Turn back home (End)

Becky flicks Roger on the nose. "You know if you're asking that, you've already jinxed the answer into being 'something really, really bad.' I mean, look around and tell me this doesn't look like a cult!"

Roger did indeed look around. The mosaic was still awe-inspiring, but he had to admit, he couldn't think of a reason for its existence that wasn't terrifying. And the people... some of them looked as confused as he felt, but there were definitely some who had a different look in their eye. Determination? Or possibly... reverence?

"Okay yeah this is totally a cult," Roger admits with a sigh. "Whatever game they're playing here, we clearly aren't the ones set up to win. More likely we're just padding out the roster."

"So we can leave?" Becky perks up excitedly.

Roger sighs again, lamenting the utterly wasted trip. "Yeah, that's probably for the best." He stands up, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "My wife and I would like to cut to the chase and fail this 'faith test' now please."

There's a brief pause, then another man stands up. "Here here! This all sounds like a bunch of nonsense, and I shall not be wasting my time with it either."

A chain reaction slowly emerges, with more and more people standing up and voicing their rejection of this 'test.' The bald man looks on stoically, almost disturbingly so. He says nothing, but takes no action to stop people from steadily filing out of the room. Roger and Becky leave before getting the chance to see how many people remained at the end, but they reckon it must've been a third or less of the original group.

The leavers all make their way back to their respective vehicles, but none of them set off on the drive. They all seem to have reached the same conclusion.

"It's too late to start driving down a dark, wet mountain trail, isn't it?" Becky voices aloud, ruefully.

Roger sighs once more. "Yup. Guess we'll have to sleep in the car for tonight..."

They both strip naked and cuddle up on the reclined back seats. Too de-energised to even consider sex, they just savour each other's warmth against the cold of the night, and drift off to sleep.

The morning brings further disappointment. They hadn't been able to tell at night, but the countryside around the mansion is utterly unremarkable. This trip didn't even yield scenic views; it was a complete, unremitting, worthless waste of time.

Roger sees a man stroll past their car. He recognises him as having been in the study back in the mansion, though he doesn't remember seeing him leave with the rest of them.

The most surprising thing, however, is the casual way he walks beside their car while it's moving at sixty miles-per-hour! Roger struggles not to lose control of the car in surprise when he first appears, and Becky just stares on wide-eyed.

"Hello there," he jovially greets. "Just wanted to say thank you for encouraging everyone to leave last night. You made the test of faith really easy for the rest of us, and we all graduated early. We each have magical superpowers now, so we're off to better the world in the name of the maior patruus. Toodles!"

And then he flies away. Becky watches him go, then smacks her head against the dashboard.

"Boy, it sure is lucky we didn't stick around," Roger snarks. "Great thinking Becky, nice save!"

Becky just groans. "I am never, ever going to hear the end of this, am I?"