The stranger had incredible power. He grabbed the girl by the neck and began to choke her. Rose realized that her hour of death had come. Red circles swam before her eyes. The next moment everything went dark... Oddly enough, Rose felt that the villain had let her go and sank to the floor. Why didn't she die? The girl heard the villain take a couple of steps away. And then it dawned on her that she would not be his only victim! Realizing this, she tried to get up. With great difficulty, Rose was able to pull herself up, leaning on the headboard of the bed. “Father...” she whispered barely audibly, “Father, hear me...” Clinging to the bed, she went to the night table. Her hands were shaking so much that she could not strike a match and light the lamp. She succeeded only on the third attempt. The girl looked at the bed and saw that the stranger had disappeared and that she was alone in the room. Alone with a dead man!..