F. Paul Wilson - Hosts

He stared at her a moment, then nodded. "Never thought of it that way but I guess I do. Except I can't come out of mine. Ever."

"You did to me."

He shook his head, raised a hand, and waggled his pinky finger.

"T opened the door a crack and showed you this much. The rest stays inside."

"Why?"

"Because my closet's way deeper and lots darker than yours."

She expected to see sadness in his eyes but found only flat acceptance. He'd made choices and he'd live with them.

Just as she'd live with hers.

4

Jeanette was not in sight when Jack and Kate came in.

"She might still be asleep," Kate said.

Jack hoped not. He wanted to see what mental shape Jeanette was in before he left Kate alone with her. He also wanted another look at this woman who meant so much to his sister. He couldn't help but see her differently now. She was no longer Kate's friend, she was her lover.

"Who's asleep?" Jeanette said, stepping out of her room with a mug in her hand.

She wore an Oberlin sweatshirt and cut-off shorts. Nice legs. Great quads. She definitely worked out.

"How are you feeling?" Kate asked.

Jeanette beamed. "Absolutely wonderful. How about you? And Jack. So good to see you again. How are you?"

Jack glanced at Kate, saw the tight line of her lips, and knew how she was feeling. They were in the presence of Mary Poppins without the accent. Or maybe the Stepford Dyke.

"Just fine," Jack said. "We had a walk and a talk."

"I'm out with Jack," Kate said. "He knows everything."

Jeanette glided into the kitchen. "Isn't that nice." She placed her mug into the microwave and began punching buttons. "Not that it's going to matter."

Kate looked as if she'd been slapped. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing." Her smile broadened. "And everything."

She punched the START button and her grin died. Slack-faced and staring, she swayed.

"Jeanette?" Kate started forward.

Jeanette began mumbling, slowly, extracting the words like corks from wine bottles. "Kate… I… we… no… Kate, I'm almost gone. Can't hold out—"

And then the microwave oven chimed.

And Jeanette blinked and regained her smile as abruptly as she'd lost it.

"What?" Jeanette said. "Why are you staring?"

"You had another of those spells," Kate said.

"Don't be silly." She removed her reheated cup from the microwave and took a sip. "Mmmm."

"Jeanette—" Kate began as Jeanette brushed by her on her way out of the kitchenette, but Jeanette cut her off.

"Any plans for today, Kate?" She plopped herself in the rocking chair and smiled.

As Kate began another attempt at convincing Jeanette to make an appointment with Dr. Fielding, Jack stared at the microwave. Wasn't sure, but thought he remembered Jeanette having her 'spell' last night while Kate was nuking the dip. And now while reheating her coffee.

Could microwaves trigger these spells? Didn't know a lot about them, but if people with pacemakers were supposed to keep their distance, who knew what other effects they might have?

"Anyone mind if I make myself a cup of coffee?" he announced to the room.

Kate gave him an odd look and he knew what she was thinking: after all the coffee he'd drunk at the Greek place he should be floating.

But Jeanette said, "Sure, be my guest."

Found a mug, filled it with water, and stuck it inside the oven. This gave him a chance to look it over. Noticed the door wobbled on its hinges, and he found a crack in the lower right corner of the glass. Had it been dropped at some time?

Closed the door, set it for five minutes on high, and punched START. As it hummed to life he turned to Jeanette.

Nothing. She sat in the front room sipping and rocking and shaking her head no to everything Kate was suggesting.

So much for that theory.

But wait. Jeanette had been standing in the kitchen both times. Proximity could be a factor.

Hit the STOP button.

"Something wrong here," he said. "The microwave won't stay on."

"Sometimes the door doesn't catch," Jeanette said. "Make sure it's closed all the way."

Jack made a show of opening and closing the door, and pretended to press START.

"Nope. Still won't go."

"Men!" Jeanette said with an exasperated sigh as she rose from her chair. "You're only good for one thing."

Jack stepped aside to allow her to reach the microwave. "And what's that?"

"Procreation."

Weird thing for a lesbian to say. Wasn't breeder a derogatory term among gays?

Watched her press START.

She dropped her cup, splashing Jack's ankles with hot coffee, and now her face had that slack look again, and she started mumbling.

"No… yes… this helps… what are you…"

"Jeanette!" Kate cried, rushing into the kitchen area. "It's happening again!"

"Easy, Kate."

She grabbed Jeanette's hand. "What's happening?"

"It's the microwave oven. Seems to have some effect on her."

"Then turn it off!"

"No," Jeanette gasped. "Leave… it on."

"Listen to her, Kate. It's a good effect. Like it's snapping her out of whatever spell she's under."

"The virus," Jeanette said. "The virus…"

"What about the virus?" Kate gripped Jeanette's shoulders and gently rotated her until they were face to face. "Tell me."

Jack retreated a step. Three people strained the tiny kitchen's occupancy limit. Let Kate handle it. She was the doctor.

Jeanette's tone changed—same voice, but suddenly more focused. "We do not want to speak of this."

"What do you mean, 'we'?"

Fractured again: "Wasn't me… don't listen to them. It's the virus… changing us."

"Changing you how?"

"My brain… our brains… reaching critical mass…" Another shift in tone. "No! We will not speak of this!"

Jeanette squeezed her eyes shut, seemed to be making a heroic effort to exert control. Might have been funny on a stage or in a comedy club, somebody doing a parody of a bad horror film about demonic possession or warring multiple personalities, but the fear-sweat streaming from Jeanette's pores was real. Jack sensed a once indomitable personality clawing for a fingerhold on her identity and his heart went out to her. He wanted to help her but hadn't a clue as to how.

"Tell me, Jeanette!" Kate said. "What's happening to you?"

"Eaten… eaten alive. Every minute… every second… less of me… more of them."

"Jeanette, that sounds so—"

The microwave went ding ! Jeanette stiffened, blinked.

Damn! Jack quickly reached around Kate, punched another ten minutes into the oven and got it running again.

"E pluribus unum! E pluribus unum! E pluribus unum!…"

She kept repeating the phrase and Jack couldn't be sure which Jeanette was responsible. It seemed like a prayer, or a mantra, something you might repeat endlessly to drown out a sound or a frightening thought.

"Jeanette!" Kate still had hold of her shoulders and was shaking her. "Jeanette, stop that and listen to me!"

But she kept droning the same damn phrase.

And then Jack turned at the sound of the door opening and saw Holdstock rush into the room.

"What's going on here!" the pudgy man cried. He wore a gray, three-piece suit; his face was flushed and sweaty, as if he'd been running. "What are you doing to her?"

"Hey-hey!" Jack said, stepping toward him and straight-arming him to a stop. "Where do you get off barging in here?"

"I have a standing invitation," he puffed. He held up a key. "See? More than you have, I'm sure."

He tried to slip past, but Jack wasn't about to let that happen. He grabbed him by his suit vest.

"Whoa, pal. Just stay where you are."

And behind Jack the "e pluribus unum" chant continued.

"You take your hands off me! And stop torturing that woman or I'll call the police!"