Corn Stalked (Children Of The Corn)

Chapter #12: He Who Walks Behind the Rows

The kids in the group gasped and started to back away in fear from something. From the direction the demonic voice had come from. Malachai and I turned our heads the same way, seeing clearly what the source of the voice was when the children dispersed.

It was Issac....His skin was grey and covered in ashes and soot. There were two big splotches of blood on his forehead and one on his chin. His hair was sticking out everywhere and had streaks of grey in it now. Smoke wafted off of his body and clothes as well. To top it all off, Issac's voice was the one we'd just heard. He had been possessed? Brought back in a somewhat new form?

Or was this just him? Was this He Who Walks Behind the Rows inside Issac's dead body?

Issac grinned wickedly at us as Malachai stood up.

    "He wants you too, Malachai." He bellowed.

Malachai looked on at Issac with an emotion I've never seen in him before.

Fear.

His eyes were wide as Issac approached him, teeth gritted.

    "He wants you too." Issac re-stated. He then reached out a hand and wrapped his ashy fingers around Malachai's throat. The ginger whimpered in terror and pulled out his knife.

I stared in horror as Issac began to squeeze Malachai's neck harder, his evil smile widening as he did so. Malachai had fallen to his knees before this demon version of the preacher and my eyes grew wide as I watched his knife fall from his hand into the dirt.

Malachai was getting weaker....Issac was going to snap his neck! He was going to die! I couldn't let Issac kill him! But what could I do?! My eyes darted from face to face as I searched for an answer, finally landing on Malachai's knife just a few feet away from me.

Would that work? Could it? Was I even able to get up again and reach it?

I set my daughter down in the soft hay and began to attempt to get up. My body reacted with a soreness and weak feeling still from the birth, causing me to fall back onto my backside.

No! I had to get up! I needed to reach that knife! There wasn't a lot of time left for Malachai! And who knows what Issac would do after that?!

Mustering up all of my strength, I pushed myself up onto my knees and fell forward onto all fours. My body sent every message to my brain to stop, but I couldn't! I crawled through the dirt towards the knife, my fingers were just inches away from the wooden hilt when Issac's voice came again. He was still talking to Malachai.

    "You should have never challenged me, Malachai. I am the giver of his word. You have angered him and must pay the price." He growled.

Malachai couldn't respond due to the grasp Issac had on his throat, but he got out a few mortified whimpers. He didn't have much life left in him now....

But then, my fingers grazed the wood of the knife and I wrapped my hand around it. Using all of my strength again, I shot myself forward, knife pointed out in front of me. The blade connected with Issac's right side, stabbing into his chest. He released Malachai, throwing him to the side as he raged in pain.

    "You...fucking...outlander!" Issac roared.

I knelt, panting with a vicious smirk on my face.

    "Is that the best you've got?" I challenged.

Issac ripped the knife from his chest and tossed it to the side, shooting me a glare. But then, his evil smile began to grow back and he began taking slow steps towards me.