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.
---------------------
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.
----------------------
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.
-------------------
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.
----------------------
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.
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~*~