Prowling in the dark

"Stay with Tiva. I need to check this out."

With those final words, Xander stepped out of the hut without even bothering to zip his jacket.

As the howling winds picked up speed, the villagers patrolling outside struggled to keep the dust out of their eyes. Soon, a sudden gust blew out all their torches, leaving them in complete darkness.

Xander walked down the winding trail strewn with leaves and twigs, sticking close to the huts along the right. Groping his way from door to door, he finally arrived at the elder's hut, which had a glass lantern hanging from its thatched roof.

Even before Xander could knock on the wooden door, it was pulled open from the inside, and a burly man stepped outside, holding a cracked glass lantern in his left hand and a long bamboo stick in his right.

"What's wrong, lad?" he asked.

Xander recognized from the voice that it was Gregory—the grumpy fellow who was gossiping with Bill and Marsh near the lake.