Chapter 4: Chapter 4

She recoiled from the sight of this gray, death-like individual, her trembling voice reduced to little more than a whisper. “—for a phone. The bat—” She hesitated, trying to get control of her trembling voice. “The batteries are dead. I wonder if—” Her gaze shifted and she looked past him, the heavy silence and dim lighting inside reminding her of a funeral parlor. “—if I could use the telephone. I had an accident. My car is in a…well, sort of a…it’s difficult to explain. A lightning…” While trying to find the words, her gaze happened to drift up to his face, which was full of frowning uncertainty, as if he were trying to understand a foreign language. She finally gave up and sighed heavily. “Maybe I should talk to—well, whoever owns this place.”

“I am afraid the Master is not receiving at the present time. He is in mourning. Since you do seem to bein something of a fix, perhaps I can be of some assistance.” He stepped back. “Would you like to come in?”