Title: Strange Days 2: Outlanders
Author: Love In Vein
Summary: Takes place six months after the events of Strange Days. All is going well until Lacey returns, bringing with her some adults and all sorts of new problems. How will Micah deal with this? Will everyone survive intact?
Disclaimer: Stephen King owns the original story; Micah, Danny, etc. and COTC 2 are owned by Paramount; Delilah, Samuel, and Keren are owned by me, and Rachael and Meagan are based on real-life COTC superfans Rachael and Meagan.
Part 6
Micah slowly came awake, and felt as if every cell in his body was on fire. Everything ached so badly and everything was a haze. What had just happened? One minute he was crouched next to Delilah who had been shot by Lacey, and now he was standing in the middle of the eerily peaceful clearing.
Suddenly his eyes came fully open as he remembered exactly what had transpired. He Who Walks Behind the Rows had taken him whole and had used his body to destroy the Outlanders. Even now he could still feel that darkness just below the surface. He shivered and then he heard a voice calling his name. It was Danny. "Danny?" he said quietly.
"Micah, is it you? Are you all right?" Danny asked and Micah heard the uncertainty in his good friend's voice.
"It's me...I'll be all right," Micah answered.
Danny breathed an audible sigh of relief and helped him to sit on the rough ground. Micah looked into Delilah's peaceful looking face and smiled sadly.
"Is she...," Danny began to ask and his voice trailed off.
"Of course not," Micah said as confidently as possible. He gently kissed her forehead and murmured to her, "Come on baby, wake up. It's over."
At first there was no response. Then, just as Micah was about to try more forcefully to wake her, her eyes snapped open and she took a gasping breath. "Micah?" she whispered faintly.
He helped her sit up and rubbed small circles on her back as she coughed up the last of the blood that had filled her lungs.
"Damn, look at my dress!" she exclaimed weakly and everyone laughed.
"I'll make you a new one," Keren offered with a smile.
"Thanks," Delilah replied.
Then Micah noticed Rachael kneeling on the ground with Jedediah's head on her lap. Barely dried tear streaks were visible on her face. He left Delilah's side and knelt next to Rachael and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him with fearful eyes. "Micah, will he...?" she started to ask but couldn't bring herself to finish the question.
Micah just shook his head and put his hands, one over the other, over where the knife had come out of the front of his shoulder. The group watched in amazement as the blood slowly receded and the wound knit itself together. Then Jedediah slowly opened his eyes, the color even coming back to his cheeks. "What happened?" he asked in confusion.
"You...you were almost dead! Oh god, Jed, don't ever do that to me again!" Rachael exclaimed as she leaned over and hugged him fiercely.
"Micah, how did you do that?" Danny asked in shock.
"He apparently has effected me more than I thought," Micah answered thoughtfully. He wasn't very sure himself.
"Well, um, why don't we go back to the house?" Danny suggested as Micah went back to Delilah and her to stand, putting his arm around her waist to support her.
"Um, Micah...this is Meagan," Samuel began and Meagan gave a small wave. "Uh, is she..."
Micah closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them he smiled and nodded. "She is one of us. He has decreed that she may stay."
Samuel let out a sigh of relief and hugged Meagan. "See, I told you!"
Meagan furrowed her eyebrows. "You never told me anything! I was the one who said everything would be all right!" she retorted.
"Okay, whatever you say," he replied.
"I do, thank-you-very-much," Meagan said sweetly. Then she frowned. "Um, where am I going to live?"
"You can live with Tabitha and me. With the baby coming we could use an extra pair of hands around the house," Keren offered.
"Okay, that sounds good to me," Meagan agreed brightly.
"Now can we go to the house?" Rachael asked. "I'm not feeling that great."
"Oh, Rach, what's wrong?" Jedediah asked with concern as the couple stood and joined their friends.
"Nothing much, I just feel a little queasy. Must just be all of the excitement. I'll be fine," she reassured him.
"Okay, if you're sure," Jedediah replied.
Micah turned back to where the other children where still standing, waiting to see what the Leader and Seer would do.
"Children, you may now return to your homes. We are now safe, and may get back to our mission and our peaceful lives," he announced.
The children's faces lit up with smiles and a happy murmur swept through the small crowds. They began to depart and soon the Sacred Clearing was empty except for Micah, Delilah, Jedediah, Rachael, Danny, Keren, Samuel, and Meagan.
"Well, we'll be going. I'll show Meagan the house she's going to live in," Samuel said and took Meagan's hand to lead her out of the field.
"Do you think she'll join him when he leaves?" Delilah whispered conspiratorially to Rachael, a sly smile on her face.
"I would be surprised if she didn't," Rachael whispered back.
"You girls are terrible," Jedediah said with exasperation.
---------------------------------
Just a few feet away from this scene, Kevin was beginning to wake up. 'What the hell happened?' he thought in confusion.
He sat up and rubbed the back of his head. 'Damn kids...well, I bet Theo and the others got 'em by now anyway,' he thought smugly and smiled to himself.
He stood up and steadied himself on a sturdy cornstalk and felt his knees gives out slightly. He righted himself and studied his surroundings. Just a cornfield. But which way to go? Deciding that right had to be the only way to go, he began to make his way through the dense field. A slight breeze wafted around him and he shivered. The sooner he could get out of this creepy place the better.
It turned out that he would *never* be getting out. For as soon as he took that first step the earth swallowed him up. The corn was now fully sated.
----------------------------------------
Back at Micah, Delilah, and Danny's house, they were surveying the damage with care. Besides the broken glass on the door, which they probably wouldn't be able to repair, many of their records were lying scattered on the floor in the meeting room and every drawer had been pulled out and turned upside down, their contents littering the floor.
Delilah sighed. "Why did they have to do this?" she asked.
"Don't worry, we'll all help clean it up," Rachael offered.
"Thanks, Rach. How are you feeling?" Delilah replied.
"Um, all right. Still not great. Why?" asked Rachael.
"Because...why don't you come with me?" Delilah said and pulled her into the kitchen.
Moments later the rest of the group heard a squeal and rushed into the kitchen to see what was wrong. Rachael and Delilah were hugging and laughing.
"What's going on?" Micah asked.
"Jed, you're gonna be a daddy!" Rachael exclaimed and threw her arms around her stunned husband.
"How...how do you know?" he stuttered in shock.
"Well Delilah *is* the Seer, silly!" replied Rachael, still giddy from the news of her pregnancy.
"Your baby is going to be very important to us, Jed. Father has chosen it for a very special purpose," Delilah said with a smile.
"What purpose?" Rachael asked with some apprehension. She'd just found out she was pregnant and all ready the baby was being taken from her.
"Don't worry, Rach, Father doesn't want to take your baby. It will still be your child. I don't know what the purpose is yet, though. I'm sorry," Delilah admitted.
Rachael smiled and hugged her friends. "That's okay, I'm already nervous about being a mother."
"You'll be great," Jedediah assured her and earned a kiss for his words.
"Nine months...how will you wait that long?" Micah asked them.
Jedediah shrugged. "All we know it that it's going to be the start of something big."
"Something that will change all of our lives," Delilah agreed.
And somewhere, He Who Walks Behind the Rows smiled. He was pleased. Everything was moving along quite nicely.
~~The End~~
Author: Love In Vein
Summary: Takes place six months after the events of Strange Days. All is going well until Lacey returns, bringing with her some adults and all sorts of new problems. How will Micah deal with this? Will everyone survive intact?
Disclaimer: Stephen King owns the original story; Micah, Danny, etc. and COTC 2 are owned by Paramount; Delilah, Samuel, and Keren are owned by me, and Rachael and Meagan are based on real-life COTC superfans Rachael and Meagan.
Part 6
Micah slowly came awake, and felt as if every cell in his body was on fire. Everything ached so badly and everything was a haze. What had just happened? One minute he was crouched next to Delilah who had been shot by Lacey, and now he was standing in the middle of the eerily peaceful clearing.
Suddenly his eyes came fully open as he remembered exactly what had transpired. He Who Walks Behind the Rows had taken him whole and had used his body to destroy the Outlanders. Even now he could still feel that darkness just below the surface. He shivered and then he heard a voice calling his name. It was Danny. "Danny?" he said quietly.
"Micah, is it you? Are you all right?" Danny asked and Micah heard the uncertainty in his good friend's voice.
"It's me...I'll be all right," Micah answered.
Danny breathed an audible sigh of relief and helped him to sit on the rough ground. Micah looked into Delilah's peaceful looking face and smiled sadly.
"Is she...," Danny began to ask and his voice trailed off.
"Of course not," Micah said as confidently as possible. He gently kissed her forehead and murmured to her, "Come on baby, wake up. It's over."
At first there was no response. Then, just as Micah was about to try more forcefully to wake her, her eyes snapped open and she took a gasping breath. "Micah?" she whispered faintly.
He helped her sit up and rubbed small circles on her back as she coughed up the last of the blood that had filled her lungs.
"Damn, look at my dress!" she exclaimed weakly and everyone laughed.
"I'll make you a new one," Keren offered with a smile.
"Thanks," Delilah replied.
Then Micah noticed Rachael kneeling on the ground with Jedediah's head on her lap. Barely dried tear streaks were visible on her face. He left Delilah's side and knelt next to Rachael and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him with fearful eyes. "Micah, will he...?" she started to ask but couldn't bring herself to finish the question.
Micah just shook his head and put his hands, one over the other, over where the knife had come out of the front of his shoulder. The group watched in amazement as the blood slowly receded and the wound knit itself together. Then Jedediah slowly opened his eyes, the color even coming back to his cheeks. "What happened?" he asked in confusion.
"You...you were almost dead! Oh god, Jed, don't ever do that to me again!" Rachael exclaimed as she leaned over and hugged him fiercely.
"Micah, how did you do that?" Danny asked in shock.
"He apparently has effected me more than I thought," Micah answered thoughtfully. He wasn't very sure himself.
"Well, um, why don't we go back to the house?" Danny suggested as Micah went back to Delilah and her to stand, putting his arm around her waist to support her.
"Um, Micah...this is Meagan," Samuel began and Meagan gave a small wave. "Uh, is she..."
Micah closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them he smiled and nodded. "She is one of us. He has decreed that she may stay."
Samuel let out a sigh of relief and hugged Meagan. "See, I told you!"
Meagan furrowed her eyebrows. "You never told me anything! I was the one who said everything would be all right!" she retorted.
"Okay, whatever you say," he replied.
"I do, thank-you-very-much," Meagan said sweetly. Then she frowned. "Um, where am I going to live?"
"You can live with Tabitha and me. With the baby coming we could use an extra pair of hands around the house," Keren offered.
"Okay, that sounds good to me," Meagan agreed brightly.
"Now can we go to the house?" Rachael asked. "I'm not feeling that great."
"Oh, Rach, what's wrong?" Jedediah asked with concern as the couple stood and joined their friends.
"Nothing much, I just feel a little queasy. Must just be all of the excitement. I'll be fine," she reassured him.
"Okay, if you're sure," Jedediah replied.
Micah turned back to where the other children where still standing, waiting to see what the Leader and Seer would do.
"Children, you may now return to your homes. We are now safe, and may get back to our mission and our peaceful lives," he announced.
The children's faces lit up with smiles and a happy murmur swept through the small crowds. They began to depart and soon the Sacred Clearing was empty except for Micah, Delilah, Jedediah, Rachael, Danny, Keren, Samuel, and Meagan.
"Well, we'll be going. I'll show Meagan the house she's going to live in," Samuel said and took Meagan's hand to lead her out of the field.
"Do you think she'll join him when he leaves?" Delilah whispered conspiratorially to Rachael, a sly smile on her face.
"I would be surprised if she didn't," Rachael whispered back.
"You girls are terrible," Jedediah said with exasperation.
---------------------------------
Just a few feet away from this scene, Kevin was beginning to wake up. 'What the hell happened?' he thought in confusion.
He sat up and rubbed the back of his head. 'Damn kids...well, I bet Theo and the others got 'em by now anyway,' he thought smugly and smiled to himself.
He stood up and steadied himself on a sturdy cornstalk and felt his knees gives out slightly. He righted himself and studied his surroundings. Just a cornfield. But which way to go? Deciding that right had to be the only way to go, he began to make his way through the dense field. A slight breeze wafted around him and he shivered. The sooner he could get out of this creepy place the better.
It turned out that he would *never* be getting out. For as soon as he took that first step the earth swallowed him up. The corn was now fully sated.
----------------------------------------
Back at Micah, Delilah, and Danny's house, they were surveying the damage with care. Besides the broken glass on the door, which they probably wouldn't be able to repair, many of their records were lying scattered on the floor in the meeting room and every drawer had been pulled out and turned upside down, their contents littering the floor.
Delilah sighed. "Why did they have to do this?" she asked.
"Don't worry, we'll all help clean it up," Rachael offered.
"Thanks, Rach. How are you feeling?" Delilah replied.
"Um, all right. Still not great. Why?" asked Rachael.
"Because...why don't you come with me?" Delilah said and pulled her into the kitchen.
Moments later the rest of the group heard a squeal and rushed into the kitchen to see what was wrong. Rachael and Delilah were hugging and laughing.
"What's going on?" Micah asked.
"Jed, you're gonna be a daddy!" Rachael exclaimed and threw her arms around her stunned husband.
"How...how do you know?" he stuttered in shock.
"Well Delilah *is* the Seer, silly!" replied Rachael, still giddy from the news of her pregnancy.
"Your baby is going to be very important to us, Jed. Father has chosen it for a very special purpose," Delilah said with a smile.
"What purpose?" Rachael asked with some apprehension. She'd just found out she was pregnant and all ready the baby was being taken from her.
"Don't worry, Rach, Father doesn't want to take your baby. It will still be your child. I don't know what the purpose is yet, though. I'm sorry," Delilah admitted.
Rachael smiled and hugged her friends. "That's okay, I'm already nervous about being a mother."
"You'll be great," Jedediah assured her and earned a kiss for his words.
"Nine months...how will you wait that long?" Micah asked them.
Jedediah shrugged. "All we know it that it's going to be the start of something big."
"Something that will change all of our lives," Delilah agreed.
And somewhere, He Who Walks Behind the Rows smiled. He was pleased. Everything was moving along quite nicely.
~~The End~~