with one hand, pushing him back and raising the pistol into the air. I fired a single shot – a sharp,
clean crack in the morning air – and the people fell silent once more.
When the sound of the gunshot had settled I spoke again.
‘Go home. All of you.’
And now there was a different kind of movement among the people standing at my front door. A softer movement as someone pushed through them to come and stand beside me.
Josif nodded once at me and turned to look at the others. ‘Luka’s right. We have to stop this before it goes too far. We don’t know anything about this man—’
‘Then why do we keep him among us?’ Dimitri said.
‘We need to calm down.’ Josif held up his hands.
‘You wanted to keep this from us too, Josif. You, Leonid, Ivan. All of you respected here, trusted, and yet you wanted to keep it a secret. Those children out there in the cemetery were
murdered by that man. Is that what you want for our children? To be butchered and eaten?’
‘We don’t know that for—’
‘I saw what I saw, Josif. That man is a murderer.’ Dimitri turned to the crowd again and they responded by raising their hands into the air. ‘Bring him out!’ he shouted,
and the villagers began to chant those words: ‘Bring him out! Bring him out!’
Then a snowball came from somewhere within the crowd. A hard ball of ice and snow crushed into a vicious projectile. It struck Josif and he bent at the waist, putting his hands to his face. When
he stood straight again, there was blood running from his nose.
He held up his gloved hands to show the people what they’d done. He shook his head at them. ‘Is this what you want?’ he shouted over their chanting. ‘Blood?’
‘Yes,’ someone yelled back. ‘Blood.’ It wasn’t the answer he had expected. Josif had wanted to shame them, but the people had moved beyond that emotion. They were
angry and they were becoming frenzied. There was an approaching wickedness that threatened to harm all of them, and this was the only thing they had to aim their anger at. They had found something
upon which to focus all their dark emotions, and their collective mood was moving them to act without reasoned thought. If there was to be any chance of stopping them, I knew I had to break them
apart, restore their individuality if they were to see sense.
I fired a second shot and pointed my pistol at the crowd. ‘Move away. Now. I want you all to leave my home.’
‘You’re going to shoot us?’ Dimitri asked.
‘I’ve shot many men. You’d be no different.’
‘And women? You’ve shot women too, Luka?’
I didn’t reply.
‘And you’d shoot us ?’ Dimitri looked behind him. ‘Your friends and neighbours? To save a man you don’t even know?’ Now he showed me the defiant
expression of a victor and he pointed to the corner of the house. ‘In front of your own daughter?’
Petro was standing far back from the crowd, with his arm around Lara, pulling her close as if for protection. She in turn had squeezed herself into the folds of his coat as her older brother
watched with interest. I held a hand out to them, indicating they should remain where they were.
‘What about you, Dimitri?’ I turned my attention back to my brother-in-law. ‘You want to drag that man out into a mob? In front of your wife? What does Svetlana think of
this?’
‘She wants to protect the children as much as I do.’
‘Then where is she now?’
‘Where she should be. With our daughter.’
I shook my head. ‘Don’t do this, Dimitri. Please. Don’t do this. We’re still human.’
Dimitri stepped forward so the barrel of the pistol was against his chest, but it wasn’t the act of a brave man. It was the act of a coward who knew he’d won. I had shot men in this
way before – pressed the barrel of a gun against the cloth of their coat and fired right through them – felt their bodies become heavy and watched them fall aside. But Dimitri knew I
wouldn’t shoot
clean crack in the morning air – and the people fell silent once more.
When the sound of the gunshot had settled I spoke again.
‘Go home. All of you.’
And now there was a different kind of movement among the people standing at my front door. A softer movement as someone pushed through them to come and stand beside me.
Josif nodded once at me and turned to look at the others. ‘Luka’s right. We have to stop this before it goes too far. We don’t know anything about this man—’
‘Then why do we keep him among us?’ Dimitri said.
‘We need to calm down.’ Josif held up his hands.
‘You wanted to keep this from us too, Josif. You, Leonid, Ivan. All of you respected here, trusted, and yet you wanted to keep it a secret. Those children out there in the cemetery were
murdered by that man. Is that what you want for our children? To be butchered and eaten?’
‘We don’t know that for—’
‘I saw what I saw, Josif. That man is a murderer.’ Dimitri turned to the crowd again and they responded by raising their hands into the air. ‘Bring him out!’ he shouted,
and the villagers began to chant those words: ‘Bring him out! Bring him out!’
Then a snowball came from somewhere within the crowd. A hard ball of ice and snow crushed into a vicious projectile. It struck Josif and he bent at the waist, putting his hands to his face. When
he stood straight again, there was blood running from his nose.
He held up his gloved hands to show the people what they’d done. He shook his head at them. ‘Is this what you want?’ he shouted over their chanting. ‘Blood?’
‘Yes,’ someone yelled back. ‘Blood.’ It wasn’t the answer he had expected. Josif had wanted to shame them, but the people had moved beyond that emotion. They were
angry and they were becoming frenzied. There was an approaching wickedness that threatened to harm all of them, and this was the only thing they had to aim their anger at. They had found something
upon which to focus all their dark emotions, and their collective mood was moving them to act without reasoned thought. If there was to be any chance of stopping them, I knew I had to break them
apart, restore their individuality if they were to see sense.
I fired a second shot and pointed my pistol at the crowd. ‘Move away. Now. I want you all to leave my home.’
‘You’re going to shoot us?’ Dimitri asked.
‘I’ve shot many men. You’d be no different.’
‘And women? You’ve shot women too, Luka?’
I didn’t reply.
‘And you’d shoot us ?’ Dimitri looked behind him. ‘Your friends and neighbours? To save a man you don’t even know?’ Now he showed me the defiant
expression of a victor and he pointed to the corner of the house. ‘In front of your own daughter?’
Petro was standing far back from the crowd, with his arm around Lara, pulling her close as if for protection. She in turn had squeezed herself into the folds of his coat as her older brother
watched with interest. I held a hand out to them, indicating they should remain where they were.
‘What about you, Dimitri?’ I turned my attention back to my brother-in-law. ‘You want to drag that man out into a mob? In front of your wife? What does Svetlana think of
this?’
‘She wants to protect the children as much as I do.’
‘Then where is she now?’
‘Where she should be. With our daughter.’
I shook my head. ‘Don’t do this, Dimitri. Please. Don’t do this. We’re still human.’
Dimitri stepped forward so the barrel of the pistol was against his chest, but it wasn’t the act of a brave man. It was the act of a coward who knew he’d won. I had shot men in this
way before – pressed the barrel of a gun against the cloth of their coat and fired right through them – felt their bodies become heavy and watched them fall aside. But Dimitri knew I
wouldn’t shoot
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