THE SIXTH GUEST: Chapter Six - Part Nine

There was a final horror-stricken pause in which each one of them remained frozen. Clare’s lips moved as though she were speaking soundlessly, but in truth she couldn’t formulate anything that could make sense of any of this.

Then the man started to move.

He’d remained still for so long that his closing on them suddenly was almost terrifying. Joey emitted a deep yelp and went against the wall. Selina cried out and stumbled back. Mike, Clare and Travis all took an involuntary step away.

The man said nothing. He didn’t even make eye contact. He was walking toward the door to leave with such concentration of purpose it was as though no force on earth could have stopped him.

“Wait,” said Clare. “What do you mean, a disaster?... What kind of disaster?”

He kept coming. He was almost to her.

“Don’t go. Stop and talk. I didn’t mean what I said. We can still discuss this.”

He wasn’t going to stop. He would walk right through her if she didn’t get out of the way.

“Hey,” snapped Travis, grabbing the man’s arm. “She’s talking to you!”

The man stopped, glanced down at Travis’s hand, then raised his eyes from the point of contact and looked at Travis. Instantly Travis was hurled backwards, clipping Mike in the arm knocking him against the bare wooden mantelpiece. Travis smashed into the cabinet in the corner opposite the door next to where Henry still sat and tumbled down, shattering the dainty fold-up table that stood there along with the vase on top of it.

All their eyes snapped round to follow the movement, to watch him floundering, okay it seemed, but barely conscious amidst the wreckage. Selina called out his name and pushed through to him, trying to help him up. “Baby, are you okay?” Travis shrugged her off and tried to stand but he couldn’t immediately. Selina put her arms round his shoulders and glared back over her shoulder, clearly terrified. The rest of them turned to follow her gaze but the man had gone, Clare only just caught the motion as he turned out the lounge doorway into the hall.

Hesitation, then she went after him. “Stop! Wait!”

Travis was trying to get up with Selina’s assistance. Mike was checking on Rosalie. Henry was still apparently asleep. Joey looked merely petrified. No one was with her, helping her.

The front door catch clicked as it opened. The man was going through. He was in the porch, already in shadow, the door closing slowly behind him.

“Wait a minute, please!” called Clare. She reopened the front door. The man was out of sight, She didn’t know which way he had gone. Then she saw him, on the pavement now, beyond her car, walking down the road to the right at the same determined pace. “Don’t go! Wait! We can still talk!” She stepped out of the porch, glancing back to see if anyone had come with her. The hallway was empty.

The man was gone when she turned back to face down the road.

“Wait!” she called, as loud as she could. “We can work something out! You don’t have to go!” She opened her mouth to shout that she believed him when he said he was God but she caught her tongue. Did she really believe that? And would he know if she was lying again and punish her – do something even worse than he was already promising?

“Please!” she shouted. “Come back! We can still talk about it! It isn’t too late!”

The street was empty and silent. There was no longer any sign of him at all.

“Please!” she said, her voice crumbling into a murmur. “You don’t have to kill anyone. I believe you.”