Other customers moved between them as the barista handed the man his tea and a fresh bun.
When Sarah pushed past the other people, the man was already heading toward the exit door.
“Wait, please!” Sarah called out urgently.
But he stepped outside and disappeared into the crowded sidewalk.
Sarah followed him down the busy street, trying desperately to catch up without losing sight of him.
After walking two full blocks, Sarah realized something unusual.
The man wasn’t stopping for anything.
Not to ask for change, not to rest, not to eat the food she’d just purchased for him.
He was walking with clear purpose and direction.
So instead of calling out again and potentially scaring him away, Sarah slowed her pace and simply followed.
The man walked for nearly an entire hour, leading her farther and farther from the city center.
Eventually they reached the edge of town, where abandoned houses stood like forgotten monuments beside dense woods.
The man stopped in front of one particular house.
The yard was completely overgrown with tall weeds and wild grass.
Paint had peeled away from the walls in long, curling strips.
The whole structure looked utterly forgotten by time.
The old man knocked softly on the weathered door.
Sarah stepped closer, hiding herself behind a large tree in the overgrown yard.
The door opened slowly.
