Meanwhile, the front door creaked ajar ever so slightly. A cold draft snuck inside, carrying shivers. People glanced towards the door, some nervously, others quizzically. Imagination was running wild. One person carefully inquired if there was someone there. Others invited the stranger to join them. Only deathly silence answered. Suddenly a violent gust of wind blew the door open. It whistled across the room, blowing out the candles. Darkness swallowed the room. Slowly people’s eyes adjusted. A grim silhouette of a woman stood in the doorway. Water dripped down the dark dress. Long, messy hair framed a deathly pale visage. She resembled a drowned corpse. Unblinking eyes stared at the crowd. Silent and eerily still, she wasn’t even breathing.
Approximately five seconds later an unified scream shook the whole building. People rushed to the backdoor and fled outside into the rain. Judging by how many windows lit up in their wake, the ruckus must’ve stirred half the town. Mary looked at the abandoned library with a mixture of bewilderment and panic. H-had she interrupted something? Intruded upon a private event perhaps? Sometimes the local customs were rather strange... They left before she could even say hello... But deep down she was kind of glad. Seeing all those people glaring had startled her. She had just frozen stiff, unable to even speak. Being all alone suited her fine.
The eerie woman picked up one of the candles. An abandoned tinderbox was kind enough to rekindle the flame. With a wavering light in her hand she stepped deeper into the library. Rickety floorboards whined beneath her movements. Her eyes scanned the towering shelves, not really searching for anything specific. She was just... browsing. It was nice to do it at her own pace, without getting in anyone’s way. However, when she stopped to inspect an interesting tome, an odd sound caught her attention. Was there someone else here...?