|
Dead and Circus
Chapter SEVEN
“Fuck man, I’m telling you her jugs are as big as melons.” Mac the delivery guy was bragging to Phil the
dispatch boy that was back at the head office. Phil loved to live vicariously through Mac’s sexual escapades and hear
all about it over the radio as Mac made his rounds.
“Dude you know I’m all for it man, but don’t let the boss find out your bonking the customers or he’ll
have your ass for dinner.” The muffled squelched voice sounded over the radio as Mac smiled.
“Well if you saw these tits, there is no way you could restrain yourself either.” The headlights of Mac’s
delivery truck were shining down the dark asphalt highway when suddenly something shiny scurried across the road up ahead
of him. Thinking nothing of it, Mac just kept driving and talking. As the headlights approached, the severed hand with the
diamond studded ring on it, positioned itself in the middle of the road, waiting for just the right moment.
Suddenly, just as the truck whizzed over the hand, it flung itself up and grabbed a hold of the truck’s bumper with
its vise-like grip. Mac was blabbering into the radio hand-set as the hand made its way along the side of the truck, digging
into the paint and metal with its sharp boney fingertips.
“So then Just as I was unloading the last case of tomato sauce, she gave me that ‘I want you to fuck me’
look and next thing I know we’re doing the nasty… that was three weeks ago and it’s been leg’s in
the air every visit since then.”
“Dam you lucky SOB.” As Phil’s voice squelched over the speaker the severed hand crawled its way up the
outside of the passenger’s door and dropped into the open window onto the floor on the passenger’s side. Mac
went on and on about his sexual exploits with Devin as the hand crawled over to his leg and began to make its way up toward
his crotch.
“Man I am telling you that Devin chick is so hot… I can still taste her on my lips and I can almost feel her hand
wrapping around my hot throbbing ba….” Suddenly feeling something actually grabbing his balls, Mac looked down
to see the severed hand between his legs. He let out a scream just as the hand leapt up and clasped itself around his neck
in a death grip.
********
“So tell me about that clown guy…. was he cute?” Randy was in the back seat of Brian’s car pocking
his head between the two front seats.
“I don’t know, Randy, he is a clown… you know, red nose and over-sized shoes.” Brian had talked Randy
and Steffi into going out to the circus with him to deliver the spark plugs that Smiley had gone into town earlier in the
day to order.
“Well who knows, he could be a hunk under all the make-up.” Randy looked out the window at a delivery truck passing
by and as he glanced into the window he could have sworn he saw a guy driving with what looked like a bony gnarly hand clasped
around his throat. “Hey guys…. Did you see…?” He looked out the back window at the truck disappearing
down the road. “Oh never mind.” Randy turned back around just before the delivery truck swerved off the road
behind them and crashed into the trees.
“Well rather the clown is a hunk or not, I’m really looking forward to this.” Steffi swatted at Randy who
had placed his head on her shoulder. “I haven’t been to the circus in ages and to be invited to get a behind the
scene’s look is awesome.”
“Yeah, Smiley said he would show me some juggling tricks, so I can’t wait.”
“You know Brian; maybe you should run away with the circus and become a performer like you always dreamed. Who knows
that Smiley guy might just give you a job.” Steffi reached over and pinched Brian on the cheek. “You know you’re
talented sweetie.”
“Ok!” Randy rolled his eyes. “Do you two need to get a room?”
“Oh shut up Randy… Brian is really talented and the only way he’s going to be able to do something with
his life is if he gets out of this crappy little town.”
“Oh sweet heart I completely agree with you,” Randy mussed Brian’s hair, “Brian here is one hell of
a juggler… and believe me, I’ve seen him playing with his balls.”
“Ok enough with the ‘balls’ jokes, smart ass. Even if they wanted me, I couldn’t just run away with
the circus anyway. I’ve got Gran to take care of… so I can’t just skip town and leave her behind. And I
know you have no intention of staying behind in this one horse town.”
“Yep, I love Gran and all but I’m outta here first chance I get.” Randy agreed.
“Randy we all know you’re destined to become personal hair dresser to Queen LaTifah, so nobody blames you for
following your dreams.”
“Well guys, I’m coming to the circus to deliver a box of sparkplugs, not to run away with it, so let’s drop
the subject, ok?”
“Ok,” Steffi said… “But I was just saying that you….”
“Just drop it, will ya?” Brian was getting a bit irritated at being the center of attention. He just wanted to
get to the circus, deliver the sparkplugs, have a look around and get back and now the time had come because they were there.
There was a small dirt road that veered off to the left into a large gravel parking lot where a dozen smaller tents surrounded
one really huge big top that was glowing with light and vibrant with music. It looked like business as usual on the circus
grounds. The Big top was glowing with light and there was music coming from inside and from the shadows they saw on the canvas
walls they could see that there was movement inside the enormous tent.
“Wow it looks like they are already rehearsing.” Randy could hardly hide his excitement. The last circus he had
seen was really a lame little country fair over in Cedar Creek when he was 10 years old. It was nothing like what he was before
his eyes now.
“Now let’s not get crazy, ok.” Brian instructed the others. “I’m actually here to make a delivery
and everything else is icing on the cake. I really don’t want to disturb their rehearsal so we should be as stealth
as possible.”
“Yeah,” Steffi added. “That could be fun, who knows we might accidentally catch some hunky trapeze guy changing
into his tights.”
“Oh my god, you are so slutty.” Randy gave Steffi a playful slap on the arm as Brian slowly opened his car door.
“Yeah well you haven’t seen anything yet.” Steffi stuck her tongue out at Randy and they all piled out of
Brian’s little mini cooper. As they walked up to the big circus tent they were a bit puzzled as to why they didn’t
see any circus folk just meandering around but if it was really dress rehearsal time they probably all had jobs to do.
The south side of the tent closest to the parking lot had a huge flap opened. It was just big enough for Brian and the others
to sneak in unnoticed and stand under the bleachers.
“Daaaam! What is that smell?” Randy pinched his nose. “It’s like someone buried a dead body in elephant
shit.”
“Quiet!” Brian put his finger over his lips to shut Randy up. “We’re guests here and we don’t
want to interrupt their rehearsal.” They snuck up under the bleachers where they had a great view of the entire big
top through the metal seats. From their perspective they could see a multitude of circus performers practicing their acts.
There was a juggler in center ring, who was busy juggling, and on a make shift stage off to one side was a magician sawing
a lady in half. And in the ring to the right was an acrobat jumping rope that was being spun by two other acrobats on either
side. Brian and the others were pretty far away and from where they were everything seems normal except for an overall lag
that seemed to be affecting all the performers.
“Dude is it me, or is this the most laid back circus ever? Everyone seems to be moving in slow motion.” Randy
was standing on his tiptoes trying to get a better look over the metal seat in front of him.
Near huge canon over on one side there was a clown trying to climb up into it. He was obviously having problems getting up
into the barrel, presumably just to be shot out again. Not far away from him, near the business end of the canon a fire eater
was practicing with a lit torch ready to be eaten.
“Brian, Randy is right,” Steffi said with an almost anxious look on her face, “Something really isn’t
right here.”
“Guys…” Randy grabbed Brian’s arm so hard he made him drop his box of sparkplugs. “That juggler
over there isn’t juggling pins… he’s juggling…” Brian and Steffi looked far over on the other
side of the big top. Instead of juggling pins, knives or torches like any other juggler this one seemed to be juggling severed
body parts, a severed arm, a bloody foot and some poor woman’s hand with a shiny ring still on it.
Almost as if they had stumbled into some strange carnival house o horrors, they all looked over at the knife thrower. His
assistant was spinning around on a giant bull’s eye and she looked much worse for wear with her clothes torn and her
face bloody. Then with an ear-splitting whale the knife thrower let loose one of his blades that whizzed through the air,
plunging deep into her chest. But the odd part was that it didn’t seem to phase her.
Just as Savini’s knife plunged deep into Donya’s chest, they heard a splashing sound. They turned to see the magician
who had been sawing the lady in half. Well she was finally in two pieces and that they heard were her intestines falling to
the floor with a bloody splash. It was just then they noticed that the rope-jumping acrobats who were not too far away were
not using a rope to jump, but the small intestine of one of the poor girls spinning the rope. Pei Chee, who had been jumping
while facing away from Brian and the others, stopped and turned toward them, revealing her gnarled face and displaced bloody
jawbone. Randy, Brian and Steffi quickly ducked behind the bleachers out of sight so she wouldn’t see them.
“Is this shit for real? Or is this some sort of new European Circ Du So Lamo?” I mean who in the hell wants to
see this shit?
“I don’t know guys, I don’t think this is an act.” Just as Brian finished his last word they all heard
a loud snapping sound. They turned just in time to see the high wire break and the performer that was lumbering along it,
come plunging to the ground.
With no net in sight the poor performer came crashing to the ground with a loud thud. No special effects or stunt people involved.
This was real. They knew there was no way this was staged. The poor guy fell straight down and hit one of the standing platforms,
that was bolted to the side of the tall wooden tent pole, on his way down. The impact ripped away half of his face and mangled
his arm in such a way rather it was broken or not was not even in question. After landing with a bone breaking thud, the twisted
mangled performer rose up, leaving half of his face stuck to the sawdust covered circus floor.
Our Hero trio looked at each other unable to speak. They were in shock as the mangled broken performer stood as erect as he
could and began to lumber away. Broken bones sticking out of flesh as he went. If that wasn’t bad enough suddenly they
heard a loud whooshing sound as the fire eater’s head went up into flames, which instantly ignited the business end
of the canon just at the moment the clown still trying to climb in got his head and shoulders into the barrel.
The sound of the explosion was ear-splitting. Way too much gunpowder had been used in the canon’s ignition chamber and
the head, shoulders and right arm of the clown was blown off and sent sailing through the air….Right in the direction
of Brian and the others.
“THUD…. BANG…. SLITH” Was the sound made as the clowns head, shoulders and arm hit the metal bleachers
just above them and then dropped down the steps one rung at a time like some demented slinky until it finally came to rest
on the dusty ground at Randy’s feet.
“Aaaahhhh!” Randy screamed like a little girl. The clown’s severed head, still alive, hissed at him and
its severed arm grabbed Randy’s ankle with a death-grip.
Thinking on his feet, Brian grabbed the heavy box of sparkplugs that had fallen to the ground and used it to smash the clowns
head, crushing it into the dust until the partial cadaver loosed its grip on Randy.
“Jesus… Randy are you alright?” Steffi grabbed randy, who was half standing and half collapsing on the ground,
and pulled him toward her away from the still twitching clown bits.
“I’m never coming to another fucking circus as long as I live!” Randy hugged Steffi tight.
“Guys we need to get the hell out of here.” Brian no sooner said than they heard an ungodly wail come form the
center of the ring. They looked over and realized that Randy’s scream had caught the attention of each and every mangled
performer under the big top. In the center ring, stepping up on a bit round stand with bright red stars painted on it was
Hal Zimner the twisted gnarled ringmaster. He pointed his cane at them and let out another of those ear-splitting wails as
if it were a call to action for the other circus cadavers.
“Oh god they are coming after us now.” Still holding Randy, Steffi turned to go out the way they had come in,
but there between them and the opening to the outside was a strange Chinese man, covered in blood. His eyes were white and
covered in a milky film and his hands were outstretched toward them and he was moaning lightly.
“Oh Jesus,” Randy yelled, “It’s another one of those dead things.” He picked up the discarded
box of sparkplugs and was about to smack the old china man over the head when Brian stopped him.
“Wait!” Brian knocked the box out of Randy’s hands. “Look at him, he’s not like the others and
if you listen he’s actually talking to us.”
The old Chinese man had long white hair and a long white mustache that hung down to his chest. His white hair was caked with
blood but he was not obviously mangled and he didn’t have the same strange malevolent look the others had.
“Help me.” Mumbled the old man, “I need to find my daughter Pei Chee… where is she?” The old
man was feeling his way forward when Brian reached out and grabbed his hands.
“It’s ok, it’s ok…” Brian said, “We’ll help you, but can you tell me what’s
going on around here?”
“I don’t know. I’m blind so I can’t see anything, but suddenly everyone around me began to scream
and I heard things that were unbelievable… the sounds of death everywhere, so I hid myself behind the tent wall until
I finally heard the three of you talking an I knew you were not part of what is gong on.”
“Who are you? Are you part of this crazy circus?” Randy asked.
“I am the soothsayer in the circus and my daughter is one of the acrobats, have you seen her?”
“You’re a what?”
“He’s the circus fortune teller dude…. A palm reader….” Steffi pushed Randy aside to address
the old man. “We’ll help you find your daughter, what does she look like?” Steffi grabbed his arms and looked
into his milky blind eyes.
“My daughter is one of the Chinese acrobats… she is about five foot five with two long braids on the sides of
her head and her name is Pei Chee.”
Suddenly Randy grabbed Steffi’s hand and tugged on it. She turned to see what he wanted when he gestured for her to
look at the creatures coming at them. Leading the mass of walking dead was the very girl he had just described, bloody braided
pigtails and all.
“Um, sir, I hate to be the one to tell you this but I think you can forget about your daughter. She’s sort of
turned into a zomb…” Brian kicked Randy in the shin and elbowed him. “OUCH”
“Sir we need to get out of there. Your daughter isn’t around, so let’s go look for her.” As Brian
said this, Master Pong backed up against the canvas wall of the circus tent. His sensitive hearing was beginning to pick up
the sounds of the approaching hoard of walking circus corpses behind the bleachers.
“No I have to find her.” He said as he felt his way along the canvas searching for the opening. “I know
she’s ok and I just need to find where she’s hiding.”
A huge rip appeared in the canvas tent wall behind the old man and two pair of horrid putrid rotting arms grabbed a hold of
him. With all the horror Brian and the others had seen in the last ten minutes of their lives they were not at all prepared
for this. Rising up through the rip in the canvas were two distorted twisted faces of what had once been the Siamese twins
from the circus past. Two rotted charred torsos sharing one pair of mangled twisted legs. Shriveled breasts visible through
what had once been a beautiful circus costume now mere shreds of charred sequined fabric that clung to the horrible corpse
like peeling skin. One face with it’s lower jaw completely gone and the other with the charred skin stretched tight
across it’s eyes like a sleeping mask, the creature hissed and pulled Master Pong backward against her rotten bosom
and in a moment of what seemed like ecstasy on their faces the twin monsters simultaneously bit into both sides of Master
Pong’s neck at the same time, relishing every drop of the blood that oozed from the gaping wounds. Pong let out a gurgled
scream as the horrid mutant pulled him backward out of sight behind the tent wall.
“Sweet Jesus on a pogo stick, Brian…. What the holy fuck was that?” Randy was losing it. He was jumping
around and shaking like a leaf flailing his arms around. Steffi tried to calm him so he didn’t totally freak on them.
“I don’t know what that was, Randy but we need to get the hell out of here.” Brian grabbed Steffi’s
hand and let them out of the tent the way they had come.
Brian led the way as they ran for all they were worth back toward the car. The moans of the meandering dead was evident all
over the circus ground and the specific crowd of blood thirsty performers from the big top were hot on their heels now as
they had squeezed their way through the bleachers.
The full moon was bright in the night sky as Brian, Steffi and Randy piled into the car without a second to lose. Brian turned
the ignition key and like a scene out of some bad horror movie nothing happened. He tried again but there wasn’t as
much as a winning grinding turn of the engine. Nothing was happening and it was the absolute worse time Brian could think
of for engine problems.
“You guys don’t move. I’m going to see if I can get it started.” Brian didn’t give them time
to protest before he darted out of the car and around front and popped the hood open.
There in front of him, in a nest of twisted chewed up wires was a horrible sight. It looked like it had been a monkey at one
time but now it was a charred mangled decaying fiend and thank god it was tangled in the wires and couldn’t get to Brian.
It was hissing and pulling at the wires that it had gotten itself tangled in and it obviously wanted to get free and take
a chunk out of Brian’s tender youthful flesh.
“What in the hell is that?” Brian grabbed a stick on the ground and was using it to poke the creature back into
the wire tangle.
Randy and Steffi couldn’t see what was trying to attack Brian under the hood but they could see that he was dealing
with something more than a dead battery and they could also see that what ever he was dealing with, he better do it fast.
“Brian, hurry up!” Randy Yelled through the rolled up window. Brian couldn’t hear him and he was much too
busy with the zombie monkey to care, but what he didn’t know and what Randy and Steffi could see was that off to one
side of a nearby tent was a smashed broken cage wagon and out of the bars something hideous was creeping. The sight would
have been funny if it wasn’t so horrible but either way it saw Brian and Brian didn’t see it.
This is a 1-column page.
Enter subhead content here
|
