I asked, “Do you want a real challenge and not just some dumb hooker?” He sat back and stared at me inquisitively and asked, “What do you have in mind?” I leaned my head to the side, and like a little girl, asked, “Would you mind taking out a policeman?” Vincent leaned forward and looked me in the eyes and asked, “Are you crazy? Why would I want to take that chance?” I then pouted and asked, “Would it not be the thrill of your career? And what better way for me to prove myself to you than killing a cop? Would that be the ultimate proof I would never leave you?” Vincent chuckled, and said I had a point as he got up and looked out the window. He asked, “So you just want me to go out there and capture a cop for you? How do I know you don’t just want me to wind up getting shot?” I got up and walked over to him. I put my arms around him from behind and said, “I don’t want anything to happen to you. I just think my proof of loyalty should involve some challenge.” He folded his arms and continued to quietly gaze out the window. He finally spoke, “I might just consider it.” I released him and asked if I could volunteer a suggestion. He turned around and asked, “What? You have someone particular in mind?”
At that I gave him the name Darral Murdock – the sheriff who had made me so angry the night Daniel was killed with his crude sexual comments about me. I claimed I had heard Murdock was an expert cop, but I had every confidence in Vincent to be able to pull it off. I gave the location of where Murdock worked and then just stared at him. He asked me to wait a moment and he went on-line. He muttered the name “Murdock” a few times and then said “Ah ha there he is – kind of on the fat side but, maybe!” He then came back and cautioned me, “Look here Jennifer, I am not sure why you gave me this name and right now I don’t care. Just be warned though that this operation will take at least a week and during that time you will have to stay in the basement. If I don’t come back there is no way you will be able to escape. You still want me to go after Murdock?” I asked if Bethany was going with him and he said she would. I asked, “Would it be okay if she stayed here?” and at that Bethany came in and asked what was going on.
Vincent explained he had to go on one of his trips to teach a bad person a lesson. After looking at the picture on the screen, she responded, “He doesn’t look all that scary; has he hurt you before, Jennifer?” I said he had and Bethany then asked Vincent if she could stay home. He went back over to the window and quietly asked me to go to my room so he could talk with Bethany. As I lay there on the bed the conversation soon evolved into a loud disagreement. Odd, this reminded me of times I was in my room as a little girl listening to my parents scream at each other. I felt helpless listening to the fight then, as well as at that moment. Then I heard Bethany scream, “That could kill her!” I wondered what that was all about but I soon learned when Bethany opened the door and sat down beside me on the bed.
Bethany explained, “Vincent needs to go away for a while and he is afraid you might run away and abandon me if he leaves us alone before you pass his test. He wants you to wait for him in the basement.” The odd thing was that after just a couple of weeks working and hiking without shoes I had built up extremely strong soles on my feet. I could now walk outside on the hard ground covered with sage-like plants, sharp stones and the like without even feeling any pain unless some needle managed to penetrate the tough skin. So I could conceivably run off. Maybe I should just go to the basement, I thought to myself.
Then Bethany said that the basement was unnecessary but that Vincent insisted that a safeguard be taken – and if it were Bethany would stay at home and I could stay in the room. I was looking forward to what he had in mind until Bethany left the room for a second and came back with a large canning jar. She sighed and pointed to a spot in-between two and three pints, “Vincent says that if I drain you of blood to this level then no harm will come to you – but you’ll be unable to defy him and run away.” She seemed concerned, and it sure did seem like a lot. I sighed and nodded my head – at that point Bethany caressed my face and asked me to wait. I did detect some concern in her eyes but while I was somewhat worried, I was also a bit curious as to what effects this would have.
When she came in with the equipment I asked if we could go for a walk – all of us – for a while so I could get mentally prepared. She said that was okay and she would go tell Vincent. When she left I looked at the jar. It was large. However, I had not had blood drawn for over a week and some of my anemia symptoms were going away – probably due to the hefty portions of food coupled with a generous supply of wine. However, I was still tired most of the time and experienced dizzy spells quite often. I also had trouble staying warm at night. I wondered what would happen after this – aside from the weakness that Vincent seemed to want to induce.
I could not get these thoughts out of my mind while we were out walking. Of course, when Vincent said we had to get back so he could prepare for his trip, I thought about the basement again. Then I realized that if Bethany went with him and they wound up in a car accident somewhere in California I would die alone locked up down there. That was enough incentive for me at that point.
Bethany took me to our room and seemed to be trying to re-assure me that everything would be okay. Vincent came in and motioned for her to talk with him in the hallway. I saw her head nod and then she said I had to get undressed. Bethany took my clothing and put it in the hallway closet and locked the door. Apparently he felt I was unlikely to take off naked just in case I had the energy to try to.
Bethany then returned to me as I lay down and she did all the preparation work. As the needle went in I was a bit anxious but she seemed to want to calm me down as much as possible. I could hear the dripping noise, as did she, so she suggested turning on some music; then she started talking about plans for the winter.
After a few minutes I did start to feel a bit weak. I did not feel the needle anymore and it almost appeared as if nothing unusual were happening. I lifted my head up a bit and suddenly felt a little more lightheaded than usual – I could also detect my heart pumping faster. Bethany caressed my forehead and asked, “Are you okay honey?” I smiled, “I’m uh…I’m fine.” Vincent came back into the room and Bethany motioned for him to look at the jar. He said, “She’ll be fine. Don’t stop yet.” Bethany asked me to wait as they went into the hallway and started arguing again. I struggled to look down at the jar and noticed that the level of my blood seemed to be higher than the mark she had shown me. I tried to get up but suddenly I passed out for a few seconds. The next thing I remember was Bethany sitting beside me and smiling the way a concerned mother would while caring for her sick child. The needle was gone as well as the blood jar. I felt a bit like I did when I was drunk – I had trouble concentrating and it was only with great difficulty that I could move very much. I was really wondering if I had made the right choice after all.
Bethany handed me some wine and pills and asked, “Take these and drink this. You need iron and vitamins to build your body back up.” She left and soon returned with some soup and bread she had made. I thanked her but I was not much into saying anything else. I could see sweat on her forehead so I assumed it was a hot August day but I was freezing. I could also feel my heart beating as fast as if I were out for a run, yet I was not moving at all. My hands and feet felt particularly numb and cold. I got a little energy together and laughed, “I guess I won’t be running any marathons for a while.” When I said that Bethany started to cry and asked, “Please go to sleep for now darling. I’ll wake you later and bring you more soup and wine later.”
That evening I had really strange dreams – well, not really dreams, just images and sensations, like thinking I heard one of my children crying from the other room. Then I remember an image of Matt standing at my door talking to Vincent and telling him he could keep me and that I was not wanted anymore. In another dream I saw Nicole in bed with Matt having sex. Nicole asked Matt if there had been anyone else he had ever loved and he said there had not been. I woke up at that moment, in a cold sweat, and noticed
Bethany was asleep next to me. I was terrified to go back to sleep but I eventually did…yet while I did not dream of my past lovers I had the most frightening dream of all. I dreamt I was looking at the hippie woman I killed at Glacier Peak. She was sitting beside me talking about how beautiful I was and then she said, “I used to be beautiful until you did this” and then she turned to show me the gaping wound in her neck. Yet I did not wake to that. Instead I was transported into the lake we had drowned Daniel in. Daniel and I were struggling to get onto the boat while Sheriff Murdock pointing at us and laughing from the shore. That is when I woke up gasping and Bethany jumped up to comfort me. She asked what was wrong and I said I had a nightmare about Matt. She held me and rocked me gently in her arms, “He can’t hurt you anymore Jennifer.” She excused herself a moment and returned with the soup and wine she had promised. She began to feed me by spoon and commented, “Vincent will mail the letter you wrote from California. I think he has your cell phone as well and he’ll text something from there as well. Your ex-husband will believe you are somewhere in those teeming masses.” I nodded my head and soon fell asleep as she cradled me for the rest of the night.
In the morning I woke up, sort of, and tried to get out of bed to use the bathroom. I fell back and let out a moan. Bethany came in and helped carry me to the bathroom. I felt like throwing up a little but was able to prevent myself from going through with it. I was not able to stand but I asked Bethany to let me look in the mirror. She held me as I focused on the old face looking back at me. I looked worse than the night I was brought up from the basement. I wondered if the black dye were washed out of my hair if it was turning gray. I had no feelings of ambition – I did not even have the strength to cry – I just turned and staggered back to bed with Bethany’s help.
The next couple of days were awful, but then I began to recover – so much so that Bethany helped me go outside and walk around a little. It was good that there was nobody around or else they might wonder why there was a naked woman who resembled a zombie out in the yard. I felt really tired but the bright side was that I was able to sit on the porch, and that it was unusually hot that week so I could stay warm. Vincent had left some books on conspiracy theories which I found fascinating so I read them while I recovered.
At other times Bethany and I talked with me about our childhoods, the beauty of nature. Our emotional bond seemed to be getting stronger. Sometime on the third day I asked if she had any of my blood left to which she said she did. She came back a few minutes later and gave me a large glass of wine which appeared to be mixed with blood. It was also cold so I assumed she had stored it in the refrigerator. As we drank she said that it was a mixture of both of us in each glass. I smiled and thanked her and then, before I could catch myself, I said, “I love you.” She started to cry and said she loved me too. The reason I felt strange after saying those words were that they meant “love” in the way a daughter loves her mother. I think that day I knew she was not my mother – but what about her feelings? Who was I to her I wondered?
On the sixth day after Vincent’s departure I figured Matt would have received his letter by now. I guessed he must have been used to the idea of my not returning. As for Nicole, she must have been totally confused as she had known me for years and this must have shattered her image of me. I wondered which one would give up on me first. Yet, thinking back to the birthday parties from the year before I did become somewhat nostalgic. I even, for a fraction of a second wondered, “Do I still love them?” I tried to brush the thought aside and walked out into the yard to enjoy the sun’s rays on my body. There was a breeze and I thought I had enough energy to ask Bethany to go for a walk. So I hopped up the stairs, a bit too fast since I wound up feeling a little light headed, and went into the kitchen to see if she might be willing to hike. While there I noticed her taking some pills – and out of curiosity I asked what it was.
“Don’t worry Jennifer… I have a slight heart condition that I take medication for. The doctors say as long as I keep it under control with this stuff I should be okay. Vincent will go into Tijuana to buy some more supplies for me – it’s much cheaper there you know.” I asked what the condition was exactly but she said it was unimportant, but that it irritated her not to be able to be free of the need for medication. I wondered what her doctor would say if he knew her smoking and drinking habit.
Bethany glanced at me and smiled, “You are getting your color back! You’ll be fully recovered soon but we should lay off any blood rituals for the time being.” We sat at the dinner table for a while chatting, smoking and learning more and more about each other’s lives, and less intense subjects too. The chair felt cold against my skin but I figured the rules were that I was to remain undressed while Vincent was gone. Yet, just as Bethany looked up at the clock and said that if we intended to go for a walk we should do so, she surprised me by going into her room and bringing out some clothing! She warned, “Don’t tell Vincent but sometimes I think he treats you more like an animal – a pet – because he is afraid you will take off. Put these things on, but remember, not a word to Vincent. “ I appreciated the gesture! I was not one to be prudish on nudity but having it forced on me was rather irritating. I also appreciated her trust.
“Jennifer…when Vincent gets back I would like to buy you some nice things to wear, would you like that?” I smiled and nodded in the affirmative as I slipped on a blouse that must have been hers when she was really thin since it fit me perfectly. She then started talking all motherly, “I want you to be pretty.” I liked the idea but felt weird in a way as I remembered my own mother had never bought anything for me – she had just given me a bus pass and money and left all clothing decisions to me once I turned 13. She never even bought clothing as a present. Here Bethany was treating me, well, like a child – but it actually felt nice.
What was really odd though was that Bethany was defying Vincent – up until their argument concerning his demand that I be left practically dry of blood she was like the 1950s wife, including never contradicting or questioning him. Now she was criticizing how he was treating me. I had never really had to play off one parent against another growing up but now, perhaps, there might be a possibility to get my way in the future. Then it happened…I became aware of feeling more like my old self! It was like a cloud lifting slightly, but it was lifting. While I certainly was not planning to run off or anything, and while I truly saw my future with Vincent and Bethany, I felt a rush of independence that seemed to have been suppressed that summer.
Bethany took me to the bedroom and sat me down. She then started talking about a total make-over for me. First, she promised, “When we get back from our walk I need to put more dye in your hair. It is beginning to grow out and I can’t wait for it to hang down your back again.” She took my hands, “You need moisturizer and I am going to give you a manicure. “ She had me stand and she shook her head as she looked over me, “Vincent said not to let you have any sharp objects so I suppose it will be up to me to clean you up properly. Look at you! I have seen timber workers with less hair on their legs!” We laughed but for a split second I again thought about Nicole and how she had wanted me to look more masculine prior to our marriage. I quickly pushed those memories aside though. No need for sentimentality, it would only spoil my happiness.
Bethany then brought in some magazines she had bought on her last shopping trip. Apparently she had planned on this moment since I doubt she was all that interested in fashion trends that seemed more suited for teenagers. Perhaps she saw me in the context of a young teen rather than a child. Whatever the perception she had we looked at some of the outfits together much like a teen blessed with a mother who might project her own yearnings for youth onto her daughter. She then said, “We should hurry so we can get back and I can treat you to something really special!”
When we returned Bethany had me undress and she took me into the bathroom and helped me with my hair – which, even with what anyone would have described as malnutrition during
my time in the basement, had grown as rapidly as ever. It now could almost cover my ears. Bethany put the dye in and then wrapped the towel around my head. She left for a moment and then asked me to come into the bedroom. She said, “Surprise!” and asked me to lay down on the bed which she had covered with towels. She then said I was going to get a full spa treatment!
What followed would have been incredibly sensuous if in any other context. She applied some lather on my entire body and carefully shaved away three months’ growth of hair – nothing was left anywhere, even my arms were smooth as a baby. After I rinsed off she had me return and lay down again. She rubbed in sweet-smelling moisturizers and oils into my skin. It was funny how I normally would have died laughing as she rubbed my feet since it was the most ticklish part of my body, but weeks of rough use had made the soles as thick, and hard, as a leather belt. Even though my nails seemed to testify of the ordeal my body had been put through she was able to make them look much nicer after applying some bright red polish. She then treated me to a make-up session.
When she was done she took the towel from my hair and combed it. She looked really excited at her “masterpiece” and led me to the mirror and asked, “How do you like it my dear?” I looked and while I had aged quite a lot over the summer I liked what I saw. I still did not like the loss of my athletic figure but I felt I looked really good anyway. Bethany giggled like a teenager when I told her I loved what she had accomplished, and looked forward to trying on some of the clothing styles we had been looking at.
The rest of the day we sat sipping on some wine on the porch and enjoying the mid-August breeze. I enjoyed the feel of my soft skin as I caressed my body and relaxed in the chair. The only thing that disturbed the peace was the screaming of the pigs. I asked what was wrong with them. She replied, “Vincent says he, and only he, can feed those animals.” She quickly changed the subject as she pointed towards the horizon, “We need to ask Vincent if we can all go hiking up in the more remote Wallowa Mountains before summer’s end.” I loved that idea! After dinner we sat down next to each other on the couch and watched TV together. She said, “With Vincent away we can watch something other than some science or history documentary.” She surfed channels and landed on some program showing people getting tattoos and she asked, “Should we go and get tattoos together?” I reclined on the couch and sat with my legs over Bethany’s lap and as she began to massage my feet I said, “Why not? I used to fear the idea of needles but maybe now…”
Deliverance from Evil Page 11