"Sit. Sit. Please, how rude of me. Please. Sit right here," he said. He gestured to the seat across from him.
Katie decided it was best if she listened to what he asked. She slowly eased into the chair, keeping its back to her left side. Instinctively, she felt that if this guy were to lunge at her she could lean backwards and possibly escape. But she couldn't help the overwhelming feeling that he just wanted to talk. He didn't seem to want to hurt her. But she was going to play it safe.
"Sorry. Are you John Blackstone?" she asked. The question seemed to be a stupid one, though, especially given that he looked so young. If he were still alive, he’d be ancient looking.
While his demeanor remained calm, his face twisted slightly in puzzlement at the question. "Of course."
Both remained calm and quiet for a moment. Katie slowly took her eyes off of John and looked at the clock on the wall which was ticking away loudly. Weird, as she didn't have a clock on the wall. She looked back to John. John was staring back at her blankly.
"I have prayed to you and begged and pleaded for mercy. And yet you have found it in your heart to ignore me. I have been faithful to you in every way, done all I can for my family, and you have forsaken me. Please, tell me why?"
Good God. This guy thinks I'm an angel. What do I do now? Katie thought to herself.
As the fear started to build up in Katie, a plate smashed in the sink. She jumped slightly and let out a gasp. A woman in a dress, wearing an apron, was standing at the sink.
"You've ruined my life, John. You've ruined all of our lives. The children are devils and you put all this burden on me. You have shamed me, John. You shamed me, the children, and your mother!" The woman was shouting.
John put his elbows back on the table. His hands were still in the classic prayer position. He meekly mumbled, "You stopped going to church, Agnes, and so have the children--"
"There's more to life than just the church, John. I'm tired of the judgment, I'm tired of their backstabbing, I'm tired of the gossip. The Reverend only wants money, money, money--"
John slammed his right palm down on the table with a surprisingly loud bang. He turned to his wife. "We must go to church or God will punish us!"
Katie turned to the kitchen sink, but the woman--Agnes, apparently--was gone.
Good God. I'm actually inside this guy's mind. I'm hearing his...thoughts. I'm in this guy's head... I'm not in danger... Oh my God, his family is... Oh my God--
John sat still, with his eyes closed, taking slow, deep breaths. His face was expressionless. Katie gazed out the kitchen windows, but there was nothing but a white haze, like a movie screen waiting for something to project onto it.
There was no sound. The kitchen seemed...brighter, even whiter than she recalled. The black and white tiles were spotless. It was as though she was in a television studio, where they make an exact replica of something...like the Oval Office in the White House...but this was her kitchen...
"There's not much time. There's not much time left," John said. He was growing ever so slightly agitated.
Katie glanced at the clock--the clock that hadn't been on the wall but was now--and the time was 3:35. She looked at John, who was mumbling something that she couldn't make out...
Wait. Holy crap. 4:44 and 3:35... Oh my God, I've only got nine minutes with this guy...
If Katie's calculations were correct, she would wake up in a few moments. Assuming she was dreaming. If she wasn't dreaming, then she had an ominous feeling that something bad was going to happen. Either way, she was witnessing a nightmare.
Think fast. Compose yourself. He thinks you are an angel. Talk to him calmly. But be quick, you don't have much time.
Katie adjusted herself as John was praying and holding his Bible. He kept kissing the cover.
"Hey, John? Where are the kids right now?"
John had the Bible in his right hand resting on the table, and with his left hand he was absentmindedly stroking the wooden box. "They are at school," he said. He added, "My wife is out running errands."
"John, doesn't your mother live with you?"
John squirmed in his chair. He clearly didn't like that question. His mouth tightened and his eyes became beady. He shifted slightly in his chair and squeezed his Bible tighter. "She's upstairs in her suite. Sleeping... Oh Lord. Forgive me Lord. Have mercy on your servant..."
"John, I'm here. I'm listening. Share with me your troubles...of your heart," Katie said awkwardly. She was trying to sound religious, wondering what angels would talk like.
John's voice started to crack. He shook his head slightly.
"It's too late. They've...they've gone too far to be pleasing to the Lord," John said. He let out a loud sob which startled both him and Katie. He quickly fought it back and regained his composure.
Katie glanced at the wall. Time was ticking by. It was 3:38 PM.
"It's never too late, John. What do you feel they have--"
John slammed his Bible down on the table with greater force than before. Katie's eyes were wide with fear and adrenaline and the room seemed to fade.
No, no, no! I don't want to wake up yet, she thought. Her demand seemed to work, as the light volume seemed to get much brighter--almost blindingly white--and then returned. She was startled somewhat to see John leaning in on the table berating her.
"Elizabeth is just like her mother. She no longer attends church. She was such a good, good girl when she was young. Now she is under the influence of Agnes--"
"She's young, John--"
"None of that! I'll have nothing to do with that! She has a boyfriend and she smokes. In public. Disgusting. Filthy!" he hissed.
"I've prayed and I've prayed. I've worked hard, but God has not seen fit to honor my prayers. I know what he wants me to do...
"Daniel, he was a good boy and looked after his sister. But he doesn't respect me or his mother. At all. No respect. He must respect authority. His mother has poisoned him. He's on the wrong path," John said. He sobbed again.
"Agnes has a disease. She got it through inappropriate relations with a man before she met me. She hid it from me. Now it's eating her brain...she's drinking booze constantly, she's a drunk. A lush. An embarrassment..."
John paused. His mind was running wildly as he confessed. Katie was wondering what else to say to encourage him more, but before she could speak, he continued on. His tone was darker.
"The pastor has been of no help or guidance. God has not answered my prayers. I have been faithful. But God has given me this evil woman and disrespectful children. No answers. No answers..."
John struggled with his thoughts. Katie looked at the clock. Good God, it's 3:40, come on man, talk! Spit it out!
John let out another loud sob. "I lost my job at the sawmill. Two weeks ago. Too many managers. I was the best one. The best, but they gave me my papers. Oh God," he sobbed. He wiped his left eye with his hand, quickly returning it to the box.
"The bank wants the house back? Over my dead body. Greedy, evil men. Kick you when you are down."
"It's all in my hands now. I have to save my family from embarrassment, ridicule and shame. Shame, shame, shame."
"Whoa, John. We must all walk our own paths," Katie said, again feeling stupid for trying to sound religious. But it sounded good. "God is pleased with you, John."
"NO!" John shouted. "No, if He were pleased I would not be made to suffer like this. I must wipe the slate clean."
As John spoke he slowly opened the beautiful wooden box. The lid was hinged, and as he opened the box the lid lifted up and swung towards Katie, resting on the table. The interior was velvet. He removed a black silk cloth covering the object within. Katie winced as she saw the revolver.
John removed the revolver with reverence. Katie knew nothing of guns, but this was clearly an old revolver like she'd seen in old westerns. John picked out shells and started sliding them into the revolver chambers one by one. He was slow and methodical.
"I have done all that I can do. Wh
at else can I do? I speak with the authority of a husband over his wife and children, and they don't obey. I pray, I get no answer or help...
"I cannot allow this to continue. I must discipline them and put them on the right path. They must be saved..."
Katie's stomach turned. She was watching a rerun of a movie where she knew the outcome. She was powerless to stop what was happening. Anger and rage at his attitude tore through her soul. This guy is nuts, she thought.
The time was now 3:43. Katie felt desperate. Helpless. Sick. She wanted to run, but couldn't.
"John, you don't have to do this," she said. She tried to be calm, but she could hear the fear in her own voice.
"Thank you for being here. I had faith angels would come to comfort me," John said. His composure was back. He was sitting calmly again. He reached over, slowly, and closed the beautiful wooden box. He was holding the gun in his left hand and picked up his Bible in his right.
"God is good. God is great. I love the Lord with all my--"
Noise and activity came from outside the front door. Someone had arrived. Actually, it sounded like several people had arrived.
"It is time. Please excuse me," John said.
It was 4:44 PM.
Chapter 17
The front door burst open with Adelle beaming. "Daddy!" she called out enthusiastically. She ran to him and gave him a leg hug by the fireplace.
She was quickly followed by Daniel. "Hi, Dad, you are home early!" He took Adelle's hand and led her to the kitchen.
Agnes followed, carrying groceries. "What are you home for? You need to teach Danny to pull up his socks and help with these damn things, John," she said.
She knew just the right thing to say at just the right time to set him off. If there was ever a sign that he was on the right path, it was this.
"Daniel! Take your sister upstairs," John said. His voice was firm and disciplined. He meant business.
Daniel knew that voice. It meant trouble. It meant Mom was in trouble for being tipsy again and a lot of shouting and Bible verses were about to fly. He grabbed his sister, who was terrified of 'that voice that Daddy makes.' They rushed up the stairs.
It wasn't the first time John had raised his voice. Agnes knew what was coming. She loved it. She loved getting John mad. It made her feel like she had power over his obsessive and controlling nature. His way or no way.
"The fire is nearly out. You can't even get a fire started properly, John. You make me sick, do you hear me--"
"I lost my job. They gave me my walking papers, Agnes."
Agnes was stunned. The air hung thick with an awkward silence. "Oh my God, what are we going to do?"
Agnes's eyes began to well up. The first emotion she had shown in ages. Tipsy from alcohol, she lowered her head into her hands.
John let out a sob. He reached out with his left hand, keeping his right hand behind his back. A breakthrough with Agnes? Is this the healing that the angel hinted at?
Agnes slowly turned and started to move away towards the center of the library.
Apparently not.
John raised his gun and shot her point blank in the back of the head. Agnes dropped quickly face-forward with a loud thud onto the floor.
Katie was frozen in shock as she stood in the kitchen doorway. She watched in horror as John calmly lowered the gun to his side and stepped forward to look at Agnes.
John took a deep, deep breath and let out a loud sigh. "You shall sin no more, my beloved. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, I give you back to God..."
A feeling of pure evil seemed to permeate the air. It was like the air was thinner and hard to breathe. From the corner of her eye she saw Daniel at the top of the stairs. He was staring right at her.
"Come quick! Dad is angry, come on!" Daniel said. He was pleading with Katie to come up the stairs. "Run!"
Katie was gasping for air. Now she was pleading to wake up! She didn't want to see any more.
Katie turned towards John, who was kneeling by Agnes. His head was down and he was checking to see if she was truly dead. She was. He raised his head and looked at the stairs. His eyes were bloodshot red.
John growled. "I said take your sister upstairs!"
"Run!" Daniel pleaded. Katie realized he was pleading to her.
Katie turned and started up the stairs, tripping on the third step. She pulled herself up, grabbing the handrail on the right. She looked around the corner and Daniel had a look of utter terror in his eyes. Katie scrambled and got up, only to have her right foot yanked hard.
Instinctively, Katie kicked hard in a backwards direction. Whatever had grabbed her leg let go, but pain seared her ankle. She ran as fast as she had ever run in her life.
Daniel was by the empty bedroom when she got to the top of the stairs. He ducked in with a motion to follow him quickly.
Katie ran in and slapped the door with her hand. The door slammed shut. Not the brightest thing to do when trying to hide. Too late. It's done.
Daniel was standing by the wall. Katie was amazed to see that there was a large opening in the wall. A hidden cubby hole. Inside was Adelle, terrified. Daniel's eyes were wide as he franticly pointed to get in.
"Get in here. Quick, before he comes!"
Katie slid in as fast as she could, knocking into Adelle accidentally. Adelle immediately hugged Katie.
"Stay here," Daniel said. He started sliding the hidden panel back into place.
"Wait! Get in here!"
"Not enough room. It's okay. I always take the beatings. I love you, Addy," Daniel said.
Daniel slammed the sliding panel shut. Sudden blackness. Adelle squeezed her harder and was whimpering.
"Shh. We have to be quiet, okay?"
Katie could hear Daniel move to the other side of the room. She could only guess what he was doing. The room was empty; there was no place to hide. She hoped he was behind the door, but John was a big man and could easily overcome anything his son could hope to try.
A feeble muffled voice broke the silence. "John? Johnny? What was that noise?"
"Nothing, Mother. I dropped something. Dinner will be soon. I will bring it up for you."
"Johnny. I want to know what that noise was! Answer me. Do you hear me? Johnny. Answer me!"
The sound of footsteps slowly trod up two flights of stairs to his mother Ellen's room in the attic. A few moments of silence followed. Then a gunshot and another dull thud.
Adelle cried softly, "Daddy is mad."
"Shhh. We have to be quiet."
It was probably only seconds, but it seemed like hours. Nothing in the house made a sound. When the silence did break, it came from an unexpected source.
"I'm home," came a voice from downstairs. The door slammed. Then the voice screamed, "MOM!"
Footsteps thundered across the floor upstairs, a door banged and the pace of the thundering continued down the stairs. John was going to shoot Elizabeth.
Suddenly the bedroom door was heard to swing open. Daniel screamed, "Run, Elizabeth, RUN!"
The thundering footsteps stopped dead in their tracks.
"Are you okay? Where are you?" Elizabeth called out.
"RUN, Lizzie, Ru--"
A loud shot rang out. "Daddy. Please. No. Nooo."
Another shot fired. Adelle buried her face into Katie's chest.
The footsteps calmly climbed the stairs and paused. Then they calmly walked into the room. "Adelle? Where are you hiding, darling?"
The footsteps were along the far wall. They moved to the center of the room. "Are you under the bed?"
Bed? The room is empty... Katie realized that in this alternate reality, she was back in time and the bed was once again there for the family. Of course.
John walked up beside the paneling. He was mere inches from Katie and Adelle. Could he not know of this secret hiding spot? Evidently not.
The footsteps walked towards the door to the hall. "Adelle? Where are you?"
Suddenly Adelle reached
out and slid the panel open wide, exposing both her and Katie. Katie was in shock. She grabbed at Adelle but her hands seemed to pass through her.
Adelle ran around the corner out of sight. "Daddy! Why are you mad at us? Wake up, Daniel..."
Another shot. Silence.
Oh my God. Adelle. That sweet innocent soul. The taste of vomit was in Katie's mouth. She felt sick. I can't stay here, I've got to save Elizabeth.
Even Katie was surprised at the sudden rush of confidence. Fearlessness.
Katie climbed out of the hiding spot and ran into the hall. Lying face up was Daniel. Two shots to his chest. She turned left to see Adelle lying face down in a pool of blood. Her hair and scalp were torn off from a bullet to the head.
Rage filled Katie. She thundered down the stairs, her left shoulder hitting the wall as she was rushing so fast. She ran into the living room, expecting to meet John for a confrontation.
He wasn't there. The front door was wide open. The smell of smoldering kindling came from the fireplace. She looked to the right and once again saw Agnes lying face down. A massive pool of blood lay under her.
Katie looked out the doorway to see John walking towards Elizabeth. Elizabeth was crumpled up under the willow tree. She looked like she was crying.
Katie rushed out the front door towards John. When she reached him, she grabbed his arm. Only her hand went right through him.
"John. Don't do this. Please. Don't do this. This is making God angry."
John kept walking. His face was expressionless and his eyes were...indescribable. The whites of his eyes could only be described as red. They seemed to glow under the reflection of the sunlight.
John calmly walked up to Elizabeth and stopped a few feet from her.
"Elizabeth, run!" Katie whimpered.
Elizabeth looked up defiantly. "Mom was right. Your obsession with religion will destroy us all. You won't silence us, Dad. We will haunt you for eternity--"
John calmly raised his gun and shot Elizabeth dead. Just as calmly as you would change a channel on a television remote, he simply turned her life off. Just like that. Calmly. Coldly.
"Time to clean up," John said. He put the gun into the waistband of his pants, reached down and picked up Elizabeth like a sack of potatoes. He turned and headed into the house. He dropped her body--not placed it, dropped it--onto the floor by her mother.
Sight Unseen Complete Series Box Set Page 11
