Prologue: Elmer, the Ringmaster and the Beast

Step right up! Thank you all for taking the time to read my next little horror. I've been wanting to visit the circus for a long time. The character the prologue includes is only for the prologue. Don't worry. The rest of the story is just our main cast of characters. Our little freak show. I do hope you'll enjoy the circus.

Many circuses had come by our town but none were as unique as the one that was advertised to come to our town next. That's what intrigued us. The other boys as I watched from the sidelines as dozens of roustabouts put up giant canvas tents and the animal caretakers took out the different animals, lions, elephants, camels. We watched in excitement, the boys and I, sitting lazily on the grassy hill watching the men below us work hard. We were watching carefully because of the freaks that were advertised. They say there is a man who hangs from a hook through his jaw, and a fortune teller with no eyes. There's the most beautiful woman in the world, but she has the legs of a goat. There's a clown with two heads. Another woman, a contortionist, is rumored to be able to bend like she has no bones, and the magician and his assistant can remove their heads. It's bloody amazing, from what I've heard. I'm most excited to see the beast man, though: a human with the mind of an animal. "Do you think the rumors are true, lads? The ones about the freaks?"

"What the blazes are you goin' on about, Elmer? All these circuses tell a whole lotta horse-shit. Gotta get more business. That's what me mum says. They'll say anything to draw in a crowd." Of course Walter would doubt everything. He thinks he's the big boss of us boys 'cause he's a year older. He says he'll be a grown up next year 'cause he'll be thirteen.

"I don't know, Walter. It could be true. Remember the Lobster Man at the last freak show? You said he wouldn't exist, but he did." I can count on Thomas to take my side on things. He likes seeing Walter proved wrong as much as I do. He just tends to be a bit smarter about it. He goes to some fancy school in the city during the school months, only coming home for summer and winter holidays.

"Whatever. There was that same circus that claimed to have a bearded lady and it was just a man in a dress."

"I dunno. I thought he looked convincing." I look down at the people working below, drowning out Walter and Thomas's bickering. Was there really such thing as a goat woman, or a man that could take off his head? The roustabouts would probably know. Maybe I can overhear them. They are part of the circus after all. It would be great to be a part of the circus.

"I'm going down there."

Walter and Thomas both looked at me like I had gone mental. "Why don't you just wait until tomorrow like the rest of us? Remember last time?" Walter didn't need to remind me. We went down to try to get a better look and the roustabouts forced us into helping. We were stuck shoveling shit until nighttime. I got in trouble with me mum, I did. I wasn't back before supper. I know Walter and Thomas both hated it, but I didn't mind so much. It was fun getting to hear all the stories the men had. Some of the blokes had just snuck onto the train and found themselves with a job the next day. Other had been working there their whole lives. They told stories about people who broke the rules were thrown off the train, and how they'd watch their brains splatter against rocks as they hit the ground. I wonder if these guys had any stories.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be back before dinner." I hop up from my spot and run down the hill, laughing as thoughts of elephants and tigers filled my mind. I was determined to find one of the freaks in this circus. They were so heavily advertised that they had to be true. Someone ought to be talking about them. I snuck along the train cars hiding in the back, careful to avoid being seen. I didn't want to help carry the heavy crates or pitch the giant tent. That was hard enough the first time. I can hear stories from here.

Or I could explore. That sounds like fun. Maybe I can see the performers for myself.

The train seemed to go on forever. I couldn't see the front of the train, though I knew there had to be one. Do all the train cars smell like manure? I suppose it makes sense with all the animals on board. I wonder if the performers have to deal with the smell? Getting towards the front of the train the smell went away, so I assumed not. I watched carefully, peeking through the cracks between the train cars. The people over here were dressed much better. A brunette lady sat at a table sipping tea, sitting in a deep purple dress. Next to her a raven haired woman laughed, dark green dress contrasting her features nicely. They must be performers. I continue to watch, studying their behaviors carefully. There were loads of performers around, not just the two women. They all talked and laughed together, sipping tea and eating biscuits, dressed too nicely to be in our town. There was a trend, though. They all avoided the second, third and fourth cars to the front, giving them a wide berth anytime they passed by. Those were the cars I wanted to see. I snuck behind, in the shadow of the train, avoiding detection until I reached the fourth car, creeping in.

I got in and there was no one to be found. The interior of the car looked rather plain as well, sporting nothing but two pairs of twin sized bunk beds, and a full size bed. It was disappointing, frankly. The comforters were pale pink in color and the room smelled vaguely of rotting flowers. I doubt this is where the exquisite ladies spend their time. Against the walls were three wardrobes, a pile of books and diaries on top of one, a vase of long expired flowers and perfumes -probably the source of the smell- on another. The third one held an old picture of a family I didn't bother studying too closely. I let out a sigh and head out the door, trying to hop into the second car. "What do you think you're doing?"

I've been caught. The voice comes from behind me and sounds stern, but also strange. His accent comes from somewhere else. America, perhaps? I turn around and face him. He's a handsome man, brown hair and eyes, and nice features. He's got a bit of stubble on his chin. He's sharply dressed and I can tell he's one of the performers. What's strange about him though is the fact he's wearing gloves in the middle of July, and a couple of the fingers seem to be missing on the left hand. I stop staring at the gloves and turn my attention back to his face. He looks vaguely familiar. It dawns on me his portrait is one of the ones on the poster. "S-sorry sir. I just was looking for some of the performers. One of me friends didn't think they'd actually exist, so I thought I'd look for proof."

The man looks me over, up and down, before giving me a smile. "Well, why didn't you say so?" He crouches down so he's eye level with me. This man is fascinating. He doesn't look like he'd be part of the circus. "What's your name?"

"Elmer," I say without hesitation.

"Nice to meet you, Elmer. My name is Mike. I'm the ringmaster at this circus." He gets back up and crosses his arms, a sad look crosses his face, before he looks me over once again. "We actually have a bit of a problem. Do you think you could help me out?" I nod furiously. He's asking me to be a part of the circus! I can't possibly say no. "Great. Why don't you follow me?" I do as he says, following his every footstep. He leads me through the second cart, which looks the same as the previous one, except the comforters are a navy blue, there is no full size bed, and the smell is more like sweat than rotting flowers. There is a duo of people sitting on one of the beds, smiling at one another, a blonde man and a red headed woman. They turn their attention to me as I walk past. Their expressions are ones of sadness. We leave the car and go into the first one, where a blonde contortionist casually relaxes with her head casually between her legs, a book open. This much be the boneless woman I heard about! When she sees me she stands up and leaves the car, leaving her book abandoned. It looks like she's avoiding me.

This car smells worse than the first two, like the slaughter house. What was she doing in here, I wonder? Surely there much better places to relax. Mike leads me to a chair and motions for me to sit down. For the first time since leaving Walter and Thomas, I start to feel uneasy. "Take a seat." I do as he says. There's a dull growling coming from the other side of the cart.

"What's that sound?"

Mike puts a blindfold over me. "Oh, that's Josh. He's probably preparing for his act. You're going to help him."

My heartbeat begins to quicken. What is Josh's act? Why do I suddenly feel so uneasy? Why did Mike blindfold me? I am only able to think about these things for a split moment before I feel something cut through my neck. My head rolls to the floor and everything vanishes.

OoOoO

Killing doesn't bother me anymore. It's just another task I have to accomplish. Maybe I would be evil if I found pleasure in killing, but I don't. I just feel numb. I try not to take people that will be missed, or are of significance. His friends and parents will probably think he joined the circus. They'll never find his body.

I have to do this. I have to do this to keep Josh alive. Everyone needs to be safe. I've sacrificed so much for them. I only care about their safety. I sigh and pick up the boy's head, throwing it into a giant bucket, one that is crusted with years worth of blood. I hack off each of his limbs, slicing them quickly at the joints with decades of practice. He didn't suffer. I made sure of that. I'm not evil. I place all the body parts into the bucket and walk to the end of the car. There's a large cage with a single bed in it. Inside a man is huddled in the corner. "Hey, bud. I brought you some dinner. I know it's been a couple weeks since you've had a good meal."

He runs towards me, looking at me with crazed eyes. He looks almost normal person, if it weren't for those eyes. Those eyes and his teeth. That's why they call him a beast man. I know better. He's not a beast. He's a broken man. We're all broken. Us broken people have to stick together, like we always have.

The car opens and I know it's one of us. Everyone else avoids this place. They know those who come here never return. "Is it over?" It's Sam.

I don't say anything.

"He was just a little kid, Mike!"

I let out a breath. "I know."

"Why didn't you let him go?"

Nothing.

"Why did you lead him here?"

I can't answer.

"What happened to the Mike we used to know?"

The only sound now is coming from Josh chewing on one of the kid's arm. At least one of us is happy. I had to do it. I had to.

"You need to talk to us, Mike. I know we've all been through hell, but we can all get through this, together. We've made a life for ourselves now. We can finally be happy." She lets out a sigh and turns away from me. My silence is enough for her. She doesn't know how cruel her words are. "We're all here for you, Mike. Jess, Ash, Em, all of us." She grabs her book and leaves the car, probably going to find Hannah and Beth.

"We've made a life for ourselves, huh?" I sit next to Josh. "You and I have at least." I sit next to his cage, leaning against the bars. "It's going to just be you and me, you know. Everyone else will have to leave us." I sigh. "They've haven't been alive for a long time."

You're leaving already? Well did you have fun? You'll be sure to come back, won't you? You've just begun to see what we have to offer here at our little circus. Whatever you decide we'll be here. Waiting. Just don't keep us waiting too long.