George Stark captures Alan Pangborn on the wooded slope above the Beaumonts’ driveway, converting Alan’s attempt to reach the family into a hostage situation. The encounter confirms that Stark is real, places the sheriff under armed control, and carries the threat directly to Liz and the twins.

Approach to the Beaumont House

Alan moves down the eastern slope of Castle Lake toward the Beaumont summer house, using the road and its branching driveways to keep track of his route. From a position about twenty yards above Lake Lane, he reaches the fifth turn-off beyond the Williamses’ and checks behind him for the sparrows he believes have been following him. He cannot see them and briefly considers that he may have imagined them, but continues toward the house.

The approach requires Alan to work down the hill slowly and quietly. He cannot see the Beaumonts’ driveway from where he is, and his progress leaves him exposed as he descends. Stark comes up behind him and puts a gun to his ear. Alan’s attempt to reach the family unseen ends before he can get down to the house: Stark has found him first and dictates what happens next.

Stark Revealed

The man holding Alan at gunpoint is unmistakably George Stark, the figure whose existence had seemed impossible. Stark’s face is badly deteriorated, and his appearance suggests more than ordinary decay; nevertheless, Alan recognizes him. The sight makes the truth immediate: Stark is not a false lead or an invention, but a physical danger standing over the sheriff on the hillside.

Stark’s condition contrasts with his relaxed manner. He jokes about his appearance, speaks to Alan familiarly, and maintains control of the encounter. The contrast does not lessen the threat. Stark tells Alan that a wrong move will cost him his life and will also endanger the woman and children at the house. He says he has nothing to lose, making clear that Alan cannot count on Stark’s self-preservation to restrain him.

Disarmament and Forced Entry

Alan accepts Stark’s threat and drops his gun into the roadside brush. Stark orders him toward the Beaumont house, following behind as they descend to the road, cross it, and continue down the driveway. The house stands out from the hillside on heavy wooden pilings; nearby, Stark’s black Toronado is parked by the door. These details mark the destination as both a family refuge and a place Stark has already reached and occupied.

At the house, Liz calls out to ask whether Alan is all right. Her question establishes that she is present and aware of his arrival, but Alan’s capture means he cannot enter as a free ally. Stark has taken scissors from her and placed them on a bedside table beyond the twins’ reach. He orders Alan to cut Liz’s legs free while leaving her wrists alone, which she is nearly able to free herself. The sheriff is thus made to participate in Stark’s control of the household even as he has been disarmed and remains under threat.

The Capture Turns the House into a Hostage Scene

Stark brings Alan down the Beaumonts’ driveway under threat, with the sheriff’s gun left behind in the roadside brush. The approach ends at a house set on heavy pilings above the slope, with Stark’s black Toronado parked beside the door. Alan has reached the family, but not in the protective role he intended: Stark controls his movements and uses his presence to extend the hostage situation inside.

Why the Capture Matters

The encounter turns Alan’s attempted rescue into an enforced extension of Stark’s hold over the Beaumont household. Alan comes down the hill as a sheriff moving toward people in danger; once disarmed, he is made to approach them under the captor’s direction and then ordered to assist in keeping Liz restrained. The reversal is immediate and practical: his presence at the house offers no protection while Stark controls the weapons, the route, and the terms of movement.

The scene also resolves the uncertainty surrounding Stark’s existence. The man Alan recognizes is the same George Stark whose identity and reality had seemed impossible, and the recognition becomes explicit when Alan accepts that what he is seeing is true. Stark’s physical deterioration does not make him less capable of imposing danger; instead, his casual humor and apparent composure sit beside a direct threat against Alan, Liz, and the children. The capture therefore joins revelation to crisis: the impossible figure is physically present, and the family’s safety is now bound to Alan’s obedience.

Why the Capture Matters

The encounter converts Alan’s attempt to protect the Beaumont family into a means of extending Stark’s control over them. Alan descends as a sheriff trying to reach people in danger; once disarmed, he must approach under his captor’s direction and is ordered to help free Liz’s legs while she remains otherwise restrained. His arrival does not restore safety: Stark controls the weapon, the route into the house, and what Alan is permitted to do there. The reversal makes the capture consequential beyond the hillside, carrying the threat into the family’s home and placing Alan inside the hostage crisis.