Title: Strange Days (Part 2)
Author: ImhotepsGoddess
Summary: Micah and Danny awake one morning to find that all of the adults have died of a mysterious plague (not from the corn). Now that children are in charge of the world, what are the children of the corn's purpose? Add to that He Who's "daughter" and you have one very strange story!
Disclaimer: Well, we all know Stephen King owns the original story. Micah, Danny, etc. and COTC 2 are owned by Paramount, and Delilah is owned by me.
Part 2
It was early in the morning when Jedediah heard the soft cry coming from somewhere near the corn. He furrowed his brow in frustration and tried in vain to hear it more clearly but he couldn't. Clearly he would have to go see Micah about this one. He slowly slipped on his pants and buttoned up his shirt, tucking it into the pants and pulling the suspenders over his shoulders. He pulled on his dull black shoes and quickly laced them up, then stood up and stretched his arms above his head. On his way out the door he looked into the mirror and ran his hand though his hair. At the last minute he grabbed his hat and pulled it securely onto his head.
It was about five after five when he knocked on the door to the house that Micah shared with Danny. After a few minutes he got no answer so he tried again. Just as he was about to try the third time the door swung open and a barely awake Danny peered at Jedediah through half closed eyes. "Yeah, Jedediah, is there something wrong?" he asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact there is. Ummm, can I see Micah?"
Danny looked at him for a moment, then nodded shortly. "Yeah, he's almost always up by now. Wait here."
As he waited Jedediah pondered all the craziness that occurred in the last few days. Not even counting the apparent deaths of every adult on the earth, there was still the strange ascension of Danny to Micah's right hand in the midst of all the chaos. Everyone had always thought of Mordechai as the one to turn to when Micah couldn't be found or when they needed quick advice. But the way Danny had handled the housing situation a few days ago and the way he had helped hand out daily chore schedules made him seem like the more responsible one. Not to mention the fact that he was more level-headed than Mordechai, and had more than just the desire to please He Who Walks Behind the Rows on his mind. Yes, he was loyal, there was no question in that, but he also knew that the kids needed to be kids, and they would be more willing to serve He Who if allowed some slack. Micah had grudgingly agreed, mostly because he knew it to be true himself, as He Who had undoubtedly showed him thus. So, Jedediah and Mordechai had become housemates. Mordechai had been angered, that was for sure, but he knew that Danny was not one for violence and was more than glad to take the role of Micah's ultimate enforcer. Now, as for he himself, Jedediah didn't know exactly where he belonged. He was one of the elders, yes, and the younger ones looked up to him, but out of the four of them, he often felt quite helpless. As Micah had often told him, they all had a purpose and his was surely just waiting for him around the corner. He just wished it would get here soon than later.
"Jedediah?"
The simple word jolted Jedediah out of his thoughts and he looked up. Micah was standing in the doorway, dressed as always in black. He had a pensive look on his face, and Jedediah was glad that the leader was not angry with him.
"Yes, Micah. I heard something in the cornfield. A cry of some sort. Not animal, though. Definitely human, young."
Micah closed his eyes for a few moments and then looked at him, a sly smile on his face. "Thank you for telling me, Jedediah. Wake Mordechai if he isn't already awake and meet Danny and I at the barn." The look on Micah's face was one of dismissal, so Jedediah quickly mumbled his thanks and left the dark home in a hurry.
----------------
Mordechai was having the nicest dream(usually not at all something we normal humans would want to see) when he was jolted awake by Jedediah shaking him roughly.
"What do you want Jedediah? We have a half an hour before breakfast and I would like to sleep."
"I'm sorry to interrupt your beauty sleep, Mordechai, but Micah demanded that we meet them at the barn." Jedediah said sarcastically, knowing that he wouldn't be able to get away with any such thing once Mordechai was fully awake.
Mordechai groaned, knowing exactly who "them" meant and hating it. "Why? If I may ask such a thing." he mumbled from under his blankets.
"I heard something and apparently Micah thinks we need to check it out." Jedediah smiled slightly to himself, smug over the fact that he had discovered something Mordechai hadn't.
"Oh, good for you. Well, please leave my room. I suppose we should leave as quickly as possible." Mordechai threw the covers off the bed and glared at Jedediah, causing him to roll his eyes and mumble something about why he had to live with such a self-righteous jerk.
------------------------
Meanwhile, Micah was discussing the possible meanings of this cry with Danny. "This may be the sign that we have been waiting for, Danny."
"Do you think so, Micah? I hope so."
"He Who Walks Behind the Rows has indicated to me that whatever is in that field is of great importance to us. However, He will not elaborate or give me clearer signs. Without them, I am unsure of what to expect." Micah admitted.
Danny nodded in sympathy. He knew that something had been distressing his friend in the past two days and it wasn't just the more-than-overt signals he had been getting from Ruth. Nor was it Lacey's continued bemoaning about their way of life. It seemed as though Micah was getting antsy about their new direction, or lack thereof. They cared for the fields, took care of the gardens, the church, and their homes, but they had no real sense of what He Who Walks Behind the Rows truly wanted. What was the most disturbing (to Micah anyway) was that Micah himself hadn't received a vision yet. It was in Danny's opinion that maybe a vision wasn't needed yet, and that maybe they had to settle into their new lives before He Who would show them the new way. Or maybe this was how He Who had envisioned the world, and so nothing more needed to be done. Micah, however, would not let it rest and as the first, then second, then third day passed, his temper grew shorter and he stayed in his room a lot more, no longer seeing the children to answer their questions.
Danny shook his head to clear those thoughts. Standing, he looked at Micah. "Shouldn't we be going now?"
Micah nodded, "Yes. As quickly as possible."
When they arrived at the barn they saw that Jedediah and Mordechai had already arrived. Mordechai was standing stiffly to one side while Jedediah was standing on a wooden crate, trying to catch a glimpse of what he had heard crying in the field.
Micah knew that Mordechai and Jedediah were not friends. At best they were allies, at worst they were competitors. He knew that Jedediah did not wish to have Mordechai's position as enforcer, and if Mordechai knew Jedediah as well as he should have, he would know it too. However, Mordechai's one-track mind made it difficult for him to see things from a reasonable perspective, and probably not even He Who Walks Behind the Rows himself could have convinced him otherwise. Inwardly Micah sighed. Perhaps it would have been best to leave Mordechai out of this, but he would have taken that as the ultimate offense and would never have forgiven Jedediah for such an act of "betrayal." It wouldn't have mattered if Micah had made the decision to not include him, Jedediah would have had to spend the nights with one eye open, and Micah would not do that to his only other sane friend. That was it, really. It was for an entirely selfish reason that he wanted to protect Jedediah. Micah was alone, in the end. But having actual friends made his life somewhat bearable. It didn't truly matter that He Who Walks Behind the Rows had given him his essence, making him the Leader. He was still, deep inside, human and all he really wanted sometimes was relief. In fact, soon after the Plague hit he had felt his connection to He Who Walks Behind the Rows lessen and that fact both frightened him and filled him with a certain joy. Frightened in that he didn't know whether he could be just Micah anymore, and joy in the fact that perhaps he could be if he wanted. But no, he knew now that although his role as leader might have changed, he was still the Leader and as such still had a responsibility to his followers and his God. Blinking once or twice to clear his thoughts, which always led him to brood for quite some time recently, he looked up at Jedediah.
"Do you see anything, Jedediah?"
Jedediah looked down, momentarily startled by the "sudden" appearance of Micah and shook his head. "Nothing, Micah, perhaps we should search, then?"
"Yes, we will spread out and search alone. If you find anything, notify me immediately." Micah did not want to search with Mordechai and he knew he could not pair him with Danny or Jedediah. Thus, they searched alone.
----------------------
It was about 20 minutes later when Mordechai yelled Micah's name about halfway across the field. "Micah, you had better come and see this!!"
Micah ran (possibly for the first time in his life) towards the sound of Mordechai's voice. When he finally reached him, he found his enforcer standing in the middle of a scorched clearing. At his feet lay an unconscious young girl, possibly fifteen or sixteen.
Micah kneeled down and rocked back on his heels. He looked at the girl in wonder, and gently reached out a hand to brush her tangled hair from her face. She moaned and turned her face to get out of his reach and he let his hand drop. He looked up at Mordechai with a question on his face. "Did you find her this way?"
"Of course I did Micah. I knew that she must be what we've been waiting for. I didn't want to do anything wrong to her.," Mordechai huffed. He couldn't believe that Micah would have even thought such a thing. It was just wrong!
"Yes, I realize that Mordechai," Micah replied, trying to placate his volatile friend, "I didn't mean anything by it, of course."
Mordechai looked down at the fair skinned girl and then at Micah. "Would you like me to carry her back to your house?" he asked, not-so-subtly indicating that he thought Micah couldn't do it.
Micah frowned at the tone in Mordechai's voice but said nothing. "Yes, Mordechai, thank you."
Jedediah and Danny, meanwhile, watched the whole exchange in silence. It was obvious to the two that Mordechai wasn't happy with Micah and vice versa. Neither could believe the tone that Mordechai took with Micah, and were even more shocked that Micah hadn't called Mordechai out on it. Danny decided right then and there to have a serious talk with Micah about the whole unpredictable situation later.
---------------------------
A while later Micah sat in the first floor guest room while the strange young girl slept on the bed. He watched her with more than a fair amount of interest, desperately wanting her to give him some answers. He shifted in his chair in the corner, heaving a deep sigh. After Mordechai had put her down on the bed he had practically ran out of the room, calling out excuses on the wind. Jedediah lingered by the door a moment and then followed Mordechai, telling Micah he had a wealth of chores to do (which he really did). Danny stayed the longest, standing in the doorway watching Micah watch the girl, before he too left, telling Micah that Lacey was probably looking for him and he didn't feel like having yet another argument with her. He did, however, warn Micah that a talk was coming and an issue needed to be resolved. Micah agreed. So now he was just watching the girl, a thousand questions running through his mind. "Who are you?" he asked the sleeping figure.
Author: ImhotepsGoddess
Summary: Micah and Danny awake one morning to find that all of the adults have died of a mysterious plague (not from the corn). Now that children are in charge of the world, what are the children of the corn's purpose? Add to that He Who's "daughter" and you have one very strange story!
Disclaimer: Well, we all know Stephen King owns the original story. Micah, Danny, etc. and COTC 2 are owned by Paramount, and Delilah is owned by me.
Part 2
It was early in the morning when Jedediah heard the soft cry coming from somewhere near the corn. He furrowed his brow in frustration and tried in vain to hear it more clearly but he couldn't. Clearly he would have to go see Micah about this one. He slowly slipped on his pants and buttoned up his shirt, tucking it into the pants and pulling the suspenders over his shoulders. He pulled on his dull black shoes and quickly laced them up, then stood up and stretched his arms above his head. On his way out the door he looked into the mirror and ran his hand though his hair. At the last minute he grabbed his hat and pulled it securely onto his head.
It was about five after five when he knocked on the door to the house that Micah shared with Danny. After a few minutes he got no answer so he tried again. Just as he was about to try the third time the door swung open and a barely awake Danny peered at Jedediah through half closed eyes. "Yeah, Jedediah, is there something wrong?" he asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact there is. Ummm, can I see Micah?"
Danny looked at him for a moment, then nodded shortly. "Yeah, he's almost always up by now. Wait here."
As he waited Jedediah pondered all the craziness that occurred in the last few days. Not even counting the apparent deaths of every adult on the earth, there was still the strange ascension of Danny to Micah's right hand in the midst of all the chaos. Everyone had always thought of Mordechai as the one to turn to when Micah couldn't be found or when they needed quick advice. But the way Danny had handled the housing situation a few days ago and the way he had helped hand out daily chore schedules made him seem like the more responsible one. Not to mention the fact that he was more level-headed than Mordechai, and had more than just the desire to please He Who Walks Behind the Rows on his mind. Yes, he was loyal, there was no question in that, but he also knew that the kids needed to be kids, and they would be more willing to serve He Who if allowed some slack. Micah had grudgingly agreed, mostly because he knew it to be true himself, as He Who had undoubtedly showed him thus. So, Jedediah and Mordechai had become housemates. Mordechai had been angered, that was for sure, but he knew that Danny was not one for violence and was more than glad to take the role of Micah's ultimate enforcer. Now, as for he himself, Jedediah didn't know exactly where he belonged. He was one of the elders, yes, and the younger ones looked up to him, but out of the four of them, he often felt quite helpless. As Micah had often told him, they all had a purpose and his was surely just waiting for him around the corner. He just wished it would get here soon than later.
"Jedediah?"
The simple word jolted Jedediah out of his thoughts and he looked up. Micah was standing in the doorway, dressed as always in black. He had a pensive look on his face, and Jedediah was glad that the leader was not angry with him.
"Yes, Micah. I heard something in the cornfield. A cry of some sort. Not animal, though. Definitely human, young."
Micah closed his eyes for a few moments and then looked at him, a sly smile on his face. "Thank you for telling me, Jedediah. Wake Mordechai if he isn't already awake and meet Danny and I at the barn." The look on Micah's face was one of dismissal, so Jedediah quickly mumbled his thanks and left the dark home in a hurry.
----------------
Mordechai was having the nicest dream(usually not at all something we normal humans would want to see) when he was jolted awake by Jedediah shaking him roughly.
"What do you want Jedediah? We have a half an hour before breakfast and I would like to sleep."
"I'm sorry to interrupt your beauty sleep, Mordechai, but Micah demanded that we meet them at the barn." Jedediah said sarcastically, knowing that he wouldn't be able to get away with any such thing once Mordechai was fully awake.
Mordechai groaned, knowing exactly who "them" meant and hating it. "Why? If I may ask such a thing." he mumbled from under his blankets.
"I heard something and apparently Micah thinks we need to check it out." Jedediah smiled slightly to himself, smug over the fact that he had discovered something Mordechai hadn't.
"Oh, good for you. Well, please leave my room. I suppose we should leave as quickly as possible." Mordechai threw the covers off the bed and glared at Jedediah, causing him to roll his eyes and mumble something about why he had to live with such a self-righteous jerk.
------------------------
Meanwhile, Micah was discussing the possible meanings of this cry with Danny. "This may be the sign that we have been waiting for, Danny."
"Do you think so, Micah? I hope so."
"He Who Walks Behind the Rows has indicated to me that whatever is in that field is of great importance to us. However, He will not elaborate or give me clearer signs. Without them, I am unsure of what to expect." Micah admitted.
Danny nodded in sympathy. He knew that something had been distressing his friend in the past two days and it wasn't just the more-than-overt signals he had been getting from Ruth. Nor was it Lacey's continued bemoaning about their way of life. It seemed as though Micah was getting antsy about their new direction, or lack thereof. They cared for the fields, took care of the gardens, the church, and their homes, but they had no real sense of what He Who Walks Behind the Rows truly wanted. What was the most disturbing (to Micah anyway) was that Micah himself hadn't received a vision yet. It was in Danny's opinion that maybe a vision wasn't needed yet, and that maybe they had to settle into their new lives before He Who would show them the new way. Or maybe this was how He Who had envisioned the world, and so nothing more needed to be done. Micah, however, would not let it rest and as the first, then second, then third day passed, his temper grew shorter and he stayed in his room a lot more, no longer seeing the children to answer their questions.
Danny shook his head to clear those thoughts. Standing, he looked at Micah. "Shouldn't we be going now?"
Micah nodded, "Yes. As quickly as possible."
When they arrived at the barn they saw that Jedediah and Mordechai had already arrived. Mordechai was standing stiffly to one side while Jedediah was standing on a wooden crate, trying to catch a glimpse of what he had heard crying in the field.
Micah knew that Mordechai and Jedediah were not friends. At best they were allies, at worst they were competitors. He knew that Jedediah did not wish to have Mordechai's position as enforcer, and if Mordechai knew Jedediah as well as he should have, he would know it too. However, Mordechai's one-track mind made it difficult for him to see things from a reasonable perspective, and probably not even He Who Walks Behind the Rows himself could have convinced him otherwise. Inwardly Micah sighed. Perhaps it would have been best to leave Mordechai out of this, but he would have taken that as the ultimate offense and would never have forgiven Jedediah for such an act of "betrayal." It wouldn't have mattered if Micah had made the decision to not include him, Jedediah would have had to spend the nights with one eye open, and Micah would not do that to his only other sane friend. That was it, really. It was for an entirely selfish reason that he wanted to protect Jedediah. Micah was alone, in the end. But having actual friends made his life somewhat bearable. It didn't truly matter that He Who Walks Behind the Rows had given him his essence, making him the Leader. He was still, deep inside, human and all he really wanted sometimes was relief. In fact, soon after the Plague hit he had felt his connection to He Who Walks Behind the Rows lessen and that fact both frightened him and filled him with a certain joy. Frightened in that he didn't know whether he could be just Micah anymore, and joy in the fact that perhaps he could be if he wanted. But no, he knew now that although his role as leader might have changed, he was still the Leader and as such still had a responsibility to his followers and his God. Blinking once or twice to clear his thoughts, which always led him to brood for quite some time recently, he looked up at Jedediah.
"Do you see anything, Jedediah?"
Jedediah looked down, momentarily startled by the "sudden" appearance of Micah and shook his head. "Nothing, Micah, perhaps we should search, then?"
"Yes, we will spread out and search alone. If you find anything, notify me immediately." Micah did not want to search with Mordechai and he knew he could not pair him with Danny or Jedediah. Thus, they searched alone.
----------------------
It was about 20 minutes later when Mordechai yelled Micah's name about halfway across the field. "Micah, you had better come and see this!!"
Micah ran (possibly for the first time in his life) towards the sound of Mordechai's voice. When he finally reached him, he found his enforcer standing in the middle of a scorched clearing. At his feet lay an unconscious young girl, possibly fifteen or sixteen.
Micah kneeled down and rocked back on his heels. He looked at the girl in wonder, and gently reached out a hand to brush her tangled hair from her face. She moaned and turned her face to get out of his reach and he let his hand drop. He looked up at Mordechai with a question on his face. "Did you find her this way?"
"Of course I did Micah. I knew that she must be what we've been waiting for. I didn't want to do anything wrong to her.," Mordechai huffed. He couldn't believe that Micah would have even thought such a thing. It was just wrong!
"Yes, I realize that Mordechai," Micah replied, trying to placate his volatile friend, "I didn't mean anything by it, of course."
Mordechai looked down at the fair skinned girl and then at Micah. "Would you like me to carry her back to your house?" he asked, not-so-subtly indicating that he thought Micah couldn't do it.
Micah frowned at the tone in Mordechai's voice but said nothing. "Yes, Mordechai, thank you."
Jedediah and Danny, meanwhile, watched the whole exchange in silence. It was obvious to the two that Mordechai wasn't happy with Micah and vice versa. Neither could believe the tone that Mordechai took with Micah, and were even more shocked that Micah hadn't called Mordechai out on it. Danny decided right then and there to have a serious talk with Micah about the whole unpredictable situation later.
---------------------------
A while later Micah sat in the first floor guest room while the strange young girl slept on the bed. He watched her with more than a fair amount of interest, desperately wanting her to give him some answers. He shifted in his chair in the corner, heaving a deep sigh. After Mordechai had put her down on the bed he had practically ran out of the room, calling out excuses on the wind. Jedediah lingered by the door a moment and then followed Mordechai, telling Micah he had a wealth of chores to do (which he really did). Danny stayed the longest, standing in the doorway watching Micah watch the girl, before he too left, telling Micah that Lacey was probably looking for him and he didn't feel like having yet another argument with her. He did, however, warn Micah that a talk was coming and an issue needed to be resolved. Micah agreed. So now he was just watching the girl, a thousand questions running through his mind. "Who are you?" he asked the sleeping figure.