The Trilogy of the Void: The Complete Boxed Set

by Peter Meredith

  Lisa was sitting in a bright orange chair next to the bed. As promised, she was holding Talitha's hand. Her head rested on the bed and William was instantly worried for her, as he remembered the dreadful draining sensation of his daughter's touch. He thought for a moment that Lisa had passed out while holding Talitha's hand and that maybe she had been bled dry of her warmth or energy. However, just then Lisa opened her green eyes and gave them a tired sympathetic smile.

  The girl let go of Talitha's hand and rubbed hers together as if to warm them, and she was on the verge of saying something to Gayle, but Lisa noticed that Gayle only had eyes for Talitha.

  With her arm in a cast, Gayle awkwardly pulled herself from the wheelchair and went to the bedside. Her face was full of fear as she bent hesitantly to kiss her daughter. William could see that the nasty feel of the demon was still on Talitha by the way that Gayle grimaced as she kissed her.

  "Oh no," Gayle moaned, leaning back up and away. Tears worked their way down her cheeks to drip from her chin in a steady cascade. William went toward her to comfort her, but at that moment, Gayle turned instead to Lisa and hugged her. "Thank you for doing that for holding her hand like that, it must have been so difficult." She then buried her face in the girl's messy blonde hair and cried.

  "Please, Mrs. Jern, it was nothing."

  After seeing how Lisa was able to touch Talitha, William needed to know for himself and so he went to Talitha and after taking a deep breath, as if he were going to dive into dark cold water, he bent down and gently kissed his daughter on the lips. He knew instinctively he wasn't going to feel them soft and warm, but the icy feeling was worse than he expected and though he felt his life's warmth pulled from deep out of his chest he refused to pull back. He wanted to know if she was still in there; if there was any hint of life in her. Unfortunately all he felt was the unnatural oily sick feeling of the demon. Finally, he stepped back and wiped his sleeve across his mouth.

  Will came forward next. He had seen his parent's reaction so he simply reached out and took Talitha's hand. William saw his son's jaw clench tightly, and then he spoke loudly, almost shouting, "I love you, Talitha." With that, he gently put his sister's hand down on the white, cotton blanket and rubbed his own on the back of his pants.

  "What's a coma?" Katie asked suddenly. "It looks like she's just sleeping."

  The doctor spoke up, "A coma is similar to a very deep sleep. We, doctors I mean, don't really know why it happens but we strongly suspect it's the body's way of protecting itself."

  "Oh. Have you tried shaking her real hard?" Katie suggested and William was shocked to see Katie absentmindedly playing with her sister's fingers. She even placed a small kiss on the tips of each one.

  "Yes, we've tried to shake her, and everything else we can think of to wake her up," the doctor replied with a smile.

  "Her hands are so chilly!" Katie put Talitha's hand in both of her tiny ones and rubbed it vigorously. William looked over at Gayle and Will and they were both staring at the little girl in shock.

  "Katie, maybe you should let go of her hand."

  "Ok, Daddy I will, once I get it warmed up." She then blew on her sister's hand as hard as her little lungs would allow. Gayle watched Katie with a frantic hopefulness in her eyes. She reached out and gently touched the back of Talitha's hand, but pulled away quickly. The slow trickle of Gayle's tears became a river as she broke down sobbing, and William lowered her back down onto the wheelchair.

  "We have to stop this." She looked up and was suddenly fierce. "We have to! I have to be strong for her sake. Doctor, I'm ready...I'm ready...I'm..." Abruptly Gayle broke down again and her fierceness disappeared, replaced with terrific sorrow. "No, I'm not ready, Oh God help me. I'm not ready for this."

  Again, she cried and William cried along with her, since he knew what had to happen. Still he wasn't going to rush the mother of his children, not for something like this. The feeling coming from Talitha was that she was in terrible pain, worse than any torture. It was unnatural and abhorrent, and her misery was such that William would rather see her in flames, than to have to go through it any longer. He would have to end it mercifully—and very soon.

  Finally, Gayle seemed to lack the strength to cry or to resist logic anymore. "Ok, Doctor, it's time. Please we have to stop this for her sake, for Talitha. Turn off the machine."

  Thielsen eyed her warily and it was clear to William that the doctor worried about another hysteria-filled explosion. "Mrs. Jern, I'm so sorry, but I still have to get all the paperwork together, and I'm going to need witnesses and a second physician to sign off on it. None of that will be a problem; it'll just take a little time."

  "How long," Gayle whispered.

  "An hour, maybe two. If this is what you want. I'll get started on it right away."

  "Yes, please do." These words were even quieter. "And thank you for everything." He nodded his head sympathetically and left the room.

  Now that it was set in motion, the reality of Talitha's inevitable death struck William hard and he gasped through his tears, "My baby girl... I can't believe this...my baby girl." He grabbed his wife in a great hug and sobbed for a while with his face buried in her hair.

  "We have to do this," Gayle said to herself more than to William.

  "I know. My poor baby is trapped with...it."

  Will spoke up, "Can I call Father Alba?"

  Gayle answered, "Yes, I think that would be for the best, but he had better hurry. I'm not leaving her suffering even a second longer than I have to." She saw that Lisa wore a very confused expression and added, "You can tell Lisa if you wish, but no one else."

  The two left the room, quietly, Will with his arm around Lisa, who looked alarmed and puzzled at the same time. When they were gone, William noticed that Katie still held her sister's hand and he asked her, "That doesn't bother you at all?"

  "Nope, I love Tal and I'm her best friend. And she wants me to hold her hand, even if it's freezing cold."

  Gayle sat shaking her head. "She's not going to get married is she? Or have a...babe...I was wrong William, I can't do this. I'm not strong enough. You have to kill her. It'll be your fault. Ok? Can you do it? For me? Please? It'll be all your fault and I couldn't have stopped you, because you're so big."

  His wife seemed to be slipping back into a wild hysterical state of mind so William knelt down to look in her eyes. "Honey, stop it. We will do this for Talitha's sake. We will do this out of love, ok? It's nobody's fault, the demon is just too powerful, and we have to release her."

  She had been almost whispering before but now she yelled in his face, "The demon won't keep her! She's too good! She belongs to God."

  William nodded his agreement. "Yes she is."

  But then Gayle's eyes went wild again and she was racked by sobs as she thought of something else. "She'll need something to wear, something nice...when she...when she goes to Heaven." Gayle's tone slipped back into whispering and it was not to William she was talking to, but to herself. "How about my black dress? The one she really liked, with the frills at the neckline. I wore it at Captain Billier's dinner party."

  "Gayle, look at me," Wiliam commanded and her eyes, big and wide, came to focus on his. He worried for her mental state and wanted her to concentrate on something and the dress seemed like a good enough choice. "You're right. She'll need a dress, but I think the black one might be a little too...slinky for Heaven."

  "Oh, yes, of course."

  William remembered one of the last times he had seen Talitha all dressed up: it had been the previous Christmas. The dress she'd worn was white and sleeveless and it made her skin look deeply tanned and healthy. At the time, Gayle had eyed the dress disapprovingly, "White at Christmas? That's not really suitable."

  "If white was good enough for the Virgin Mary, then it should be good enough for me," Talitha had responded and Gayle had smiled warmly but mysteriously, leaving William to ponder what was being communicated, if anything, by the dress.

  Gayle ha
d been correct about the dress not fitting in with the theme of the party. Talitha stood out in a sea of red and green. Everywhere she went, heads had turned and conversations had lagged—not because she looked out of place, but because she looked so young and beautiful, and even angelic in the white dress.

  William smiled through his pain at the memory and said, "How about the white dress she wore at the Admiral's Christmas party last year?"

  Gayle looked out the window and he knew that she wasn't seeing the green of the oak trees; in her mind's eye she was at the Christmas party, and she smiled seeing her daughter dancing and laughing. "Yes, get that one please. And my makeup bag, the small one, it's on the sink. She'll need shoes, I think. Yes, shoes, at least at first...in the back of the closet... in a white Macy's box, get those ones. And get a ribbon for her hair. I think the gold one will look nice, yeah...white and gold will fit perfectly for...where...she...is..."

  Her tears were now coming too heavily to let her finish her sentence. William held her, rocking back and forth. He was in quiet turmoil at the thought of going back into the house. He knew it had to be done at some point, and not just for the dress. His wallet, money, identification, car keys, clothes; everything they owned was still there and he would need it all. However, just the thought of going back into the house released a thousand butterflies which flitted about his stomach, making him feel queasy.

  "I don't think I can get the dress..." He hung his head, ashamed of his cowardice.

  "Oh yeah, the demon," Gayle replied, and her body gave a little spastic twitch. "But that investigator, and his whole team were in the house and you can tell they hadn't seen anything. They might still be there if you go right now. And maybe...maybe it only comes out at night. Or..." and here another thought came to her, "Wait! It's in Talitha. We can feel it in her. That's where it is! You don't have to worry because it's in Talitha, remember? That's why I...you...that's why we have to do this to her." Gayle's attitude turned suddenly again to savage anger. "I hate it! I hate it! I hate that thing. I only hope Talitha drags it up to Heaven and I hope all the angels kick its damn ass!"

  Alarmed at his wife's anger William held her good arm down while he attempted to reassure her: "I'll get the dress, ok? And the shoes...and the makeup, ok? Alright?"

  "And the ribbon!" she yelled at him, but calmed a bit a moment later. "It's under the sink...the gold one remember? White and gold for Heaven."

  "I think she will be the most beautiful of all the angels in Heaven," Katie said and her tears were impossibly large.

  Gayle gasped! She had forgotten Katie was in the room. "Yes she will be, Katie. All the other angels will be so jealous! Can I have hug please?" she asked this almost timidly.

  "Yes, but you have to come over here on-a-cuz Tal says she needs me to keep holding her hand. Oh, and Daddy? Tal says I need a dress, too. She says I need my white and pink sundress so we can match. And can I have a ribbon also? Can I get a gold one like Tal so all the angels will know we're sisters?"

  He helped the struggling Gayle up to hug her daughter and answered her, "I'll get you a ribbon too." And he knew that he would. The house no longer frightened him.

  Gayle hugged her daughter and looked into her pretty blues eyes but when she spoke it was to William, "Make sure you take Willy J with you and I think Lisa will help if you ask her."

  "No, I want Lisa here with you and Katie and Talitha. She can hold her hand if you get tired Katie."

  "I won't ever get tired of holding her hand, Daddy."

  "Ok, just in case you have to use the bathroom, then."

  Katie immediately started squirming at the thought and just as Will and Lisa walked in, she hopped down and dashed to the bathroom.

  Lisa, wearing a stunned expression on her face, presumably at what Will had told her, hesitantly stepped forward and touched Talitha's hand. "I don't feel the demon. Her hand is just cold is all."

  "Nobody else seems to be able to either, thankfully, not even Katie," William murmured. He reached out to touch his daughter's hand, but then immediately pulled back. "I think when it looked at the three of us, it made some sort of connection, or created a channel, so now we're aware of its presence."

  "And it has Talitha." Gayle added. William saw that her eyes were still dancing about, not landing on anything for more than a second before flitting away again. "That's why we have to do it...free her, I mean."

  Lisa shook her head slowly at Gayle. "But she's strong! She may be the strongest person I've ever met, and the priest is coming. He said he could be here in a couple of hours. I think you should wait for him, he might be able to do an exorcism or something."

  "An exorcism? Just like the movies right?" Gayle said quietly and there was a dangerous tone to her voice. Lisa heard it and looked at her calmly, waiting for the explosion that her years with an alcoholic mother had prepared her for. It came fast. "This isn't a damn movie, Lisa. This is a nightmare that I can't wake up from! Wait another couple of hours?" Gayle gave a derisive snort. "The demon looked at me for a few seconds and I was nearly driven out of my mind with its nasty foul stench! You don't understand! Every minute that my Talitha is like this, will feel like months, or maybe years of torture!" Gayle had built up a head of steam in her excitement and was practically yelling at Lisa, who still stood calmly. "If I wasn't such a damn coward I'd put her out of her misery right now! Right Now!" This last Gayle screamed at full volume. Her emotional storm raged in her eyes but then came to an end as quickly as it had begun and staring at the floor, she added quietly, "I just hope that she can forgive me."

  "Mrs. Jern, I'm sorry, I didn't know how it was for her."

  Gayle looked around as if startled by the calmness in Lisa's voice. "Lisa, I'm the one who's sorry. I really am, I shouldn't yell at you. You've been a great help. It's just I think I might be going insane. I can't seem to hold it together for very long." Silence followed this statement since no one could dispute its honesty. "That's why you have to go now, William. Get the dress and get back here fast. The doctor can be back any moment and I won't wait for you, not for one second. Hurry, but be careful."

  William nodded in understanding and then went to Talitha and kissed her despite the foulness of the demon. He wiped his mouth and told her he loved her. He then kissed his wife. "I love you, Gayle. Be strong, do what you have to do for your babies."

  For the moment her brown eyes were clear of hysteria and she held him long in an affectionate gaze. "I will be strong...as strong as you. I love you, William. Now go, and get back quick."

  "I will." He looked at his son. "We have to get going on a mission. Say your goodbyes and let's move." Will gave his father a puzzled look, before following him out of the room.

  3

  The day was warm and promised to be warmer still and that was all right with William. As they walked, he explained the need to get a dress for Talitha as well as a few other essential items.

  "We'll also get a change of clothes for everyone. Don't load yourself down; we're just going to grab our stuff and go. If you feel anything weird, anything at all, I want you to run, ok?"

  "I won't leave without you," Will replied.

  "You will if I tell you to," William commanded sternly. "But we'll stick together, so you better believe that if you're running, I'll be right behind you." He smiled at Will to let him know he wasn't afraid and he found it odd that he truly wasn't. When he had kissed Talitha, he'd had the curious sensation that going to the house was the right thing to do, maybe even an important thing to do.

  He was strangely lighthearted and even buoyant in his steps. It was likely the beautiful June morning that had him feeling this way; the sun and the warmth acted to dispel his fear of the cold and the dark of the house.

  The two did not go straight away to their house; William headed first for the Harris', in the hopes of borrowing some luggage. His were all down in the basement and as buoyant as he felt, he wasn't keen to go down there anytime soon. The Harris' front door opened at the first k
nock and a disheveled looking Henny Harris greeted them with a tired smile.

  Despite his own cares William asked, "Are you ok?"

  "Me? Oh yeah, just a long night. The Admiral had a stroke and we've been at the hospital since four this morning. It doesn't look good but he's holding on, somehow."

  "I'm so sorry for you and Greg, but can I ask a favor? I need a couple of pieces of luggage, just for a day or two."

  "Sure...no problem," she replied yawning.

  "Thanks," he said but when she just stood there waiting, almost expectantly, he added, "Could we get the luggage now? We're in a bit of a hurry."

  "Come in. I'll go grab them for you." She left and the two stood in her foyer looking about. The house had a closed-up, stale feeling to it and the air held an odd, acidic smell. Will wrinkled his nose at it and William had to agree; whatever she was cooking was likely burning.

  A few minutes later, she came bustling up with two pieces of matching luggage. They looked expensive to William and thus he was surprised when she said, "You can keep these if you wish. I was just going out today to get a nicer set."

  "That's not necessary, Henny. We'll have them back in a couple of days."

  "Whatever..." she dismissed the luggage with a wave of her hand. "So how is everyone? There was quite a commotion on the street last night in front of your house. Is everyone ok?" She was very curious and wasn't bothering to hide it.

  "Talitha is sick. She's over at the Island's hospital right now...we..." William's throat tightened up too much to allow him to finish his sentence.

  "Sick? Just sick? But all those fire trucks and ambulances. I don't mean to pry..."

  Her morbid curiosity was annoying and William felt a stab of anger at his nosy neighbor. "Yep, she's just sick. But we do have to get going." He started out the door, somewhat rudely.