10 - All good things...
Things continued for a good few months with Jenny regularly getting boxed or buried, occasionally being the centre of attention in the floor at the sex club, and even on special occasions getting buried and covered with a layer of concrete, but at the same time Dave noticed that she seemed to be getting more clumsy and less coordinated over time. Thinking back, she had been for well over a year, so decided that she needed to see her doctor.
The GP did the usual tests, blood pressure, SO2 levels, standard blood tests, etc, and at the consultation after the results had come back was looking rather concerned.
"I'm not absolutely certain" she said, "but it looks like you have a degenerative weakness that is probably genetic in origin. I need to send you to a specialist for some extra tests, but at the moment it doesn't look like it will be good news I'm afraid."
A month later they went to the nearby hospital to see the specialist, but as they feared Jenny had a degenerative illness that would cause a continued loss of both strength and control from pretty much all of her muscles. It had started with her legs, but was now affecting her arms a little, and as they got worse it would kick in with other muscles as well. Eventually she would need a wheelchair and even later it would need to be one that would also have to provide support for her head as her neck muscles wouldn't be able to manage. Then some months after that either her heart would give out, or the muscles that control breathing would fail, and she would die. If she was lucky she might have another five years, but it could be as little as a few months.
Unsurprisingly, this seriously upset both Jenny and Dave. They had been looking forward to a lifetime of experiences together, but it looked like in a year or maybe less Jenny would be helpless and needing Dave to do everything for her, before she finally passed on while trapped in her own body. Although Jenny had enjoyed being trapped, either in a box or buried under the shed, it was because it was only temporary that she enjoyed it so much. She didn't relish the thought of being so trapped that she couldn't do anything for herself for the rest of her life, as short as that looked like it was going to be. She even thought that five years of being stuck in a body that wouldn't respond was most definitely not being lucky. If anything, only suffering for a short time was the lucky result.
They decided that they would do everything they could to have Jenny enjoy herself while she was still able, so they took time off to go on holiday to a couple of the places that Jenny had always wanted to see but which they had never gotten around to visiting.
By the time they got back, Jenny was beginning to find that she could only walk for short periods before her legs felt like they would give way, but hated the idea of having to live in a wheelchair. She knew what she wanted to do, but was terrified of what Dave would say if she told him, but she eventually felt that she had to finish her life on her own terms and not be a victim of whatever her genes had in store. So one evening she told Dave that they needed to have a serious talk.
"Dave," she started, "I want you to know that I love you, and always will, but I want you to do one final thing for me. I want you to bury me. For good. So I can die while I still have some control over my life."
"What! No! I know that the specialist said that there was no hope, but as long as you're alive there is always a chance that someone might come up with a cure or even just a treatment that keeps you going for a while longer."
"No. I've made my mind up. It's a choice between quality and quantity. Having more life is pointless if I can't enjoy it. I would much rather have a shorter life knowing that I finished it on my terms. Otherwise there comes a point where staying alive is basically torture. If it was a dog with the same sort of outlook you'd have no hesitation in having it put down peacefully when it reached a point where staying alive was just prolonging the suffering."
Dave had to admit she had a good point there. If they had a dog with that condition, then almost everyone would agree that the kindest thing to do would be to let it go in peace.
"But you're not a dog."
"Exactly. A dog has no choice in the matter, but I do, and my choice is to end my life how I want."
"And what do we say to our friends? I can't exactly go up to Mike and Liz when they ask how you're doing and say 'oh I just buried her for good', can I."
"I know, and that's why we need to plan things out before I get to the point where I can't do anything myself."
The argument continued for some time, but eventually Dave had to agree that Jenny was right. How you live and die is more important than how long you live, especially when continuing to live becomes little more than torture.
Jenny wanted her final resting place to be under the shed, but she was worried that Dave would get arrested and jailed, either for killing her, or even just for hiding her death. Eventually they decided that the only safe way would be for her to disappear somewhere well away from home so that it wouldn't look like Dave had done anything. But that would almost certainly need help to make sure that Dave couldn't be implicated, so they decided that they would have to tell someone, and the only people they could trust with something this big would be Liz and Mike so they asked them to come round the following Sunday.
They had already told Liz and Mike about Jenny's illness, so they explained what Jenny had decided. As expected there were complaints about the idea of burying someone alive without planning on digging them back up again, but eventually Jenny was able to bring them both around to realising that it was going to happen somehow, and she wanted them to help her so that it would be the ending that she hoped for.
"Not getting charged with murder seems to be the biggest issue," said Mike.
"Yes. I want to be buried under the shed, as this is my home and I have spent a lot of time enjoying myself under there, so it just seems fitting that it should be my final resting place. But if I just vanish then I suspect the police will be all over the house and may find me, and then Dave will spend a decade or more in jail."
"I think if the burial is a lot deeper than normal it may help. Reading up on murders, it seems that most times if someone is buried in the garden it's within 3 or 4 feet of the surface, so I figure that if we go down 10 feet or so it's less likely that you would be found. Also, the shed has been there for several years now, so it's not like I have just put it up to cover over a grave, and I think I can make the fresh concrete look like it's been there for a while using charcoal from the barbecue and a bit of dirt to rub into it as soon as it's dry enough. That way there won't be anything to arouse suspicion. It's just having Jenny suddenly vanish that's the problem."
Mike thought for a bit, then said "So you need Jenny to vanish from somewhere else then. How about if we find some reason for her to go to London or Birmingham for instance, and she is clearly seen on CCTV getting off the train and maybe even checking into a hotel or B&B, and then disappears. The police would be looking in that area rather than at home. That should take most of the suspicion away."
"I've heard of a religious group that claims to be able to heal people of conditions that medicine can't touch who have regular treatment weeks in London," said Liz. "No, I haven't had anything to do with them, they were on telly a few weeks ago claiming that they have cured people of cancer and stuff. It's been proven to be complete rubbish, but if Jenny signed up to one of those sessions no-one would be at all surprised. And if you attended the first day it would provide ample proof that you were in London, so you'd just have to be able to get back without being recognised."
"But how do I do that?" asked Jenny. "If I catch the train back I'll be on the CCTV for that, which will put the suspicion back onto Dave."
"How about if you were to go somewhere open, like maybe Clapham Common or something. I doubt that they would have CCTV across the whole area, so you could find somewhere secluded and maybe put on a wig, glasses, maybe change your clothes. Then get a train to *************** station (* author's note - this is a different town on a different railway line to where they live, but is only about a half hour's drive from their home) and I could pick you up from there," suggested Liz. "That way there wouldn't be anything to connect Dave to your disappearance."
"You'd have to make sure that you had enough cash for the journey back, or they could track you via your bank card. Also you'd need to switch off your phone so that couldn't be tracked either" said Mike.
They continued the discussion for a while, but decided that booking into the religious retreat would be the best plan, so they looked on-line and found that there was a space available 6 weeks later so they booked that. They found that accommodation was actually on site as well, so there was no need to book a hotel, and as an added bonus it was close to both Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park, so there should be plenty of space in which to vanish.
Jenny told Dave that she didn't just want to be buried as before but to be embedded in concrete at the bottom of the hole. She also told him that she didn't want to be buried for too long, so instead of making sure she had air and water to last several days, she only wanted to live long enough to see herself be completely buried and the shed made to look normal. Working out what would be involved, the box wouldn't have enough air to last that long, but any air pipe would be a bit of a give away if it was found. Dave found a medical supplies company that did small bottles of oxygen for people suffering from various issues where that would be of benefit, so bought one of those. It would last more than long enough and Jenny could just turn the valve off when she was ready.
During the weeks before the retreat, Dave dug the box up and modified it so that there were no air holes at all. He also changed the connection for the tablet to have a straight cable that could be pulled out of the connector from above, so that there wouldn't be anything connecting it to the surface once Jenny had gone. He then removed the existing air pipe and the dummy drain from the corner of the shed, and dug out a much deeper hole in readiness. He also got plenty of concrete mix (mostly quick drying concrete, but some that was a lot stronger but took longer to cure), buying small amounts from different places, and rigged a hoist as the hole was too deep for Jenny to climb down into. He also got a short blonde wig for Jenny, to change her look from her normal longish dark hair, and some fashionable glasses with plain lenses (he told them at the shop it was for a play that was being put on).
Eventually it was time for Jenny to disappear. Rather than get the train, Dave drove Jenny to the retreat in Wimbledon on the Sunday afternoon, complete with a suitcase full of clothes for the week (they would be left there, as Jenny wouldn't be needing them again) and plenty of cash for the journey back. They had agreed that Jenny would attend the sessions as expected on Monday, but that on Monday evening she would say she was going for a walk in the park. She had a reversible coat so would wear that and take the wig and glasses in her handbag. Then she would find a spot where she wasn't visible and change her look before heading to the nearby tube station, then go to Paddington and get the train out to *************** where she would be picked up by Liz.
She spent the Sunday evening mingling with the others that were at the retreat. Some had similar issues to her, while others were suffering from completely different ailments. There was even one girl there that wasn't ill, but thought that attending would prevent her from ever catching anything in the future. Including the staff, there were probably a couple of dozen people that could confirm that Jenny was at the retreat.
Monday came around and Jenny spent much of the day doing gentle exercises and healing rituals, which at least helped her to relax even if she knew that they weren't actually curing her. There were no sessions after tea, so she got everything ready and left saying that she was going for a walk in the park.
She found a nice secluded spot close to the park entrance and quickly slipped out of her skirt to reveal that she was also wearing trousers but with the legs rolled up to above the hem of the skirt. She rolled down the trouser legs and wrapped the skirt around her waist under the trousers (which she had to loosen somewhat) and then reversed the coat. She added the wig and glasses, and also put a couple of small cotton wool balls in her mouth to puff her cheeks out a little. Coupled with the skirt around her waist, it made her look like she had gained a good few pounds in weight as well. She switched off her phone and removed the sim card, which she threw under a bush along with her purse (after removing the cash and her bank card). If they were ever found it would give the impression that she had been attacked in the park. She then made her way to the exit closest to a tube station and made her way to Paddington station. Using cash she bought a ticket and only had to wait half an hour for the next train.
She got off the train and as planned left the station walking down the street. She had spotted Liz sitting in the cafe area, and once Liz saw Jenny she finished her coffee and headed back to her car. She quickly caught up to Jenny and pulled up to allow her to get in, and then drove back to Jenny's where Dave had left the garage door open so she could pull straight in. By this time Jenny had crouched down so that she wouldn't be seen by any of the neighbours.
Dave shut the garage door and Jenny was able to get out and go into the house. Liz gave Dave a quick wave, then he opened the garage again to let her drive off.
"Any problems?" asked Dave.
"No, everything's gone smoothly. There should be plenty of people that will confirm that I was there."
"Right. Let's get some sleep, and then first thing in the morning we'll get you buried as planned."
Mike and Liz arrived early the next morning both to help out, and so that they could say a proper goodbye to Jenny and there were a lot of tears all around.
Finally, Jenny climbed into the box as normal and lay down with the oxygen bottle at her side so that when it started to get harder to breathe she could open the valve for a while. Dave checked that the tablet was working so that Jenny would be able to see her own burial, and gave Jenny a final kiss.
Dave and Mike then closed the lid and this time at Jenny's request they screwed it down tight rather than just close it with the catch. Dave then started mixing the concrete and poured the first load into the bottom of the hole as a base for Jenny's box to land on. They then used the hoist to slowly lower the box down until it came to rest on the concrete. They pulled up the chain, and then started to carefully pour the next batch of concrete around the sides of the box. Dave dropped a short tube down over the power cable to the tablet so that the concrete wouldn't stop them from being able to pull it out, then poured more concrete over the lid until the whole box was encased in three or four inches of concrete.
They checked the computer screen to see that Jenny was laying there watching the monitor. She looked relaxed and at peace, so after about an hour (when the quick drying concrete should be set enough) they started to fill the hole in with the soil. Every couple of feet they stopped and tamped the soil down so that there wouldn't be any chance of subsidence after the shed floor was finished. Eventually they reached the level of the base of the shed floor. The only sign that anything was underneath was the cable from the tablet. Dave added another short tube over the wire with 2 layers of cling film around it, so that it would leave just a small hole in the concrete floor which could easily be filled in and disguised after Jenny had passed away. They then filled the rest of the gap in the floor with the stronger concrete to match the rest of the shed floor.
Meanwhile Jenny had been watching the guys working away.
When the lid was screwed down she felt the familiar pleasure that came from knowing that she was to be buried, but there was also a tinge of sadness at knowing that this would be the last time she would enjoy it. But she still got excited when the box was lifted up and lowered into the hole. It seemed to take forever to reach the bottom, and once down she had an orgasm at the thought of how deep underground she was. Watching the concrete get poured all around and over her box gave her another one, and it was while she was relaxing after that, that everyone had looked at her on the monitor.
Seeing the soil being filled in above her was almost an anti-climax compared to having the concrete poured over her, but it did mean that she was sure that no-one would ever find her this deep, so Dave would be safe. During the filling she started to feel out of breath, so opened the valve on the oxygen bottle for a couple of minutes, by which time she was breathing normally again. She then enjoyed seeing the concrete floor being laid and levelled knowing that when it was fully dry no-one would suspect that she had been laid to rest underneath it.
At that point she pushed the oxygen cylinder down by her legs so that she couldn't quite reach it, thereby removing the temptation to last for as long as possible. Now that she was fully interred she wanted her death to come as quickly and as peacefully as possible.
Dave was talking to Mike and Liz about how long they would need to wait for the floor to cure when the fitbit alarm went off.
...Come to an end.
Epilogue.
Once Jenny had passed away, Dave pulled up the cable from the tablet, removed the small tube, and used the last of the concrete mix to fill in the small hole. Once the bulk of it was cured enough to walk on, he got some charcoal from the barbecue and a handful of the soil they had left over from filling the hole, and carefully smeared it over the concrete. He also dropped some tools onto it to add tiny chips which he rubbed the dirt into as well. Once he had brushed the loose stuff off, even he couldn't see the join, and the whole floor looked like it had been there for years.
He then moved the leftover soil into the garden where he used it to fill the raised flower bed he had built, supposedly so that Jenny would be able to appreciate it when in a wheelchair. He then filled it with some of Jenny's favourite flowers.
As per the plan, he rang the retreat on Thursday morning to see if he could speak to Jenny, only to be told that she had gone missing earlier in the week but they had assumed that she had just gone home early (despite her having left all of her stuff in her room). He then rang the police to say that she had gone missing from the retreat.
There then followed a period of questioning, meetings with some of their friends and work colleagues, and even a cursory search of the house and garden, but as there was no indication of any issues at home and someone had found her purse in Richmond Park, the police put the disappearance down to a mugging or rape that went wrong, or possibly even suicide given her health outlook. They even got divers to search the lake in Richmond Park, but when that failed to provide any evidence they stopped actively searching for Jenny. They kept the case open for a couple of years in case anything did come up, but eventually closed it as missing presumed dead.
Dave remained friends with Mike and Liz, and some of the others at the club, but lost all interest in burial fetishes. After a few years he found someone new to love, and as the courts had finally declared Jenny to be dead he was able to marry her and as the saying goes, lived happily(ish) ever after.