---
As the man continued to stroll along while oblivious to his surroundings, he inadvertently overlooked the presence of a woman in the shadowy part of his route.
Suddenly, a sharp intake of breath escaped him as an unseen force grasped his ankle, prompting him to jump.
"Aaah!"
His heart raced as he found himself seized by an icy hand, compelling him to sit down in terror.
Initially convinced it was something like a ghost, his apprehension turned to confusion as he examined the figure more closely.
Instead of a ghostly entity, he discovered it was a woman, visibly frail and covered in blood.
"H-h-elp..." the woman weakly uttered, as if that were her last reserve of strength.
Then the man promptly recalled the words of the formally dressed man from earlier, who mentioned a disturbed woman wandering in their area.
