Halfway Between Heaven and Hell
"With thy giver of my word as thy vessel. Mine shall be concieved in the womb of an Unbeliever... And he shall rise up and smite the unholy of this world..." - He Who Walks Behind the Rows.
~
Rebekah was still struggling to break free. Her wrists and ankles were throbbing from the tight grip of the cornstalks. Isaac/He Who Walks Behind the Rows had disappeared into the corn and been gone for some time, "To see my children." He had told her...
It was no use trying to break free. The cornstalks were too strong. Finally Rebekah gave up and buried her face in her hands, hot tears of frustration, anger and also fear, pouring down her face, nearly to point of breaking down entirely.
But as she brought her hands down, something caught her eye. She looked over and saw it, gleaming in the sunlight, covered in its owner's dark blood. It was Isaac's knife!
Rebekah was about to reach out and see if she could grab it when a shadow fell over her...
Rebekah stared up into those dark eyes, almost completely black now. But it wasn't just the iris that had turned black, black had spilled into the whole of the eye. So black... Endless black... So mesmerizing, Rebekah couldn't look away...
Isaac/He sat on the ground infront of her, smiling. He reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand, thumb smearing through her tears,
"You humans are so weak, you let emotions get the better of you..." His voice was soft.
"... It makes us human..." Rebekah said, managing to tear her gaze away from the hypnotic black eyes.
"That's why your so weak, child... Helpless, you break so easily."
A silence swept through the cornfield with the wind before Rebekah spoke,
"... Is that why you chose us..? Because we're so easy to control? Easy to manipulate?"
"My children follow me because I am the way."
"And they are the ones who are weak! They bent to your will just as easily as the corn bents down before you!"
"Ah, but you didn't, did you, my dear." Isaac/He dug his nails hard into her cheek before letting go, still smiling, "You and your blasphemous Unbelievers rejected my ways and you shall burn in hell for it..."
"I remain loyal to our true Lord, God." Rebekah said, her eyes blazing.
"Then you are a fool, girl... For I am the true Lord."
"Your not... Your a thing of evil!"
"Evil, girl?" Isaac/He chuckled at this, "You are so mislead. How am I? Do I not lead my followers without acts of sin? Did I not create for them, this happy place? If any one of is evil here, Rebekah, it is you. You have sinned by going against my ways and rejecting your faith..."
"You slaughtered our parents! You are the Devil!" Rebekah screamed at him, and even though she knew it pointless, struggled in her cornstalks bonds.
"Devil? Child, maybe you are indeed He, yourself, seducing others with your heresy, your blasphemy."
"You spoke to innocent children telling them to murder their parents!" Burning tears were pouring down Rebekah's face now, blurring her vision.
"They were adults! Sinners! Corrupting my children until I showed them the way!"
"They were our parents!"
"And look how they have corrupted you, Rebekah! No longer innocent or pure as you once were! Your filthy..!" But then Isaac/He's voice soften, "And it happened when your parents died... All that hate, all that anger and sadness inside. Lurking in the shadows, becoming cold, unfeeling. Your heart turning to ice. Your soul filled with darkness. They corrupt you even from the eternal fires of Hell, tormenting you with memory. Can you not see that, child? Are you that blind?"
"How dare you!" Rebekah hissed. "Don't ever say that about my parents!"
"They blame you. Their deaths were your doing. Your mother died at birth and your father overcame with grief joined her. You believe them, don't you Rebekah. That it was your fault... So in a way, you did slaughter your own parents."
Rebekah didn't say anything, words couldn't describe the incredible rage boiling up inside of her. But somewhere in her head, a voice was screaming at her.
He is right! It is your fault! Yours!
"My poor child, see how they torment you?" Isaac/He reached out and touch a shining wet cheek, his voice soft, "But they can't hurt you anymore, Rebekah."
"Stop talking... Just stop." Rebekah whispered. Isaac/He fell silent but his hand moved down to her chin, tilting it up so Rebekah was once again staring transfixed into demonic black eyes.
The dark brown coloring of Isaac's eyes had almost completely disappeared now...
"Is Isaac still here?" Rebekah asked after awhile, her voice still a choked whisper lower than her usual soft tone.
"He cannot help you, Rebekah. No one can save you from your fate."
"No... I just wanted to talk to him."
"I have told you, he is a part of me until the possession is complete. Talk to him if you must. He is here."
Rebekah hesitated before calling,
"... Isaac?"
Isaac/He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them... Rebekah swore she saw a hint of dark brown came flooding back into them...
"Rebekah." It was Isaac's voice. "You shouldn't try to fight your destiny. You have been chosen for something great as have I."
"This is not my destiny."
"And what is? Fighting a bloody war between His followers and your Unbelievers until you are finally killed? You are part of His flock, Rebekah, we all are."
"No, Isaac, I'm not."
"You cannot escape it, child. You cannot deny who you truly are..."
"And who am I, Isaac?"
"... You are His child... and will be the bearer of His son..."
Isaac's voice trailed off as his eyes closed.
"Isaac?"
Isaac's eyes flew open. The little dark brown that had reappeared when Isaac returned to his body was consumed by black again.
"He is right, child." It was He Who Walks Behind the Rows. "You cannot fight it."
"Your wrong..."
"You can't deny the truth much longer, child... Do you wish to speak to someone else?"
Rebekah stared at him,
"... What do you mean?"
"The dead bodies of both my children and the Unbeliever left to rot upon my sacred ground, the children that join me on the eve of their nineteenth year, all that have been devoured by me. They are all a part of me. Their souls are mine... Abraham, dear Leah, Samson? ... Or perhaps one of the adults? How about this one..?"
Isaac/He's eyes closed once again. This time when they opened, in the middle of the black sprung forth a brilliant green.
"Hey Becky." A deep, kind male voice said.
"... Uncle John?" Rebekah whispered, fresh tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"Yeah. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine, Uncle John." Rebekah wiped her tears on her arm, but more quickly took their place.
"How is my little Sarah? And Job, how is Jobey?"
"Their fine too, Uncle John."
"Me and your Aunt miss you guys."
"... We miss you too."
"Well I gotta go now... Tell Sarah and Job, we love them... And Rebekah?"
"Yeah?"
"We love you too. So did your mum and dad, make us proud, all right?"
Rebekah smiled through tears,
"Sure thing, Uncle John."
"Good bye Becky."
"Bye Uncle John..."
Eyes closed and opened, the green was gone and so was John...
He Who Walks Behind the Rows watched as the girl broke down infront of him...
He smiled...
"Humans..."
~
"With thy giver of my word as thy vessel. Mine shall be concieved in the womb of an Unbeliever... And he shall rise up and smite the unholy of this world..." - He Who Walks Behind the Rows.
~
Rebekah was still struggling to break free. Her wrists and ankles were throbbing from the tight grip of the cornstalks. Isaac/He Who Walks Behind the Rows had disappeared into the corn and been gone for some time, "To see my children." He had told her...
It was no use trying to break free. The cornstalks were too strong. Finally Rebekah gave up and buried her face in her hands, hot tears of frustration, anger and also fear, pouring down her face, nearly to point of breaking down entirely.
But as she brought her hands down, something caught her eye. She looked over and saw it, gleaming in the sunlight, covered in its owner's dark blood. It was Isaac's knife!
Rebekah was about to reach out and see if she could grab it when a shadow fell over her...
Rebekah stared up into those dark eyes, almost completely black now. But it wasn't just the iris that had turned black, black had spilled into the whole of the eye. So black... Endless black... So mesmerizing, Rebekah couldn't look away...
Isaac/He sat on the ground infront of her, smiling. He reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand, thumb smearing through her tears,
"You humans are so weak, you let emotions get the better of you..." His voice was soft.
"... It makes us human..." Rebekah said, managing to tear her gaze away from the hypnotic black eyes.
"That's why your so weak, child... Helpless, you break so easily."
A silence swept through the cornfield with the wind before Rebekah spoke,
"... Is that why you chose us..? Because we're so easy to control? Easy to manipulate?"
"My children follow me because I am the way."
"And they are the ones who are weak! They bent to your will just as easily as the corn bents down before you!"
"Ah, but you didn't, did you, my dear." Isaac/He dug his nails hard into her cheek before letting go, still smiling, "You and your blasphemous Unbelievers rejected my ways and you shall burn in hell for it..."
"I remain loyal to our true Lord, God." Rebekah said, her eyes blazing.
"Then you are a fool, girl... For I am the true Lord."
"Your not... Your a thing of evil!"
"Evil, girl?" Isaac/He chuckled at this, "You are so mislead. How am I? Do I not lead my followers without acts of sin? Did I not create for them, this happy place? If any one of is evil here, Rebekah, it is you. You have sinned by going against my ways and rejecting your faith..."
"You slaughtered our parents! You are the Devil!" Rebekah screamed at him, and even though she knew it pointless, struggled in her cornstalks bonds.
"Devil? Child, maybe you are indeed He, yourself, seducing others with your heresy, your blasphemy."
"You spoke to innocent children telling them to murder their parents!" Burning tears were pouring down Rebekah's face now, blurring her vision.
"They were adults! Sinners! Corrupting my children until I showed them the way!"
"They were our parents!"
"And look how they have corrupted you, Rebekah! No longer innocent or pure as you once were! Your filthy..!" But then Isaac/He's voice soften, "And it happened when your parents died... All that hate, all that anger and sadness inside. Lurking in the shadows, becoming cold, unfeeling. Your heart turning to ice. Your soul filled with darkness. They corrupt you even from the eternal fires of Hell, tormenting you with memory. Can you not see that, child? Are you that blind?"
"How dare you!" Rebekah hissed. "Don't ever say that about my parents!"
"They blame you. Their deaths were your doing. Your mother died at birth and your father overcame with grief joined her. You believe them, don't you Rebekah. That it was your fault... So in a way, you did slaughter your own parents."
Rebekah didn't say anything, words couldn't describe the incredible rage boiling up inside of her. But somewhere in her head, a voice was screaming at her.
He is right! It is your fault! Yours!
"My poor child, see how they torment you?" Isaac/He reached out and touch a shining wet cheek, his voice soft, "But they can't hurt you anymore, Rebekah."
"Stop talking... Just stop." Rebekah whispered. Isaac/He fell silent but his hand moved down to her chin, tilting it up so Rebekah was once again staring transfixed into demonic black eyes.
The dark brown coloring of Isaac's eyes had almost completely disappeared now...
"Is Isaac still here?" Rebekah asked after awhile, her voice still a choked whisper lower than her usual soft tone.
"He cannot help you, Rebekah. No one can save you from your fate."
"No... I just wanted to talk to him."
"I have told you, he is a part of me until the possession is complete. Talk to him if you must. He is here."
Rebekah hesitated before calling,
"... Isaac?"
Isaac/He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them... Rebekah swore she saw a hint of dark brown came flooding back into them...
"Rebekah." It was Isaac's voice. "You shouldn't try to fight your destiny. You have been chosen for something great as have I."
"This is not my destiny."
"And what is? Fighting a bloody war between His followers and your Unbelievers until you are finally killed? You are part of His flock, Rebekah, we all are."
"No, Isaac, I'm not."
"You cannot escape it, child. You cannot deny who you truly are..."
"And who am I, Isaac?"
"... You are His child... and will be the bearer of His son..."
Isaac's voice trailed off as his eyes closed.
"Isaac?"
Isaac's eyes flew open. The little dark brown that had reappeared when Isaac returned to his body was consumed by black again.
"He is right, child." It was He Who Walks Behind the Rows. "You cannot fight it."
"Your wrong..."
"You can't deny the truth much longer, child... Do you wish to speak to someone else?"
Rebekah stared at him,
"... What do you mean?"
"The dead bodies of both my children and the Unbeliever left to rot upon my sacred ground, the children that join me on the eve of their nineteenth year, all that have been devoured by me. They are all a part of me. Their souls are mine... Abraham, dear Leah, Samson? ... Or perhaps one of the adults? How about this one..?"
Isaac/He's eyes closed once again. This time when they opened, in the middle of the black sprung forth a brilliant green.
"Hey Becky." A deep, kind male voice said.
"... Uncle John?" Rebekah whispered, fresh tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"Yeah. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine, Uncle John." Rebekah wiped her tears on her arm, but more quickly took their place.
"How is my little Sarah? And Job, how is Jobey?"
"Their fine too, Uncle John."
"Me and your Aunt miss you guys."
"... We miss you too."
"Well I gotta go now... Tell Sarah and Job, we love them... And Rebekah?"
"Yeah?"
"We love you too. So did your mum and dad, make us proud, all right?"
Rebekah smiled through tears,
"Sure thing, Uncle John."
"Good bye Becky."
"Bye Uncle John..."
Eyes closed and opened, the green was gone and so was John...
He Who Walks Behind the Rows watched as the girl broke down infront of him...
He smiled...
"Humans..."
~