Title: Strange Days (Part 7)
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; Delilah, Zephaniah, Jakob, and Samuel are owned by me, and Rachael is owned by...well...herself!
Part 7
The next day something just didn't feel quite right to Delilah. Father had not told her anything but something was still there. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and threw off her quilt. Sliding out of bed she stretched her arms above her head and took a deep breath. There was nothing different about this day, not really. Today she and Rachael were to help some of the other girls (including Lacey and Ruth) repaint the front of the meeting hall. Micah thought it would be a good place to hold *their* town meetings. He wanted to start having them soon, before any more problems crept into town. The boys would be in the fields again today as they had been for the past week or so.
Twenty minutes later as she was buttoning the top buttons of her work clothes, a mid-shin length dark blue dress, there was a light knocking on her bedroom door. "One minute!" she called.
Opening the door she smiled and then frowned when she saw the look on Micah's face. "What's wrong, Micah?" she asked.
"Nothing, really. I just have this...feeling. I wanted to make sure you were okay," he said, a little embarrassed.
"Oh, that's sweet of you! I'm fine but I have a strange feeling too. I wonder if it means anything? Has Father told you anything?"
"No, He hasn't. Maybe it's nothing, then."
"You're probably right. Just be careful today, okay?" she said, a small amount of worry creeping into her voice.
"Of course I will. You too, Delilah," he said turning to walk back downstairs. At the last moment he turned back to her and pressed a light kiss to her lips. Delilah returned the kiss and after a few seconds she pulled away and together they walked down the stairs and into the den.
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At the meeting hall, Ruth glared openly at Delilah as she dipped her paintbrush into a bucket of white paint. Stupid bitch, she thought angrily, why is she *always* here. I don't even care anymore if she's the Lord's daughter. Micah should be *mine*! She stole him! As she thought this, Ruth began to paint with large, uneven strokes that reflected her feelings.
Delilah saw Ruth glaring at her out of the corner of her eye, but chose to ignore it. There is something seriously wrong with her, she thought. I'll have to go talk to Micah about this. She and Rachael exchanged a *Look*, shrugged, and went back to their work.
Lacey nudged Ruth and Ruth was snapped out of her thoughts. "What?" Ruth asked angrily.
"What's wrong?"
"What do you *think* is wrong? Micah is with her and not with *me*!" Ruth almost screeched.
"So what are you going to do about it?" Lacey asked somewhat nervously. She was worried about Ruth's behavior. It seemed to be getting out of control.
"You'll see," Ruth answered slyly, "Just help me."
"How?"
"When I ask, you must distract Rachael so that I can get Delilah away."
Lacey looked away for a minute, then nodded. "Okay, I'll help you. Maybe this will help Danny see the truth, anyway."
After about ten minutes of silence Ruth leaned over to Lacey. "Just pretend you hurt your ankle or something. Do it!!"
Lacey stood up, then pretended to trip and fell to the ground hard, gripping her "injured" right ankle in pain. "Owww! Oh, it really hurts! I need help!" she exclaimed.
"Lacey, don't worry. Delilah and me will get help! You'll stay with her won't you, Rachael?" Ruth asked, looking appropriately concerned for her friend.
Rachael looked at Lacey, then at Ruth and eyed them both suspiciously. "Ok...hurry back," she said slowly.
"We will," Ruth said, and she could barely contain a smile of victory.
The two girls took off towards the barn where the boys were. Delilah was suddenly aware that she was walking alone. "Ruth? Ruth, where are you?" she called.
Then all went black as she was hit from behind on the back of her head. Ruth watched as Delilah slumped to the ground with a wide grin on her face. She dropped the shovel and with some effort she managed to get Delilah into a wheelbarrow. Whistling a quiet tune, she wheeled her into the cornfield.
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Rachael had waited only five minutes before she began to think something wasn't right. "Let me see if your ankle is swollen, Lacey," she said suddenly.
"Ummm...okay," Lacey answered uncertainly.
"Which ankle was it again?"
Lacey pointed to her left ankle, "It was this one."
Rachael's eyes narrowed and she stood up, crossing her arms, "No, it wasn't. It was your right ankle. Just what the hell is going on here, Lacey?" she asked, grabbing the girl's arm tightly and hoisting her up.
"Owww!" Lacey yelled, for real this time, "Ruth's gone crazy! She made me do it! She wants to get back at Delilah for stealing Micah away from her!"
"Oh, no! Come on Lacey, we have to go get help! You don't want anything to happen to Delilah, do you?" Rachael said, and started to run off in the direction of the field. She stopped when she saw that Lacey was still just standing there. "Do you?" she asked again.
"Ummm...I just wanted Danny back, okay?! I don't want any part in Ruth's plan, but I don't care about Delilah or Micah or any of you, anyway. I just want Danny back!" she exclaimed again.
"Fine, do what you want. Danny won't want to be with you anymore after he finds out what you did, you know that right?" Rachael shot back, and she took off once again.
Lacey watched her leave and then sighed, turning back to the meeting hall and painting.
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Rachael picked up the skirt of her dress (she really hated wearing that thing) and ran as fast as she could to the field where Jedediah, Danny, and Micah where supposed to be. She burst through the corn and almost ran right smack into Jedediah. She skidded to a stop a few feet in front of him. "Jed! Something...bad's...happened!" she exclaimed between gasps of breath.
"What? Rachael, what's happened?" he asked, worry etched on his face.
"Ruth, I think she's done something to Delilah!"
Mordechai came out of nowhere and whirled Rachael around roughly. "What do you mean, she did something to Delilah?" he asked.
"Just what it sounds like. And what do you care?" she snapped.
"Let's just say that I do care. Now why don't you tell me what happened," he said, trying to sound gentler.
Rachael completely ignored him and turned back to Jedediah. Mordechai's temper flared and he grabbed her, throwing her to the ground. "I am the Enforcer! Speak to me first!" he yelled.
Jedediah shoved Mordechai hard on the back and Mordechai sprawled face first in the dirt. "Don't you ever do that again, Mordechai," he shouted, standing over Mordechai angrily, "you have no place in this."
He helped Rachael to her feet and put his arm around her. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Where's Micah? We have to find Delilah before something bad happens."
"I think he's back at the church. He said he felt something and had to talk to the Father."
"We have to go there!" Rachael almost shouted, "Who knows what's going to go on while we're standing around here talking!"
"Okay then, let's go. Danny, are you coming with us?" Jedediah asked, turning to his friend.
"Yeah, of course. I just have to know, was Lacey involved with any of this at all?" he asked nervously.
Rachael looked down sadly. She felt bad for Danny, knowing that he still had feelings for the girl. "Yeah Danny, she was. She pretended to hurt her ankle so that Ruth could get Delilah to go get help for her," she answered truthfully.
"How do you know she was pretending?"
"She isn't a very good liar, Danny," Rachael said gently, "Plus, she confessed the truth to me."
"Oh," Danny said, "Then let's go find Micah."
The three friends took off towards the church with a very angry Mordechai following in the shadows.
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Something was very, very wrong. Micah could feel it all throughout his body, running in his veins. After he had calmly left the field he had broken out in a run towards the church. He didn't want to worry his friends more than necessary but once they were no longer in sight he had allowed panic to overtake him. Seizing the handles on the church doors, he pulled them open and ran to the main altar. With shaking hands he lit a candle and kneeled down to pray. He prayed for a long time, tears of dread sliding down his cheeks. He felt a strange pain but did not know where it was coming from. Suddenly there was a blinding light and a voice spoke. "Micah, you are that whom I have chosen as Leader. The wheels are turning. But you can stop them. This does not have to come to pass."
"What? What does not have to come to pass?" he asked timidly.
"She does not have to die," the voice answered stiffly.
"Who?" he asked, already knowing and fearing the answer.
"She who is you. Whom I have created to help rule this land."
"Delilah," Micah whispered and the air seemed to change.
"The one who is called Ruth wishes her destruction, and has her. Find her, save her," the voice said, and the air settled again.
"Where is she? Where can I find her?" Micah shouted, but got no answer. The light was gone and the vision was over.
He slumped to the floor and looked at his hands dejectedly. Then, as if by a bolt of lightening, he knew. Just as he was about to rush out the door, Rachael, Jedediah, and Danny came sprinting in. "We have to find Delilah, she's in trouble!" Jedediah shouted.
"I know," Micah said sadly, "We must find her before it is too late."
"Did you have a vision?" Danny asked. Micah just nodded. "And?"
"We can save her. We can stop her death," Micah said simply.
"Well, shouldn't we go then? Do you know where she is?" Rachael asked.
"Yes, I know where she is. Perhaps you might need this, though," Micah answered, and produced a ceremonial knife from the side of the altar. Rachael hesitated only a moment before taking it and sliding it into the sash of her dress.
Micah led the group as it headed out to the barn on the edge of town. They wanted some weapons, just in case.
At the barn Micah, Danny and Jedediah all picked up various knives and scythes of different sizes. If Mordechai wanted to try anything, too, they would have to be prepared for him. They weren't going to be taken by surprise.
----------------------
Meanwhile, Mordechai was trying to convince a few of his friends to join him in the cause. "Come on, Micah is weak. He doesn't even get visions from the Father anymore, did you know that?"
"He doesn't?" asked Zephaniah, one of the older but generally stupider boys.
"No, he doesn't. Everything is given to Delilah now. That's why we have to save her and sacrifice Micah at the same time. It will please He Who Walks Behind the Rows," he added for effect.
"Are you sure about this? Why aren't Jedediah or Danny helping you?" asked Jakob, who was smarter than Zephaniah but just as gullible.
"Because they are so loyal that they're blind. They'd never do anything to change the status quo."
"Well, I'm in. I never liked Micah that much anyway," piped up Samuel, who was smart and wasn't gullible, but just as power hungry as Mordechai.
Mordechai grinned at him and then looked at the others questioningly. "Well?" he asked.
"Okay, count me in," said Zephaniah.
"Yeah, me too," added Jakob.
The small group loaded up on various weapons then headed towards the barn that Mordechai has seen Micah and the others go in the direction of.
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Delilah opened her eyes and groaned when a sharp pain shot up the back of her head. She tried to move her arms but found that they were tied above her head. Her ankles were also tied together and she was lying on a sacrificial pallet (A/N like the ones at the end of COTC 2). She struggled hard against the ropes and her skin reddened and bled against them. "Don't even bother to struggle. I've tied those ropes pretty tight," said an alarmingly familiar voice.
"Ruth? What are you doing?" Delilah whispered, her throat raw and dry.
"I'm going to make him see that he loves me. I can't do that with you here."
"Why don't you just kill me then? Get it over with?" Delilah asked.
"Because, Micah has to be here. Then he will realize that his feelings for you are false. He'll feel nothing when I kill you while he watches," Ruth said, the plan making absolute sense in her mind.
Delilah shook her head. "Even if he didn't love me, he would still stop you from killing me," she tried to argue, then realized it would do no good.
"Let's just see who is right. When Micah walks into this clearing, you'll see the truth," Ruth said and then sat on the ground, content that she had made her point.
Delilah closed her eyes and let tears fall. He would come. She just hoped he would be able to stop Ruth in time when he did.
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; Delilah, Zephaniah, Jakob, and Samuel are owned by me, and Rachael is owned by...well...herself!
Part 7
The next day something just didn't feel quite right to Delilah. Father had not told her anything but something was still there. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and threw off her quilt. Sliding out of bed she stretched her arms above her head and took a deep breath. There was nothing different about this day, not really. Today she and Rachael were to help some of the other girls (including Lacey and Ruth) repaint the front of the meeting hall. Micah thought it would be a good place to hold *their* town meetings. He wanted to start having them soon, before any more problems crept into town. The boys would be in the fields again today as they had been for the past week or so.
Twenty minutes later as she was buttoning the top buttons of her work clothes, a mid-shin length dark blue dress, there was a light knocking on her bedroom door. "One minute!" she called.
Opening the door she smiled and then frowned when she saw the look on Micah's face. "What's wrong, Micah?" she asked.
"Nothing, really. I just have this...feeling. I wanted to make sure you were okay," he said, a little embarrassed.
"Oh, that's sweet of you! I'm fine but I have a strange feeling too. I wonder if it means anything? Has Father told you anything?"
"No, He hasn't. Maybe it's nothing, then."
"You're probably right. Just be careful today, okay?" she said, a small amount of worry creeping into her voice.
"Of course I will. You too, Delilah," he said turning to walk back downstairs. At the last moment he turned back to her and pressed a light kiss to her lips. Delilah returned the kiss and after a few seconds she pulled away and together they walked down the stairs and into the den.
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At the meeting hall, Ruth glared openly at Delilah as she dipped her paintbrush into a bucket of white paint. Stupid bitch, she thought angrily, why is she *always* here. I don't even care anymore if she's the Lord's daughter. Micah should be *mine*! She stole him! As she thought this, Ruth began to paint with large, uneven strokes that reflected her feelings.
Delilah saw Ruth glaring at her out of the corner of her eye, but chose to ignore it. There is something seriously wrong with her, she thought. I'll have to go talk to Micah about this. She and Rachael exchanged a *Look*, shrugged, and went back to their work.
Lacey nudged Ruth and Ruth was snapped out of her thoughts. "What?" Ruth asked angrily.
"What's wrong?"
"What do you *think* is wrong? Micah is with her and not with *me*!" Ruth almost screeched.
"So what are you going to do about it?" Lacey asked somewhat nervously. She was worried about Ruth's behavior. It seemed to be getting out of control.
"You'll see," Ruth answered slyly, "Just help me."
"How?"
"When I ask, you must distract Rachael so that I can get Delilah away."
Lacey looked away for a minute, then nodded. "Okay, I'll help you. Maybe this will help Danny see the truth, anyway."
After about ten minutes of silence Ruth leaned over to Lacey. "Just pretend you hurt your ankle or something. Do it!!"
Lacey stood up, then pretended to trip and fell to the ground hard, gripping her "injured" right ankle in pain. "Owww! Oh, it really hurts! I need help!" she exclaimed.
"Lacey, don't worry. Delilah and me will get help! You'll stay with her won't you, Rachael?" Ruth asked, looking appropriately concerned for her friend.
Rachael looked at Lacey, then at Ruth and eyed them both suspiciously. "Ok...hurry back," she said slowly.
"We will," Ruth said, and she could barely contain a smile of victory.
The two girls took off towards the barn where the boys were. Delilah was suddenly aware that she was walking alone. "Ruth? Ruth, where are you?" she called.
Then all went black as she was hit from behind on the back of her head. Ruth watched as Delilah slumped to the ground with a wide grin on her face. She dropped the shovel and with some effort she managed to get Delilah into a wheelbarrow. Whistling a quiet tune, she wheeled her into the cornfield.
----------------------
Rachael had waited only five minutes before she began to think something wasn't right. "Let me see if your ankle is swollen, Lacey," she said suddenly.
"Ummm...okay," Lacey answered uncertainly.
"Which ankle was it again?"
Lacey pointed to her left ankle, "It was this one."
Rachael's eyes narrowed and she stood up, crossing her arms, "No, it wasn't. It was your right ankle. Just what the hell is going on here, Lacey?" she asked, grabbing the girl's arm tightly and hoisting her up.
"Owww!" Lacey yelled, for real this time, "Ruth's gone crazy! She made me do it! She wants to get back at Delilah for stealing Micah away from her!"
"Oh, no! Come on Lacey, we have to go get help! You don't want anything to happen to Delilah, do you?" Rachael said, and started to run off in the direction of the field. She stopped when she saw that Lacey was still just standing there. "Do you?" she asked again.
"Ummm...I just wanted Danny back, okay?! I don't want any part in Ruth's plan, but I don't care about Delilah or Micah or any of you, anyway. I just want Danny back!" she exclaimed again.
"Fine, do what you want. Danny won't want to be with you anymore after he finds out what you did, you know that right?" Rachael shot back, and she took off once again.
Lacey watched her leave and then sighed, turning back to the meeting hall and painting.
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Rachael picked up the skirt of her dress (she really hated wearing that thing) and ran as fast as she could to the field where Jedediah, Danny, and Micah where supposed to be. She burst through the corn and almost ran right smack into Jedediah. She skidded to a stop a few feet in front of him. "Jed! Something...bad's...happened!" she exclaimed between gasps of breath.
"What? Rachael, what's happened?" he asked, worry etched on his face.
"Ruth, I think she's done something to Delilah!"
Mordechai came out of nowhere and whirled Rachael around roughly. "What do you mean, she did something to Delilah?" he asked.
"Just what it sounds like. And what do you care?" she snapped.
"Let's just say that I do care. Now why don't you tell me what happened," he said, trying to sound gentler.
Rachael completely ignored him and turned back to Jedediah. Mordechai's temper flared and he grabbed her, throwing her to the ground. "I am the Enforcer! Speak to me first!" he yelled.
Jedediah shoved Mordechai hard on the back and Mordechai sprawled face first in the dirt. "Don't you ever do that again, Mordechai," he shouted, standing over Mordechai angrily, "you have no place in this."
He helped Rachael to her feet and put his arm around her. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Where's Micah? We have to find Delilah before something bad happens."
"I think he's back at the church. He said he felt something and had to talk to the Father."
"We have to go there!" Rachael almost shouted, "Who knows what's going to go on while we're standing around here talking!"
"Okay then, let's go. Danny, are you coming with us?" Jedediah asked, turning to his friend.
"Yeah, of course. I just have to know, was Lacey involved with any of this at all?" he asked nervously.
Rachael looked down sadly. She felt bad for Danny, knowing that he still had feelings for the girl. "Yeah Danny, she was. She pretended to hurt her ankle so that Ruth could get Delilah to go get help for her," she answered truthfully.
"How do you know she was pretending?"
"She isn't a very good liar, Danny," Rachael said gently, "Plus, she confessed the truth to me."
"Oh," Danny said, "Then let's go find Micah."
The three friends took off towards the church with a very angry Mordechai following in the shadows.
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Something was very, very wrong. Micah could feel it all throughout his body, running in his veins. After he had calmly left the field he had broken out in a run towards the church. He didn't want to worry his friends more than necessary but once they were no longer in sight he had allowed panic to overtake him. Seizing the handles on the church doors, he pulled them open and ran to the main altar. With shaking hands he lit a candle and kneeled down to pray. He prayed for a long time, tears of dread sliding down his cheeks. He felt a strange pain but did not know where it was coming from. Suddenly there was a blinding light and a voice spoke. "Micah, you are that whom I have chosen as Leader. The wheels are turning. But you can stop them. This does not have to come to pass."
"What? What does not have to come to pass?" he asked timidly.
"She does not have to die," the voice answered stiffly.
"Who?" he asked, already knowing and fearing the answer.
"She who is you. Whom I have created to help rule this land."
"Delilah," Micah whispered and the air seemed to change.
"The one who is called Ruth wishes her destruction, and has her. Find her, save her," the voice said, and the air settled again.
"Where is she? Where can I find her?" Micah shouted, but got no answer. The light was gone and the vision was over.
He slumped to the floor and looked at his hands dejectedly. Then, as if by a bolt of lightening, he knew. Just as he was about to rush out the door, Rachael, Jedediah, and Danny came sprinting in. "We have to find Delilah, she's in trouble!" Jedediah shouted.
"I know," Micah said sadly, "We must find her before it is too late."
"Did you have a vision?" Danny asked. Micah just nodded. "And?"
"We can save her. We can stop her death," Micah said simply.
"Well, shouldn't we go then? Do you know where she is?" Rachael asked.
"Yes, I know where she is. Perhaps you might need this, though," Micah answered, and produced a ceremonial knife from the side of the altar. Rachael hesitated only a moment before taking it and sliding it into the sash of her dress.
Micah led the group as it headed out to the barn on the edge of town. They wanted some weapons, just in case.
At the barn Micah, Danny and Jedediah all picked up various knives and scythes of different sizes. If Mordechai wanted to try anything, too, they would have to be prepared for him. They weren't going to be taken by surprise.
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Meanwhile, Mordechai was trying to convince a few of his friends to join him in the cause. "Come on, Micah is weak. He doesn't even get visions from the Father anymore, did you know that?"
"He doesn't?" asked Zephaniah, one of the older but generally stupider boys.
"No, he doesn't. Everything is given to Delilah now. That's why we have to save her and sacrifice Micah at the same time. It will please He Who Walks Behind the Rows," he added for effect.
"Are you sure about this? Why aren't Jedediah or Danny helping you?" asked Jakob, who was smarter than Zephaniah but just as gullible.
"Because they are so loyal that they're blind. They'd never do anything to change the status quo."
"Well, I'm in. I never liked Micah that much anyway," piped up Samuel, who was smart and wasn't gullible, but just as power hungry as Mordechai.
Mordechai grinned at him and then looked at the others questioningly. "Well?" he asked.
"Okay, count me in," said Zephaniah.
"Yeah, me too," added Jakob.
The small group loaded up on various weapons then headed towards the barn that Mordechai has seen Micah and the others go in the direction of.
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Delilah opened her eyes and groaned when a sharp pain shot up the back of her head. She tried to move her arms but found that they were tied above her head. Her ankles were also tied together and she was lying on a sacrificial pallet (A/N like the ones at the end of COTC 2). She struggled hard against the ropes and her skin reddened and bled against them. "Don't even bother to struggle. I've tied those ropes pretty tight," said an alarmingly familiar voice.
"Ruth? What are you doing?" Delilah whispered, her throat raw and dry.
"I'm going to make him see that he loves me. I can't do that with you here."
"Why don't you just kill me then? Get it over with?" Delilah asked.
"Because, Micah has to be here. Then he will realize that his feelings for you are false. He'll feel nothing when I kill you while he watches," Ruth said, the plan making absolute sense in her mind.
Delilah shook her head. "Even if he didn't love me, he would still stop you from killing me," she tried to argue, then realized it would do no good.
"Let's just see who is right. When Micah walks into this clearing, you'll see the truth," Ruth said and then sat on the ground, content that she had made her point.
Delilah closed her eyes and let tears fall. He would come. She just hoped he would be able to stop Ruth in time when he did.