The Vault

14.

There was no sound other than the sharp ringing in her ears.

Everything around her was distorted and muffled as her head span with dizziness.

Caleb grabbed her, but whatever he was saying was incoherent.

It was such a deep level of shock, that only those that had experienced something similar could truly know how much it hurt.

The doctor held her tightly with both arms but it did nothing to help the pale, unresponsive young woman.

In a matter of seconds, everything she had, was now gone, and the fact that both of her parents lay there, dead in the ground, in this strange place neither should have ever been... it had totally paralysed her.

Finally, when her body did begin to respond, all it could do was let loose a tremendous flood of tears that streamed down her pale cheeks like a waterfall cascades down a mountain.

She cried so powerfully that eventually she could not cry any longer, and after losing track of all the time that had passed, she finally came to her senses.

"We have to get the authorities," Caleb said calmly.

Alice nodded as she dabbed her cheek with the doctor's handkerchief.

"You do not have to come if you don't want to," he continued.

"I don't want to stay," Alice said as she shook her head.

"Very well, let's go."

After helping her up onto the carriage, Caleb cracked the whips to get his horses moving. The tall rise of the manor disappeared as they began making their way down the long dirt path out of the woods.

Alice didn't say another word as she stared blankly into the woods.

Caleb explained everything once they got to the police station, in fact, Alice hadn't spoken once since leaving, and still hadn't when Caleb finally came out from Officer Hennings' office.

The two men had a very frosty relationship. Hennings was a simple man who had spent his entire life in the village, as had his father, and his father before that. He had been brought up on valuing the finer things in life such as a hard-days' work and the taste of multiple pints of cold ale after it.

Like his fathers before him, Hennings had a strong disdain for the wealthy and upper-class men that never had the misfortune of knowing the struggle of a life in poverty. So, it was only natural that he had been one of the villages biggest doubters of the young doctor's abilities.

"So, this is the daughter then?" Hennings asked in his burly voice.

Alice looked up, but continued to sit in silence.

"Yes, this is Miss Ecklesbury of Templeton Manor," Caleb answered.

"I had heard rumours that some rich folk had bought up the manor," the officer continued. "Good afternoon Miss Ecklesbury," he said, and held out his big, callused hand.

Not listening to anything he had said, Alice looked back down as another tear ran down her cheek.

"She is too upset for conversation, Officer," Caleb said calmly. "Can we please make our way to the manor."

Hennings withdrew his offer of a handshake with an unsympathetic grunt. "Very well then boy," he said sternly.

The two carriages were pulled through the village to an array of staring faces. The sight of the police carriage moving was a particularly rare thing for these simple village folks, but the pale face of a beautiful, but crying, young woman made it clear that something foul had occurred.