The Talisman Trilogy, #3
Other Worlds Than These
by Stephen King and Peter Straub
Contents
Chapter 15
Overview
Jack arrives in Mejis and learns teen raiders, enthralled by the awakened Gullet, have burned and killed, including one boy with birdberry-dyed hair. Sheriff Mose Destry takes Jack to Maeve Quiller, a radiation-scarred seer who heals and arms him with an Old People pistol.
Maeve explains the Gash’s larger threat, links it to the Crimson King and the Beams, and charges Jack to pursue Kinneston and Speckhoffer. After Maeve’s death, the town reveres Jack as a prophesied savior; he equips himself and prepares to leave.
Summary
Jack flips into Mid-World at Mejis, where Sheriff Mose Destry—twin of the late Aaron Destry—greets him amid a devastated town square. Teen raiders with guns and a flamethrower have attacked, leaving bodies, including Rafe Richardson, whose birdberry-dyed hair marks allegiance to Roy Kinneston’s redheaded cult. Jack, weak and arrhythmic, senses the Gullet’s distant pull.
Mose leads Jack through Mejis, explaining the teen stampede and armories of the Old People. Jack infers the Gullet’s awakening amplifies violence in adolescents, drawing them north toward Kinneston and Speckhoffer. The townsfolk murmur “Jason,” mistaking Jack for a prophesied figure.
At Maeve Quiller’s home, the radiation-scarred seer steadies Jack with a potent herbal draught and food, and speaks candidly of his past and the sight. She recounts exploring an underground Old People hold in youth, receiving burns and second sight from a deadly light that later killed her friend Bethie. Maeve connects the Gash to the Crimson King and Discordia, saying the Beams have chosen Jack.
Maeve presents Jack with two treasures from the hold: a semiautomatic pistol marked NCP and a maintenance kit. Jack cleans and checks the weapon, planning to test it and accept a docker’s clutch from Mose, while resolving to cut down Kinneston and Speckhoffer.
That night Maeve warns that Mejis may mistake Jack for Roland reborn, especially if seen with the gun. By dawn Jack finds Maeve dead, leaving a note: “The man who’s not a man knows the answer to your questions,” and affirming Jack as hope of this and perhaps all worlds. Jack pockets the NCP pistol, intending to reach Pernil and Mary Klee.
Outside, the townspeople kneel and offer solemn fealty. Mose presents provisions and a holster. Jack declares he will act as a law officer to set things right, then quietly tells Mose Maeve has passed and asks to be taken out so he can begin the pursuit.
Who Appears
- Jack SawyerProtagonist; arrives in Mejis weakened, learns of teen raiders, is healed and armed by Maeve, assumes a savior role, vows to hunt Kinneston and Speckhoffer.
- Sheriff Mose DestryAaron Destry’s twin; leads Jack through Mejis, recounts the teen attacks, aids Jack with supplies and a holster.
- Maeve QuillerElder seer with radiation burns; heals Jack, explains the Gash/Crimson King, gifts an NCP pistol and kit, then dies after charging him to act.
- Rafe RichardsonTeen raider killed by Mose; corpse reveals birdberry-dyed hair, emblematic of the violent youth cult.
- Mejis townsfolkWitness devastation, revere Jack as a prophesied figure, gather to see him armed and departing.