Disclaimer: COTC and the characters therein are property of Stephen King and Anchor Bay Entertainment. No infringement is intended.

Pride

Isaac walked toward Hansen's Café, his head high and his mind sharp. He had done everything that the Lord had asked of him and now his efforts were to be rewarded. Everything was going according to His will. The children of Gatlin had been educated, taught to obey. Today they would prove their faith.

His keen eyes observed Malachi leading several teenagers into the diner. A small smile graced his lips. The red-haired youth had proven himself as fierce a warrior as he was a believer. The other children looked to Isaac for guidance and wisdom. Malachi provided them with the motivation to follow the young priest's orders and subsequently, the wishes of He Who Walks Behind The Rows.

His pace slowed as he approached the front window of Hansen's. He peered inside, his eyes meeting Malachi's in the window. Though his outward appearance remained stoic, inside he was grinning. He nodded his head ever so slightly, giving the redhead the sign that he'd been watching for.

A knowing grin spread across his face as the majority of the adults accepted the poisoned coffee without a second thought. It was just as the Lord had said. These people did not deserve the life they had been given. So much of what they had they took for granted. They walked through life with no purpose or meaning. They did not believe in the power of the Lord and for that they must be punished.

The poison began to take effect, disabling a good amount of the diner's patrons. The panic was almost tangible, even from Isaac's vantage point outside. He could feel the Lord's approval with every beat of his heart as it rushed hot blood through his veins.

His eyes narrowed with sadistic pleasure as the first throat was cut, expelling the man's life and soul from his body. Crimson trails and splatters painted the diner, marking the Lord's territory similar to how an animal marks theirs.

His heart filled with pride as the screams began to fill the air, coming from all around him as the children of the town acted out His will. Gatlin was His territory.

He watched as Mr. Hansen was disfigured by the whirling blade, his eyes not on the old man himself, but on the children as they carried out the act. Their eyes were dark and focused. They understood their task and carried it out in the name of the Lord. There was no hesitation, no fear. They were under His spell.

And he, Isaac Chroner, had life and death control over these children. What he said was law. No one would dare question or challenge him. His will had been brought to life with the deaths of the town's adults. This town and its resources belonged to the Lord and Isaac had played the lead role in making it happen.