I made up some characters like Elizabeth and Joel and Dana and Lukas (Luke) and Andrew , but the rest belong to Steven King. I hope you enjoy it. Anna
I was on an empty street, there was something calling my name. "Elizabeth come here." I walked toward it scared, but then I was comforted. I was in a corn field, I was walking slowly to a mans voice. I was being careful not to bend the corn stocks. I found my self in the middle, it was a clearing and a man not quite visible, but I could make out the blackness in his Amish suit.
"Lizzy Porter come forth." I walked and I could feel myself breathing heavily. "Who are you." I would scream over and over. "Silence….." I just stared as I moved closer and closer. I was about two feet away . He stuck out his crippled hand, I grabbed he squeezed hard all most to the point where I could cry. I jerked it away. I looked around and saw little kids laughing and starring. "I can't wait……."
ZZZZZZZ…The alarm clock went off I opened my eyes and my nose began to bleed. "Damn dreams every time." My nose was bleeding hard. I have been having these dreams ever since my father a year ago decided he wanted to farm in the country and we were going to move. I have that dream every night and still there is no change I never get the last word out of that guy. I walked out of my room down the long dark hallway to the smallest end of the house where the bathroom was. I stepped into a little blue bathroom with dark blue chipped paint all over the wall , the bathroom I always thought was the best swelling room in the house if you took one deep breath you sucked in vanilla. I grabbed a wash clothe and put it up to my left nostril and pressed against it so it would stop. It finally stopped after a few minutes. I looked at my self in the mirror my bright blond hair was a little frizzy and my hazel eyes where tired. I started brushing my hair un till it was nice and soft and not as frizzy. I got out the foundation and rubbed it onto my cheeks, then I added blush and mascara and some eyeliner.
"Beth I got to go to work now." "I peered behind my to see my father with his blue with black with lightning strikes going down the side, bowling shirt and his faded jeans and his repairing tools hustled over his shoulder, You barely see the dark blueness in his eyes and the twinkle in his smile. "Bye Elizabeth." "Bye Dad." I said as my dad reached down and kissed me on the forehead. "Oh remember Eli get your brother up and get some breakfast for once, no more running out." "Yes sir." He walked down the hall and turned and walked down the stairs and headed out the door "I love you Dad." I yelled as I peered out the bathroom looking down the empty hall on my tip toes. He didn't hear me. I headed down the dark ,cold hallway and peered into Joel's room and found him halfway off the bed with his butt in the air dreaming about something I guess. I turned and looked at the "wall of pictures" as my dad called it. He looked so happy then now he just looks so depressed.
-------Flashback-----------
That morning I was on the top bunk as my mom walked in, in her morning robe her hair up in a ponytail the blondness was showing through the wetness as it dried, she and Lukas were going to a soccer tournament that morning while I stayed with dad and helped him with baby Joel. "Mommy can I get down?" "Yes." As she reached up and grabbed me down and placed me on the floor. I looked into her hazel eyes and saw she knew something was going to go wrong. She left me and my brother in the bedroom as he got dressed in a bright yellow soccer shirt that was sponsored by Cambell Trucking. I left him in the bedroom all alone. I walked down the hallway that was filled with bright sun light and the smell of pancakes in the air. I walked down the stairs and headed for the kitchen as dragging my baby
blanket behind me.
"Hey sweet pea." "Hi Daddy." As my father picked me up and placed me on his shoulders, he twirled me around and dropped me lightly on the couch.
"Thanks Daddy." I liked it when he did that. Then my two year old brother started crawling down the stairs as he giggled. My dad ran over and grabbed him , and placed him in the play pin.
Up the stairs in the bathroom you heard the blow drier going as mom blow dried her hair.
Then Lukas came down the stairs all ready to go. Then came mom we all ate at the oak table and talked.
Then it was time for her and Lukas to go. "Bye honey." My dad said holding Joel in his arms, picking up Joel's fat little arms and waving goodbye for the last time. "Bye mommy." As mom kissed all of us and then took Lukas by the hand and lead him to the car.
------------------Back------------------
I jerked my head I knew I had been day dreaming again. I walked down the dark hallway and down the stairs and into the kitchen and grabbed some pop tarts for Joel and me. "Joel get down here right away." As I popped over to the cabinet.
With a clunk came Joel in his train pajamas and grabbed his pop tart. He stuffed it in his mouth and ran up the stairs and through on his cloths and raced down the stairs just in time to here the bus blow it's horn.
We walked out to the sidewalk and got on the bus. I sat down with my two best friends since third grade Rachael and Rebecca. "Hey Eli looks like Alec is looking at you again." I looked up in the seat diagonal to me and looked and there was a dark brown eyed Alex Richson looking at me. I look at the girls. "He was looking at me." "Yeah now say hi or something." I turned and looked at Alec again and he was still looking in my direction. "Hi Alec." "Hi Eli" We sat there and talked for a while, till we got to school.
"Oh great a sub. Today looks like hell is going to be in the class room." "Every time we have a sub. Everyone goes nuts and the teacher does to." said Micky a guy in our class. "Your right."
We all walked in and sat down in our seats and chatted for about ten min. and then come doom! Mr. Parker the principal who hated kids and hated his job but loved the "money" that he got , he also loved the power. "Oh here comes mister power hungry" said Mikey. "Well my fav. Students!!" he said with a fake smile on his face. "I'm going to teach you all history. "Hence the name history class." Said Jade. We all laughed Parker just got madder and madder by the minute.
Later on the bus. "Hey Eli come and sit with me." It was Alec he wanted me to sit with him. "Ok" as I looked back at Becky and Rachael and gave a funny face. We sat and talked about when I was moving( he looked really sad) and what happened at school and things like that.
We got off the bus to a surprise visit by the moving people and my cool Uncle Job.
"Hey it's Uncle Job" Said me and my brother in unison . We both ran up hugging him. We were moving into my Uncle and moms old house in Gatlin, Nebraska. I didn't really know about anything in Nebraska I just kept hearing "Oh your moving to that wretched place." I really had no clue what they were talking about till that day I got there.
My dad walked outside with boxes that we had packed earlier that read Sarah's books and Sarah's old cloths. I really don't understand why dad kept those things, he must be hoping that she's coming back. "Hey dad look who's here." My dad looked up and dropped the boxes and ran to hug his brother-in-law. "Hey there Job haven't seen you in forever." Uncle Job had went to war and was out in Afghanistan fighting. My father and Uncle Job had been really close friends since they were little, they both grew up in Gatlin till there parents were killed in a car accident. "Well are you ready Eli to go back home?" "Yup Job I'm really exited!" They both stepped out onto the sidewalk and had a word, I tried to listen but I couldn't here anything. All I saw was that dad had pulled out a white sheet of paper with some writing on it. We started packing about a month ago, never knowing when Uncle Job would show up. "Kids where staying here for a couple more nights, but no more school so we will pack then turn your books in." We both rushed up to our room and packed.
I got on the phone later and told everyone bye, but I promised Becky and Rebecca that I would call from Gatlin. Then It was Joel's turn he called his best friend Frankie and told him he was leaving and never again to see Frankie's ugly face again. I know that Joel really didn't have any friends he was a loser, but oh well.
A few days had past and Uncle Job had stayed with us, it was like a party every night. It was the last time I was ever going to be in the house. I walked outside holding a box of games and things to do in the car while our uncle drove the Uhaul truck. As I looked to my left I saw Becky and Rebecca running to me. "Girl did you think you could sneak out with out saying good-bye?" "Nope." I said good-bye to them and gave best friend hand shaks and cried a little with them about the memories we had. Then I stepped into the blue ford explorer and waved good-bye to everyone. AS we left I looked back and gave a last glance at the little "ghetto" town of Decatur, Illinois. We drove four hours straight, and we stopped to get gas. I looked in the back seat to talk to Joel, but of course on any road trip he was sound asleep.
--------Flashback---------
As they went to the car they both turned around and blew a kiss and we caught them.
Well the day was hectic Joel wouldn't stop crying . I went to take a nap to pass the day away awaiting for mom and Lukas to come back. I had a dream about a poor family that had lost there mother and brother. Then I was shook awake. I propped myself up on my elbow and rubbed my eyes as the light from the hall way rushed in. "Honey your mom and brother should be here by now do you know anything?" "I had a dream that a family was torn a part." Ever since I was three I would have dreams and they would sometimes happen, but sometimes they made no since. My dad lifted me out of bed and told me to get dressed and went into Joel's room got him ready and hustled us to the blue van. We drove around for hours looking to see maybe where they would of gone. My dad went to the school where Lukas was suppose to play and he asked around and the people said that they came and won and they left about three hours ago. Then dad reached into his pocket and grabbed out a black phone and called 911. He grabbed my hand and we crossed the street and got back into the car. We headed out the country side and he was destined to fined her. I had fallen asleep and had another dream about us finding her car but not her or Lukas, the reporters were there and asked us questions. "Honey did you have another dream?" "Yes" "She's by……Harris town." We drove there and sure enough there sat the car. Dad got out of the car and rushed……………….
---------------Back-----------------
"Eli I asked you do you want any candy?" I jerked my head and in the open door was my dad bending over with his head in the car. "What?" "I said for the third time do you want candy?" "Oh..Uh…Yeah sure." I leaned forward in my seat and grabbed a Kleenex and blew my nose. I started the car and cranked up the radio. "Hey Eli easy on those poor speakers." "What." I said turning it down. My dad handed me some snickers and gave Joel the same. We drove for a few more hours and then stopped in a hotel while Uncle Job drove on and went through the night to Gatlin. The next day we hit the road at five o'clock in the morning I was still tired so I desided to sleep half way.
Dream…. I was standing in the middle of the corn field again and I was Jerking my hand away. "I can't wait till you come here Lizzy, you'll have fun in Gatlin!!" Sudden I was scared. "Who are you and where am I?" "Well my beautiful child your in Gatlin and I'm Isaac…"
I jerked away. My nose was bleeding again. "Oh no Eli what was it this time?" "Oh just a freaky dream about corn." "Oh sounds exiting." It sounded like he really didn't want to here it. It seemed the closer I got to Gatlin I got farther in the dream. The night before in the hotel It was the exact same except I never got what his name was. I just sat there for a minute. I looked out to my right, there was corn as far as the eye could see. Dad stopped at a stop sign and sat there for a while, while
He stared at the map of Nebraska confused.
"Look dad!!" His head came slowly up from behind the map. Joel was pointing at a sign that read Gatlin, thirty miles a head. Dad folded the map up and placed it back in the glove compartment and put the gas full force. I took the map out of the glove compartment and looked for Gatlin on the map. "Um Dad….Gatlin isn't on the map." "Your kidding me." he gave me a funny face. "Give that to me." he said grabbing it. He looked at it for a while very, very confused now. "Well shit honey your right." "I guess it's so small nobody wants to go." He looked straight into my eyes and at that point I could tell he was lying about something. "Yeah at least we moved away from "Ghetto Ville" "Your really funny Eli." We drove on and on it seemed forever and then sometime in the night I heard
"Were Here." I was about asleep again and when he said that I perked right up. "Finally." It was a long trip there and I never want to do that again. We all got out of the car, we stepped onto smooth pavement and headed for the house. It was a dull yellow house with white shutters and a wrap around porch. I was happy finally to be here, I think. We had our beds set up prior to moving, but the rest was up to all of us. The house was to big for just our family, so to earn a little extra money we boarded out two rooms with a free lunch. Not a lot of people went for it ,but Dana and her son and daughter rented it out. Dana was really nice so was her daughter Brittany, but I liked her son Andrew a lot more.
I was walking around the house bored to death and out popped Andrew. "Hi Andrew I'm…" "Elizabeth, I know." "Oh ok." I said confused. "So how long have you guys lived here." I asked hoping to spark interest. "Actually I've lived her my whole life." "Oh cool." He smiled a little at me. "Yeah right cool, there's nothing to do here except walk around." "Oh, well at least you never lived in "Ghetto Ville"." "Where?" "Warrensburg, Illinois." Finally He loosened up and he decided to show me the existing town of Gatlin.
I grabbed my jacket and told dad where I was going. "So Elizabeth what did you do for fun in Warrensburg?" "Well I talked on the phone and played at the skate rink." "Wow sounds like you have a lot more than we do." "Has anyone ever told you the story of Gatlin, Elizabeth?" "No , and you can call me Eli." "Well in about 77' or so kids killed there parents for unknown reasons." "Wow how freaky." "Did anything else happen?" "I'm not for sure." He looked down at the ground and smiled.
"So Andrew where are all the kids in this town?" "At home or…." "Or what?" "In the corn listening to Luke the boy wonder." "Luke?" "Lukas Moore found when he was a about seven just abandoned on the street with a name tag that had his name and information on him." "Why would anyone do that?" "Apparently his parents." "Well doesn't he remember his family?" I said as we desided to sit on a log. "He says he only remembers his sister." "That's the only person he remembers?" "I had a twin brother once, Lukas." "What happened." "None really knows what happened to him and my mother." "Wow intense." I all most started crying to the fact of thinking of my mother and brother again. "Yeah." I said trying not to cry. "How old was he?" "About seven, but I don't remember him very well." "Oh." he said putting his arm around me with concern. "Are you ok talking about it?" "Sometimes, but it really hurts to lose your best friend at seven." I said with a sob. I wiped my tears away and got up and walked, and Andrew followed.
Andrew and I were on our way back to the house when something tapped me on the shoulder. I twirled around and there was a boy dressed in complete black with a black cross around his neck, you could see into his hazel eyes, and the smile that was golden there were some kids right behind him dressed in black also. "So Andrew who's your friend?" "Oh sorry." he said with complete sarcasm. "This is Elizabeth." "Hi Eli." "Oh hi." I said confused. "How did you know to call me Eli?" "I know all." This mysterious person knew my name. "Who are you?" I asked. "I'm Luke." "Oh" I said with sadness for his anguishing past. He reminded me so much of my brother. Then I got flash backs of what Andrew was saying. "He only remembers his sister." "Lukas Moore." "Found Abandoned …seven…Abandoned…seven."
We headed back as we said good-bye to those strange people. " Was that?" I said with anticipation. "That, was the amazing boy wonder!" "That was Lukas Moore!!" "Yup."
We got back to the house and grabbed a snack and walked our separate ways to our rooms. I couldn't sleep at all that night. I thought just maybe if I found this boy I would find my missing family. I was on my bed looking out the window and there was kids with flashlights and torches.
I opened the window and climbed onto the roof. "Holy shit those kids are nuts, going into the corn field this time of night." I said to myself in a whisper.
"We need to bring them back soon or…." I heard in a distance but then it was cut off. "Man I wonder what there talking about?" "Why don't you climb down and see." I heard a voice coming in the back of me, but when I turned around none was there. "Wh…Who said that?" "Oh none really." It was a deep voice almost hoarse sounding. "I want to know who are you?" I just sat there stunned. "Your just in my head go away." I was scared and desided maybe I should go to bed. This time I didn't have a problem going to sleep.
I was in the damn cornfield again. "Oh great back here." "Yes my child your back." I turned around to now see three men standing behind me. "Oh great more men (all though that's never a bad thing)." I laughed to myself. They started coming closer I backed up. This time it was different It was cold and it had always been dark but this time it was pitch black, no stars just a moon. "Who are you, what do you want?" I would scream over and over , but it was as if they were dead and couldn't answer. Then out of the corn came Luke with an axe. I was freaked out now. I turned around and ran like hell. "You little bastards will never get me!!" I said as I stepped through the corn "After her and bring her back Alive." It seemed like I ran forever and ever every where I turned it seemed like I had all ready been there. I was sweating so hard, I couldn't breath. I turned my head slightly to look behind me, and none was there. Then boom, I was on the ground. I looked to see a tall red headed man, he grabbed me by my shirt and picked me up. "Who are you?" "I am Malachi and your dead." he said as he laughed dragging me behind.
"Eli" "Eli" I heard a voice it must be my way out. I jolted up off my pillow.
"Wow Eli you had us scared to death." It was Dana and Dad biting his nails right behind her. "Eli your sweating and it feels like you have a fever." Dad came up and hugged me tight and kissed me on the forehead. "Dana could I please have a moment with Eli for a minute?" "Of course." "Eli what is it this time?" "Well this time dad there were three men this time and I think they wanted to kill me." I was about to cry my heart out. "It was scary." I felt tear run down my cheek, but you probably couldn't tell with all the sweat on my face. "Honey I promise I will get you to a doctor." "I don't want to go." "Ok but the dreams will stay with you." "I don't care!!" Then he just walked away like it never happened. It was about six 'o clock in the morning and it was summer and I was already bored. I walked down the stairs, to smell a breakfast being cooked up. As I walked out it was Dana. She turned around with a big smile on her face.
"Hey Kid are you really going to be ok." she had now put the eggs on a plate and walked over to the table. "Dad just doesn't understand." "Oh Eli he's a father with two kids and well two family members still missing." "Well I know it was hard on him Dana, but it was harder on me." "I know." "No you don't know!!" I ran up the stairs to my room and was going to cool down. "Elizabeth come here." Dana sounded really concerned. I could here her in the distance. After a few minutes I decided that I was going to wash the nasty sweat away. So I grabbed some new cloths and got a two red clean towels and walked out of my room and into the bathroom.
I got dressed fast and headed down stairs I was sure hungry.
"Well glad you could come down." Said Dana as she took a bite of eggs. "Sorry about before." "Oh that's ok I understand." "Oh ok." I gave a passing glance at Andrew and he smiled. I grabbed a plate of eggs and bacon and toast. I sat down next to Dana and started eating really fast. Dana got up and placed the dishes in the sink and walked out of the room.
"So Eli what was all the fuss this morning?" "Oh I just had a bad dream that's all." "Oh, If you don't mind…." "Oh I don't mind." I said cutting him off from his sentence. "Well I was in those cornfields." He just looked at me with a weird face. "These guys just chased me around." "Did they have names?" "Well one was Isaac and the other I think he said his name was Malachi. He dropped his fork and his mouth was wide open. "There…There names where Isaac and Malachi.:" "Yeah." "Follow me." We both headed up the stairs and turned down the hallway and up into the attic.
"When my mom moved in here she asked your dad if we could store things in here." "Well when I was at my old house, before we came broke, I used to look through these paper." He picked up a piece of the old newspaper and it said in big headlines. "Preacher Boy brought down." Then I was skimming through the article and it said. "Malachi and Isaac were leaders of a cult in the little town of Gatlin, Nebraska, they brain washed little kids into worshiping "He who walks behind the Rows." "Holy shit Andrew that's them." I skimmed a little more and then I saw there faces. "That's exactly what they looked like in my dream!!" "Oh that's freaky." "My dad and my uncle and my mom all grew up here." "So did my mom, she told me all about how she moved about a week before it happened." I just stared in amazement, that my mother and her brother and my father, followed him and killed there parents. "No wonder I have no grandparents." I whispered to myself. I was mad now! I wanted the truth from my father.
"Dad where are you." I said I was mad and looking for answers. He was no where to be found. "Eli Porter where are you." I had to use his name or else he would probably never show his face.
I walked outside to the wrap around porch but, no where. "Why don't you try the cornfield?" "What who's there?" No response. I walked around the porch and stepped down the stairs and heard something.
It sounded like it was coming from the corn. Then I heard it. "We will bring back the great leaders and then get the outlanders!!" It sounded like Luke. "What great leaders?" I whispered to myself. "The ones in your dreams." "What who in the hell is there?" No response. I turned around to see…nobody. I was freaked out I just walked back to the house. "Dad are you here?" Then out of a corner came dad.
"Dad I have to talk to you." All my furry and rage rolled in like a flood flowing through the streets. "Who the hell are Isaac and Malachi." "Eli what is your problem." "Why did we really come back?" "I….I can't explain." "Why the hell would you want to bring us to a town where little kids followed a maniac and then killed there parents?" My father looked back at me wide eyed in surprise. "Elizabeth how did you find out?" "Andrew showed me some of the papers." Dad gave a sad look like all was up. Dad took me to the kitchen table and for the next hour I was horrified and told the truth for once in my life.
"So Eli what did you and your dad talk about?" "Oh nothing." "Oh anyway I'm going to take a walk want to come?" "Uh no I think I'm going to bed I'm tired." I said pulling my arms toward the sky and stretching and yawning. "Ok your loss." he said as he walked out the door.
"Whatever ." I whispered to myself.
Later after staying up a little longer I decided to change into my pajamas and go to bed.
"I found her Isaac." said Malachi with me hustled over his shoulder. "Place her over here." He drug me to a pole and tied me up so I wouldn't get away. "So what next?" "Well we get the child tonight." Then they turned away and I could not here what they were saying. Then came that Isaac kid and I was going to give him a piece of my mind. "Elizabeth do you know why you're here?" "Um no."
Then I felt a rumble beneath me. I woke up there was an earthquake. I ran over to door way and stood there in the sturdy frame. "Andrew is that you?" "Yeah it's me." "Come here quick." I grabbed his arm and placed him under the doorway with me. "We learned this in school." "Oh cool." He grabbed my hand.
We just stood there for a while. Then just about a minute later it was gone. I ran into the hallway. "Dad?" He ran out of his bed room and hugged me and picked Joel up.
There were no after shocks, so we all desided that we should go back to sleep.
The next day was a good day. Andrew and I went on another tour of the town, but the strange thing was no children where about. "Andrew this is strange absolutely no kids out today." "Yeah really usually you at least see little kids playing ball."
We later went back to the house. We ate dinner, steak with mashed potatoes and gravy.
I stayed up till about ten with Joel and Andrew we watched TV. Then Joel went up the stairs and headed to bed "Andrew?" "Yeah." he said as if he were mesmerized by the TV he wouldn't even turn his head. "Where's Brittany?" Usually Brittany was spying on us or playing in the corn with her friends. Andrew looked up. "I don't know." He looked into my eyes and then he did what I wanted him to do since the day we meet, He leaned in a gave a passionate kiss. "I wanted to do that since the day I laid eyes on you Elizabeth." "Me to." Then we gave several more kisses to each other. " I got to go get a glass of water." I said desperate for a drink. I walked to the kitchen, I looked back and he was staring at the TV again. I got a glass down from the cabinet and filled it halfway with water. I looked outside and the moon was bright and shown in like a night light.
"Elizabeth." I recognized that voice , but it wasn't Andrews. "Yes." I turned around to see a tall red-headed man with a big, big knife staring me straight in the eye. "DAD!!!" I screamed, but he held the knife to my neck. "You say another word I'll slit your throat." He held my arm and twisted it. "No come along don't be afraid." Oh yeah how could I not be afraid, I thought to myself. We went past the living room and there was Andrew with his throat slit. "Oh God not Andrew." I cried. "Why you bastard why him?" "He would just get in the way." He shoved me into the field, where I knew what was going to happen. "Isaac I got her." "Put her over here." As I knew they tied my up to a pull. Then came out dad and Dana, Dana was in a white dress with a white cross around her neck. I started to look around and then came out Brittany with Joel in her arms. They tied everyone up. "We will wait." Isaac had put his hand up as they just tied Dana up to the cross. Then Dana was high above everyone, crying and praying for her life. "Bring the girl here." They tied my feet up so I couldn't kick and lifted me up. He stared me straight in the eyes, "Hi Elizabeth I've been watching you." "Oh really." "Lay here on the ground." They laid me on the ground and then something from underneath grabbed my legs, I leaned up and started picking at this long black thing at my feet, Then something grabbed my right wrist then my left. "What the hell is this?" "Malachi give me the knife." What a knife what in the hell is he going to use a knife for. I thought to myself. Then he chanted something weird in another language. Then he slightly pressed it against my skin and cut. "Ahhhhh, what the hell is wrong with you?" He just looked at me and smiled. Then he cut his hand and place the two sores together. Then I started to rise up, the black things let go and I was in mid-air floating. "It is complete." Isaac just smiled at me with an evil smile. I had no clue what was going on. That night I fell asleep against the pole with so little support.
I was on an empty street, "After her don't let her get away with the new leader." I looked down at myself I was fat, then I knew right away what had happened I was having a baby. "Holy shit." I ran with my little brother tucked in my arms, I was sweating like crazy. I ran in town an into a building. I sat Joel down and touched up his bruises. "Joel?" I whispered quietly so no one could hear me. "What?" he said quiet. "What's happening?" "Well dad and Dana are dead and there after you, your caring "He who walks behind the row's" baby, born to be a new leader." "Holy shit a baby, but I'm only fourteen." "They wanted to kill me Eli, then you jumped from the pipe by untying your hands." Then I felt a tug on my shoulder.
I woke up and everyone was around me. "What is it child." I looked him straight in the eye and said "Nothing just a bad dream." "Did you dream about your baby?" some kid asked in the back round." "A baby your making me have a baby." trying to act surprised. "Get her up." I looked at Isaac and without saying any words moved my mouth to "I hate I hope you burn in hell where you belong." He just looked at me with that wretched face and smiled his evil smile. They cared me back through the corn and to my house, they took me up the stairs and locked me in my bed room. Immediately I started banging on the door, "You bastards better let me out." "Our what will you do?" Came a voice from the other side. "Eli?" I turned around and there was Joel all beat up. "Oh Joel." I ran over there with my hand over my mouth with shock. "Joel what did the do?" I ran my fingers down his face to see his black eyes and bloody lip and his nose was all bruised. "They hit me." He started crying. I did to. There came a knock from the other side. "Hey Miss Eli I got a special for you." I went and just looked at the door. "What is it?" The door slammed in and hit me on the head I was knocked over onto the floor. In came a seriously bruised batter woman with hazel eyes and a white dress on with long blond hair down to the floor, she had tape over her mouth and her hands where tied up. "Miss, are you ok?" She ripped the tape off her mouth. "Well I would be if those dumb asses wouldn't of kept me here for so long." "Did you have family back where you came from?" "Yes three beautiful children." "Mamma?" Joel looked up confused . "Unless your names are Joel.." She didn't have to go on my heart was pounding with excitement and I had tears running down my face, I ran and hugged her. She unwrapped my arms from here body, she bent down to one knee. "Elizabeth?" "Yes Mamma." For the next hour we caught up on the years we missed and she commented on how we've grown. "Mom what do they want with us?" "Well they've been talking about it for years now, how there going to get my daughter and husband up here." "How did they?" "They sent a note to him saying something." "Where's Lukas?" That was the one question that had been on my mind. "Out there with the children." "Mom.." then I altered my voice so I could talk softer. "Mom we are leaving tonight!!" "How?" We devised a plan to go out the window and run for it. That night I jumped out the window and then. "Mom" I peeked over the side. "I don't feel to good." I puked over the side of the house from the second story roof. I looked out into the cornfield and saw the torches and flashlights. We looked down over the edge and saw no guards. "Well they must really trust us." The I saw it, it was time for "He who walk's behind the rows" to come. "Mom we got to go and save dad and Dana." "How?" "I don't know." I knew that the only way to get out of this one was to kill all of them. "I think we have to get to there leader." "Mom I'm scared." she held onto Joel and we all gave a glance. "We have to be strong Joel." I looked into his blue eyes and patted him on the head. "Ok" he said looking down at the ground. We all found the gutter and climbed down. The closer to the cornfield we go the louder they were. My mom held on to Joel's hand as we walked through the moist green grass.
We listened to Isaac talk of what was going to happen to us and how when he was through that all people once again would be dead. "Oh god , more people dead." I whispered to my mom. I looked up into the sky and there came a great black cloud of smoke. We ran back to the house so we could now see what was happening. "Look mom something is out there." Joel pointed his small fingers at the cornfield dirt. We all watched as Dad and Dana were crying. Dana looked down from the cross "I hope you burn in HELL!!" I couldn't exactly see the expression , but that was the last time I ever saw them alive. I cried and so did mom, but Joel had no idea what was going on. I looked in the clearing and this thing was out of the ground, it looked like a giant worm with pudgy little arms and legs. "Now we go." I said , I was scared. We jumped down from the roof and ran to the tool shed and grabbed farm equipment that might killed Isaac and that hideous thing. We ran through the corn and mom was holding on to Joel's hand. We were at the clearing, there was Isaac and Malachi and then there was the third guy. "Mom you go kill Isaac and the other guys." I bent down on one knee so I was eye level with Joel, "Joel be brave and be good." "I will" he looked up at me with his devious smile and laughed, he headed over with mom.
"Hey you ugly piece of trash look at me." It turned it's body toward me and stared. I got close enough and stuck the hook knife in him. I stabbed over and over till it lay flat and landed on some of the children. I ran over to mom with blood on my face and hugged her and Joel. Some of the kids got up scratching there heads. "What is this?" they looked frightened. Then came a familiar face. "Mom Is that you?" It was Lukas with the black suit on and he was very confused. "What happened?" "Nothing really." I looked at him and he looked at me and we immediately knew who each other where. We walked to the yellow house with white shutters and gathered things up and never went back to Gatlin, Nebraska again!!!
And that's a fact!!!
I was on an empty street, there was something calling my name. "Elizabeth come here." I walked toward it scared, but then I was comforted. I was in a corn field, I was walking slowly to a mans voice. I was being careful not to bend the corn stocks. I found my self in the middle, it was a clearing and a man not quite visible, but I could make out the blackness in his Amish suit.
"Lizzy Porter come forth." I walked and I could feel myself breathing heavily. "Who are you." I would scream over and over. "Silence….." I just stared as I moved closer and closer. I was about two feet away . He stuck out his crippled hand, I grabbed he squeezed hard all most to the point where I could cry. I jerked it away. I looked around and saw little kids laughing and starring. "I can't wait……."
ZZZZZZZ…The alarm clock went off I opened my eyes and my nose began to bleed. "Damn dreams every time." My nose was bleeding hard. I have been having these dreams ever since my father a year ago decided he wanted to farm in the country and we were going to move. I have that dream every night and still there is no change I never get the last word out of that guy. I walked out of my room down the long dark hallway to the smallest end of the house where the bathroom was. I stepped into a little blue bathroom with dark blue chipped paint all over the wall , the bathroom I always thought was the best swelling room in the house if you took one deep breath you sucked in vanilla. I grabbed a wash clothe and put it up to my left nostril and pressed against it so it would stop. It finally stopped after a few minutes. I looked at my self in the mirror my bright blond hair was a little frizzy and my hazel eyes where tired. I started brushing my hair un till it was nice and soft and not as frizzy. I got out the foundation and rubbed it onto my cheeks, then I added blush and mascara and some eyeliner.
"Beth I got to go to work now." "I peered behind my to see my father with his blue with black with lightning strikes going down the side, bowling shirt and his faded jeans and his repairing tools hustled over his shoulder, You barely see the dark blueness in his eyes and the twinkle in his smile. "Bye Elizabeth." "Bye Dad." I said as my dad reached down and kissed me on the forehead. "Oh remember Eli get your brother up and get some breakfast for once, no more running out." "Yes sir." He walked down the hall and turned and walked down the stairs and headed out the door "I love you Dad." I yelled as I peered out the bathroom looking down the empty hall on my tip toes. He didn't hear me. I headed down the dark ,cold hallway and peered into Joel's room and found him halfway off the bed with his butt in the air dreaming about something I guess. I turned and looked at the "wall of pictures" as my dad called it. He looked so happy then now he just looks so depressed.
-------Flashback-----------
That morning I was on the top bunk as my mom walked in, in her morning robe her hair up in a ponytail the blondness was showing through the wetness as it dried, she and Lukas were going to a soccer tournament that morning while I stayed with dad and helped him with baby Joel. "Mommy can I get down?" "Yes." As she reached up and grabbed me down and placed me on the floor. I looked into her hazel eyes and saw she knew something was going to go wrong. She left me and my brother in the bedroom as he got dressed in a bright yellow soccer shirt that was sponsored by Cambell Trucking. I left him in the bedroom all alone. I walked down the hallway that was filled with bright sun light and the smell of pancakes in the air. I walked down the stairs and headed for the kitchen as dragging my baby
blanket behind me.
"Hey sweet pea." "Hi Daddy." As my father picked me up and placed me on his shoulders, he twirled me around and dropped me lightly on the couch.
"Thanks Daddy." I liked it when he did that. Then my two year old brother started crawling down the stairs as he giggled. My dad ran over and grabbed him , and placed him in the play pin.
Up the stairs in the bathroom you heard the blow drier going as mom blow dried her hair.
Then Lukas came down the stairs all ready to go. Then came mom we all ate at the oak table and talked.
Then it was time for her and Lukas to go. "Bye honey." My dad said holding Joel in his arms, picking up Joel's fat little arms and waving goodbye for the last time. "Bye mommy." As mom kissed all of us and then took Lukas by the hand and lead him to the car.
------------------Back------------------
I jerked my head I knew I had been day dreaming again. I walked down the dark hallway and down the stairs and into the kitchen and grabbed some pop tarts for Joel and me. "Joel get down here right away." As I popped over to the cabinet.
With a clunk came Joel in his train pajamas and grabbed his pop tart. He stuffed it in his mouth and ran up the stairs and through on his cloths and raced down the stairs just in time to here the bus blow it's horn.
We walked out to the sidewalk and got on the bus. I sat down with my two best friends since third grade Rachael and Rebecca. "Hey Eli looks like Alec is looking at you again." I looked up in the seat diagonal to me and looked and there was a dark brown eyed Alex Richson looking at me. I look at the girls. "He was looking at me." "Yeah now say hi or something." I turned and looked at Alec again and he was still looking in my direction. "Hi Alec." "Hi Eli" We sat there and talked for a while, till we got to school.
"Oh great a sub. Today looks like hell is going to be in the class room." "Every time we have a sub. Everyone goes nuts and the teacher does to." said Micky a guy in our class. "Your right."
We all walked in and sat down in our seats and chatted for about ten min. and then come doom! Mr. Parker the principal who hated kids and hated his job but loved the "money" that he got , he also loved the power. "Oh here comes mister power hungry" said Mikey. "Well my fav. Students!!" he said with a fake smile on his face. "I'm going to teach you all history. "Hence the name history class." Said Jade. We all laughed Parker just got madder and madder by the minute.
Later on the bus. "Hey Eli come and sit with me." It was Alec he wanted me to sit with him. "Ok" as I looked back at Becky and Rachael and gave a funny face. We sat and talked about when I was moving( he looked really sad) and what happened at school and things like that.
We got off the bus to a surprise visit by the moving people and my cool Uncle Job.
"Hey it's Uncle Job" Said me and my brother in unison . We both ran up hugging him. We were moving into my Uncle and moms old house in Gatlin, Nebraska. I didn't really know about anything in Nebraska I just kept hearing "Oh your moving to that wretched place." I really had no clue what they were talking about till that day I got there.
My dad walked outside with boxes that we had packed earlier that read Sarah's books and Sarah's old cloths. I really don't understand why dad kept those things, he must be hoping that she's coming back. "Hey dad look who's here." My dad looked up and dropped the boxes and ran to hug his brother-in-law. "Hey there Job haven't seen you in forever." Uncle Job had went to war and was out in Afghanistan fighting. My father and Uncle Job had been really close friends since they were little, they both grew up in Gatlin till there parents were killed in a car accident. "Well are you ready Eli to go back home?" "Yup Job I'm really exited!" They both stepped out onto the sidewalk and had a word, I tried to listen but I couldn't here anything. All I saw was that dad had pulled out a white sheet of paper with some writing on it. We started packing about a month ago, never knowing when Uncle Job would show up. "Kids where staying here for a couple more nights, but no more school so we will pack then turn your books in." We both rushed up to our room and packed.
I got on the phone later and told everyone bye, but I promised Becky and Rebecca that I would call from Gatlin. Then It was Joel's turn he called his best friend Frankie and told him he was leaving and never again to see Frankie's ugly face again. I know that Joel really didn't have any friends he was a loser, but oh well.
A few days had past and Uncle Job had stayed with us, it was like a party every night. It was the last time I was ever going to be in the house. I walked outside holding a box of games and things to do in the car while our uncle drove the Uhaul truck. As I looked to my left I saw Becky and Rebecca running to me. "Girl did you think you could sneak out with out saying good-bye?" "Nope." I said good-bye to them and gave best friend hand shaks and cried a little with them about the memories we had. Then I stepped into the blue ford explorer and waved good-bye to everyone. AS we left I looked back and gave a last glance at the little "ghetto" town of Decatur, Illinois. We drove four hours straight, and we stopped to get gas. I looked in the back seat to talk to Joel, but of course on any road trip he was sound asleep.
--------Flashback---------
As they went to the car they both turned around and blew a kiss and we caught them.
Well the day was hectic Joel wouldn't stop crying . I went to take a nap to pass the day away awaiting for mom and Lukas to come back. I had a dream about a poor family that had lost there mother and brother. Then I was shook awake. I propped myself up on my elbow and rubbed my eyes as the light from the hall way rushed in. "Honey your mom and brother should be here by now do you know anything?" "I had a dream that a family was torn a part." Ever since I was three I would have dreams and they would sometimes happen, but sometimes they made no since. My dad lifted me out of bed and told me to get dressed and went into Joel's room got him ready and hustled us to the blue van. We drove around for hours looking to see maybe where they would of gone. My dad went to the school where Lukas was suppose to play and he asked around and the people said that they came and won and they left about three hours ago. Then dad reached into his pocket and grabbed out a black phone and called 911. He grabbed my hand and we crossed the street and got back into the car. We headed out the country side and he was destined to fined her. I had fallen asleep and had another dream about us finding her car but not her or Lukas, the reporters were there and asked us questions. "Honey did you have another dream?" "Yes" "She's by……Harris town." We drove there and sure enough there sat the car. Dad got out of the car and rushed……………….
---------------Back-----------------
"Eli I asked you do you want any candy?" I jerked my head and in the open door was my dad bending over with his head in the car. "What?" "I said for the third time do you want candy?" "Oh..Uh…Yeah sure." I leaned forward in my seat and grabbed a Kleenex and blew my nose. I started the car and cranked up the radio. "Hey Eli easy on those poor speakers." "What." I said turning it down. My dad handed me some snickers and gave Joel the same. We drove for a few more hours and then stopped in a hotel while Uncle Job drove on and went through the night to Gatlin. The next day we hit the road at five o'clock in the morning I was still tired so I desided to sleep half way.
Dream…. I was standing in the middle of the corn field again and I was Jerking my hand away. "I can't wait till you come here Lizzy, you'll have fun in Gatlin!!" Sudden I was scared. "Who are you and where am I?" "Well my beautiful child your in Gatlin and I'm Isaac…"
I jerked away. My nose was bleeding again. "Oh no Eli what was it this time?" "Oh just a freaky dream about corn." "Oh sounds exiting." It sounded like he really didn't want to here it. It seemed the closer I got to Gatlin I got farther in the dream. The night before in the hotel It was the exact same except I never got what his name was. I just sat there for a minute. I looked out to my right, there was corn as far as the eye could see. Dad stopped at a stop sign and sat there for a while, while
He stared at the map of Nebraska confused.
"Look dad!!" His head came slowly up from behind the map. Joel was pointing at a sign that read Gatlin, thirty miles a head. Dad folded the map up and placed it back in the glove compartment and put the gas full force. I took the map out of the glove compartment and looked for Gatlin on the map. "Um Dad….Gatlin isn't on the map." "Your kidding me." he gave me a funny face. "Give that to me." he said grabbing it. He looked at it for a while very, very confused now. "Well shit honey your right." "I guess it's so small nobody wants to go." He looked straight into my eyes and at that point I could tell he was lying about something. "Yeah at least we moved away from "Ghetto Ville" "Your really funny Eli." We drove on and on it seemed forever and then sometime in the night I heard
"Were Here." I was about asleep again and when he said that I perked right up. "Finally." It was a long trip there and I never want to do that again. We all got out of the car, we stepped onto smooth pavement and headed for the house. It was a dull yellow house with white shutters and a wrap around porch. I was happy finally to be here, I think. We had our beds set up prior to moving, but the rest was up to all of us. The house was to big for just our family, so to earn a little extra money we boarded out two rooms with a free lunch. Not a lot of people went for it ,but Dana and her son and daughter rented it out. Dana was really nice so was her daughter Brittany, but I liked her son Andrew a lot more.
I was walking around the house bored to death and out popped Andrew. "Hi Andrew I'm…" "Elizabeth, I know." "Oh ok." I said confused. "So how long have you guys lived here." I asked hoping to spark interest. "Actually I've lived her my whole life." "Oh cool." He smiled a little at me. "Yeah right cool, there's nothing to do here except walk around." "Oh, well at least you never lived in "Ghetto Ville"." "Where?" "Warrensburg, Illinois." Finally He loosened up and he decided to show me the existing town of Gatlin.
I grabbed my jacket and told dad where I was going. "So Elizabeth what did you do for fun in Warrensburg?" "Well I talked on the phone and played at the skate rink." "Wow sounds like you have a lot more than we do." "Has anyone ever told you the story of Gatlin, Elizabeth?" "No , and you can call me Eli." "Well in about 77' or so kids killed there parents for unknown reasons." "Wow how freaky." "Did anything else happen?" "I'm not for sure." He looked down at the ground and smiled.
"So Andrew where are all the kids in this town?" "At home or…." "Or what?" "In the corn listening to Luke the boy wonder." "Luke?" "Lukas Moore found when he was a about seven just abandoned on the street with a name tag that had his name and information on him." "Why would anyone do that?" "Apparently his parents." "Well doesn't he remember his family?" I said as we desided to sit on a log. "He says he only remembers his sister." "That's the only person he remembers?" "I had a twin brother once, Lukas." "What happened." "None really knows what happened to him and my mother." "Wow intense." I all most started crying to the fact of thinking of my mother and brother again. "Yeah." I said trying not to cry. "How old was he?" "About seven, but I don't remember him very well." "Oh." he said putting his arm around me with concern. "Are you ok talking about it?" "Sometimes, but it really hurts to lose your best friend at seven." I said with a sob. I wiped my tears away and got up and walked, and Andrew followed.
Andrew and I were on our way back to the house when something tapped me on the shoulder. I twirled around and there was a boy dressed in complete black with a black cross around his neck, you could see into his hazel eyes, and the smile that was golden there were some kids right behind him dressed in black also. "So Andrew who's your friend?" "Oh sorry." he said with complete sarcasm. "This is Elizabeth." "Hi Eli." "Oh hi." I said confused. "How did you know to call me Eli?" "I know all." This mysterious person knew my name. "Who are you?" I asked. "I'm Luke." "Oh" I said with sadness for his anguishing past. He reminded me so much of my brother. Then I got flash backs of what Andrew was saying. "He only remembers his sister." "Lukas Moore." "Found Abandoned …seven…Abandoned…seven."
We headed back as we said good-bye to those strange people. " Was that?" I said with anticipation. "That, was the amazing boy wonder!" "That was Lukas Moore!!" "Yup."
We got back to the house and grabbed a snack and walked our separate ways to our rooms. I couldn't sleep at all that night. I thought just maybe if I found this boy I would find my missing family. I was on my bed looking out the window and there was kids with flashlights and torches.
I opened the window and climbed onto the roof. "Holy shit those kids are nuts, going into the corn field this time of night." I said to myself in a whisper.
"We need to bring them back soon or…." I heard in a distance but then it was cut off. "Man I wonder what there talking about?" "Why don't you climb down and see." I heard a voice coming in the back of me, but when I turned around none was there. "Wh…Who said that?" "Oh none really." It was a deep voice almost hoarse sounding. "I want to know who are you?" I just sat there stunned. "Your just in my head go away." I was scared and desided maybe I should go to bed. This time I didn't have a problem going to sleep.
I was in the damn cornfield again. "Oh great back here." "Yes my child your back." I turned around to now see three men standing behind me. "Oh great more men (all though that's never a bad thing)." I laughed to myself. They started coming closer I backed up. This time it was different It was cold and it had always been dark but this time it was pitch black, no stars just a moon. "Who are you, what do you want?" I would scream over and over , but it was as if they were dead and couldn't answer. Then out of the corn came Luke with an axe. I was freaked out now. I turned around and ran like hell. "You little bastards will never get me!!" I said as I stepped through the corn "After her and bring her back Alive." It seemed like I ran forever and ever every where I turned it seemed like I had all ready been there. I was sweating so hard, I couldn't breath. I turned my head slightly to look behind me, and none was there. Then boom, I was on the ground. I looked to see a tall red headed man, he grabbed me by my shirt and picked me up. "Who are you?" "I am Malachi and your dead." he said as he laughed dragging me behind.
"Eli" "Eli" I heard a voice it must be my way out. I jolted up off my pillow.
"Wow Eli you had us scared to death." It was Dana and Dad biting his nails right behind her. "Eli your sweating and it feels like you have a fever." Dad came up and hugged me tight and kissed me on the forehead. "Dana could I please have a moment with Eli for a minute?" "Of course." "Eli what is it this time?" "Well this time dad there were three men this time and I think they wanted to kill me." I was about to cry my heart out. "It was scary." I felt tear run down my cheek, but you probably couldn't tell with all the sweat on my face. "Honey I promise I will get you to a doctor." "I don't want to go." "Ok but the dreams will stay with you." "I don't care!!" Then he just walked away like it never happened. It was about six 'o clock in the morning and it was summer and I was already bored. I walked down the stairs, to smell a breakfast being cooked up. As I walked out it was Dana. She turned around with a big smile on her face.
"Hey Kid are you really going to be ok." she had now put the eggs on a plate and walked over to the table. "Dad just doesn't understand." "Oh Eli he's a father with two kids and well two family members still missing." "Well I know it was hard on him Dana, but it was harder on me." "I know." "No you don't know!!" I ran up the stairs to my room and was going to cool down. "Elizabeth come here." Dana sounded really concerned. I could here her in the distance. After a few minutes I decided that I was going to wash the nasty sweat away. So I grabbed some new cloths and got a two red clean towels and walked out of my room and into the bathroom.
I got dressed fast and headed down stairs I was sure hungry.
"Well glad you could come down." Said Dana as she took a bite of eggs. "Sorry about before." "Oh that's ok I understand." "Oh ok." I gave a passing glance at Andrew and he smiled. I grabbed a plate of eggs and bacon and toast. I sat down next to Dana and started eating really fast. Dana got up and placed the dishes in the sink and walked out of the room.
"So Eli what was all the fuss this morning?" "Oh I just had a bad dream that's all." "Oh, If you don't mind…." "Oh I don't mind." I said cutting him off from his sentence. "Well I was in those cornfields." He just looked at me with a weird face. "These guys just chased me around." "Did they have names?" "Well one was Isaac and the other I think he said his name was Malachi. He dropped his fork and his mouth was wide open. "There…There names where Isaac and Malachi.:" "Yeah." "Follow me." We both headed up the stairs and turned down the hallway and up into the attic.
"When my mom moved in here she asked your dad if we could store things in here." "Well when I was at my old house, before we came broke, I used to look through these paper." He picked up a piece of the old newspaper and it said in big headlines. "Preacher Boy brought down." Then I was skimming through the article and it said. "Malachi and Isaac were leaders of a cult in the little town of Gatlin, Nebraska, they brain washed little kids into worshiping "He who walks behind the Rows." "Holy shit Andrew that's them." I skimmed a little more and then I saw there faces. "That's exactly what they looked like in my dream!!" "Oh that's freaky." "My dad and my uncle and my mom all grew up here." "So did my mom, she told me all about how she moved about a week before it happened." I just stared in amazement, that my mother and her brother and my father, followed him and killed there parents. "No wonder I have no grandparents." I whispered to myself. I was mad now! I wanted the truth from my father.
"Dad where are you." I said I was mad and looking for answers. He was no where to be found. "Eli Porter where are you." I had to use his name or else he would probably never show his face.
I walked outside to the wrap around porch but, no where. "Why don't you try the cornfield?" "What who's there?" No response. I walked around the porch and stepped down the stairs and heard something.
It sounded like it was coming from the corn. Then I heard it. "We will bring back the great leaders and then get the outlanders!!" It sounded like Luke. "What great leaders?" I whispered to myself. "The ones in your dreams." "What who in the hell is there?" No response. I turned around to see…nobody. I was freaked out I just walked back to the house. "Dad are you here?" Then out of a corner came dad.
"Dad I have to talk to you." All my furry and rage rolled in like a flood flowing through the streets. "Who the hell are Isaac and Malachi." "Eli what is your problem." "Why did we really come back?" "I….I can't explain." "Why the hell would you want to bring us to a town where little kids followed a maniac and then killed there parents?" My father looked back at me wide eyed in surprise. "Elizabeth how did you find out?" "Andrew showed me some of the papers." Dad gave a sad look like all was up. Dad took me to the kitchen table and for the next hour I was horrified and told the truth for once in my life.
"So Eli what did you and your dad talk about?" "Oh nothing." "Oh anyway I'm going to take a walk want to come?" "Uh no I think I'm going to bed I'm tired." I said pulling my arms toward the sky and stretching and yawning. "Ok your loss." he said as he walked out the door.
"Whatever ." I whispered to myself.
Later after staying up a little longer I decided to change into my pajamas and go to bed.
"I found her Isaac." said Malachi with me hustled over his shoulder. "Place her over here." He drug me to a pole and tied me up so I wouldn't get away. "So what next?" "Well we get the child tonight." Then they turned away and I could not here what they were saying. Then came that Isaac kid and I was going to give him a piece of my mind. "Elizabeth do you know why you're here?" "Um no."
Then I felt a rumble beneath me. I woke up there was an earthquake. I ran over to door way and stood there in the sturdy frame. "Andrew is that you?" "Yeah it's me." "Come here quick." I grabbed his arm and placed him under the doorway with me. "We learned this in school." "Oh cool." He grabbed my hand.
We just stood there for a while. Then just about a minute later it was gone. I ran into the hallway. "Dad?" He ran out of his bed room and hugged me and picked Joel up.
There were no after shocks, so we all desided that we should go back to sleep.
The next day was a good day. Andrew and I went on another tour of the town, but the strange thing was no children where about. "Andrew this is strange absolutely no kids out today." "Yeah really usually you at least see little kids playing ball."
We later went back to the house. We ate dinner, steak with mashed potatoes and gravy.
I stayed up till about ten with Joel and Andrew we watched TV. Then Joel went up the stairs and headed to bed "Andrew?" "Yeah." he said as if he were mesmerized by the TV he wouldn't even turn his head. "Where's Brittany?" Usually Brittany was spying on us or playing in the corn with her friends. Andrew looked up. "I don't know." He looked into my eyes and then he did what I wanted him to do since the day we meet, He leaned in a gave a passionate kiss. "I wanted to do that since the day I laid eyes on you Elizabeth." "Me to." Then we gave several more kisses to each other. " I got to go get a glass of water." I said desperate for a drink. I walked to the kitchen, I looked back and he was staring at the TV again. I got a glass down from the cabinet and filled it halfway with water. I looked outside and the moon was bright and shown in like a night light.
"Elizabeth." I recognized that voice , but it wasn't Andrews. "Yes." I turned around to see a tall red-headed man with a big, big knife staring me straight in the eye. "DAD!!!" I screamed, but he held the knife to my neck. "You say another word I'll slit your throat." He held my arm and twisted it. "No come along don't be afraid." Oh yeah how could I not be afraid, I thought to myself. We went past the living room and there was Andrew with his throat slit. "Oh God not Andrew." I cried. "Why you bastard why him?" "He would just get in the way." He shoved me into the field, where I knew what was going to happen. "Isaac I got her." "Put her over here." As I knew they tied my up to a pull. Then came out dad and Dana, Dana was in a white dress with a white cross around her neck. I started to look around and then came out Brittany with Joel in her arms. They tied everyone up. "We will wait." Isaac had put his hand up as they just tied Dana up to the cross. Then Dana was high above everyone, crying and praying for her life. "Bring the girl here." They tied my feet up so I couldn't kick and lifted me up. He stared me straight in the eyes, "Hi Elizabeth I've been watching you." "Oh really." "Lay here on the ground." They laid me on the ground and then something from underneath grabbed my legs, I leaned up and started picking at this long black thing at my feet, Then something grabbed my right wrist then my left. "What the hell is this?" "Malachi give me the knife." What a knife what in the hell is he going to use a knife for. I thought to myself. Then he chanted something weird in another language. Then he slightly pressed it against my skin and cut. "Ahhhhh, what the hell is wrong with you?" He just looked at me and smiled. Then he cut his hand and place the two sores together. Then I started to rise up, the black things let go and I was in mid-air floating. "It is complete." Isaac just smiled at me with an evil smile. I had no clue what was going on. That night I fell asleep against the pole with so little support.
I was on an empty street, "After her don't let her get away with the new leader." I looked down at myself I was fat, then I knew right away what had happened I was having a baby. "Holy shit." I ran with my little brother tucked in my arms, I was sweating like crazy. I ran in town an into a building. I sat Joel down and touched up his bruises. "Joel?" I whispered quietly so no one could hear me. "What?" he said quiet. "What's happening?" "Well dad and Dana are dead and there after you, your caring "He who walks behind the row's" baby, born to be a new leader." "Holy shit a baby, but I'm only fourteen." "They wanted to kill me Eli, then you jumped from the pipe by untying your hands." Then I felt a tug on my shoulder.
I woke up and everyone was around me. "What is it child." I looked him straight in the eye and said "Nothing just a bad dream." "Did you dream about your baby?" some kid asked in the back round." "A baby your making me have a baby." trying to act surprised. "Get her up." I looked at Isaac and without saying any words moved my mouth to "I hate I hope you burn in hell where you belong." He just looked at me with that wretched face and smiled his evil smile. They cared me back through the corn and to my house, they took me up the stairs and locked me in my bed room. Immediately I started banging on the door, "You bastards better let me out." "Our what will you do?" Came a voice from the other side. "Eli?" I turned around and there was Joel all beat up. "Oh Joel." I ran over there with my hand over my mouth with shock. "Joel what did the do?" I ran my fingers down his face to see his black eyes and bloody lip and his nose was all bruised. "They hit me." He started crying. I did to. There came a knock from the other side. "Hey Miss Eli I got a special for you." I went and just looked at the door. "What is it?" The door slammed in and hit me on the head I was knocked over onto the floor. In came a seriously bruised batter woman with hazel eyes and a white dress on with long blond hair down to the floor, she had tape over her mouth and her hands where tied up. "Miss, are you ok?" She ripped the tape off her mouth. "Well I would be if those dumb asses wouldn't of kept me here for so long." "Did you have family back where you came from?" "Yes three beautiful children." "Mamma?" Joel looked up confused . "Unless your names are Joel.." She didn't have to go on my heart was pounding with excitement and I had tears running down my face, I ran and hugged her. She unwrapped my arms from here body, she bent down to one knee. "Elizabeth?" "Yes Mamma." For the next hour we caught up on the years we missed and she commented on how we've grown. "Mom what do they want with us?" "Well they've been talking about it for years now, how there going to get my daughter and husband up here." "How did they?" "They sent a note to him saying something." "Where's Lukas?" That was the one question that had been on my mind. "Out there with the children." "Mom.." then I altered my voice so I could talk softer. "Mom we are leaving tonight!!" "How?" We devised a plan to go out the window and run for it. That night I jumped out the window and then. "Mom" I peeked over the side. "I don't feel to good." I puked over the side of the house from the second story roof. I looked out into the cornfield and saw the torches and flashlights. We looked down over the edge and saw no guards. "Well they must really trust us." The I saw it, it was time for "He who walk's behind the rows" to come. "Mom we got to go and save dad and Dana." "How?" "I don't know." I knew that the only way to get out of this one was to kill all of them. "I think we have to get to there leader." "Mom I'm scared." she held onto Joel and we all gave a glance. "We have to be strong Joel." I looked into his blue eyes and patted him on the head. "Ok" he said looking down at the ground. We all found the gutter and climbed down. The closer to the cornfield we go the louder they were. My mom held on to Joel's hand as we walked through the moist green grass.
We listened to Isaac talk of what was going to happen to us and how when he was through that all people once again would be dead. "Oh god , more people dead." I whispered to my mom. I looked up into the sky and there came a great black cloud of smoke. We ran back to the house so we could now see what was happening. "Look mom something is out there." Joel pointed his small fingers at the cornfield dirt. We all watched as Dad and Dana were crying. Dana looked down from the cross "I hope you burn in HELL!!" I couldn't exactly see the expression , but that was the last time I ever saw them alive. I cried and so did mom, but Joel had no idea what was going on. I looked in the clearing and this thing was out of the ground, it looked like a giant worm with pudgy little arms and legs. "Now we go." I said , I was scared. We jumped down from the roof and ran to the tool shed and grabbed farm equipment that might killed Isaac and that hideous thing. We ran through the corn and mom was holding on to Joel's hand. We were at the clearing, there was Isaac and Malachi and then there was the third guy. "Mom you go kill Isaac and the other guys." I bent down on one knee so I was eye level with Joel, "Joel be brave and be good." "I will" he looked up at me with his devious smile and laughed, he headed over with mom.
"Hey you ugly piece of trash look at me." It turned it's body toward me and stared. I got close enough and stuck the hook knife in him. I stabbed over and over till it lay flat and landed on some of the children. I ran over to mom with blood on my face and hugged her and Joel. Some of the kids got up scratching there heads. "What is this?" they looked frightened. Then came a familiar face. "Mom Is that you?" It was Lukas with the black suit on and he was very confused. "What happened?" "Nothing really." I looked at him and he looked at me and we immediately knew who each other where. We walked to the yellow house with white shutters and gathered things up and never went back to Gatlin, Nebraska again!!!
And that's a fact!!!