Profit of Innocence: Love Kills
Runaway
I ran back to the home I’d been staying at with Malachi, I grabbed a suitcase and threw in some spare clothes that were in the barn and ran out, however, Malachi was too fast for me and grabbed my upper arm, he pinned me up against the wall of our room;
“please let me go, I cannot stay here if you’re going to obey these stupid laws…cut my throat, I don’t care, I don’t want to lose you, forgetting you wont be hard but I can manage it” he dropped his knife, I slid down the wall hugging my knees and cried, Malachi took his knife, and left, without a word; at dinner, I entered the dining room, seeing that I was not welcome at the main table, that was when Ruth signalled me to sit next to her, I looked over up at the main table at Malachi, he hadn’t paid attention, his stares were cold and heartless.
I took my seat next to Ruth; “I don’t like you, but I agree with you, I don’t agree with sacrificing ourselves at eighteen, I’m eighteen next September” I looked at her; “what are you suggesting?” Ruth looked at me and told her a plan which we’d agreed to do before Malachi’s birthday, however things took a turn for the worst, Malachi hadn’t spoken to me since he took me to the lake, Ruth had told her this was his normal behaviour, but I remembered what Malachi had told me about Ruth and how she was sometimes crazy, wanting him back since I had arrived and he’d fallen for her, one night when the girls had made dinner for the boys, she’d asked Ruth why she hated her so much, and what Malachi had told her about her, trying not to sound bitchy, Ruth forcefully put the plate down;
“I’m the crazy one am I? Let me tell you something, I started out like you, scared and confused, but then I met Malachi, he took me in as if I were a stray cat that was in need of a home, he cared about me, and loved me, I was deeply in love with him, thinking he was everything I could ever want, but once I saw him for who he truly was, a killer, I knew I’d fallen for a monster, he practically raped me, I did not want to do the fertilisation one evening, I was against the fact that small children were ordered to watch two people have sex, and I wasn’t ready, he threatened to kill me if I didn’t have sex with him, so each second of those eyes on us was painful, once he knew I was pregnant, he said and I quote; “I will slash both your throats if you dare come near me when he is born, you will raise him to kill and hate, never love, teach him what is right, never mention me to him, raise Alexander to be a killer”, do you still think I’m the crazy one?”
She looked at her, shocked and disbelieved, Ruth nodded at her; “I’m sorry I had to be the one to tell you this, but you deserve to hear the truth while you’re not as brain damaged, this cult can screw you up Amelia, get out of here while you still have the chance, the reason why I had my arms around Malachi the other morning was to make you jealous enough to leave this place, but he stopped you, told you his side of the story and took you to that stupid lake where I lost my virginity to him….he took you there didn’t he?”
I couldn’t lie to her, the tears in my eyes gave it away, Ruth surprisingly embraced her; “you’re going to stay with me from now on, his hurt you enough, c’mon” she stood up holding her hand out, I took it and left with her, Malachi had watched us leave together, he’d gotten up and followed us, having a firm grip on his hunting knife, Ruth and I walked into the cornfield, it was dark, Ruth held one of the torches;
“we’re almost here, just a few more meters, I promise you’ll be safe” for the first time she smiled softly at me, I followed her deep into the field, Malachi had been following us, but was very careful not to be noticed by either of us, he’d stepped on a branch which snapped, making both of us jump;
“did you hear that?” I asked, Ruth told me to ignore it and follow her, however, she screamed as Malachi grabbed her by the hair and slashed her throat, he came out of nowhere, I was covered in Ruth‘s blood; I looked down at my clothes unable to breathe properly, I fell to my knees, Malachi took a firm grip of my wrist as he took his hunting knife out, he threw it but it landed just beside me, tears stung my eyes as I looked at the knife that barely touched my foot, I looked up at him;
“why are you treating me this way? Why did you kill Ruth? She told me everything about you, how you wanted nothing to do with her, now you’re doing it to me, you took her to the lake you took me to-” I said this in what was barely a whisper, Malachi looked down on me and grabbed my wrists, as he pulled me up, I didn’t look at him, he cupped my face with his hands making me look at him;
“I didn’t want you to think any less of me, you’re the first girl that I have truly loved, I made a mistake with Ruth, I will admit that I raped her, I didn’t know what I was doing, but I do not want to hurt you” he leant in to kiss her, but I immediately removed his hands from my face and tried running away, but Malachi pulled me back and placed his knife to my throat;
“remember, I told you that I love you” he whispered in my ear; feeling his warm breath on my neck and his hair brush against my cheek made me quiver as tears began to slowly stream down my face, he’d wrapped his left arm around my waist tightly as he lowered his knife, he couldn’t harm me, even if he wanted to he loved me too much to put a single cut on my pale white skin, which he knew would bruise too easily;
“Malachi, I love you too, but I cannot live without you, right now I don’t care what you’ve done in the past, I’m afraid not of you, but of losing you; I know that it’s in ‘His’ will to sacrifice ourselves at eighteen, but please just forget about His laws and come home with me, where you can live a normal life…” he shook his head as I’d turned to face him;
“fine, if you wont come with me, then I will sacrifice myself on the night of your birthday” he looked at her, his stare was cold, as if he could see right through me, then he leant in towards me; “be that as it may…it’s after dark, you’re coming back with me” I nodded and followed him, he turned back and looked at me; “another thing, if you ever try to runaway again, then I will slash your throat without thinking twice about it, understand?” I nodded, meaning I understood him: we reached our home within ten minutes, Malachi had seen the suitcase on the bed, and saw my clothes in it; “unpack this now, then we’ll go to bed”
“please let me go, I cannot stay here if you’re going to obey these stupid laws…cut my throat, I don’t care, I don’t want to lose you, forgetting you wont be hard but I can manage it” he dropped his knife, I slid down the wall hugging my knees and cried, Malachi took his knife, and left, without a word; at dinner, I entered the dining room, seeing that I was not welcome at the main table, that was when Ruth signalled me to sit next to her, I looked over up at the main table at Malachi, he hadn’t paid attention, his stares were cold and heartless.
I took my seat next to Ruth; “I don’t like you, but I agree with you, I don’t agree with sacrificing ourselves at eighteen, I’m eighteen next September” I looked at her; “what are you suggesting?” Ruth looked at me and told her a plan which we’d agreed to do before Malachi’s birthday, however things took a turn for the worst, Malachi hadn’t spoken to me since he took me to the lake, Ruth had told her this was his normal behaviour, but I remembered what Malachi had told me about Ruth and how she was sometimes crazy, wanting him back since I had arrived and he’d fallen for her, one night when the girls had made dinner for the boys, she’d asked Ruth why she hated her so much, and what Malachi had told her about her, trying not to sound bitchy, Ruth forcefully put the plate down;
“I’m the crazy one am I? Let me tell you something, I started out like you, scared and confused, but then I met Malachi, he took me in as if I were a stray cat that was in need of a home, he cared about me, and loved me, I was deeply in love with him, thinking he was everything I could ever want, but once I saw him for who he truly was, a killer, I knew I’d fallen for a monster, he practically raped me, I did not want to do the fertilisation one evening, I was against the fact that small children were ordered to watch two people have sex, and I wasn’t ready, he threatened to kill me if I didn’t have sex with him, so each second of those eyes on us was painful, once he knew I was pregnant, he said and I quote; “I will slash both your throats if you dare come near me when he is born, you will raise him to kill and hate, never love, teach him what is right, never mention me to him, raise Alexander to be a killer”, do you still think I’m the crazy one?”
She looked at her, shocked and disbelieved, Ruth nodded at her; “I’m sorry I had to be the one to tell you this, but you deserve to hear the truth while you’re not as brain damaged, this cult can screw you up Amelia, get out of here while you still have the chance, the reason why I had my arms around Malachi the other morning was to make you jealous enough to leave this place, but he stopped you, told you his side of the story and took you to that stupid lake where I lost my virginity to him….he took you there didn’t he?”
I couldn’t lie to her, the tears in my eyes gave it away, Ruth surprisingly embraced her; “you’re going to stay with me from now on, his hurt you enough, c’mon” she stood up holding her hand out, I took it and left with her, Malachi had watched us leave together, he’d gotten up and followed us, having a firm grip on his hunting knife, Ruth and I walked into the cornfield, it was dark, Ruth held one of the torches;
“we’re almost here, just a few more meters, I promise you’ll be safe” for the first time she smiled softly at me, I followed her deep into the field, Malachi had been following us, but was very careful not to be noticed by either of us, he’d stepped on a branch which snapped, making both of us jump;
“did you hear that?” I asked, Ruth told me to ignore it and follow her, however, she screamed as Malachi grabbed her by the hair and slashed her throat, he came out of nowhere, I was covered in Ruth‘s blood; I looked down at my clothes unable to breathe properly, I fell to my knees, Malachi took a firm grip of my wrist as he took his hunting knife out, he threw it but it landed just beside me, tears stung my eyes as I looked at the knife that barely touched my foot, I looked up at him;
“why are you treating me this way? Why did you kill Ruth? She told me everything about you, how you wanted nothing to do with her, now you’re doing it to me, you took her to the lake you took me to-” I said this in what was barely a whisper, Malachi looked down on me and grabbed my wrists, as he pulled me up, I didn’t look at him, he cupped my face with his hands making me look at him;
“I didn’t want you to think any less of me, you’re the first girl that I have truly loved, I made a mistake with Ruth, I will admit that I raped her, I didn’t know what I was doing, but I do not want to hurt you” he leant in to kiss her, but I immediately removed his hands from my face and tried running away, but Malachi pulled me back and placed his knife to my throat;
“remember, I told you that I love you” he whispered in my ear; feeling his warm breath on my neck and his hair brush against my cheek made me quiver as tears began to slowly stream down my face, he’d wrapped his left arm around my waist tightly as he lowered his knife, he couldn’t harm me, even if he wanted to he loved me too much to put a single cut on my pale white skin, which he knew would bruise too easily;
“Malachi, I love you too, but I cannot live without you, right now I don’t care what you’ve done in the past, I’m afraid not of you, but of losing you; I know that it’s in ‘His’ will to sacrifice ourselves at eighteen, but please just forget about His laws and come home with me, where you can live a normal life…” he shook his head as I’d turned to face him;
“fine, if you wont come with me, then I will sacrifice myself on the night of your birthday” he looked at her, his stare was cold, as if he could see right through me, then he leant in towards me; “be that as it may…it’s after dark, you’re coming back with me” I nodded and followed him, he turned back and looked at me; “another thing, if you ever try to runaway again, then I will slash your throat without thinking twice about it, understand?” I nodded, meaning I understood him: we reached our home within ten minutes, Malachi had seen the suitcase on the bed, and saw my clothes in it; “unpack this now, then we’ll go to bed”