Halfway Between Heaven and Hell
"With thou giver of my word as thy vessel. Mine child shall be concieved in the womb of an Unbeliever... And he shall rise up and smite the unholy of this world..."
~
Joseph looked at the children before him.
That's what they were... Children. Young children...
Joseph was bothered about their age. They were the oldest of the Unbelievers now. Joseph, the oldest at 13 and the youngest being Esther at 10.
Rebekah had once been the youngest of the older kids. The older children's ages had ranged from sixteen to eighteen. But they had all gradually been killed in the war with the followers of He and Rebekah was the last one left.
So she had become leader... She was a good leader... She could control you with only a piercing stare from the empty marble-like eyes in her expressionless face...
The children gathered outside the house. The house had been Rebekah's. Her mother had died giving birth and her father had committed suicide several years later when Rebekah was 8. It was a big, old run-down house that lay infront of the cornfield - for Rebekah's father had been a farmer. On the opposite side of the cornfield, was Gatlin.
Joseph walked down the row of children.
Noah. Scowling and dark eyes blazing, squeezing the sickle handle gripped in his hand in anticipation...
Benjamin. Bouncing on the balls of his feet with his arms crossed. A gleaming knife in one hand...
David. His long pale blonde hair being tossed about in the wind and holding a pitchfork.
Esther. Nervous as she always looked before a fight. A pale trembling hand around her knife. He smiled at her and she managed a small one back... Esther had a somewhat 'schoolgirl' crush on him.
Joseph looked down at his knife before looking up to meet the gazes of the others.
"Come on."
~
Malachi looked over at the sleeping Rebekah stretched out on a pew before turning back to Isaac.
"You have not yet told me why she is so important to Him." He said.
Isaac sat on the step leading up to the altar, his hands locked together and his chin resting on his knuckles. He too, was staring at the sleeping girl.
"Look at her, Malachi, she looks so peaceful." Isaac looked over at Malachi, smiling. "It won't last."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, Malachi." Isaac stood slowly, "That soon all your questions will be answered."
He walked over to Rebekah and ran the back of his hand gently down her cheek,
"And hers as well." He said quietly as she stirred, but did not wake.
"But..." Malachi began but was cut short.
"Question not the ways of our Lord, Malachi. If He should tell us the girl is of importance, we must do as the Lord wishes."
"But the girl is an Unbeliever! Why should she not be sacrificed to Him?"
"She has a purpose, Malachi. He Who Walks..."
"Why..?" The soft rasping voice startled both Isaac and Malachi. Malachi's hand flew to his knife...
"Why me..?" Rebekah said. But her eyes were still closed and she was still asleep. "Why did you pick me... Why?"
"What..?" Malachi began as he drew his knife.
"Quiet!" Isaac hissed, silencing him.
She sat up and stood up slowly... "Why? Please tell me..."
She began to walk down the aisle, drifting like a ghost, swaying...
She reached the door...
Malachi began to walk towards her, knife gleaming. But a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind.
"No. You mustn't disturb her." Isaac said, brushing past him. "Stay here and do not follow us." He ordered and he walked down the aisle, following Rebekah out the door...
Leaving Malachi there, confused and angry...
~
There was nothing but darkness... Rebekah stood there in a new dark blue dress. Her wounds, cuts and bruises were gone and her hair was clean and shining.
"Do you wish to know?" The deep, un-human voice spoke from the darkness.
"Yes. I want to know why you picked me." Rebekah said.
The voice did not reply...
"Why did you pick me? Why? Why me? Why did you pick me? Why? Tell me please... Answer me!"
Finally...
"Come into my cornfield, Rebekah, then I shall tell you."
The cornfield formed out of the darkness before her... The cornstalks bent back as if pulled by an invisible hand, as if making a path for her...
"Come my child..."
Rebekah walked into the cornfields. Behind her the cornstalks bent back into place. The wind whipped at her face, running icy talons through her hair. She walked along the path until she came to what she thought was the heart of the cornfield.
"Rebekah..." The voice called.
"I'm here. Now will you tell me?"
"Do you wish to know why, Rebekah, why you were chosen?"
"Yes."
"In the battles between my devoted children and the Unbelievers, your blood has been spilt in my cornfield, many a time... It is strong, your blood, the strongest I have ever tasted... My child shall have to feed on the strongest of blood before he can be born to this world..."
"Child..?" Rebekah whispered.
"... With thou giver of my word as thy vessel. Mine child shall be conceived in the womb of an Unbeliever..."
"And he shall rise up and smite the unholy of this world..." Rebekah finished.
"Yes, child and for your blood, I have chosen you."
"Why an Unbeliever? Why not one of your followers?" Rebekah asked.
"For my child shall smite the unholy. What is more unholy than you and your people, the Unbelievers?"
"I won't let you do this! I won't let you!" Rebekah cried out, hot tears forming in her eyes.
"Little girl, you think that you can stop me? I am He Who Walks Behind the Row and my word is law... I shall join with the body and blood of my most faithful disciple and we will make you bear my child. There is nothing you can do..."
Rebekah sank to her knees, tears pouring down her cheeks. Trembling and clenching her fists with her nails digging painfully into her palms.
"No..." She whispered, shaking her head, "No!" She screamed, "No!" Her body racking violently with sobs...
Her dream spun into reality around her...
She remained in the cornfield. But above the tall cornstalks she could see the roofs of the Gatlin houses on one side and on the other, the roof of her own house. She still wore the dark blue dress but her wounds had appeared again but were healing quickly enough. Her hair had become once again, a tangled mess.
A gentle hand on her shoulder, made her jump. She whirled around and saw Isaac staring down at her. She waited for him to say something... but he didn't... She stood slowly and her eyes met that dark gaze again.
But then Rebekah fell on Isaac, crying into his chest. This surprised Isaac, just as much as it did herself but nether less she didn't pull away.
"Please Isaac... Don't let Him hurt me..."
Isaac wrapped his hands around her, whispering,
"It's all right, child, everything's all right now..."
He smirked as he said this... And his dark brown eyes had turned black...
~
They watched the two figures embracing in the cornfields...
"What the hell is going on!?" Noah hissed.
"I don't know..." Joseph murmured, unable to tear his eyes away from Isaac and Rebekah.
"She's betrayed us!"
"Why would she do that?" Esther whispered.
Joseph sighed, looking away from the disgusting scene,
"Come on, let's go."
"Back to the house?" Benjamin asked.
"Yes... Rebekah's not one of us anymore."
Joseph was the last to leave, he took one more glance back at them,
'Traitor!" Joseph growled.
~
"With thou giver of my word as thy vessel. Mine child shall be concieved in the womb of an Unbeliever... And he shall rise up and smite the unholy of this world..."
~
Joseph looked at the children before him.
That's what they were... Children. Young children...
Joseph was bothered about their age. They were the oldest of the Unbelievers now. Joseph, the oldest at 13 and the youngest being Esther at 10.
Rebekah had once been the youngest of the older kids. The older children's ages had ranged from sixteen to eighteen. But they had all gradually been killed in the war with the followers of He and Rebekah was the last one left.
So she had become leader... She was a good leader... She could control you with only a piercing stare from the empty marble-like eyes in her expressionless face...
The children gathered outside the house. The house had been Rebekah's. Her mother had died giving birth and her father had committed suicide several years later when Rebekah was 8. It was a big, old run-down house that lay infront of the cornfield - for Rebekah's father had been a farmer. On the opposite side of the cornfield, was Gatlin.
Joseph walked down the row of children.
Noah. Scowling and dark eyes blazing, squeezing the sickle handle gripped in his hand in anticipation...
Benjamin. Bouncing on the balls of his feet with his arms crossed. A gleaming knife in one hand...
David. His long pale blonde hair being tossed about in the wind and holding a pitchfork.
Esther. Nervous as she always looked before a fight. A pale trembling hand around her knife. He smiled at her and she managed a small one back... Esther had a somewhat 'schoolgirl' crush on him.
Joseph looked down at his knife before looking up to meet the gazes of the others.
"Come on."
~
Malachi looked over at the sleeping Rebekah stretched out on a pew before turning back to Isaac.
"You have not yet told me why she is so important to Him." He said.
Isaac sat on the step leading up to the altar, his hands locked together and his chin resting on his knuckles. He too, was staring at the sleeping girl.
"Look at her, Malachi, she looks so peaceful." Isaac looked over at Malachi, smiling. "It won't last."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, Malachi." Isaac stood slowly, "That soon all your questions will be answered."
He walked over to Rebekah and ran the back of his hand gently down her cheek,
"And hers as well." He said quietly as she stirred, but did not wake.
"But..." Malachi began but was cut short.
"Question not the ways of our Lord, Malachi. If He should tell us the girl is of importance, we must do as the Lord wishes."
"But the girl is an Unbeliever! Why should she not be sacrificed to Him?"
"She has a purpose, Malachi. He Who Walks..."
"Why..?" The soft rasping voice startled both Isaac and Malachi. Malachi's hand flew to his knife...
"Why me..?" Rebekah said. But her eyes were still closed and she was still asleep. "Why did you pick me... Why?"
"What..?" Malachi began as he drew his knife.
"Quiet!" Isaac hissed, silencing him.
She sat up and stood up slowly... "Why? Please tell me..."
She began to walk down the aisle, drifting like a ghost, swaying...
She reached the door...
Malachi began to walk towards her, knife gleaming. But a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind.
"No. You mustn't disturb her." Isaac said, brushing past him. "Stay here and do not follow us." He ordered and he walked down the aisle, following Rebekah out the door...
Leaving Malachi there, confused and angry...
~
There was nothing but darkness... Rebekah stood there in a new dark blue dress. Her wounds, cuts and bruises were gone and her hair was clean and shining.
"Do you wish to know?" The deep, un-human voice spoke from the darkness.
"Yes. I want to know why you picked me." Rebekah said.
The voice did not reply...
"Why did you pick me? Why? Why me? Why did you pick me? Why? Tell me please... Answer me!"
Finally...
"Come into my cornfield, Rebekah, then I shall tell you."
The cornfield formed out of the darkness before her... The cornstalks bent back as if pulled by an invisible hand, as if making a path for her...
"Come my child..."
Rebekah walked into the cornfields. Behind her the cornstalks bent back into place. The wind whipped at her face, running icy talons through her hair. She walked along the path until she came to what she thought was the heart of the cornfield.
"Rebekah..." The voice called.
"I'm here. Now will you tell me?"
"Do you wish to know why, Rebekah, why you were chosen?"
"Yes."
"In the battles between my devoted children and the Unbelievers, your blood has been spilt in my cornfield, many a time... It is strong, your blood, the strongest I have ever tasted... My child shall have to feed on the strongest of blood before he can be born to this world..."
"Child..?" Rebekah whispered.
"... With thou giver of my word as thy vessel. Mine child shall be conceived in the womb of an Unbeliever..."
"And he shall rise up and smite the unholy of this world..." Rebekah finished.
"Yes, child and for your blood, I have chosen you."
"Why an Unbeliever? Why not one of your followers?" Rebekah asked.
"For my child shall smite the unholy. What is more unholy than you and your people, the Unbelievers?"
"I won't let you do this! I won't let you!" Rebekah cried out, hot tears forming in her eyes.
"Little girl, you think that you can stop me? I am He Who Walks Behind the Row and my word is law... I shall join with the body and blood of my most faithful disciple and we will make you bear my child. There is nothing you can do..."
Rebekah sank to her knees, tears pouring down her cheeks. Trembling and clenching her fists with her nails digging painfully into her palms.
"No..." She whispered, shaking her head, "No!" She screamed, "No!" Her body racking violently with sobs...
Her dream spun into reality around her...
She remained in the cornfield. But above the tall cornstalks she could see the roofs of the Gatlin houses on one side and on the other, the roof of her own house. She still wore the dark blue dress but her wounds had appeared again but were healing quickly enough. Her hair had become once again, a tangled mess.
A gentle hand on her shoulder, made her jump. She whirled around and saw Isaac staring down at her. She waited for him to say something... but he didn't... She stood slowly and her eyes met that dark gaze again.
But then Rebekah fell on Isaac, crying into his chest. This surprised Isaac, just as much as it did herself but nether less she didn't pull away.
"Please Isaac... Don't let Him hurt me..."
Isaac wrapped his hands around her, whispering,
"It's all right, child, everything's all right now..."
He smirked as he said this... And his dark brown eyes had turned black...
~
They watched the two figures embracing in the cornfields...
"What the hell is going on!?" Noah hissed.
"I don't know..." Joseph murmured, unable to tear his eyes away from Isaac and Rebekah.
"She's betrayed us!"
"Why would she do that?" Esther whispered.
Joseph sighed, looking away from the disgusting scene,
"Come on, let's go."
"Back to the house?" Benjamin asked.
"Yes... Rebekah's not one of us anymore."
Joseph was the last to leave, he took one more glance back at them,
'Traitor!" Joseph growled.
~