The car jolted along at a very slow pace. The motorcycle's headlight cast a distinct beam, like a sword piercing the night, but it did not reach very far. The darkness in the forest was so dense it seemed tangible. Just when they thought there was no way out, scattered lights suddenly appeared ahead, and a small town emerged at the end of the road.
Peter turned on the car's headlights as well. At the junction where the road joined the town, Schiller spotted a somewhat dilapidated billboard. Its illustrations were all hand-painted, giving it a very retro feel. On one side was a cartoon clown with a red nose, while the writing on the other had become somewhat blurred.
Bruce, who was riding the motorcycle ahead, turned back and stared at the billboard for a long time, but they continued into town. This time, Peter took the lead. Following the map, he drove them to a house at the edge of town.
Everyone got out of the vehicles. Peter went up and knocked on the door, with Kate following behind him. Then an aging middle-aged red-haired woman opened the door. Schiller saw that she neither exchanged pleasantries with Peter, who was greeting her, nor even acknowledged her own niece. Her eyes were fixed directly on Kate's stomach.
"Wonderful," Aunt Kane said in a rather shrill voice. "Our family is about to have a new member. Wonderful. Linda, come out and meet your niece! Linda!!!"
Linda came out. She was a somewhat gloomy red-haired girl, her messy red hair tied behind her head. Her face was pale, but her limbs were strong. She did not look thin; rather, she seemed somewhat dull-witted.
She, too, stared at Kate's stomach without saying a word. When the others entered, she merely stepped silently