#He who walks behind the rows

[the-watcher-in-the-sky]

[theboywithburninghands]

This is something I didn’t expect to write, but it sort of just… Came out of my head. It’s a horror whump (I think that’s the word kids these days are using) piece about Jax’s unusual phobia with a little bit of Funnybunny thrown in because yes. It’s definitely less conventionally cute than the other ones I’ve done so far, but I hope you enjoy it regardless. It’s also heavily inspired by Stephen King

T/W: blood, horror, discussed gore

He Who Walks Behind The Rows

*Jax is by himself in a cornfield. It’s hot out. Uncomfortably so. The sky is cement gray. He’s been here before, and he knows that if he’s here…

then It was here too.*

Jax: …Oh no.

*The husks of corn rustle, from the wind? Please just let it be the wind. The sound, like the rasp of a giant, angry rattlesnake, chills him to his core despite the oppressive heat. …He shouldn’t have said anything, now It could track him*

Jax: I’m leaving. I’ll go now.

*Jax turns tail and runs. It never does any good, but running bought him a few seconds when he wasn’t in It’s grasp. The cornfield seems to laugh at him as it rustles. “Just where do you think you’re going, little rabbit? Don’t you want to stay? Why not rest a while? It’s soooo hot out…”*

Jax: Just stay away from me!

*It was like trying to tell a shark not to eat a bleeding dolphin. There was no slaking It’s thirst. Jax made the mistake of glancing to his right, and he locked eyes with It. Two hateful red eyes as large as beach balls leer back at him from several cornrows away. It didn’t matter how fast he was or how agile he moved, It would catch him. It was like liquid, could easily catch him at any time, but It always liked to watch him run.*

Jax: I don’t see you! You hear me, I don’t see-

*His right foot catches a husk on a nearby stalk and it trips him. The serrated edge of the leaf rips the skin and fur of his foot open, and he tumbles onto the ground with a yelp of pain and fright*

*He grabs for his foot, which now oozed hot blood onto the tightly packed dirt. The pain is muted but somehow unbearable. He feels blood stain his glove, but soon forgets everything about the pain… It appeared in front of him. Jax’s ears pin back against his head*

Rowstalker: …Ghhhhhhh…

*It opens Its leathery mouth to reveal a maw that could fit a bus, filthy brown and reeking of moldy corncobs. Jagged, shattered-glass teeth protrude from random spots, cracked with blight and oozing bacteria-ridden drool.*

Rowstalker: Chhhrrrrr….

Jax: Get away! GET AWAY FROM ME!

*A whiplike tongue snags Jax’s right ankle, dragging him towards It’s mouth. Jax pitifully claws at the dirt, wildly grasping around for purchase and finding none. He lets out a whimper and looks down at his ankle, his red blood staining It’s rotten green tongue-*

*…Red?*

*He didn’t bleed red anymore! This wasn’t real! He was-!*

Jax: AGGH!

*Jax shoots awake in bed, throwing the blanket off his chest. He feels the wash of relief that comes with waking from a nightmare. He takes several deep and gasping breaths, taking the blanket off his right foot. It’s unharmed. He collapses onto his pillow*

Jax: Gimme a break… I just got hot under the blanket again…

Pomni: J-Jax..?

Jax: POMNI! *he shoots back up in bed. Pomni is standing not too far away in his room, clutching her left arm with her right hand. She jolts when he jolts* You- How’d you get in my room?!

Pomni: You… left the door unlocked. I wanted to say goodnight… *steps a little bit closer* Are you okay..?

Jax: Huh? Yeah, I’m fine! Fit as a fiddle!

Pomni: Your hands are shaking… *it takes her a second to work herself up, but she takes one of his hands. It is indeed trembling*

Jax: *sigh, eyeroll* I had a nightmare, okay? Happens sometimes when I get too hot.

Pomni: Do you want to talk about it..?

Jax: Nope. G’night. *he lets go of her hand and rolls over, pulling the covers up to just his waist this time.*

Pomni: *she hovers her hand out for a second before putting it back down at her side* Y-Yeah. Goodnight, Jax. *she puts her hand down and heads for the door* Don’t forget the lock.

Jax: …Do you get them too?

Pomni: Huh? Get what?

Jax: Nothing. Forget it.

Pomni: …Nightmares? Sure. I mean, who doesn’t..? I still get dreams that I haven’t turned in a big assignment or I’m driving with no steering wheel-

Jax: That’s not what I’m talkin’ about. *he rolls over* Those are just stress dreams. Baby stuff. I’m talkin’ about nightmares that make you never want to sleep again. Things so horrible you wouldn’t wish it on your worst enemy.

Pomni: Yeah, maybe once or twice. Technically we’re living in one. *tiny, nervous smile*

Jax: *smirk* Heh. Yeah. I don’t know if I had them back in… you know, the real world. But they got bad here. If I’m not dreaming about… *he looks at Pomni* …I prolly shouldn’t tell you, actually. It’s… no fun.

Pomni: *Although she’s a bit surprised by her own confidence, she climbs up onto Jax’s bed and sits on the end, looking at him with a delicate smile* Try me.

Jax: …You’re sitting on my bed.

Pomni: *talking over a laugh* Do-Don’t change the subject! Tell me about your nightmares.

Jax: Why do you care..?

Pomni: Because… Because I care about you… *blushes*

Jax: *also blushes a faint pink-purple* Uh… *swallows* Okay, fine, but if you get creeped out, it’s on you. …Usually I’m in a cornfield. Sometimes a house or a barn. And something is after me. I don’t really have a good name for It… so I just call It The Rowstalker. Since it… stalks. The rows. Of corn.

Pomni: What does it look like?

Jax: It’s hard to explain. It’s taken a bunch of different shapes… usually it’s got big red eyes and giant, messed up teeth. But I’ve seen it fly, or swim, or dig…

Pomni: Does it hurt you?

Jax: Yeah. Bad. Sometimes it gnaws my head off then drinks the blood out of my neck… sometimes it eats me from the feet up, slowly. Sometimes it starts with just one arm, and…

*Jax feels his entire body shiver, and his ears pin back. Pomni holds one of his hands and he squeezes it in return. It’s humiliating, sure… but it does feel good to actually tell somebody about this.*

Pomni: …I’m sorry. That sounds horrible. I uh… I wish I had advice…

Jax: Nah. You don’t need to give any… Can you do one thing for me, though..?

Pomni: Yeah.

Jax: Don’t tell anyone, okay? If this ever gets around to Caine… he could make it real.

Pomni: Why would Caine…-

Jax: Maybe for Halloween, or a haunted house or something… if he ever made it real, I think I’d…

*Pomni hugs him. It’s… a gradual and awkward affair, given Pomni’s discomfort with touch, but she gets there eventually. Jax sighs, but he hugs her back. The bells on her coxcomb hat jingle softly.*

Pomni: Is this okay?

Jax: Yeah. Yeah, this is okay…

[elbastardoofficial]

Meanwhile, in Whiting, IA…

[esqueletosgays]

CHILDREN OF THE CORN III: URBAN HARVEST (1995)

Director: James D. R. Hickox Cinematography: Gerry Lively

[thornonthevine]

ISAAC, FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES:

How does He who walks behind the rows actually look like? Tell me.

Isaac: imagine a corn field but it’s man shaped and 80 feet tall with red eyes.

[sinclair-enterprises]

Children Of The Corn III doing it before Watchmen made it cool.

[doctorslippery]

(via Fear gorta by Commonbymaru on DeviantArt)

The Fear Gorta is a feared undead creature inspired by one of the darkest times in Irish history. The Fear Gorta (Hungry Man) is a zombie-like creature from Irish mythology. These creatures were said to be the corpses of neglected people who had risen from their graves.

Always made me think of He Who Walks Behind the Rows from Children of the Corn. 

[behindthecorn]

Jillian Tealeaf Praying In Her Room

(Colorized, 2025)

[bc-johnson]

Best onscreen devil to this day. Plus bonus Tilda Swinton points for Tilda Swinton.

CONSTANTINE (2005) - dir. Francis Lawrence

[leviathan-supersystem]

thinking about when i was in middle school and i set out to watch the entire children of the corn franchise (at the time 6 movies)

why did i do that none of them are even good

[windvexer]

Children of the Corn (1984): The grip of belief can turn even children into monsters, and the rural areas that were supposed to be the purest ideal of Americana culture can be infected with terrors both incurable and inescapable. When innocence is subverted and that subversion is incomprehensible, rational adults become its most helpless victims in an eternal, unbreakable cycle.

Children of the Corn (2020): GMOs are really bad! The evil adults poisoned the earth with their GMOs :( Let's start a social media campaign to show how the corn has been hurt. Adults are evil, so killing them is at worst morally neutral. Also what if the only character with agency and competency was a tiny child? An eeevil child? Haha, yeah. Spooky corn kids. Just like the original.

[gayfrasier]

HAD THE. CRAZIEST INSANE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS AT UNIVERSAL TODAY

[esqueletosgays]

CHILDREN OF THE CORN (1984)

Director: Fritz Kiersch Cinematography: João Fernandes (as Raoul Lomas)

[souljahwwitch]

PINK HAIRED SWEETHEART!

;hc’s for thanos and reader with pink hair who hate eachother

“i fucking hate that pink haired sweetheart”

۫ ꣑ৎ; thanos who immediately noticed you, pink hair and doe eyes—everyone noticed you two, the unusal hair color making you two stand out in amidst of 456 players

۫ ꣑ৎ; thanos who, of course, first flirted with you and, of course, got his ego hurt because you just ignored him—you were here to win, not get distracted by stupid rappers.

۫ ꣑ৎ; thanos who actually saved your life in the very first game, unusally so—he pulled you behind him as people in the row started to slip before the doll turned around

“you look like you’ve seen a ghost, sweetheart—need me to make it all better hm?”

۫ ꣑ৎ; thanos who-when the game was over, approached you with confidence, saying “i saved your life, i think i deserve a little kiss—don’t i?” with that cocky voice of his

“oh fuck off—i just got caught off guard and you were there.” you said—and that’s when the hatred started.

۫ ꣑ৎ; thanos who got offended after you said that-because how could him pulling you behind him be ‘no biggie’ he totally didn’t do that to get in your pants!!!

۫ ꣑ৎ; thanos who would start mocking you, pulling you by your hair everytime you pass by him, throwing your lunch on the ground—everything, and him being actually struck by your pretty eyes, even though you annoyed him so fucking much, he didn’t mind one bit when you yelled at him—in fact, he found it cute.

“stop fucking pulling my hair!” you’d yell—but he’d just smirk

“relax, angel—would be a shame if i actually ruined your pretty pink hair, wouldn’t it?” he’d coo in that annoying tone of his, and you’d just hiss at him, walking away as he watched you with annoyance in his eyes—nam-gyu just watching you two in disbelief

۫ ꣑ৎ; thanos who’d watch you actually being sweet to others, trying to help everyone around you—except him, and that annoyed him to no end, why would you be sweet to those losers when he was right there!!

“man you need to stop looking at her like that.” nam-gyu said as they both watched you sparing your lunch and giving it to some scared boy

“i fucking hate that pink haired sweetheart.”

۫ ꣑ৎ; thanos who, once in this whole time, took a pity on you when he saw you on your bed—hugging your knees and hiding your face in them as you sniffled, too scared of watching people die around you—and him being him, he approached you—his voice uncharacteristically gentle.

“y’know it’s not your fault, right? i know you wanna help everyone but you’re not some kind of savior.” he says to you, but he sees that it doesn’t make it any better

“you know—i fucking hate you, but when we get out of here with shit ton of money, we’re gonna go to some pretty little cafe, and the soda’s on me, deal?” he says, and that actually makes you smile—so you nod in acceptance, and it makes his heart skip a beat

۫ ꣑ৎ; thanos who, in the game mingle, as soon as the number that was shouted was two, he pulled you by your wrist and ran with you to a room, he didn’t know why he did it, he hates you—you hate him. but it’s something you two are gonna talk about when you get out of here.

[sinclair-enterprises]

An eldritch corn god taking the time to turn an entire high school goth in one semester. I’m dead.

[szasfuckingwife]

basketballer!Gojo who knew you from college. You often showed up to his games with your friend (who liked Suguru) and just, in the most uncreepy way possible , stare at him.

basketballer!Gojo who stayed in contact with you even when he went pro. The blinding lights of fame didn’t blur his deep attraction and fondness of you. Even on his least busiest day, which was still pretty busy, he made time for you.

‘Morning, my love…your smile lightens the world and my heart, love G.S’

You smile at the note that was amongst the several bouquets of red roses, your fave.

basketballer!Gojo who made sure he returned to you every night. Unlike his teammates, he wasn’t the type to go clubbing or anything similar. He was just a guy, obsessed with playing basketball and his girlfriend.

“Fuckin’ love you, Y/N…” He breathes into your ear. After a very deserved win, he made sure to let you know how much he appreciated your support. A string of whimpers left your mouth as his dick slid in and out of you. “Always so good for me, baby..”

basketballer!Gojo who, for some reason, gets a little jealous when you steal some of his spotlight. Maybe it was just an ego thing. He was fine at first when it came to you being called ‘WAG of the season’ after sporting some cute outfits. But then when magazines and publishers hit you up, something shifted.

It was no longer Satoru Gojo and his girlfriend. But now Y/N L/N and…what’s-his-face..?

basketballer!Gojo who you no longer recognised after a heated argument.

“You know, this is so predictable. I supported you since we were in college and the one time something good goes for me, you bitch and complain!”, you yell him, your index finger was firm against his chest. “It pisses me off, Gojo. I’m done.”

He scoffs, “I just think it’s too much. The red carpets and shit, I don’t get it.”

“You don’t get it because you’re used to me being just your stay at home girlfriend. Things change!” You release your own scoff to his response.

“Maybe I liked it that way because you had time for me-”

“But you never had time for me!”

basketballer!Gojo who has no comment to reporters when asked about the ‘break up rumours ‘with long term girlfriend, Y/N. But behind the scenes, he’s yearning for your forgiveness. He’s constantly at Suguru and your best friend’s house, hoping he’ll bump into you but you were never there.

it wasn’t until the season’s final where Satoru’s team were up against the undefeated (3 years in a row) champions. He was definitely shitting himself. As team captain, he was physically present, but not mentally.

But when he walked out and saw you in the crowd wearing his jersey, he suddenly felt calm. Were you attracting all the cameras? Yes. Were you dragging attention away from the game? At times, yes. But did he mind? No. For you were there for him. Even when you hated his guts.

basketballer!Gojo who fucks you like it’s his last night with you after his team won the finals. You can’t even remember how many times you’ve came but Satoru wasn’t gonna let you go.

“Toru-hnnnggghhh..! It’s too much!” You cry out real tears as he fucks up into you. He bites your shoulder, he wanted to be so close to you after so many separated nights.

“I’ve missed this body, I’ve missed you so much, baby. You have no clue…” He growls.

basketballer!Gojo who has the biggest grin on his face when paparazzi swarm him, asking about his engagement with Y/N. Truth be told, he hasn’t stopped smiling since he popped the question.

“Satoru, what’s next for you and Y/N?” A reporter asked.

“Babies. Lot’s of ‘em.” He smugly replies.

You’ll defo punish him for that comment.