger jingled on her other arm.
"Okay," Mr Walter stepped aside when he came face to face with Old Aunt, "She is here. Call me if there is anything needed." He closed the door behind him.
All the men were gathered in the living room. At that time, even Jacob sat while holding his breath.
"What exactly happened to her?"
"We found her on the back side of the forest, behind a huge rock on sand."
Mr Walter nodded before he tilted his face, studying the expressions of the men as he let out the next words, "Do you think someone, to put it specifically, any man, might have tried to...you understand what I mean?"
Baldwin sighed in despair. "That's what I am most worried about. She looks young, someone who has just entered her youth."
"We shall wait before coming to the conclusion."
Just then, Mrs Walter walked downstairs. Her overall aura looked much better than before.
She sat beside her husband and took a breath of relief. "There is no sign of physical assault. She seemed to be in cold water for a long time, due to which her body turned weak and the overall temperature of her body decreased."
"That's good to hear."
Mrs Walter turned to her husband, "Why was she there all alone? What about her family?"
"No idea." Mr Walter shook his head. "We will have to wait for her to tell us that. Where is Old Aunt?"
That's when Mrs Walter realised the Old Aunt didn't come behind her.
Inside the room.
There was a strange heaviness in the room.
The old lady sat by the bedside, holding the wrist of the sleeping girl. Her eyes had a depth of excitement in them while her feelings for the current condition of the girl were in complete contrast with the people sitting in the living room.
The old lady leaned towards the ear of the young girl before she whispered, "I can feel it through your nerves...you are not one of them."
And then she threw her head back and laughed. She laughed so hard that tears appeared in her eyes, no longer afraid that anyone would hear her.