Four women hung from a gibbet, bodies swaying in the wind, causing the thick ropes to creak against the sin-stained wood. The unpleasant sounds gave the impression the dead were speaking to each other in croaks and whispers. I shivered and hurriedly looked away.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the rot-eaten corpses twist and turn, seeming to follow my progress with vacant sockets, as if I had interrupted some important conversation and were waiting for me to pass. Ravens dotted the bare limbs of skeletal trees like black fruit. Disappointment and blame lay as heavy as the clouds that veiled the heavens, promising rain.

No children played in the street and the few people I saw vanished into darkened doorways, ignoring my hesitant greetings and forced smiles. I felt suspicious eyes on me, but no matter which way I looked, no one was there. This was no place for friends and I wondered how I had ended up in such a miserable town.

Filled with grave misgivings, I looked for somewhere to stay for the night.