The Dead Circus

Chapter Five: Dead

I was through with running for 8 hours straight, but my appearance stayed the same. I carried Ash over my right shoulder and Nate over my left. I never got tied and then I realized where we were, we were near the circus that I had wanted to see. Renée might not find me here, so I rested under the tree and let the boys drop to the soft grass, moments later, she appeared. "Do you know if they are sleeping?" She asked me. "Well, they gotta be." I replied. "Feel for their pulse." "That would be stupid." "Fine, don't do what I say and anyway, I would check if I were you." I sighed and felt for Nate's pulse. None. I checked for Ash's pulse. Yes. I don't feel much for Nate, but then his eyes open and he starts to breathe. Ash opens his eyes too and they jump to their feet, but something is wrong. Nate runs to Renée and hugs her and I just look shocked, but it doesn't really show from my own skin. Ash looks at me and his eyes are still ocean blue, but his whites in his eyes are pale blue and I don't know what happened. "You okay?" He asked me and then his eyes went back to normal, so did Nate's and I looked at her with a glare. "I never did anything, Je viens de faire quelque chose." I glared at her even more. She pointed a gun at me and shot my shoulder with a needle.

My hair fell and went much shorter into a mohawk, except no shaved sides, just short sides and long in the middle that is still short, blue sharp lines crossed over my eyes like two scars on each eye, my lips went red and my smile outstretched and went all bloody. My skin went pale white, but my eyes were still fully black. Even my hair turned fully white, then she laughed. "You really are a creepy clown." My clothes tore off and replaced with a black costume that had multiple zippers and belts crossed over my waist. Weapons were in my third belt that went across my waist and then I wore black, high heel boots. "ˈseksē, mais moche." She smiled and I growled at her. I walked toward the circus and stopped as I heard another moaning sound and I realized that it came from Ash and Nate. I looked to them, but Ash cupped my mouth to stop my screaming, his eyes were bleeding and I realized that Renée was laughing, but why?? I looked to her and then I elbowed Ash in the stomach. I grabbed the needle that was in my pocket and I stabbed Nate with it as he swung his arm toward me and then blood rushed out of his mouth and onto the floor, I gasped and looked away for a split second. I turned back to see a monster. 'What have I done?' I asked myself. He looked to me in a sad face and Ash looked to his brother and tried to kill him, but he threw his hand right through his face and out the other side, "I'm sorry, bro. I'll see you in Heaven...or hell." He said as he fell to the ground and tears flowed right out him and tears came out of my eyes, too. I looked to her and she laughed even harder. Nate got up and threw his arms around me as I let him cry onto my shoulder. "what did you do?" I asked, Renée shrugged. I looked to her, but rested my head onto Nate's shoulder and sighed. 

"It's gonna be okay. I know he was important to you." He said, surprisingly. His hair was no longer blond, it turned black, slicked back and shiny, his skin was light grey and he wore a black suit, black shoes as if he was going to a formal. He pulled himself back and I wiped his eyes as he smiled, "He must've adored you as a friend." I smiled, "Maybe." I said, since now, his brother is gone, my best friend.. is gone. It made me tear up, but then Renée signalled him. "Ready?" She told us and I looked to them both in question and they laughed, but Nate has a sense of humor, she just sounds evil. The circus seemed dead, the red and white stripes looked old and torn. We walked closer and there was a sign that read, 'Closed.' and another, 'The Dead Circus.' I felt a shiver down my spine as I looked at the laughing clowns that you put a ball down their throats and win a cheap prize, they were now cracked and looked like they needed a new coat of paint. Everything was covered in spider webs and then the memories came back to me. 

"Daddy? Why are we here at the place for Orphans?" I asked. "I'm sorry, but my grief for your mother is too much." "Daddy... You're not going to give me up, are you?" Tears filled my eyes and I started to cry. "I'm sorry, sweetie." "NO! TAKE ME HOME!" I yelled with snot running down my nose and he gave me a tissue for my issue. He left and I ran after him, but the lady caught me. "Sweetie, your father only came to drop you off for a few days. He'll come back." I looked up at her with my small, round face and big, watery eyes. "Aww, you're a cute one." That made me smile and then I hugged her and she carried me to my room... he never came back for me and instead, he sold me off to a family and I didn't just missed my dad, I missed the lady.

Suddenly, I was pulled back to the present and I realized that I had walked inside the huge circus. Every detail was exactly the same as what it was when I was 7 years old, but everything was old, dusty and falling apart. As I kept walking, I felt something hard underneath my foot and so I looked down and saw a skeleton. The Ringmaster, he's dead. Great(!) Then I realized that he wasn't the only one found dead. There were the horses, the ladies and the clown. I shivered as the horse's skeleton was huge, and it made me feel small again, like I was a child again. I don't let the memories flow into my mind, I just kept scanning the place. The seats turned grey and most of them were cracked and some were even moldy. There was a poster of the Ringmaster with the uni-horses and at the bottom, it said in bold capitals, 'THE CIRCUS! SINCE 1985.' I scanned for more posters like this one, but it seemed like it was the only one and I knew that I don't remember the poster being there when I walked in here, so then I felt breathing on my neck that made my hairs stand up on my skin and I slowly looked behind me and a scary clown face looked into my eyes, looking into my soul. I jumped and backed away as fast as you can 'nope' and then my back slammed into the shelf behind me. It went closer and closer until it  breathed, "Melaina. It is you." He said slowly. It was the clown that I saw on the floor, but he looks like a ghost. He was floating off the ground and I wanted to scream and hide, but I knew that it wouldn't be much use. Nothing can kill a ghost and no one can spawn one. "Don't touch me." was all I could say. He frowned, "We need your help."

"We?" I asked and then the whole circus gang appeared and said all together, "We." I shook my head as if it were a bad dream or worse, a nightmare. They all looked sad and said, "We're trapped here, we want to be freed from this circus. Please help us. You're one of us, you were always one of us ever since you were seven." I shook my head harder, "I- I can't help you." I told them, but then Ash appeared and he pleaded, "Help us, please." "H-how?" I shouted, "Tell me how!" They looked at each other then back to me, "We don't know, but the legend said that a girl like you, Melaina, would find a way." They put back their frowns and I felt symphony for them. "I-I... Okay, I will help you." I told them and they looked at me with smiles, but as they smiled, Nate and Renée walked in and asked me, "Well, you found them." "Now, tell us. It's either work with them or work with us." She told me. "Can't I work with both?" I asked and then she shook her head and raised her voice, "No. Choose!" "Please, choose. Them, the clown freaks or us, the ones you trust." Nate told me and I looked between them all, but couldn't say anything at all, but then I said; "Them."