"I’m Marvin," the driver introduced himself to the Asian man.
"Cecil," the young man replied. He was of thin build, slightly taller than the stocky, heavyset older man. His black hair was short and slicked back with hair gel.
"Hi Cecil. I’m Suzanne," she said, and they shook hands briefly. They walked over the grass toward the row of houses in the distance. After around half the distance, Suzanne suddenly stopped and put her head in her hands briefly.
"Ouch," she said.
The other two who had walked in front stopped and turned around.
"Something wrong?" Marvin asked.
"It’s okay. I’m starting to get a migraine, I think. Brilliant," she answered. She waved her hand dismissively and continued onwards. "It’ll be OK. Let’s go."
They reached the stairway leading up to the central townhouse. The front door stood open.
"You saw just the one guy in the costume there?" Marvin asked.
"Yeah. They were in the living room on the ground floor," she replied. The older man nodded and started walking up the stairs.
"Okay, so let’s go talk to our new friend," he said. The hallway came into view as they ascended. Nobody was to be seen.
"Hello? Excuse me. Someone in there?" Marvin called into the open doorway. All they could hear was the wind and quiet birdsong.
"Hey. I was here just a moment ago. Hello? I brought some friends. Do you mind if we come in?" Suzanne added.
Stolen novel; please report.
"You are free to enter your home, Suzanne," a high, well-articulated voice from inside answered. She gasped quietly. Marvin’s brow furrowed and he peered into the hallway, moving slightly to try and see more of the living room at the end of it. The two men looked at Suzanne.
"I never mentioned my name," she hissed.
"Your home? Did I hear that right?" Cecil asked. Suzanne had heard it too, and shook her head uncomprehendingly. Marvin cleared his throat.
"Hey, buddy. We don’t feel like we should be walking into your place. Can you come out please? We just wanna talk," he said. The person inside the house didn’t answer.
"Can you come out please? You’re in my home," Suzanne said. Cecil gave her a quick grin at this. They looked back into the hallway. At the far end of the hallway, a flicker of light and shadow indicated movement in the living room. After a moment, someone came into view. The gleaming white mannequin walked around the corner and entered the hallway, its feet making quiet "clink" noises on the wood floor. The three outside took a step backward as it came to a stop just inside the front door.
"Is there anything else you need, Suzanne?" it asked. The mannequin waited patiently as Marvin stared at it, his brow furrowed deeply. Cecil’s face was blank, but he also couldn’t take his eyes off the gleaming white being.
"I, uh, what?" Suzanne had heard the question directed at her, but being confronted with this strange apparition again had blanked out her mind. She did, at least, feel a told-you-so sensation of gratification as the other two now clearly saw the reality of the situation.
"It must be uncomfortable standing out here. Won’t you come inside?" the being said after a full minute of silence. It turned around and walked back through the hallway. The group watched it disappear into the living room at the far end. Marvin’s eyes were wide open and he was breathing heavily, his nostrils flaring rhythmically. Cecil had taken the encounter with similar astonishment. His mouth was slightly open, and she could tell his mind was working furiously, trying to make sense of what they had seen. The thing had moved incredibly precisely, each part of the body seeming to do the minimum required of it, and not a bit more. The effect was eerie; it made her think of industrial robots working on an assembly line with inhuman speed and accuracy, never tiring.
"Convinced now?" Suzanne asked with some satisfaction. She entered the hallway, intending to get some answers. After a moment’s hesitation, Marvin and Cecil followed.