The cultist looks conflicted.

...Then he nods.

"Punch me."

Mordred punches him in the face. It'll leave a pretty nasty black eye. "Thank you," he says, and leaves.

The cultist says, "not through the kitchen-- Captain Walker's in the kitchen-- he had some complaints about dinner-- But there are also cultists the other way. ...uh. Fuck. ...Captain Walker doesn't want any trouble either..."

...The cultist hears the sound of someone getting shot.

Well he was going to say nobody wants trouble but then there was gunfire from people who clearly did.

"... ... ...so Mr. Trammel maybe just died," the cultist says. "Um. ...if I get you out of here safely will you promise that you will testify in my trial and say that I helped."

"I will absolutely do that." This is not even a lie.

Up through the wine cellar stairs! Cultist explains to Captain Walker that Mr. Trammel definitely just got shot and this is a real clusterfuck but apparently this journalist has a dead man's switch.

So probably they should let him escape and then try to kill him later.

Captain Walker seems to feel this is a very solid argument.

Mordred acts the part of a journalist who definitely for sure has a dead man's switch. Which he kind of does, he has that letter he gave his contact at the LA Times.

He really wishes his real surname were not attached to this, 'journalists named Orkney' is not a large pool.

"I look forward to seeing you again, Mr. Mordred Orkney," Captain Walker says to Mordred.

gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"I imagine you have learned a valuable lesson about interfering in our affairs. Go."

"I sure did. Bye."

Meanwhile--

"Anything you want to say to Lacie, you can say to me. It's very simple, Oswald." He reaches out and traces a finger affectionately along Oswald's cheek. "You can have the same deal I offered Lacie."

"And what was that?" Fear fear fear fear fear.

"You will serve me and our God, the Black Pharaoh, the Crawling Chaos, Lord of All. You may serve Him as His loyal and faithful servant. Or you may serve Him as food. The choice is, of course, yours."

"If I agree can I -- please -- have some time outside of all -- this--" He lets go of Lacie and backs away, slowly, as though to demonstrate his point about how overwhelming everything in here is.

"Of course," Samson says paternally. "You can go up to your old bedroom and have some time to think."

"Could I -- do that now, please--" what is even the state of things in here, one cultist went after Anemone--

"Of course," Samson says. "We can clear up your little friends'... problem... and then talk about it."

Well, his best chance of escaping is right now. Since everything is extremely chaotic.

On the other hand, his best chance of ever getting to see Lacie again is going to his bedroom.

He nods, takes a deep breath--

--and bolts for the trapdoor.

Samson grabs him.

"It seems like you've decided what you want, Oswald."

"Father, no! He didn't mean it!"

"You know what I told you, Lacie. Obedience must be flawless. Disobedience must be punished with death."

He has a gun! He fires it! At point blank range!