Chapter 38

Pamela Schmidt, Kimberley Doyle, Joanne Horne and Bridgette Westholm had begun to huddle close together within 10 minutes of each of their abductions. By the time all four girls were in the basement they were all equally terrified and crying.

The door opened and the whispering began. At first the girls didn’t hear anything but the door opening and the footsteps. As the footsteps came closer, the whispering became more pronounced.

“…know ye not that these things are an abomination in the sight of the LORD; yea, most abominable above all sins save it shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost? For behold, if ye deny the Holy Ghost when it once has had place in you, and ye know that ye deny it, behold, this is a sin which is unpardonable; yea, and whosever murdereth against the light and knowledge of God shall be guilty of such a great crime. I will not dwell upon your crime, to harrow up your soul, if it not for your own good. Pamela, Kimberley, Joanne and Bridgette I am your executioner. You have all been found guilty for your sins and your punishment will commence in twenty four hours. May God have mercy upon your soul even though the murder of the innocent you committed showed no mercy upon that soul! 24 hours…know ye not…”

As the Whisperer began to go back up the stairs he heard the girls start to wail and sob. One of them started screaming profanities at him, yet as he continued to walk up the stairs he couldn’t help but feel elated and a strange sense of serenity. The Whisperer closed the door behind him, took off the night vision goggles, mask and the other apparel he wore, and then went and sat in front of his monitors to watch the terrified girls try to deal with their hysteria. The girls were trying to comfort each other, holding each other and stroking each other’s hair. They were doing anything to get each other to calm down and save their strength so they could fight or do whatever they needed to do. When the Whisperer saw that the girls were calmer, he decided that he needed some rest so he could carry out his duties tomorrow.

As the tall dark man lay in bed he let his mind drift, he thought of Vivian and her beautiful face. He drifted further into sleep and saw a field. He walked toward the field and as he entered it he dropped his hands so he could touch and caress the flowers as he walked. The smell was intoxicating, like a combination of spring and summer. All around him were small white starry flowers. As he continued to walk, he saw an object, completely unfocused yet he knew that he had to get to it. When he looked down he saw a small footpath that either he hadn’t noticed or hadn’t been there before. He knew instinctively that he was to be there, he felt guided and secure knowing that he was following the right path. As he walked toward the object at the end of the path, he felt moisture on his hands, when he looked down he saw that the field of flowers had changed into a river and he was walking against the natural flow of it. The water was cool but not cold. He looked up and saw a long beautiful bird fly overhead and identified it as a stork. Further on towards the blurred object he noticed a beautiful grove of trees. There were giant old oak trees with full leaves and every so often, there would be an old willow tree with its bows hanging and the flowers looking as if it were weeping. When he looked up for the object he saw his childhood home at the end of the footpath he was on earlier. When he looked back there was nothing but a dirt-covered road and a never-ending blue-gray sky. He suddenly felt apprehensive; when he looked back at the house he saw that the front door was open. He slowly walked up the path, up the stairs and finally into the open door of the house. When he walked in he saw his father sitting on the couch reading a paper, he heard his mother humming and singing in the kitchen and he heard giggles and laughter from down the hall. When he moved out of the doorway, the front door closed behind him, quickly yet quietly. He watched his father read the paper for a few minutes then he moved further into the house, he wanted to see his mother. It had been so long since he had seen or heard her voice. As he walked into the kitchen he stared at the back of a woman at the sink doing dishes.

“Mom?” He asked.

The woman didn’t turn or respond to him so he walked over to her and tried to touch her. His hand wouldn’t make contact no matter how hard he tried or how much he willed it. It didn’t matter where he looked or where he tried to touch the woman’s face was elusive to him. Frustrated, he moved back towards the hall and the giggles. As he walked down the hall, he saw the bathroom, his father’s room and then his room that he had shared with his brothers, his mirror images. He opened the door and saw himself and his brothers playing with dinky cars and trains. It felt like he had stood there for an eternity watching himself and his mirrors play. An odd feeling washed over him. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder, he jumped and when he turned around to see who had touched him, there was no one there. Then he heard Vivian’s voice, quietly at first, then more urgent and louder.

“William…hurry…” the Whisperer searched the house to find Vivian. He looked in his father’s room, the bathroom, the kitchen, the front room and nothing. The bungalow was empty of her. Her voice rang through his ears,

“William….hurry…”

Her voice was panicked and he felt flustered, he needed to find her. He ran over to the front door and turned the knob, it wouldn’t turn. He tried to turn it the other way, still nothing. He bolted to the back door and slammed it open. The light was blinding at first, then as he blinked to focus he saw that he was at the hospital. Vivian was in the bed, broken and bloodied. She was crying his name, reaching for his hand. He sat beside her like he had done before, grabbed her hand and told her how beautiful and lovely she was. How strong and brave she was. He kept telling her how much he loved her and how he would love her until the end of time. He repeated to her how sorry he was that he wasn’t there to protect her. When she had finally fallen asleep, he asked the nurse his wife’s condition, which he already knew. As the nurse told him he felt himself nod and his mind wander back to his garage. He heard Vivian’s voice again, this time not urgent, but low and tired, when he turned he saw he was back home again, sitting beside his wife’s bed holding her hand. This time he was waiting; waiting for her to die. When he looked down he was sitting on the floor surrounded by darkness. He heard a door open, footsteps and whispering. As the footsteps grew nearer he could hear the words that were being spoken ever so quietly…

“…“…know ye not that these things are an abomination in the sight of the LORD; yea, most abominable above all sins save it shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost? For behold, if ye deny the Holy Ghost when it once has had place in you, and ye know that ye deny it, behold, this is a sin which is unpardonable; yea, and whosever murdereth against the light and knowledge of God shall be guilty of such a great crime. I will not dwell upon your crime, to harrow up your soul, if it not for your own good. William I am your executioner. You have been found guilty for your sins and your punishment will commence in…”

The Whisperer woke suddenly and with such a start his entire bed shook. He was in a cold sweat. He turned on the light by his bed. When he sat up he felt his bedding and it was completely soaked. He looked over at the clock and saw that it had only been 20 minutes since he had gone to bed. It had felt like an eternity. He shifted and got out of bed. Changed the sheets and had a shower. Before he went back to bed he took a sleeping pill and set his alarm for ten hours later.