The Night the Sky Fell (14 page)

After Banks gathered the cards, he confronted Peyton, “Do you wash your eye drops out?”
 

Peyton replied, “I hate that gooey stuff but Mom says it’s good for me; but recently she doesn’t say much.”
 

Banks checked, “And that’s the truth?”
 

“Of course, Indians never lie. Right, Banks?”
 

“Right, Sport.”

In the master bedroom the alcohol began to take its toll on Julie. She slurred, “Peyton, Peyton. How will he ever forgive me? Stan, that…thing. It won’t flush. Get it out of the house, please.”
 

Stan suggested, “I thought I’d take to the hospital lab—”

“Stan, just get rid of it!” Stan crept to the bathroom. He stared at the towel-wrapped fetus. As he went to pick it up, it moved! Stan stepped on it with one foot. It moved again. He jumped up and down on it with both feet.
 

He covered up the pile of green ooze with another towel. Stan ran down to the back door and tossed it into the garbage bin. Tricia and Ann watched together from Ann’s window.

When Stan returned to his drunk snoring wife, he wrapped the blankets around her and kissed her on the cheek where he punched her previously. He opened his Bible to Matthew, Chapter 10, and verse 36. He whispered to himself “…and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.” To add to his anxiety, three knocks were heard from Banks’ room. He placed his ear to the door. Silence. He opened the door.

Stan jolted as Tricia peered in. Stan whispered, “Sweet pea, you startled me.”
 

“Peyton’s missing,” she stated in a monotone. Stan explained that he had a nightmare and was spending the night with Banks.
 

She added, “Something is different with mother. I can’t read her thoughts.”
 

Stan yawned, “Let’s talk about it in the morning, we all need our rest.”

Tricia slowly walked to her room as Stan watched. She turned towards him with a demonic glare. Stan shut his door.
 

Julie stirred and sat up. “We have to do something about Tricia.” Stan nodded. Julie added, “The baby she’s carrying; it must…die!” Stan gasped as Julie ran to her computer. “I have a file in my documents that I saved. Ann ordered all of us to kill anyone that tried to give the women examinations. We need to trick her. We need to drug her. We need to abort.” Stan looked at his Bible.

Conspiracy

On the following morning, Tricia spent time with Ann in Ann’s bedroom. Ann ‘sent’ out an all-points bulletin regarding delivery day. Once completed Ann addressed the puzzling activities at the Powers’ house. Additionally, she found it highly unusual to note Stan’s emptying garbage at midnight. Why communication stopped between Ann and Julie could only mean one thing. Julie was no longer a part of her inner circle. She could no longer be controlled. The why of this predicament needed to be verified.

Ann’s immediate plan was to be executed via Tricia. Ann communicated to Tricia a new directive: Tricia must be more vocal with her family and, contrary to her nature, to be sweet. Perhaps this would solve some of the mysteries at the Powers’ house like Peyton’s sleeping with Banks and Stan’s emptying garbage at midnight and other activities. But most important, Ann quietly thought that Tricia might be in jeopardy. Tricia attempted to debate this theory since both of her parents were good Catholics. Ann dismissed her thoughts immediately and Tricia acquiesced to the new plan.

Julie and Stan had their strategy as well. Julie grabbed six one-milligram Xanax tablets from her medicine cabinet. That, she thought, should be enough put a horse to sleep. She printed out the directions of emergency abortion that she had saved after her delivery of Peyton.
 

Downstairs, with Xanax in hand, Julie headed to the refrigerator. She opened an unopened carton of milk. She placed the drugs in the carton, shook the carton and placed it next to the dozen vials of Peyton’s eye drops. The plan was set.

At dinner time, Tricia entered the living room where Banks and Peyton played cards in the living room.
 

Banks tried, “Hey, Tricia.”

Surprisingly to Peyton and Banks, Tricia chirped, “Hi, Banks. Hi, Peyton.”
 

Peyton smiled, “You’re such a sweet pea!”
 

Tricia forced a smile to Banks as she walked into the kitchen and faced her mother, “Need help, Mom?”
 

Julie answered, “Well yes, if you don’t mind setting the table for five.”
 

Tricia stated, “Mother, I can’t send with you.”
 

Julie sat down and took Tricia’s hand, “I know, I lost the baby last night.”
 

Tricia accused, “You’re one of them now, mother.”
 

“I almost drowned Peyton. I almost killed your brother.” Julie wept.
 

Coldly, Tricia said, “The baby was more important, you should know that, mother.”
 

Julie tightened the clench on Tricia’s hand, “It makes us hate.” She released Tricia’s hand as Stan entered.

Stan tried, “Hello, girls.” Peyton followed in while sniffing the kitchen aroma.

“Yum,” said Peyton as he attempted to seat himself at the kitchen table, “I smell meat loaf.”

Banks aided Peyton and adjusted his chair and place setting.

Peyton addressed his mother, “Mom, you won’t hurt me will you?”
 

Julie sobbed and clutched her crucifix. She caressed him, “Never again, I promise.” She took a deep breath and went to the refrigerator.

Julie brought soft drinks for Stan and Banks. She opened the used milk carton for Peyton and the drugged carton for Tricia. Peyton drank his milk and he inadvertently placed his glass next to Tricia. “I beat Banks at gin.”
 

Banks nodded and added, “You sure did, Sport.”
 

Peyton gobbled meat loaf with relish. He went for his milk…only it was Tricia’s milk. Julie’s eyes widened and became aware of Peyton’s mistake. She needed to react quickly. As Peyton brought the glass to his lips, Julie retrieved the glass before he could drink the drugged milk. Quickly Julie interjected as Stan waited, “Sorry, Peyton. There’s a crack in the glass. Julie emptied the glass and tossed it in the garbage.

Later as Julie and Tricia cleaned up, Tricia pulled out the discarded glass. She scrutinized it.
 

With a matter of fact tone, Tricia announced, “Mother, for future references, I’ll make my own meals. No need to throw away a perfectly good glass.” Tricia placed the glass in the dishwasher as if to emphasize her edict.

Later, Julie pulled out the drugged milk and emptied it as Stan walked in. Julie turned to Stan, “She knows.”

The next couple of weeks that led up to delivery day, or ‘D-Day’ as many men of Juneau referred to it, was met with escalated tensions. At the Indian compound, women were becoming more physical and abusive toward the men. One man got his arm broken just for looking at his wife. When other incidents were reported, men moved into other men’s apartments and locked and bolted their doors. The women simply did not want any men to concern themselves with the upcoming deliver.

The Chief had many visitors from the married men and he and Roger gave consult. Roger always concluded the meetings with “… once the women delivered, they would become normal again.” This was reported to him from Banks in the case of Julie and from several other similar incidents. The men accepted Rogers’ words as a comforting solace and to simply remain on high alert until D-Day was complete.
 

Evelyn Sands had few friends but after that special Christmas Day at the Powers’ house, some wives of husbands who were district attorneys became acquaintances and confidants. She often ‘sent’ speculations about the deliveries but was urged to simply follow Ann’s orders. After a few months of pregnancy she acquiesced completely to Ann’s instructions.

Julie Powers was deeply involved in plotting conspiracies. She felt that this was a race against time. She concentrated strongly about ending Tricia’s pregnancy. How to abort the monster was a problem. The nights in the Powers’ master bedroom were shrouded in whispers. Stan was slow to come around to her latest plot.

Peyton felt that he was recapturing his mind’s eye. This in turn resulted in a more pleasant disposition and less grill and drill. Banks enjoyed the welcomed pauses as the two played cards on a nightly basis.
 

The Night Before D-Day

For the past few weeks, Julie Powers could only think about Tricia. The ticking clock was soon to go silent. When her thoughts about Tricia decreased, her mind went to Peyton. Her mind was always on Peyton in the past. Ever since his birth, she did everything to protect him. She lost focus on other family members and concentrated solely on Peyton and his wellbeing. Recently, she made it her daily goal to regain his trust and love after that horrible evening when she was a demon.
 

Julie gave Peyton his nightly eye drops and whispered tender thoughts of love that were for his ears only. The tub was running for Peyton’s nightly bath. Banks peered in and as Peyton got into the tub. Julie whispered to Banks that he should make sure to barricade the door. She had hoped that this would be the last night to do that since D-Day was tomorrow.

During the past weeks, Banks and Peyton would barricade themselves in and make a game out of it. After Peyton’s bath, the barricading would begin. Banks wondered how things were going at the Compound. The Chief’s cell went to recording and Banks left no message; he was not quite sure what to say.

Banks watched Peyton struggle with the stickiness of the drops. Banks understood Peyton’s dislike and told Peyton that the procedure would get easier.
 

Banks thought about his own improved vision. And then it hit him: Since as far back as he could remember, he used his vision to see things he did not have as opposed to using his sight for the things he did have. He remembered the Chief telling Peyton that Peyton could see the truth. And then Banks thought that this message to Peyton was actually a message to Banks Blackhorse. Perhaps Banks could not see what Peyton could see.
 

After cards and only the slightest of drill and grill, Banks slept in his reclining chair as Peyton slept in Banks’ bed. Neither could hear Stan and Julie open their door and creep outside. Murray and Dassi met Stan and Julie and the four of them got into the SUV. Stan turned on the radio and the foursome heard what they already knew. The male announcer offered lip service that as many as six thousand women were predicted to give birth today. There was nothing new. No hope from the outside world. The women saw to that quite effectively.
 

Dassi wondered what to do. Julie answered the question that was on all of their minds, “We must kill the baby!”
 

There were no niceties to her words. She would not fill that comment with euphemisms. This God-fearing Julie Powers had thought long and hard. While the others sat aghast, she repeated herself, “We must kill the baby!”
 

Murray was the first to speak. He said that the child was his grandson and it was a doctor’s oath to heal, not kill.
 

Julie argued, “Look one of two things will happen after delivery, the baby will release its hold on our daughters and Tricia and Ann will be fine…or Tricia and Ann will remain under its control. Our daughters could kill us or kill themselves. We don’t know for sure, but one thing is certain, when I lost the fetus I instantly regained control. And that fetus is not human.”
 

Dassi suggested, “Let’s wait and see what happens when they give birth.”

Stan retorted, “Timing is crucial.”
 

Julie added, “It’s self-defense. Stan will strangle Tricia’s baby immediately.”

From her bedroom window, Ann watched the four adults in the SUV. Then she held her arms in the air and ‘sent’.
 

At that instant, Tricia’s eyes opened. She walked to her bedroom window. The two teens quietly tranced as if they were deep in plot. The Monarch Raven flew from the top of the Powers’ house to the roof of the Abrams’ house. Once he landed he thought for a moment whether or not he should get involved. He decided to just to watch.

After the foursome shut the SUV doors, they each hugged one another. Dassi rubbed away her tears. Murray held her hand while they sauntered towards their front door. Once in, Murray opened his medical bag. He inserted a syringe into a vial and withdrew the vials contents. Dassi and Murray locked eyes, and then looked up the staircase to Ann’s room.

Murray took a swig of Scotch. Despite Dassi’s reluctance in the past to imbibe, Murray placed a shot of Scotch in her hand. Then after they gulped it down, he placed their glasses down. Dassi took the lead as the couple quietly ascended the staircase. As Dassi reached the last step, Ann darted out. In one hand, Ann held an overnight case. In the other hand, she held a butcher knife. She pointed it directly at Dassi.
 

“Hello, mommy!” Dassi screamed as she back stepped down the staircase. For each step backwards, Ann took one step down with the knife in stabbing position.