Chapter 4
Saturday, November 23rd, 1985
Hill Valley
4: 55 P. M.
Jackson roughly pushed Josephine back into her and Doc's cell, returning her from a visit to her shrink, Dr. Long. Josephine glared at him, then turned to smile at Doc. "We're all set, Emmett," she whispered, sitting down on his bed.
"What? So soon?!" Doc gasped, keeping his voice low.
"Yeah, talk about luck! Dr. Long was so desperate to snap me out of my 'catatonia' that he supplied me with all the information I needed. Dr. Adams just left for a 3-week vacation. My sister is going to leave Hill Valley - funny, I thought she loved this place. And Jackson's leaving early. I think that bite you gave him really did some damage."
Doc grinned. "Good. Revenge for all those times he's smacked me with that baton of his." He gazed at her expectantly. "Then this is it. The actualization of our plan." A little nervously, he held out his wrist. "Infect me."
Josie carefully bit open both their wrists, then pressed their wrists together tightly. Doc watched as their blood mixed together, spreading the germ into his body. "There goes my human life. Good riddance to it."
"Amen." Josephine took her wrist away and fed him some of her blood. His wounds quickly sealed up. "Now, I have to warn you, being made a vampire isn't pleasant. You get very, very sick. I'll try to keep you asleep for most of it. The symptoms should show up in a few minutes."
Doc nodded, contemplating his new life with eagerness. "One more for the road?" he asked playfully. Josephine saw his invitation clearly and came into his arms. Joyfully, they made love, Doc feeling better than he had in years. Afterwards, Doc asked Josephine a few pressing questions about his immanent vampire-dom. "This point is probably moot, considering where I live, but what is the effect of sunlight on vampires?"
"Mostly sleepiness. Being like me, an 'early' vampire, you probably will sunburn more easily. Here, though, that shouldn't be a problem."
A morbid thought occurred to the scientist. "What if I get staked?"
Josephine shuddered at the memories that brought. "It's painful, but thankfully not fatal. It's fire that can do us in properly. If we're completely consumed, we can't return. Still, staking is something you want to avoid."
"I'm sure. How much blood do I need a day? You seem to feed off and on."
"Actually, that's just how we feed. Every other day. Around a pint is the normal meal, nothing that can hurt anybody. If you feel queasy at the thought of drinking from other humans, animal blood works just fine."
"And if Biff manages to find me. . . ?"
"I'm sure you know what to do in that situation!" Josie laughed. "I don't know how good a snack he'd be, though. I'm sure he shoots up."
"I don't doubt it."
At 5: 12 P. M., Doc noticed that he was still sweating from their sexual encounter. His stomach was starting to roll around, making him feel nauseous. He made a face. "I don't feel quite like myself. . . ."
"It's starting to kick in, then," Josephine said sadly. "It's going to be a bumpy ride."
Doc suddenly turned pale and nodded. "I think I know how bumpy." With an unknown speed, he dashed to the toilet and gave up the contents of his stomach. Josie patted his back and helped him back onto his cot. She gently redressed him in everything but his strait-jacket, taking a moment to rub his still-aching stomach. Doc whimpered, his skin clammy. "This feels like when I got the flu at age 6. My parents were very worried about me. Influenza was a very dangerous disease back then." He licked his lips. "My mouth feels dry, too."
Josie got him some water. "Lie back and relax," she said, pouring it into his mouth. "Give me a sec and I'll hypnotize you. There's something I need to do." Doc nodded and tried to relax. Josie went to the door and spotted an attendant. She knocked on the glass to get his attention. With a smile, he walked over. "Yes?"
"Could I have some paper and a pen? I'm bored," she asked politely, applying a slight hypnotic nudge. The attendant, a fairly nice person by nature, gave her a few sheets and a ballpoint. "Thank you." She took them to her cot and set them down.
Doc looked at the pile. "What is that for?"
"To write a failsafe letter. It'll tell you all you need to know about vampirism. It's just in case something goes wrong and I can't reach you after you're buried."
"Buried??"
"Um - to the normal humans, it's going to look like you've died, I'm afraid."
"Great," Doc muttered sarcastically. Then he looked up at Josephine. "But it'll be worth it to be with you. I'd do anything for you." He smiled weakly.
"So would I, Emmett." She gave him a brief kiss, then put him into hypnotic sleep. Doc drifted off into a dreamland.
The hours passed slowly. Josephine wrote her letter and made regular checks on her boyfriend. Doc usually had pleasant dreams, but she had to block a few nightmares (one about being buried alive, no surprises there). Supper arrived, which she refused. The attendant wanted to have someone examine Doc, but Josephine convinced him not to. It wouldn't do for some busybody doctor to suspect something unnatural about Doc's disease.
Doc came to briefly after a few hours to find Josie tucking something into his shirt. "Josie?" he croaked.
"Just the letter, love. How are you?"
"Sick," Doc said blandly. "And parched." Josie fetched him another glass of water. "How long will I be sick for?"
"6 hours, give or take. And you'll be in a coma for 3 days."
"You certainly know a lot about vampires."
"I admit, I always had a thing for scientists. None of them were like you, though."
Doc settled himself more comfortably on the cot. Despite himself, he was getting worried. "Do you think anything will go wrong, Josephine? I know I gave this plan a 84% probability of success, but. . . ."
"As long as they don't embalm or autopsy you, you'll be fine. And if I'm left alone for 3 days, I'll be fine too. Don't worry. You'll be out of Biff's clutches soon enough." She put him back into trance and checked the time. 4 hours to go.
Saturday, November 23rd
11: 36 P. M.
Doc awoke from a sound sleep. A glance at the clock by the bed told him it was just sunset. Yawning, he got up and kissed the still-snoozing Josephine. "Time to arise, my love."
Josie's eyes fluttered open. She smiled up at Doc. "Hey there," she teased, returning the kiss with a slight nip. "Have a nice day's sleep?"
"Couldn't have been better. We're going to the movies tonight, aren't we?" He checked the calendar by their bed. "Yup. We are. The 7: 00 show."
"Well, do you think I could let myself miss Ben-Hur?" His wife yawned and stretched. "Speaking of which, you'd better go and wake up Marty. We both know how much that boy sleeps."
"It's one of the things I like about him."
"You like everything about him," Josie pointed out.
"I do not."
"Yes you do. You cannot find a single fault with him - or me, for that matter. You simply refuse to see any."
"You're my family. I'm supposed to love you to death." He kissed her again, then got up to wake Marty. Their adopted son was tangled in the sheets, sleeping in the strangest position his body could possibly manage. Doc chuckled and tapped the teen on the shoulder.
Marty jolted awake, fear in his eyes. It was a reflex from his Biff days he hadn't quite outgrown. He calmed down immediately upon seeing who it was. "Hey, Dad," he yawned.
Dad. The word still warmed Doc's heart and brought a smile to his face. He had always desired his own child, and now he had one. "Hi Marty." His smile lessened. "Did you have any nightmares last day? You seemed a little uneasy."
Marty shrugged, then nodded. "Just one. It's tough to get used to the fact I'm actually free from that bastard and have a dad again." He stretched the kinks from his muscles and wiped the drool from his mouth. "It's Ben-Hur tonight, right?"
"Of course. Your mother finds those 'historical' movies fascinating - and hysterical." He felt Josie slip like a shadow into the room, smiling at them. "You'll enjoy it too. Ben-Hur is a classic movie."
Marty smiled lopsidedly. "As long as it has subtitles. I hate when they dub the dialogue into German."
"We are in Switzerland." Doc gave Marty a hug, crushing him gently against him. "But I can understand your annoyance. I don't quite have the hang of the language yet myself."
Josie gently rubbed his shoulders. "It's safer here for all of us. Here, we can be a family. I love you, Emmett."
Doc abruptly realized he was dreaming and awoke. Josephine was in reality rubbing his shoulders, which accounted for the sensation in the dream. "Were you listening in?" he rasped, feeling hot and cold at once.
"Near the end. That must have been a really nice dream for you. I hope it becomes reality." She wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his strait-jacket. "How do you feel?"
"Like shit," Doc said truthfully.
"Well, I think we're nearing crisis. It should be only a half-hour, hour tops, that you have to suffer." She kissed his sweaty forehead. "Go back to your dreams." Doc was only too happy to.
Sunday, November 24th, 1985
Hill Valley
12: 10 A. M.
Doc came awake again. For some reason, he knew he was shortly to sink into the coma state. Already his limbs felt paralyzed. As always, Josie was by his side. "Josie?" he whispered, feeling a sudden surge of fear.
"Hush. Don't be afraid." She patted his head.
His breathing began to slow. It was becoming a struggle to stay awake. "It's hard not to be afraid. Weren't you afraid?"
"Yes, I was. But it isn't horrible." She lay down next to him. "Just think of it as taking a nice long nap. Everything will be fine."
His eyelids grew too heavy to stay open. He could feel his heart muscle relaxing, the beats slowing to a crawl. He managed with a humongous effort to take Josephine's hand and squeeze it. "I love you, Josephine," he breathed.
"I love you, Emmett. I'll see you in 3 days."
Doc nodded and let his eyes slide shut. In a minute, his heart and lungs appeared to stop completely. Only Josie could sense the tiny muscle movements keeping her beloved alive. She kissed his still form one final time, tied him back into his strait-jacket, and lay down on her own cot.
That morning, the attendants serving breakfast found Doc as unresponsive as Josephine. They called in the resident medical doctor to examine him. At 7: 34 A. M., Dr. Emmett Brown was pronounced officially dead. As he had no living family, the person responsible for his present state, Biff Tannen, was called instead. Glad to have a weight off himself, Biff instructed them to not bother embalming the body or anything like that. They were to give him a quick funeral and dump him in a cheap grave. The attendants untied his still form and took it away to the morgue.
Sunday, November 24th
9: 04 A. M.
"Please, Ms. Grey, I know how much you must be hurting inside. It'll be best if you let it out."
Josephine remained stubbornly unresponsive. Dr. Long sighed and stood up. "It's no use. She's completely catatonic. No sense of the real world."
Jackson, by Dr. Long's side, rubbed his arm. The bite Dr. Brown had given him was still throbbing, but it didn't hurt half as much as what she'd done to him when she'd rejected him. He decided to venture a suggestion. "Maybe we need to use something stronger, Dr. Long. Catatonia is tough to come out of."
The Asian doctor looked at Jackson. "What do you suggest?"
Jackson just concealed his grin behind a mask of concern. Now that Dr. Brown was out of the picture, he could have his revenge on Josephine. "I think electro-convulsive therapy is the way to go. A severe shock to her brain could be just the ticket to waking her up."
Dr. Long looked at his unresponsive patient. "You could be right, Jackson. I'll schedule some in for tomorrow. Having your roommate die suddenly is a traumatic experience. I don't want to aggravate her condition by pressing her."
Jackson nodded and smiled obediently. Today would have been better, but tomorrow would suit him just fine. "Of course, Doctor."
Monday, November 25th, 1985
Hill Valley
9: 00 A. M.
Josephine became aware she was moving. Groggily, she opened her eyes and looked discreetly around. She was flat on her back, tied down, being wheeled away from her cell. "I wonder what's happening. Should I risk it and start talking?"
Jackson's leering face came into view. "Hi, honey," he said, licking her face. Josephine couldn't repressed a shudder in revulsion. "I told you I'd make your life a living hell. You're going to room 101."
Josephine got worried. What was in room 101? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good if Jackson liked it. She carefully tested her bonds for looseness. If worse came to worst, she might have to make a quick escape.
They pushed her into the room. Josie kept her expression vacant as she glanced around. None of the equipment visible was familiar to her. "Keep on your guard, good. You don't know what they're going to do. Make sure you're ready for them."
A nurse spread some tingly, sloppy stuff on her temples. A rubber biscuit was pushed into her mouth. What felt like electrodes were taped to her -
"IT'S THE ELECTRO-CONVULSIVE ROOM! THEY'RE GOING TO TRY AND FRY MY BRAINS!"
Jackson noted her beginning struggles. "Relax, baby," he cooed, pressing his weight down on her. "Nothing to worry about. You're just following in your precious Dr. Brown's footsteps." He licked her again. "If you'd given yourself to me, all this could have avoided.
Josephine glared at him, eyes aglow with rage. She had been right - Jackson was going to get her to violate her principles. She snapped her bonds like they weren't even there and sat up. Jackson had one moment to gawk at this before she snapped his neck. The nurse, terrified of being next, did the thing she was trained to do. She pulled the lever.
Current rocked Josephine's brain. She collapsed back onto the gurney. Jackson slumped to the floor, his head at an odd angle. Two doctors rushed up to get him to the hospital, but both knew it was mere formality. Jackson was definitely dead.
After a minute, the nurse switched off the current and cautiously approached the prostrate Josie. She didn't react to anything, and when the nurse took her pulse, she found none. Hysterical, she ran for the doctor. Just as ignorant of vampires as before, he pronounced her dead at 9: 13 A. M.
Biff Tannen was called again. Annoyance at being interrupted in his activities two days in a row quickly turned to shock as he learned how the equipment had killed someone. Fearing bad publicity, he immediately approved money for new electro-convulsive equipment. That taken care of, the doctor called Josephine's sister, Lacy, with the sad news.
"Hello?" Lacy's voice was rough.
"Is this Lacy Grey?"
"Yes?"
"This is Dr. Mark Messenger from Southdale Asylum, Ms. Grey. I'm afraid your sister is dead. She was killed by improper use of the electro-convulsive therapy equipment. She had broken from her catatonia and was violently acting out when the nurse turned on the equipment. I'm deeply sorry for your loss."
A smile curved Lacy's lips. Finally, a chance to move on without worrying about that goody-two-shoes sister of hers. What a relief. She forced sadness into her voice. "Oh, God, poor Josie. . . . Horrible, simply horrible. . . . My dear sister. . . ."
"This may sound improper, but how do you want your sister interred?"
"Burial?" Lacy's smile became eviller. "My sister always told me her last wish -
"Was to be cremated."
