Nora's Ark 02

Previously

Having had her sleep disrupted by the voice - although as more time went by, the more she was able to convince herself that she had dreamt it - Nora found herself irritable and groggy as the day progressed. It didn't help matters that the tractor wouldn't start, despite her and Thomas's attempts.

"I'll get in touch with a mechanic in town," Thomas sighed. "See if any of them are willing to come out here - and will work on a payment plan for their job."

Nora fumed - why couldn't the damn thing have kept working for another three months? - but simply said, "I'm going to feed the hogs."

While she was feeding them, she heard the voice.

"Nora, you must listen."

She knew without a doubt that she was alone -aside from the pigs, of course - but she still whirled around to see if she could locate who was speaking to her.

"Who are you? Where are you? This isn't funny." she spun around twice, eyes taking in her surroundings, trying in vain to find any other soul who could have been speaking to her. She had raised the slop bucket slightly, in a defensive stance. This mystery speaker was seriously unnerving her.

"Be not afraid, Nora."

Nora noticed that the voice was not coming from any specific direction, but was more...inside her head. This fact did very little to calm any fears she had.

"You keep saying that," Nora replied. "Why don't you show yourself? So that I know I have nothing to be afraid of."

Nora wasn't sure if this was the proper thing to say to whomever was behind this prank, but she figured she had nothing to lose at this point. She was convinced that it was a prank. There had to be someone behind this - maybe it was some hidden camera program, or some of Hank's friends from the high school. The alternative -that she was hearing voices, and thus losing her sanity - was not something she was willing to consider. Yet.

"It is not time," the voice said.

Well, at least it was communicating with her. Maybe she could get some answers from it. "Well, who are you? What do you want from me?"

And then the voice said the four words that caused Nora to faint. "I am the Lord."