Sinner (Children of the Corn/Malachai)

Chapter #7: Being Friendly

I ate dinner at the cafe again that night, this time without being interrupted. The adults that were around seemed to ignore me as they chatted and laughed amongst themselves. I drank a milkshake, observing all of them.
Most of the adults were tuned into the small television in the corner of the cafe, where it looked to be showing some sort of newscast.

"And in recent news, the children are at it again - this time killing in our own backyard! Just 19 miles away from the original murder site from 4 years ago!" The male reporter was saying.
Huh? Why did that sound so....familiar? I leaned forward on my stool to listen closer.

"Nebraska is surely the unlucky state when it comes to these murder sprees. After the first time we thought it was all over, but after the events of last year another occurrence has sprung up again right here in Hemingford!" The reporter continued.
The events of last year? He couldn't have been talking about what I thought he was, could he?

"Fortunately, authorities were able to put a stop to the killings before they got out of hand. But citizens still worry about if and where the lightning will strike again. Which begs the question; is Nebraska really cursed with some kind of bad karma, or is this just a wild chain of bad parenting?" The reporter went on.
I was so confused...the reporter couldn't have been talking about Gatlin? By the sound of it, something happened here in Hemingford though. But what?
I went to listen in for more, but that's when a burly looking man shouted out.

"Hey, Jenny! Turn this shit off and put the damn ballgame on! No one cares about those crazy kids anymore!"
Several other men in the cafe snorted in agreement with him and the waitress behind the counter obeyed, switching the newscast off for a baseball game.
I grumbled silently and turned back to the counter, finishing the rest of my milkshake.

After paying I went back to the barn, finding it pleasantly silent. As I layed down on the hay to sleep I couldn't help my mind from wandering to the events of the day.
There was a lot I had learned about the town today. I now had a bit of a bigger perspective on who and what I was dealing with here in Hemingford. But I had also learned a lot more about Katie as well.

Some of her sinful ways seemed to be more explained now. She didn't associate with any religion or any God, so there was nothing she held close to her that had the power to keep her pure.
One of her parents was already dead, her mom - at least half the work was done there. But she allowed her mother's death to bother her, a waste of time on her part - to be mourning over an adult.

But what tipped me off about Katie the most today, was the shift in her behavior when I said certain things. It first happened when I said that Hemingford had appeared to be a quaint and peaceful town when my 'father looked it up online'. Katie had gotten quiet, she stared at the floor and looked so uncomfortable. She refused to even look at me.
The same thing happened when I mentioned religion - Katie got very anxious. Maybe it was just because of her mother, but I wondered if there was something else to it.

Then there was the whole situation still unknown to me about whatever happened to Hemingford's children. Katie said that she and her one friend were two of the very few remaining kids here. But she immediately avoided talking about it when I asked. It was too suspicious to not be anything.
Plus, after listening to the reporter on the news that evening, I knew something had to be up. Something happened with the kids here that made the adults react and get rid of them. Just like any tainted adult would do with any problem - they wouldn't solve it, they'd just shove it away.

I rubbed my forehead now to rid my head of any thoughts of adults and refocused on Katie. She knew something and didn't want to tell me. Surely getting whatever information it was out of her would be difficult. Perhaps if I worked on becoming more of her friend she would be more inclined to speak about it?
I sighed heavily. I knew that was the only way. The sacrifices that must be made to gain He Who Walks Behind the Rows new followers had no limits. And befriending a sinner was far from the red line.