Title: Strange Days (Part 8)
Author: Love In Vein
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 8
The sun was setting over the cornfield as Micah, Danny, Jedediah, and Rachael prepared to save Delilah and destroy Ruth once and for all. They were prepared for anything.
At the same time Mordechai and his followers where converging on the clearing from the opposite side, ready to get rid of Micah, Ruth and whoever else got in the way. The only clear objective was to save Delilah and get her out of harm's way.
Micah stepped into the clearing quietly and locked eyes with Delilah, silently begging her to stay quiet. He motioned for the rest of the group to fan out around the clearing and remain in the shadows until he gave the signal. They did so and he decided to make himself known to Ruth. "RUTH!" Micah called loudly.
"Micah? You're here! Thank the Lord! Now we may begin!" she exclaimed and withdrew from a pocket a long, deadly looking knife. She walked slowly over to Delilah with a crazed gleam in her eyes. Finally she could be happy. As she raised the knife above her head she was suddenly aware of movement on all sides of her. "What's going on, Micah? What have you done?!" Ruth cried.
At that moment all hell broke loose. Mordechai, Zephaniah, Jakob, and Samuel burst from stalks and started to swarm around Micah. Jedediah led the charge from the other side and tackled Samuel to the ground as Danny took on Jakob.
At this time you might be asking yourself where the other children in the town are at this moment. They were not oblivious to the fact that a struggle was going on for the leadership of this town. They were, in fact, very worried about who would come out as the winner. Micah, though, had advised them that if a struggle were to take place they were not to get involved and were to follow whoever stepped out of the cornfield as the Leader. So they stayed in their homes, frightened and praying for whatever outcome they hoped for.
Zephaniah just stood back, suddenly unsure of what side he should be on. He fidgeted nervously with the handle on his blade and shifted from foot to foot, trying to figure out what to do. Micah and Mordechai were facing each other, an angry glare in each of their eyes.
Jedediah had knocked Samuel to the ground again with the long handle of a scythe and Samuel in turn kicked Jedediah's feet out from under him. He grabbed the scythe that Jedediah dropped and was about to slice him open when suddenly he was thrown to the ground from behind. Danny held out a hand and helped Jedediah to his feet. "Where's Jakob?" Jedediah asked, looking around.
"He suddenly had to run off somewhere. Said that this wasn't his fight. Or something like that. What a coward," Danny answered, grinning.
Ruth looked at the mayhem and decided that this was her chance. Even if Micah didn't see it, once he knew she was dead he would surely come running to her for solace. She once again raised the knife above her head and Delilah screamed. Then Ruth was clutching her throat as blood poured out of a large, gaping wound and ran down her white dress. She gurgled and choked as the blood spilled out of her lips and she sank to her knees on the ground. "Micah," she whispered and she fell face first onto the dirt, her blood running red rivers in every direction. The clearing became silent as everyone turned to see what had happened.
Rachael stood above Ruth's lifeless body, the blood-stained sacrificial knife dangling in her pale hand. "I...had to do it," she whispered. To her, this had been much different than how she had envisioned it. She had hated Ruth, Ruth had been the enemy, but still. It was an experience she never wanted to re-live.
"This isn't over, Micah! Come on, fight me! Or are you too scared?" Mordechai taunted, breaking the silence.
"No, I'm not scared Mordechai," Micah shot back, standing his ground.
"Well, perhaps you should be, little boy. We both know you're not fit to be the Leader anymore. All you do is follow poor Delilah around like a little puppy. You should really get yourself a new calling or something," Mordechai said, landing a hard punch squarely on Micah's jaw.
Micah stumbled back with the force of the punch but refused Jedediah or Danny's help to back him up. He made a strange growling noise deep in his throat and locked his gaze on Mordechai with cold, unnaturally dark eyes. Black clouds rolled across the sky and it darkened ominously. A howling wind whipped across the fields. Mordechai had just unknowingly unleashed the Darkness into Micah.
"You have gone against He Who Walks Behind the Rows and his wishes for the last time, Mordechai. You know the punishment for such an act. Your blood will nourish the corn and your sacrifice will serve as a warning to all those who seek to defy Him. KNEEL!!" Micah commanded in a dark, demonic voice.
Mordechai sneered at Micah but began to do as he was told. "I will not listen to you any longer!" he screamed and launched himself at Micah.
He didn't even get close enough to grab him. The stalks seemed stretch like arms from the ground and the group watched in horror as Mordechai was grabbed, stabbed through the throat, and hoisted up into the air. He bled to death as the corn held him up in the air, and when his struggles finally stopped he was thrown again to the ground and swallowed into the earth. Micah was still staring at the spot with cold, dark eyes. The wind hadn't ceased and the skies weren't clear. Something was wrong. Jedediah ran over to Delilah and freed her from her ropes. She reached out tentatively to touch Micah's face but recoiled when she saw his eyes. "What's wrong?" yelled Rachael over the wind, her hair whipping around her face. Jedediah wrapped his arms around her protectively and she leaned into him.
"He...he's trapped. Something happened. I don't know if I can reach him," she cried, tears starting to fill her eyes.
"Of course you can reach him! You've got to! He's part of you and you're part of him, remember?! Where's He Who Walks Behind the Rows?" Danny asked.
"I don't know! I'm trying so hard to reach them...one of them! Neither will answer me!" she answered, her voice becoming hysterical.
----------------------
"Where am I? I've got to get back to them...they need me," Micah said into the darkness.
"Ah, the Leader. My Chosen. You have done your work beautifully," a deep, familiar voice said.
"The Father? Lord, why am I here? Has something happened?" he asked fearfully.
"Yes, something has happened. Delilah told you once that you would receive a reward for your faithful service. The children of this great Earth need a Leader for all eternity. Someone who can travel and see and keep it under control. You, my child, are that Leader. That is my gift to you," the voice said, the hint of a smile in its normally serious and dark voice.
"And what of Delilah?"
"Always thinking of others, are you not? Micah, she is already eternal. She is my daughter."
"I need to go back now. Please," Micah said quietly. He knew that his friends were worried about him.
"Yes, you must return to the fields. Tell them what I have told you. The spread of this peace must start soon, before the adults begin to spread anew."
Then everything was dark and Micah slipped into unconsciousness.
-----------------------
Suddenly the night sky cleared and the wind stopped. Micah slumped to the ground. Delilah let out a little cry and knelt down beside him. She placed her hand to his cheek and it was warm to the touch. She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. "What is it?" Jedediah asked.
"He is just tired, that's all. he needs lots of rest. He could be out for days," she answered quietly.
Danny and Jedediah lifted Micah up and carried him as fast as they could into the house and his room. "Well, we should be going now," said Danny uncomfortably.
"Yeah, we should. We'll see you tomorrow, ok Delilah?" said Jedediah.
"Yes, it's all right. Good night Danny, Jedediah, Rachael. And thank you," Delilah replied sincerely.
"Goodnight," all three said, and went to their rooms (or the couch, in Jedediah's case). Whenever Micah woke up, that was when they would address the children.
----------------------
Four days later Delilah shifted uncomfortably in a chair by Micah's bed. It's funny how roles can switch, she thought somberly. A lot had changed in four days. Rachael announced that she was going to move in with Jedediah. As friends, of course (even if everyone else knew better). She wondered if they would officially be joined soon. Lacey had abruptly announced that she was leaving for New York. What she would find there, Delilah had no idea. She remembered that Lacey had begged and begged Danny to leave with her for two days straight, then just yesterday they had awoke to find all of her things gone and Rachael's bike missing! Rachael had been so angry, she had wanted to go find the girl and sacrifice her right away. Then Jedediah reminded her that she wasn't going anywhere, not for a few years anyway. Delilah just hoped that whatever Lacey was looking for, she found it.
Sighing and holding back tears, she got up and crawled into Micah's bed, leaning her head on his shoulder. How would she live if he never regained consciousness? What would she do? All of a sudden she felt an arm go around her shoulders and she looked up into Micah's shining eyes. "You're awake!!" she yelled and started raining kisses all over his face.
"Yeah...yeah, I'm awake," he said softly, "Are you okay?"
"Of course I'm okay, except that I've been worried sick about you for four whole *days*!"
"Four days? I've been out that long? Have I missed anything?" he asked.
"Oh, have you ever!" she exclaimed and started filling him in on what had happened.
As she was finishing catching him up, Danny peaked into the room. "Is it safe to come in yet?" he asked.
"I think so Danny. Tell Jedediah and Rachael that they can come in too," Delilah replied.
The three friends walked almost self-consciously into the room and lingered by the door, unsure of what to say. "Well, aren't you going to say hello or something?" Micah finally asked.
The three responded by pouncing on him and enveloping him in a relieved hug. "We were so worried about you, Micah! Don't ever do that again!" exclaimed Rachael good-naturedly.
"I'll try not to," Micah replied, and noted with happiness the way Jedediah and Rachael were standing together. Maybe Jed had finally found his path.
"So, what now? Did The Father tell you anything?" Danny asked.
"Yes He did...as it turns out I shall not be leaving here. Neither shall Delilah," Micah replied rather cryptically.
"Micah, just what are you saying?" Delilah asked, her voice rising just a little bit.
"What I am saying is that we are Eternal. That is my reward," he answered, a slight smile on his face.
Delilah screamed and covered her face with her hands. "He never told you, Delilah?" Micah asked.
"No! Father never told me!! That was the one thing He kept a secret from me!!" she exclaimed.
Danny, Jedediah, and Rachael watched the exchange with a mix of excitement, disbelief, and sadness on their faces. When Delilah calmed down she noticed this. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"We're happy for you but...will anything change. I mean, you'll still be our friends, right?" Danny asked softly.
"Of course! And don't forget, you're the ones who will be leaving *us*. We will miss you guys so much!" Delilah replied.
"Let's not talk about this now, okay. We have a few years. I bet Danny'll even meet a girl, if he's lucky," said Jedediah, and pressed a kiss to Rachael's forehead.
"If he's lucky," Rachael agreed.
"So, shouldn't we go and talk to the kids now, Micah?" asked Danny.
"Yeah, we'll be down in a minute," said Micah and waited until the three had left before turning to Delilah.
"Micah, we don't have time for this! We have to get going...you have to get ready," said Delilah laughingly.
"Delilah, we've got all the time in the world," Micah replied and pulled her to him for a long kiss.
~*~The End~*~
Author: Love In Vein
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 8
The sun was setting over the cornfield as Micah, Danny, Jedediah, and Rachael prepared to save Delilah and destroy Ruth once and for all. They were prepared for anything.
At the same time Mordechai and his followers where converging on the clearing from the opposite side, ready to get rid of Micah, Ruth and whoever else got in the way. The only clear objective was to save Delilah and get her out of harm's way.
Micah stepped into the clearing quietly and locked eyes with Delilah, silently begging her to stay quiet. He motioned for the rest of the group to fan out around the clearing and remain in the shadows until he gave the signal. They did so and he decided to make himself known to Ruth. "RUTH!" Micah called loudly.
"Micah? You're here! Thank the Lord! Now we may begin!" she exclaimed and withdrew from a pocket a long, deadly looking knife. She walked slowly over to Delilah with a crazed gleam in her eyes. Finally she could be happy. As she raised the knife above her head she was suddenly aware of movement on all sides of her. "What's going on, Micah? What have you done?!" Ruth cried.
At that moment all hell broke loose. Mordechai, Zephaniah, Jakob, and Samuel burst from stalks and started to swarm around Micah. Jedediah led the charge from the other side and tackled Samuel to the ground as Danny took on Jakob.
At this time you might be asking yourself where the other children in the town are at this moment. They were not oblivious to the fact that a struggle was going on for the leadership of this town. They were, in fact, very worried about who would come out as the winner. Micah, though, had advised them that if a struggle were to take place they were not to get involved and were to follow whoever stepped out of the cornfield as the Leader. So they stayed in their homes, frightened and praying for whatever outcome they hoped for.
Zephaniah just stood back, suddenly unsure of what side he should be on. He fidgeted nervously with the handle on his blade and shifted from foot to foot, trying to figure out what to do. Micah and Mordechai were facing each other, an angry glare in each of their eyes.
Jedediah had knocked Samuel to the ground again with the long handle of a scythe and Samuel in turn kicked Jedediah's feet out from under him. He grabbed the scythe that Jedediah dropped and was about to slice him open when suddenly he was thrown to the ground from behind. Danny held out a hand and helped Jedediah to his feet. "Where's Jakob?" Jedediah asked, looking around.
"He suddenly had to run off somewhere. Said that this wasn't his fight. Or something like that. What a coward," Danny answered, grinning.
Ruth looked at the mayhem and decided that this was her chance. Even if Micah didn't see it, once he knew she was dead he would surely come running to her for solace. She once again raised the knife above her head and Delilah screamed. Then Ruth was clutching her throat as blood poured out of a large, gaping wound and ran down her white dress. She gurgled and choked as the blood spilled out of her lips and she sank to her knees on the ground. "Micah," she whispered and she fell face first onto the dirt, her blood running red rivers in every direction. The clearing became silent as everyone turned to see what had happened.
Rachael stood above Ruth's lifeless body, the blood-stained sacrificial knife dangling in her pale hand. "I...had to do it," she whispered. To her, this had been much different than how she had envisioned it. She had hated Ruth, Ruth had been the enemy, but still. It was an experience she never wanted to re-live.
"This isn't over, Micah! Come on, fight me! Or are you too scared?" Mordechai taunted, breaking the silence.
"No, I'm not scared Mordechai," Micah shot back, standing his ground.
"Well, perhaps you should be, little boy. We both know you're not fit to be the Leader anymore. All you do is follow poor Delilah around like a little puppy. You should really get yourself a new calling or something," Mordechai said, landing a hard punch squarely on Micah's jaw.
Micah stumbled back with the force of the punch but refused Jedediah or Danny's help to back him up. He made a strange growling noise deep in his throat and locked his gaze on Mordechai with cold, unnaturally dark eyes. Black clouds rolled across the sky and it darkened ominously. A howling wind whipped across the fields. Mordechai had just unknowingly unleashed the Darkness into Micah.
"You have gone against He Who Walks Behind the Rows and his wishes for the last time, Mordechai. You know the punishment for such an act. Your blood will nourish the corn and your sacrifice will serve as a warning to all those who seek to defy Him. KNEEL!!" Micah commanded in a dark, demonic voice.
Mordechai sneered at Micah but began to do as he was told. "I will not listen to you any longer!" he screamed and launched himself at Micah.
He didn't even get close enough to grab him. The stalks seemed stretch like arms from the ground and the group watched in horror as Mordechai was grabbed, stabbed through the throat, and hoisted up into the air. He bled to death as the corn held him up in the air, and when his struggles finally stopped he was thrown again to the ground and swallowed into the earth. Micah was still staring at the spot with cold, dark eyes. The wind hadn't ceased and the skies weren't clear. Something was wrong. Jedediah ran over to Delilah and freed her from her ropes. She reached out tentatively to touch Micah's face but recoiled when she saw his eyes. "What's wrong?" yelled Rachael over the wind, her hair whipping around her face. Jedediah wrapped his arms around her protectively and she leaned into him.
"He...he's trapped. Something happened. I don't know if I can reach him," she cried, tears starting to fill her eyes.
"Of course you can reach him! You've got to! He's part of you and you're part of him, remember?! Where's He Who Walks Behind the Rows?" Danny asked.
"I don't know! I'm trying so hard to reach them...one of them! Neither will answer me!" she answered, her voice becoming hysterical.
----------------------
"Where am I? I've got to get back to them...they need me," Micah said into the darkness.
"Ah, the Leader. My Chosen. You have done your work beautifully," a deep, familiar voice said.
"The Father? Lord, why am I here? Has something happened?" he asked fearfully.
"Yes, something has happened. Delilah told you once that you would receive a reward for your faithful service. The children of this great Earth need a Leader for all eternity. Someone who can travel and see and keep it under control. You, my child, are that Leader. That is my gift to you," the voice said, the hint of a smile in its normally serious and dark voice.
"And what of Delilah?"
"Always thinking of others, are you not? Micah, she is already eternal. She is my daughter."
"I need to go back now. Please," Micah said quietly. He knew that his friends were worried about him.
"Yes, you must return to the fields. Tell them what I have told you. The spread of this peace must start soon, before the adults begin to spread anew."
Then everything was dark and Micah slipped into unconsciousness.
-----------------------
Suddenly the night sky cleared and the wind stopped. Micah slumped to the ground. Delilah let out a little cry and knelt down beside him. She placed her hand to his cheek and it was warm to the touch. She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. "What is it?" Jedediah asked.
"He is just tired, that's all. he needs lots of rest. He could be out for days," she answered quietly.
Danny and Jedediah lifted Micah up and carried him as fast as they could into the house and his room. "Well, we should be going now," said Danny uncomfortably.
"Yeah, we should. We'll see you tomorrow, ok Delilah?" said Jedediah.
"Yes, it's all right. Good night Danny, Jedediah, Rachael. And thank you," Delilah replied sincerely.
"Goodnight," all three said, and went to their rooms (or the couch, in Jedediah's case). Whenever Micah woke up, that was when they would address the children.
----------------------
Four days later Delilah shifted uncomfortably in a chair by Micah's bed. It's funny how roles can switch, she thought somberly. A lot had changed in four days. Rachael announced that she was going to move in with Jedediah. As friends, of course (even if everyone else knew better). She wondered if they would officially be joined soon. Lacey had abruptly announced that she was leaving for New York. What she would find there, Delilah had no idea. She remembered that Lacey had begged and begged Danny to leave with her for two days straight, then just yesterday they had awoke to find all of her things gone and Rachael's bike missing! Rachael had been so angry, she had wanted to go find the girl and sacrifice her right away. Then Jedediah reminded her that she wasn't going anywhere, not for a few years anyway. Delilah just hoped that whatever Lacey was looking for, she found it.
Sighing and holding back tears, she got up and crawled into Micah's bed, leaning her head on his shoulder. How would she live if he never regained consciousness? What would she do? All of a sudden she felt an arm go around her shoulders and she looked up into Micah's shining eyes. "You're awake!!" she yelled and started raining kisses all over his face.
"Yeah...yeah, I'm awake," he said softly, "Are you okay?"
"Of course I'm okay, except that I've been worried sick about you for four whole *days*!"
"Four days? I've been out that long? Have I missed anything?" he asked.
"Oh, have you ever!" she exclaimed and started filling him in on what had happened.
As she was finishing catching him up, Danny peaked into the room. "Is it safe to come in yet?" he asked.
"I think so Danny. Tell Jedediah and Rachael that they can come in too," Delilah replied.
The three friends walked almost self-consciously into the room and lingered by the door, unsure of what to say. "Well, aren't you going to say hello or something?" Micah finally asked.
The three responded by pouncing on him and enveloping him in a relieved hug. "We were so worried about you, Micah! Don't ever do that again!" exclaimed Rachael good-naturedly.
"I'll try not to," Micah replied, and noted with happiness the way Jedediah and Rachael were standing together. Maybe Jed had finally found his path.
"So, what now? Did The Father tell you anything?" Danny asked.
"Yes He did...as it turns out I shall not be leaving here. Neither shall Delilah," Micah replied rather cryptically.
"Micah, just what are you saying?" Delilah asked, her voice rising just a little bit.
"What I am saying is that we are Eternal. That is my reward," he answered, a slight smile on his face.
Delilah screamed and covered her face with her hands. "He never told you, Delilah?" Micah asked.
"No! Father never told me!! That was the one thing He kept a secret from me!!" she exclaimed.
Danny, Jedediah, and Rachael watched the exchange with a mix of excitement, disbelief, and sadness on their faces. When Delilah calmed down she noticed this. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"We're happy for you but...will anything change. I mean, you'll still be our friends, right?" Danny asked softly.
"Of course! And don't forget, you're the ones who will be leaving *us*. We will miss you guys so much!" Delilah replied.
"Let's not talk about this now, okay. We have a few years. I bet Danny'll even meet a girl, if he's lucky," said Jedediah, and pressed a kiss to Rachael's forehead.
"If he's lucky," Rachael agreed.
"So, shouldn't we go and talk to the kids now, Micah?" asked Danny.
"Yeah, we'll be down in a minute," said Micah and waited until the three had left before turning to Delilah.
"Micah, we don't have time for this! We have to get going...you have to get ready," said Delilah laughingly.
"Delilah, we've got all the time in the world," Micah replied and pulled her to him for a long kiss.
~*~The End~*~