Okay…on to Chapter 7! If I can stay up late enough, I hope to finish the rest of part one, but I've got to get up early for my high school placement testing in the morning, so I'll see how that goes. So you are aware, it gets kind of eerie, dramatic, and graphic, but everything turns out okay and it's not too bad! I almost made myself cry writing it, but I may have actually been just crying from boredom because I was in social studies at the time. Enjoy!
Chapter 7
Hm, thought Burt looking around Hansen's Café, there must be a cornfield around here. Corn had been stuffed into every crack and crevice available. He then looked out the window and finally realized for the first time that practically the whole town was surrounded by a massive expanse of cornfield…way to go Mr. Obvious, huh? Always seems to be the last place I look! Burt shook his head and laughed. He had checked the town hall, which was as deserted as every other place. He had been through the school, all the stores, restaurants…the only place he had not thought to check was the church.
…INSIDE THE CHURCH…
"Amos, I realize that doing it the traditional way smothers your creative side, but I don't know if He Who Walks Behind The Rows is ready to accept impressionism as a sign that you are ready for your Passage." Curly haired, 16-year-old Rachel faced Amos on the altar of the church, frustrated with his idiocy but concerned about his mental well-being. As did all 19-year-olds, Amos was beginning his passage. However, as opposed to the usual symbol they were required to cut into their chests (the inverted pentagram), Amos had cut a giant happy face over his solar plexus, a little heart where his actual heart was, outlined his muscles, and wrote the words, "Real Men Wear Pink" along his clavicle. With his blood, he filled a small basket made of corn kernels and gave it to Rachel.
"Amos, I refuse to drink this until you cut the correct symbol." Rachel shoved the basket into Amos's hands.
"Fine," the boy grumbled. He poured the blood out onto the floor, cut an inverted pentagram directly below the heart, and refilled the basket.
"And now, the blood of Amos will be shared!" Rachel gushed. She loved watching other people's passages. It meant that they no longer had to suffer-
"Hey, stop that!" Rachel's thinking was rudely interrupted by a tall, blonde adult male racing through the church and yelling.
"Who the hell is this?" Rachel asked blandly, quite annoyed.
"Burt Retzky, Ph.D," he said. Then, all the children spent the next hour arguing over what "Ph.D" spelled.
"It's 'fud'!"
"Fud?! What in Sam-hill is a fud?!"
"I guess it's kinda like a 'thud.'"
"Or mud!"
"But Mary, Ph.D doesn't have a 'u' in it."
"So?"
"QUIET!" Rachel finally screeched. "It doesn't MATTER what a Ph.D is, much less a 'fud'! Whatever those are do not affect our immediate situation, which is this guy!"
"Yeah, no kidding," said Burt, entirely oblivious to the fact that Rachel was referring to him (he thought she was talking about Amos). "Why does his torso look like 'Pablo Picasso Gone Stark Raving Mad'? Do you have any idea of how huge of a health hazard this could become?
"Sir, I think you should be a little more concerned about your own health at this point," Amos growled as he and the other children began closing in on the interloper. Rachel picked up the corn-handled dagger which Amos had used to create his "art" and held it behind her back.
"Jonah, get Isaac--no, wait. I think this one calls for a full-scale, first class maiming…bring Malachai!" Jonah sprinted away, and the rest of the kids saw Rachel grinning sheepishly and blushing. Everyone knew that Rachel was a sucker for red-heads, and Malachai was no exception. Rachel constantly talked about how she loved his eyes, his body was perfect, he always smelled good…how she had ever gotten close enough to actually smell Malachai the kids never knew, but they were almost positive that he was not crazy enough to allow that sort of behaviour.
"Malachai comes!" shouted Jonah as he ran back down the aisle. Rachel was on the verge of brutally stabbing Burt with the dagger, but then she saw Malachai gliding down behind Jonah, and Rachel quickly became dumbfounded and love struck. Malachai smiled and took the knife from her.
"Hey, Chai Chai," Rachel giggled, her face beet-red.
"Hi, Rachel," Malachai replied, walking over to Burt; then he whipped around and shouted, "Chai Chai?!" Rachel just giggled and replied "oopsie, slip of the tongue!" Malachai eyed Rachel suspiciously, then looked Burt up and down.
"Hair: tousled and unkempt. Teeth: coffee stained. Clothes: outdated. Elbows: knobby. Knees: spindly. Kinda shabby, aren't ya?" Malachai had walked in a full circle around Burt and was pretending to inspect and evaluate him.
"What are you doing, Malachai?" Rachel interrogated him. "What's gotten into you?"
"Yeah, maim the man for god's sake!" added Elijah.
"Brothers and sisters, there has been a change of plans," Malachai announced, hands on hips. No one moved.
"By any chance, Malachai, if that really is your name, were the original plans to throw my girlfriend and me into a fire pit and watch us slowly burn to death?" asked Burt curiously.
"No--the original plans were to remove your manly parts with a scythe--and womanly parts in your girlfriend's case--hang you high on a cross until you turn blue in the face, then throw your girlfriend and you into a fire pit and watch you slowly burn to death," Malachai responded politely.
"Oh. You said you changed those plans?"
"Yes. Quite."
"Good." Burt was just then beginning to realize that something wasn't right in that town.
"So, Malachai," said Rachel, taking her chances and moving closer to him. She rested her hand on his chest and fiddled with the buttons on his plaid shirt. Ooh, she thought, he's all warm and soft like a teddy bear! "Malachai, what are these new…plans of yours?" Rachel had leaned forward and had whispered the words "plans of yours" sensually into the redhead's ear. Malachai didn't seem to notice that she was quite tactfully trying to seduce him. Out of all the corn children, he was the only one who didn't seem to see that Rachel was insanely in love with him.
"Well, let me put it this way. I'm going to ask you something that will question all that Isaac has ever taught you, all that I have ever said…brothers and sisters…if you were given the chance, if you could just have that moment back…would you have done what you all helped Isaac and me do three years ago?" Malachai ceased speaking for a while and gazed around the room. Some of the younger children looked confused, while others seemed ashamed. Elijah's eyes were stinging with the salty tears of hatred; hatred for himself, hatred for Malachai and Isaac and what they all had done. He didn't like to dwell on it, and was doing his best to simply forget.
"All of you who wish we had never done this, and that we could fix it to the best of our ability, raise your hands. Go ahead, be honest with me. Malachai's own hand shot up. It took a moment, but slowly, Elijah stepped forward and meekly raised his hand. All the other children in the audience shyly imitated him, some in shock and some just mentally begging for this to not be a dream. It wasn't.
"Exactly as I'd thought…and hoped." But there was one person Malachai didn't see. "Rachel?" He turned around to look at her. She was positioned behind him, her shoulders hunched and her head hung over the corn basket. From the way she was standing, one would think that she was just praying over it. But as Malachai looked closer, he noticed that the girl was crying; very quietly, but he noticed. He reached out and pulled her close, engulfing her with a strong, young, loving embrace. He's being strong…he's not worried…so why should I be? thought Rachel. At times, long ago when the town was still a town, Malachai had reminded her a lot of Atticus Finch from Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird because of his understanding and level headedness… "it's not time worry yet."
"Okay," Malachai concluded, pulling away from Rachel, "here's what's going to happen. Elijah and Jonah, stay here. If anyone comes, such as Isaac, you find a way to keep him here. I'd also like two people on the outside on Isaac Patrol, try to stall him before he even gets into the church. I need two good liars." The hands of Ruth and Timothy shot into the air.
"Alright, get out there. Rachel, take the rest of them back into the cornfield. Act natural, I want NO suspicions about ANYTHING. Get them situated, then go 'on point.' The 'point' is that traffic light out there. It will give you a good view of every direction, and if anything happens, that will be our meeting place.
"Malachai, I'm glad you seem to know what you're doing, but why all this heightened security?" asked Elijah inquisitively.
"Trust me, you'll want it. Now was I perfectly clear?" Everyone nodded. "Good." As the children went to their assignments, Malachai turned to Burt and said, "You got a name, Interloper?"
"Burt Retzky."
"Malachai Boardman." The two shook hands. "Let's go."
Okay, I'm much to tired to sleep right now, plus it seems impossible because of this awful humidity and hay fever! Also, I'm really nervous because I'm doing an Irish dance in the talent show tomorrow…wish me luck! Here's chapter 8!
Chapter 8
PLEASE NOTE: BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE CONTENT IN THIS CHAPTER, READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED…I don't remember what I rated this fanfic, but then again, I think that if you are mature and old enough to have either read or seen COTC, then you are definitely mature and/or old enough to read this. Thankyou!
"Who are you? What the hell do you want?" demanded Vicky. "And where'd you get the asparagus--it looks good." She tried to catch a piece in her mouth as a tall boy who looked about seventeen years old slapped her repeatedly with a variety of vegetables. He was a tall, slender figure draped with a black trench coat. His gaunt face and deep green eyes were hidden by the shadow of his wide brimmed hat from beneath which spilled thin, straight black hair onto the boy's shoulders.
"His name is Jack" Sarah informed Vicky.
"Ah, thank you."
Both of you, sit still and shut up!" Jack growled, and the two females jumped. Jack took hold of Vicky and Sarah's hair and jerked their heads backwards. "Alex?" he beckoned. He younger boy with messy brown hair and light skin stepped forward and handed Jack a large leather whip. Sarah knew hat was coming.
"Jack, please, no--AH!" Sarah was whipped hard across the face. A small stream of crimson fluid trickled down her face mixed with tears of extreme pain. And Jack didn't stop. Each time, Sarah's cries became quieter and quieter until they were reduced to small whimpers, signifying her surrender. Just as Jack was reaching for Vicky-
"OW! CRAP, BITCH!" Vicky had reached up and smacked Jack upside the head. He wasted no time in whipping her too, but Sarah had regained her strength and gotten up off the ground. She picked up a large rock from the ground, and-
"Hit him where it hurts, Sarah, quick!" Quite suddenly, Jack felt a searing pain, well…where it hurts for a guy. As he yowled in agony and hopped away, Vicky had just enough time to gather up her own strength and whisk Sarah to safety in and old shed.
"Jobie!" Sarah hollered once inside the shed. A young boy about a year or two older than Sarah ran towards her.
"I heard you screaming, Sarah. Are you okay?"
"Yes. This nice lady saved me." Then Sarah proceeded to explain how she and Vicky had met.
"Malachai hasn't found her yet, has he?" asked Job.
"No, but Jack will change that very quickly. He's Malachai's head henchman.
"Who's my head henchman?" said a curious voice outside the shed. Sarah and Job gasped loudly and then stopped breathing, trying not to think about the horrors that would befall them in the next few minutes. As a tall, red-haired boy entered the room, the children's minds went numb with fear…until they saw the head of Jack's little assistant dangling from Malachai's hand and a bloody knife in the other.
"Okay," sighed Sarah at long last, "who are you, and what have you done with the real Malachai?"
"You should have asked me that three years ago, Sarah. I'm sick of this. If I don't free myself as well as you and the others, I'll go insane. But then if I do go through with it…Isaac will basically give me an autopsy while I'm still alive then offer my guts to He Who Walks Behind the Rows as a gift." Everyone just stared at him. "You do see my problem here, yes?" The others casually nodded their heads saying, "yes, of course."
"Hey Carrot-Top," called a second voice that Vicky actually recognized. "What are we gonna do with the body?"
"What are we gonna do with it? Burt, man, that's your problem!"
"My problem?! Dude, you were the one who sliced his head off!"
"Yeah, but I shouted 'not it' and ran away first! So there!"
"Burt?"
"Not now, Vicky. Malachai, I swear, I…oh, dear…" Burt seemed to be losing the argument anyway, but now things just got a bit worse. A short boy with brown hair, beady eyes, and a pale face had come into the shed…and he did not look happy.
"Malachai--what in the name of He Who Walks Behind the Rows is going on in here?" The boy demanded.
"……"
"Malachai?"
"Oh, yes, sorry, Isaac, I was just killing them." Malachai leapt onto Burt's back and held his knife up to Burt's neck.
"INTERLOPER! YOU HAVE LOOKED IN AWE UPON YOUR VERY LAST DAY ALIVE!" he yelled.
"YOU MONSTER! YOU'LL BE HEARING from my…law…yer…I guess…" Isaac looked at the two of them as Malachai apathetically climbed down off of Burt's shoulders.
"I see you have made your decision?" Isaac asked. But to Malachai, it didn't seem like much of a question.
"Isaac, I-"
"No. Stop…I'm sorry, Malachai." Isaac rolled up his sleeves and started toward his former friend, drawing a knife from his side pocket.
"Isaac, what are you gonna do to him?"
"Kids, I don't want you to watch this. Vicky, Burt…don't let them see," pleaded Malachai, his voice shaking like a leaf. Burt obediently put his hands on the shoulders of the young children and tried to guide them away.
Hmm…let's see…shall I be nice and go on, or shall I be selfish by leaving you hanging and going out skating instead..? Decisions, decisions…Nope, I think I'll get a Dr. Pepper first, then do more! :D
