Episode 8

Natalie and Jen half carried Tina out of the theater and didn't stop moving until they made it safely out and hidden behind a popcorn cart outside. The air sounded eerily still. Natalie pooped out and had to stop running first; her forehead pressed against the menu sign displaying the prices.
"You've got..." Jen rubbed her thumb against her cheek.
"What?" Natalie grumbled.
"There's chalk on your face."
Natalie reeled her head back and wiped the white powder away, "Ugh! Whatever... Grandma. Now would be a great time to explain yourself."
Tina sighed as if she were lifting an incredibly heavy load, "Well I can't exactly remember anything... I was taking a nap, not feeling well, and then I was being dragged off of a huge stage and hundreds of people were looking at me!"
"Probably because you were acting crazy!" Natalie said.
Jen shrugged, "There was also a dead body hanging above you."
Tina's eyes narrowed, "You know... I haven't been feeling well since that night where Button's..."
Everyone became solemn. The feeling of dread made all of them queasy when remembering Button's unsolved murder. Natalie fiddled her fingers, playing with a loose piece of string from her cardigan.
"I think we're all scarred from that," Jen said.
Tina's eyes moved to Natalie, "Granddaughter. My head's been cloudy for a long time. Dark energies have been stalking us... I've also noticed an absence in our rituals."
Jen's eyes shifted to Natalie's.
"Grandma..." Natalie huffed.
"I thought at first it was all part of the sacrifice... our duty protecting the stone, but NOW I'm seeing a bit more clearly."
Jen spoke up, "What stone?"
"It's..." Natalie grit her teeth. Jen and Tina both watched her intently, waiting for her next move, or confession.
"Ok... Alright!" Natalie exclaimed, "It was my fault. I looked when I wasn't supposed to!"
Tina gasped, "You looked? As in you looked into the bowl..."
"Yes! The bowl! During the ritual... I saw something freaky come out, and then Buttons died!"
Jen looked flabbergasted, and Tina looked as though the reaper came for her soul.
"What are we talking about..." Jen asked, "I mean I knew you guys did cool witchy things, but I thought we did this for show."
"You..." Tina's face turned pink, "I warned you!"
"I was ten!" Natalie said, "How could you trust me with something like that? Of course, I looked..."  Saying it out loud didn't make her feel better about her case. Natalie turned her eyes to the ground, kicking pieces of fallen popcorn puffs with her foot.
She sighed, "I didn't think a murderous monster creature thing would come out if I just looked."
"Still have no idea what you're talking about," Jen sang.
Tina rubbed her little wrinkly hands on her eyes. Of course, she felt disappointed, angry too, Natalie expected that. She carried the blame of Buttons these last years, knowing and not knowing how she could've been responsible. The guilt just hovered like a dark cloud, following her everywhere she went, at every ritual they performed thereafter when her grandma looked confused as if something was wrong.
"Why didn't you tell me then?" Tina asked, "It's been too long..."
"Too long for what?" Jen pleaded, "Fill me in, please? Hi, hello?"
A woman's scream alerted them. Different from the screams of joy the theme park normally filled itself with from the attractions, this scream riddled itself with terror. It sounded like it came from the entrance of the park.
"Grandma," Natalie approached her, "I confessed, now you need to too. What exactly is that stone?"
Tina's thin eyebrows furrowed, "It's who."
"What?"
Jen looked up in mild interest as well.
"The stone is... was... a cage for a whom."

Episode 7

Andrew tangled himself into another set of curtains. The only lights to follow came from the red glowing letters spelling "EXIT." Otherwise, he wandered, briskly, through the dark theater. He felt Jordan digging her nails into his arm, but allowed her to stay close.
"We have to get out of here!" she cried.
"Well, I'm uh, working on it," Andrew grunted as he tripped over an unknown object, "Ow..."
Jordan squealed right in his ear, "Someone touched me!"
"Yeah, and it's me."
"The magician?" Jordan gasped.
"Just Matt is fine..." he sighed.
Andrew could sense the presence of two new people with them. He assumed Matt had Macy along with him, and the sad sniveling confirmed it. Macy whimpered and bumped into Andrew's shoulder, almost sending herself falling to the floor.
"Hey, Mathe..Mathelemellow," Andrew said, "Can't you whip up some magic flashlight or something?"
"If I could... I'm pretty positive I'd be using it already."
"How can you sound like that?" Macy accused.
"Like what?" Matt asked.
"So calm!"
"Trust me," Matt laughed darkly, "I'm just as freaked as you are. Inside."
Andrew huffed. He had enough of this disorienting experience. Disregarding invisible obstacles, he plowed towards one of the red exit signs with Jordan in tow.

"Finally!" Andrew took a deep inhale. They made it outside, only to be welcomed by the late evening sky. Clouds had moved across the stars, giving very little light from above. With the power out in the entire park, the lively atmosphere felt cold and abandoned.
"Let's just get to the entrance," Matt suggested, "I bet there's a crowd now trying to do the same thing."
Andrew nodded; no complaints with that plan!
Jordan loosened her grip on his arm, and it seemed they were all able to cool off from the weird incident in the dressing room. Taylor's death plagued Andrew's mind. But who could blame him? Everyone who saw the poor girl's entrails had to be scarred for life. And who would paint her face like that? Whoever killed her enjoyed doing it, Andrew shivered.
"Hopefully everyone else is ok..." Jordan frowned, "I was too scared to even think back there."
"What was that?" Andrew looked to Macy, "It had to be someone in the room with us, but who would scare you like that?"
Macy shook her head, "A big jerk-face..."
"That laugh didn't sound like any of us," Jordan noted, "Although, I guess anyone can make themselves sound creepy if they're trying."
"I still can't get over Jacob being a cop," Andrew laughed, "Who knew, right? We rehearsed with that guy for months."
"I don't know what to believe," Jordan muttered.

The four followed the winding street paths of the park until they spotted the gates; tall metal bars with the Wonder World logo across the front, normally in flashing lights. Andrew wanted to be excited they made it, that they could go back to their homes safely, but something held him back. His suspicions were heavy like gravity and almost pulled him in the opposite direction of the gates.
"Whats wrong?" Jordan noticed Andrew had stopped.
"I don't know," Andrew made a face, "I just thought... I thought there would be more people or police cars. You know?"
Jordan sighed, but took another look and noticed the same thing. Moments ago they could hear people shouting after the performance, and yet they saw no one. By now, blue and red lights should've been flashing.
"Help has to be coming," Jordan snorted, "It's a theme park, they probably have emergency protocols or something to follow."
"How long were we in the dressing room?" Andrew asked, "I feel like we're the only ones left."
"Think an evacuation could've been that fast?" Jordan raised an eyebrow, "I'm sure there's someone... Oh! See. There's one right there."
Jordan skipped ahead, passing Matt and Macy who had also come to a dead stop. Jordan rolled her eyes, clearly, not everyone wanted to leave as badly as she did. "Excuse me! Hey, over here! We need to get out of here, like now!"
Jordan waved her arms to the figure standing at the gates. How come only one employee stationed here?
Her foot caught on something, making her almost trip. She'd had enough of this wandering in the dark nonsense, and grimaced, ready to kick whatever lay in her way. A scream caught in her throat as her foot almost collided with a person's face.
The dead eyes stared up at her; his skin glowing white and blood drying along the side of his head. A brutal wound caved into his skull like he'd been hit with a powerful object. Jordan noticed the dead man had company. Bodies paved the way leading to the gates.
Jordan trembled. Her breathing stopped altogether. The figure at the gates slowly turned to face her, but it possessed no human features. Only a cold and empty silhouette.

Episode 6

Jacob returned to the room; everyone still in their sulking state. His eyes leered at each of their faces while the butt of his gun sat comfortably in his hand.
"I don't think you can keep us in here like this," Macy mumbled, wiping thick black sludge from under her eyes.
"My job is to make sure the suspects stay on the premises until backup arrives," Jacob said, coolly.
"How are any of us a suspect!" Macy demanded.
Jacob snorted. He took heavy steps in a circle around the room, giving everyone a judgemental scan.
"I don't see why any of you shouldn't be. I mean... what about Hocus Pocus over here," Jacob nodded his black pistol towards Tina. She sat up on her own now, still surrounded by Jen and Natalie. Jacob towered over them as he spoke, "This lady comes out screaming about death and not a second later a dead body drops from the sky. Odd, don't you think?"
Natalie frowned, "Back up off my grandma, creep." Jen's eyes widened at her remark but said nothing to protest. When Jacob felt satisfied intimidating them, he took another turn around the room, this time halting in front of Blake.
"Or could this be another crazy boyfriend case," Jacob tilted his head to the side, "A little cliche, but there are cliches for a reason..."
Internally, Blake fumed but only a cold stare emerged from the surface. Gerald intervened, "They weren't dating, yet anyway..."
Jacob smirked, "It didn't have to be a serious relationship."
Blake nudged Gerald, stopping him from feeding fuel to the fire, "It seems odd they sent only one cop to investigate..."
Before Jacob could reply, the lights in the room shut off.

At first, Macy thought it was one of them playing with the lights, but even the dull hum of the air conditioning silenced. A power outage?
"At a time like this? Really?" Blake snapped.
"Shh... no one move," Jacob hushed.
With the new haunting quiet of the room, everyone could hear the commotion occurring just outside the theater. People murmured loudly, in fright and protest. And then there were screams. Several screams.
Macy's fingers trembled. Was it really happening again? She almost couldn't bear it; the screams and the blood. The memories terrorized her as they sat in the dark.
A hand drew the ends of her blonde hair and let the strands slide along the fingers. She flinched, "Whoever's touching me it's not funny."
Matt stirred next to her, "Who? Hey, I'm all for jokes, but too soon guys."
No one responded but Macy felt the hand again, this time her head fell back, being yanked by her hair.
"Ow! Knock it off!" she roared.

"Hehehe..."

Her jaw clenched. She knew she didn't just make that up in her head. The quiet and childish giggle definitely came from behind her. A brush of hot breathe grazed her exposed shoulder.
"Matt..." she felt her body turn to jello, "S-someone is..."

"HA-HA, HAAAA!"

Macy clamped her hand around Matt's wrist and bolted through the darkness. The room became a war zone. No one knew the location of the laughter or the escape. But a delightful clicking noise confirmed someone managed to get through the door even in the dark.
"Wait!" Jacob shouted, "We have to stay together!"
Macy's screams drowned out the cop's orders. Everyone ran for it in a blind panic, away from the blackness and away from the owner of that eerie giggling. Familiar with the stage by memory alone, Macy led herself and Matt through, stumbling over curtains and chairs, but never stopping.

Episode 5

The next thing Zach knew, his eyes were staring into the tiny follicles in the carpet. Someone shouted, but his ears rang too loudly to make it out. The floor vibrated - more bodies landing on the carpet with dull thuds.
"Get down!"
"What the hell, man!"
"We didn't do anything! Obviously!"
Zach slowly turned his neck so that he could look up at the commotion.
Jacob, the actor with a grizzly beard, had a gun pointed at Blake, who now also laid flat on the ground. Everyone had wild looks in their eyes; first Taylor's hanging and mangled body and now this.
"What are you doing?" Aaron demanded. He knelt like the rest of them but didn't resist glowering.
"This park is officially on lockdown. You, the employees and the entire park will undergo a thorough investigation," Jacob stated.
"What are you some kind of cop?" Gerald grunted.
"Yup."

*****

Macy sobbed quietly in a corner, dabbing the blood off from her face with trembling hands. Matt provided an endless line of multicolored handkerchiefs from his sleeve. Some of the red remains stayed stained in her white-blonde hair; speckles of proof from tonight's grizzly events.
Everyone had been shoved into this dressing room backstage; Macy and Matt, Zach, Spencer, Gerald, Blake, Andrew, Jordan, and now the witches, Natalie, Jen, and Tina. Jacob brought them in last, rounding them up from the stage after Tina fainted.
Natalie shifted her eyes across the room, examining everyone's face and features; anything to distract from what she'd just seen. Seconds, it felt like seconds, before the show Natalie talked to Taylor. She didn't know what it was exactly, but that blonde was one of the Wonder World employees she didn't find totally annoying. They could've been friends if they ever had the chance to hang out after work. Not anymore.
In a way, Natalie felt guilty. She knew it was irrational, bad people will do bad things regardless of the circumstance, but still. What if she hadn't' asked for Taylor's help in finding her grandma? Taylor looked so eager to assist too...
It's all too familiar, Natalie thought. This feeling of dread and a darkness pressing down on her - making it hard to breathe, see, feel...
She and Jen sat cross-legged on the floor with Tina sleeping in their laps. A blonde boy had fallen asleep as well, though not because the situation made him feel relaxed by any means. His face looked paler than a corpse.

"Did you guys know he was undercover?" Gerald suddenly asked the actors.
Jordan, eyes pink from crying, sniffled and glared up at him, "No..."
Andrew sat on the black stylist chair's next to a glamorous vanity mirror. He twirled in the seat once before responding, "I had no idea, just thought he was... eccentric? I guess that means he's a good actor after all!"
"Who cares about the cop!" Macy cried, "Taylor is literally hanging from the ceiling with her guts out for the whole world to see. Someone did this!"
Jordan huffed. A tension started to slowly build in the room. "We haven't had any issues until you guys showed up."
"What's that supposed to mean," Matt snorted, "We didn't do this."
"Ugh, enough!" Natalie barked. Everyone looked in her general direction. Jordan frowned, clearly not satisfied yet.
"I saw someone in the rafters..." Natalie explained, "So I know it wasn't any of you. Or us."
The pale boy asleep on the floor rose from the dead, his interest captivated. Odd, Natalie studied him a while longer, he looked familiar. Or similar? Taylor... Natalie put the pieces together. She did say she had a cousin working at Wonder World named Zach.
"Who did you see? What did he look like?" Aaron blurted, "This is great, we can tell them what you know."
"He was in all black," Natalie grimaced, "Almost impossible to see anything other than his outline..."
That seemed to make everyone join in communal terror. Blake's face hardened until he looked rough as stone. Natalie gazed down at her grandma, stirring in her sleep like a nightmare plagued her mind.
"What do you think is happening out there now?" Jen said.
"People are probably scrambling to get to the exits," Blake muttered, "The ones from the theater that didn't get pulled aside like we did, that's for sure. They'll evacuate everyone else from the park eventually..."
"I don't want to be trapped in here," Macy sniffed.

"Mmm..."
Jen nudged Natalie's shoulder. Tina's eyes flickered open, this time their normal color returned. After Tina's episode on stage, Natalie knew people would be suspicious of her. But it wasn't any of them, Natalie knew, it wasn't... human.

No one believed her last time. Who'd believe her now? Now that it's happened again...

Episode 4

"Places people, places... Ushers out front, actors backstage, Matt you're coming in from- w-where is the... Why aren't you in costume? Macy, you're on in fifteen, you still have to do hair and makeup!"
Aaron ran like a chicken without its head. Tonight would commence their first ever evening performances at Wonder World, consisting of the magicians, and a warm-up comedian. A lot of pressure rested on Aaron's shoulders, being the director and the one who convinced the park owners to open the theater.
"Calm down," Macy waved as she glided past the stage, wearing only a pink bathrobe, "My makeup is 24 hour, I'm basically ready."
Aaron grimaced, not mentally prepared to deal with the new line of divas. Everyone warned him night one could have its malfunctions, however, Aaron felt determined the shows a hit anyway.
He started losing his cool when he realized two of the backstage helpers were missing, but luckily he had his stars and the customers located their seats without a struggle. Feeling reassured, Aaron gave his usher team a thumbs up.

"14 and 15 B, right this way," Zach helped an elderly couple once they entered the theater. He didn't consider part-time jobs to be fabulous, and even less fabulous when the hours took place at night, but it was Wonder World. Zach's cousin, Taylor, found him the job when the two of them were looking for a summer work. She had an usher position also, filing in the new people to see the new show.
They planned to get a bunch of coworkers to watch the show from the balcony once the lights went down, at least until Zach and Taylor had to stand by the doors during intermission.
He spotted his cousin across the river of red cushioned seats when a girl with dark hair ran up to her, looking wide-eyed and out of breath. Was her name Natalie? She looked like one of the new girls, one of the witches, Zach thought. He tried continuing his work without letting his curiosity get the better of him, but now the two girls looked equally panicked.
A third arrived, her dark hair tied back, and a similar expression on her face. Now Zach felt worried. Maybe something happened backstage or with one of the guests? But before he could make his way to them, the lights began to dim. He could wait to ask until they made it to the balcony.

"Ha-HAA!" Matt, or Matholemew, appeared on the stage, followed by an intense light show mixed with fog and floating objects. What little Zach knew about Matt and Macy was their love for creating loud and colorful spectacles. Macy, sporting what looked like a red ballerina dress with gold ribbons and a purple flower brooch, descended from the ceiling along with a cloud of diamond-like glitter. From her wrists to her elbows she wore sheer black sleeves with red ruffles, giving the full ensemble a very costume-ish and old school feel.  
Matt's attire stayed clean and classic, an all-black suit, but not forgetting the traditional top hat. After their grand entrance, the two performed a series of magical tricks, some basic and some exotic. Macy disappeared and reappeared in several spots around the theater, making the crowd cheer in playful pleasure.
Zach escaped to the balcony in time to find a few employees already there; Gerald, Blake, Spencer - even some of the actors not currently performing like Andrew, Jordan, and Jacob. However, he didn't see his cousin or the two brunette girls from earlier. The area stayed empty, leaving the group alone up there to watch the show from above. Spencer, one of the game hosts, brought an assortment of goodies that surprisingly they still indulged - considering these foods became part of their everyday diets. Popcorn just never lost its touch.
"They're doing well," Spencer commented, handing Zach a plastic bag full of cotton candy.
"It's alright," Blake shrugged. His eyes lingered on Zach for a moment before returning to the stage.
"You're just bitter Taylor isn't here," Jordan jabbed Blake in the side. It was clear Blake didn't want that to be common knowledge as he grunted in annoyance.
Zack took a seat by Jacob, who watched the show like a hawk. When he offered the actor some candy, Jacob reached into the bag without removing his gaze, "Thanks," his tone dull.
"Guess they skipped ahead to the hypnotizing," Zach said.
Jordan snickered, flicking her hair behind her ear, "He's been like this since they started. In his own world."
"Does anyone know where my cousin is, anyway?" Zach asked.
Everyone shook their head, "We were missing some people backstage too," Andrew mulled, his hand moving to scratch his chin, "I'm sure they're somewhere..."
Zach nodded, not fully convinced, but continued watching the show with the others. Seeing Matt and Macy in their element brought the once empty theater to life. The comedy and wonderment kept everyone in smiles.

The end of their performance arrived, once Zach heard Matt announce his final tricks, so he moved to get ready to continue his job when heavy footsteps thundered up the balcony stairs.
"There you are... and... all of you?" Aaron, the director, came storming in, "I need you downstairs. All of you, let's go!" He kept his tone at a whisper, but he seemed peeved. That got everyone to jump from their seats.
As they followed their angered boss like loyal ducklings, a couple surprised screams caught them off guard. Zach peered over the balcony and noticed an old woman running onto the stage. Followed closely by the two brunette girls Taylor had talked to before.
"What in the hell..." Aaron leaned over the bar.
"It's the witches," Jordan sighed, "Maybe they're part of the show...?"
"They are not," Aaron clicked his tongue.
Uneasiness swept over them, as the two girls struggled to usher the old woman back. Andrew snapped his fingers together, "Oh, that is uh, Natalie and Jen. And... their grandma? What was her name..."
"Tina," Jordan finished.
"This doesn't look good," Jacob muttered, "Hopefully Matt can improv something."

"HE IS HERE!" Tina exclaimed. She flailed her arms about, moving her green robes like flags. Natalie grabbed one arm and Jen the other, soothingly but also forcefully trying to get her off the stage.
"How did she get there," Aaron growled, "What is she doing?" The lot of them had migrated to the railing to observe the chaos unfolding on Matt's stage. She seems possessed, Zach thought, and if it was an act then well done?
"DEATH HAS COME! YOU ALL MUST FLEE!"
Some members of the crowd chuckled, thinking it was nothing more than a weird staged act. Everyone felt under that impression, that is until blood rained from the sky.
The crowd hushed into an eerie silence. Even Matt, who had been playing along rather well, paused in shock. Red drops landed on Macy's porcelain cheeks.
Zach felt his stomach drop and his vision went blurry. Unable to hold himself up, he collapsed onto his knees. No... no, no.
Above the stage, a body dropped, tangled in a web of strings, like a doll. Her face even had heavy makeup, red cheeks, pink lips, painted on black eyelashes that reached her eyebrows, and a very white and powdery face. Her long blonde hair parted into two thick pigtails, but she had on a white button-up shirt and black pants, very much like Zach's uniform.
Across her stomach, a large slit had been made, and from the impact of the drop, her organs spilled over and the blood splattered everyone below.
"That's..." Zach heard Gerald whisper, "That's Taylor...?"
Recovering from the shock, a roar of panic erupted from the theater.

Episode 3

“Pick your prize. There’s the stuffed… pink dolphin, or the blow-up, uh, Sriracha bottle, and a giant banana with sunglasses…”

Gerald handed the teenagers one banana, while his coworker glanced at him, trying to hide an amused grin.

“I don’t think you could sound any less excited,” Blake chuckled.

Gerald rolled his eyes, “Dream job, right here.” 

Gerald ran the ping-pong toss booth on weekends, while Blake had the basketball hoops. Children spent their parent’s pretty pennies only to receive a toy worth less than their efforts. To Gerald's right, the new guy, Spencer, had the obnoxious test-your-strength game, making loud bell noises each time someone dropped the hammer. Fury built in Gerald's chest as he watched people swinging away and adding more noises with their cheers.

“Why are we doing this again?” Gerald glowered at his uniform next, the striking primary colors in stripes reminded him of hot dog stand girls.

“It’s just between semesters,” Blake explained, as if routine, “We get extra money before classes start again. We also get into Wonder World for free, which means we can take girls here. Oh, and the food is free.”

Gerald sighed, reassured, “Right. Girls and food… girls and food. And money. Did you ask that usher out yet? Blondie?”

Blake shrugged, before giving him a knowing glance.

“You did?”

Blake shrugged, “We might be going out later tonight.”

“Right on. Ugh… three months. Three long fuc-”

“Language!” 

Gerald looked up and spotted Jen, one of the newer employees at the park, strolling by their booths and pointing a finger at the two of them, “This is a kid-friendly zone, doncha know.”

“Ooo, the Wonder World police,” Gerald said, “Where are you off to newbie? You can chill with us cool kids.”

“Oh, I’ll pass. You guys are a little too cool for me,” Jen snorted, “I’ve gotta get ready for tonight, anyway.”

“What’s tonight?” Blake asked.

“Why, the great Matholemew’s show of course! I’m helping backstage.”

Gerald resisted rolling his eyes for the hundredth time today. This would be Blake and Gerald’s second time working at Wonder World, usually only in three month periods, but the three months felt like years. Every night they’d return to their apartment smelling like popcorn or some kid’s vomit. Now they had a slew of new performers bringing more and more people to the park.

“Are you helping out at the clown shows also?” he asked.

Jen paused, her smile suddenly looked forced, “Um. What clowns?”

“Oh,” Gerald suddenly felt like he said something off-putting, “Uh - that’s the new thing now. Every hour on the hour the clowns have a show. There’s even a new clock tower in every area of the park letting you know when the next show is. It’s super annoying… but I thought the clowns came with you guys?”

Jen already had light skin, but her face became ghostly pale, “Um… no. Not with us. Cool though, I’ll… have to check it out sometime.”

With that, she continued walking, her peppiness returning. Blake started snickering again.

“What!” Gerald demanded. Someone had just hit the bell at Spencer’s station, adding to his aggravation.

“You have a way with ladies,” Blake replied.

“Shut up. I didn’t think they’d still…”

“Be freaked? I would be. I mean, they never found who did it.”

A presence arrived just behind Gerald, making him flinch.

“Who did what?”

“Geez!” Gerald jumped, “Spencer. Don’t sneak up all creepy.”

Spencer frowned, adjusting his glasses, “My bad. Just curious. No one’s standing in my line so… Was that one of the circus kids?” 

The three Wonderworkers huddled together on break, feasting on churros and frozen lemonades. In the beginning, Gerald loved the warmth and sugary scent of churros, but this being his unknown numbered churro, the magic had worn off. 

“Basically,” Blake started, “The circus was on lock down. Everyone was questioned. But they didn’t find anything. No weapon, no signs of a struggle or even bloodshed. Crazy.”

“It must’ve happened earlier that day, and whoever did it brought the body later,” Spencer mulled, “I can’t even imagine… a jar full of…”

“A barrel,” Blake sucked half his lemonade down in one gulp, “Brain-freeze…”

Spencer looked like he was about to gag, “Disgusting…”

“That was ten years ago,” Gerald said, “Whoever did it got away with it and hasn’t shown up again. Hopefully, it was someone with a vendetta against the poor clown and now he’s done.”

“Must’ve been a pretty crazy vendetta…” Spencer noted.

The mood turned solemn, and they returned to their fried treats in silence. 

*****

Jen opened the tent to Tina’s bedroom to find Natalie asleep on the floor, curled up like a kitten in a blanket. Curiously enough, no Tina.

“Hey,” Jen nudged Natalie with the tip of her shoe.

Natalie stirred, brown hair plastered on one side of her face.

“Where’s your grandma?” Jen asked.

“Hm?”

“Tina. I thought I’d find her sleeping in here, not you. Especially not you, because you’re helping tonight too.”

“Oh yeah,” Natalie mumbled, she hadn’t registered the first question yet. Jen poked her head out of the tent and scanned the area.

“What?” Natalie inquired.

“I’m just surprised Tina left without you,” Jen said.

Natalie glared, focusing on waking up still and rolled over. Her hands grabbed at the bedding above her until she rose from the ground. Her eyes widened.

“I don’t know…” Natalie’s pulse quickened.

They exchanged a knowing severely of the situation. Jen bolted from the tent with Natalie hot on her heels. 

Episode 2

10 YEARS LATER

Natalie.

Oh no.

Natalie!

Natalie bolted from her bed. The hair by her scalp moist from perspiration. So much time had passed, and yet she still had the dreams, the nightmares. The same flashing images of Button’s dismembered body, the stone, and the hand coming out of the water… 

Jen stood in the entryway to Natalie’s tent. Her dark hair tied up in a bun and her foot tapped with mocking impatience, “C’mon. We gotta go.”

“Go where…” Natalie, painfully aware of how hoarse her voice sounded, said.

“Uh, our first day. Remember. We were up all night drinking - thinking about it. Maybe you really don’t remember.”

Nope. Natalie felt the post-party nausea. Her thin body curled into a ball, “Ugh…”

“Don’t give me that,” Jen shook her head, “I told you to take it easy. Meet me at the gates in fifteen minutes.”

Today began the new era for the band of circus folk. Before, they’d travel from city to city, state to state, but since the incident ten years ago, their bookings became close to nothing. The circus stayed very popular in the month of October, though…

Since then, many lost their jobs or were forced to find new ones. Only the few stuck together, some being Natalie and Tina and their newest witch recruit, Jen. Matt, or Matholemew Magnificento as he was referred to now, started a magical performance. Macy, or Lady Mae, fulfilled her life’s mission and became his assistant wearing the dazzling and rambunctious outfits. Together, they put on quite the display and they’re probably one of the reasons Wonder World reached out to them.

A few months ago, a theme park in a town named Sandburg called the circus and offered the members permanent employment. Seeing as they were on the brink of starvation, no one opposed, and they all migrated to Wonder World together. 

The last decade had been hard on everyone, but Natalie felt relieved they were able to keep their friends. Though, sometimes she’d lie awake at night contemplating her life choices, she ultimately decided she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Grandma, Jen, Matt, and Macy were all she needed. 

But now they had all of Wonder World.

 

Natalie begrudgingly readied herself by washing her face and hair, and stepped out into the crisp morning air in sweats and a knee-length cardigan. Luckily, all performances took place in the evening, so when Natalie arrived to the group’s first meeting, almost everyone showed up in pajamas holding giant coffee cups. 

Jen handed her a bottle of water, “Take a scone, if you dare.”

Natalie’s stomach rebelled at the very thought, and she caught the stomach acid burning it’s way up her throat, “Shut up.”

Matt and Macy waved them over to some chairs they reserved. Wonder World had it’s own theater, small but quaint, and probably classier than anywhere they previously performed. Macy’s eyes, always dolled up with thick lashes no matter what hour of the day, lit up and she slapped Matt’s arm in her excitement. 

The seats and curtains matched in all red, rich in color and fabric. Everything had an accent of gold - even the ceiling that formed a perfect dome shape. It reminded Natalie of an opera house, which didn’t seem their style, but at this point they all had to keep an open mind.

“We aren’t exactly performers,” Natalie whispered to Jen, “Do we have to be at this meeting?”

“If I get paid more I don't mind putting on a bedazzled dress for a couple of hours,” Jen said, “Where’s Tina?”

“She felt worse than I did this morning,” Natalie grumbled, “Different reasons… She’s been a grump lately. Maybe because of the move.”

“She’ll get over it,” Jen shrugged, “We have to.”

Natalie hadn’t told anyone, but ever since the night of Button’s brutal murder, her grandmother lost her marbles. And the stone. They searched high and low for the black rock, and when they couldn't find it, her grandmother had an episode. 

The rock still remained a mystery to Natalie. Tina never explained what it was or why she practically worshipped the thing. As for their psychic readings and other means to make the circus money, Natalie had taken over, letting Tina do smaller tasks. Another reason why they hired on Jen, although she considered Tina’s aloofness to be related to old age.

“Does she still sleep walk?” Jen asked.

“Almost every night,” Natalie pursed her lips.

“Dang.”

Macy practically danced in her seat, “I’m so excited you guys. Look at this place, it’s like Vegas!”

Matt chuckled to himself, “Something like that.”

“Who are those people?” Macy pointed, not being inconspicuous at all.

From the emergency exit doors across the room emerged a new set of fresh looking artists. The door’s echoed as they shut behind them. Two men and one woman. The blond man had a chipper aura about him, and smiled like it was his resting face. The woman came up to his shoulders and had thick rimmed glasses. And the last character looked like a mountain man sporting a head full of hair and a thick beard to match. 

“New guys?” Matt said.

“We’re the new guys,” Jen muttered.

“Hello!” the blond man greeted them eagerly, “You must be the kids from the circus?”

Natalie’s eyes narrowed, knowing full well they were all about the same age.

“Jen,” Jen shook his hand first, “This is Natalie, Matt, and Macy.”

“Oh, Matholemewmew!” 

“Yeah…” Matt didn’t bother correcting him, “So, who are you?”

“I’m Andrew,” he beamed, “This is the lovely Jordan, and this is Jacob, although he looks more like the wolf-man right now.”

“Is that your act?” Macy crossed her arms, but Andrew didn’t pick up on her sass. “We’re all actors actually. We’re working on becoming triple threats! All of us sing and perform - dancing being our falling point.”

“You’re into musicals then?” Jen smiled, and nudged Natalie as if to share a joke. Macy studied the three of them with a hostile stare with only Matt grinning awkwardly to cool the tension.

“We’re putting on our first musical this year,” Andrew clapped his hands together, “I’m actually going to talk all about it, right now!”

Natalie’s face dropped. The one presiding over their morning meeting was the actor. Her headache couldn’t handle his level of energy, but she sat through it like the rest of them. Jordan had a mouthful of questions about the circus, their life in the circus, and anything borderline personal. 

“You’ve been everywhere! What’s that like? Have you been to the East Coast? I LOVE it there. Where do you all sleep? In hostiles? Tents? So, like, camping?”

When Natalie reached out to Jacob to avoid answering more questions, he showed his vocal range by bursting out into song. Like a domino effect, both Andrew and Jordan joined in. While Natalie resisted the urge to vomit, Jen joined in the songs with jolly amusement. The only one to relate to Natalie’s hangover was Macy who looked equally in pain. 

“I like them,” Jen said, “Maybe I’ll join the musical.”

Macy scoffed. 

“I think Jacob inspired me to grow out my beard,” Matt played with the ends of his mustache. Macy glared, “You can’t! Your staple is your pirate mustache! I’m not going to have our show suffer because one of the actors got away with looking like a lumberjack.” 

“He probably gets all the parts,” Matt pointed out.

The four of them returned to their tents. Out of habit, the tents were set up upon arrival to Wonder World, but starting tomorrow they’d join the rest of the performers in the trailer park. Natalie tried accepting that change would be good for them, and maybe especially good for her grandmother.

Natalie brought hot tea to Tina’s bedside and watched as she stirred in her sleep. She kept muttering something and took sharp intakes of breath. Natalie sighed, she understood too well about enduring nightmares.

She set the tea down on the side table and prepared to leave, when Tina suddenly grabbed Natalie by the wrist. 

“Grandma…?” Natalie hesitated.

Tina’s eyes had rolled back, showing only white. Her mouth hung open and made a hallow groaning noise.

“He’s here… He’s free…”

“Who, grandma?” Natalie tried prying the woman’s fingers off, but her grip was firm.

“Death is here… Death…is free. Death… must…feed.”

Her eyelids shut, and her body went limp with sleep once more. Natalie felt hot tears forming as she brushed the hair out of her grandmother’s face. 

“You’ve been saying that for years… But what does it mean, grandma” Natalie pleaded, but knew the answer would be empty as always. 

Her chest felt heavy with guilt. She put on the facade with spells and magic, but never believed like Tina had. Since that night, the last time they performed the ritual, the night Natalie opened her eyes and looked into the water, her grandmother had become crippled by this fear. 

This fear of Death. 

Episode 1

“Why do we have to do this every time, grandma…” Natalie whined, “We’re going to miss the show. The elephants are my favorite.”

“We’ve seen that show a batrillion times,” Natalie noted her grandmother creating make-believe words again, “The elephants aren’t going nowhere.”

Natalie huffed and followed her closely behind as they briskly made their way back to the tent. Like a circus cliche, Natalie and her grandmother, Tina, slept in one of the several giant red tents, decorated with gold tassels and purple flags. They considered the circle of tents as their traveling community, one they’d been apart of for many years - for as long as Natalie could remember. 

Tina lugged her massive purse made of alligator skin, while Natalie carried an armful of tall white candles. The smell of the wax tickled Natalie’s nose and she scrunched it in protest, “I still don’t see why we have to do this every time we open…”

Natalie couldn’t recall her life before traveling with Tina. Understandable, considering her age; still so young and looked more like a member of the crowd full of children than an employee. 

Tina specialized in anything and everything witchcraft for entertainment purposes at the circus. Their tent had the expected crystal ball, intoxicating incense, tarot cards, and anything else imaginable. But Natalie knew her grandmother believed in something beyond the ruse.

“We can watch the elephants after,” Tina snapped.

Natalie groaned, her dark wavy hair bouncing to her angry stomps. “This is stupid…” she muttered to herself.

Every opening night, which coincidently fell on the first day of every new month, Tina would close off their tent and set up for the ritual. Natalie didn’t understand it’s purpose and found it to be completely boring. Her grandmother would chant a bit, the candles would be lit, and they’d sit around this black stone, no larger than a baseball. The stone sat in a bowl of water, and no one was allowed to look in the glassy reflection. Doing so… well, Natalie wasn’t sure why, but Tina claimed it would lead to devastation.

Natalie lined the candles up in their proper areas, as Tina prepared the bowl and makeup. Before they began, they each had to paint eyeballs on their eyelids - some way to ward off evil spirits. Her grandmother warned time and time again that the painted eyes were the only eyes that could look at the stone in the water. 

She sighed defiantly but allowed her grandmother to apply the makeup to her face, and once it dried, Natalie drew the eyes on her. They sat across from each other with the bowl between them, “Remember, once the candles go out, close your eyes.”

Natalie nodded. Another ritual, she sighed, another hour of sitting and waiting. She had to sit up straight and take deep breaths, sort of like a boring yoga session. Tina draped herself in layers of green robes, an assortment of gold rings, and a talisman around her neck. In contrast, when they performed for the circus, Tina and Natalie would really dress up with eyeliner and bandanas. That was more fun, Natalie thought.

The first half hour ended, and Natalie’s ankles and bottom were getting sore. She wiggled in discomfort, but Tina glared, warning to not move yet. This was the moment, where the darkness entered the tent. 

Each time, the lit candles would dim themselves, apparently by the forces of evil as Tina declares. For a split second, it would become pitch black, and that’s when Natalie had to blind herself for the next twenty minutes. 

Her eyes closed, and she felt hypnotized by her grandmother’s chants. It became difficult not to nod off and sleep. The lights flickered from behind her eyelids, glowing orange and then turning purple. 

Oops. Natalie felt her body falling forward, she’d drifted off! Luckily she caught herself without making much noise. However…

Her eyes opened, and her face loomed directly over the bowl. 

Not that she believed in any of this nonsense, but Natalie felt her heart constrict. What would happen now?

For whatever reason, she couldn't close her eyes again, or even move. Her lungs burned and she realized she couldn’t breathe. In the clear water sat the black rock, but a cloudy substance danced like smoke trapped under the surface. The smoke tapped underneath the water, starting a ripple.

Natalie…

Natalie’s eyes rolled back. Whispers caressed both her ears as her hand involuntary reached for the water. Her mind was absent as her tiny fingertips broke the glassy surface. Once she did so, a dark and inhuman hand clasped her own tightly, and yanked, either to pull itself up or her down. 

She gasped. Natalie was back to sitting straight, and her grandmother lay on the floor fanning herself with a nonauthentic Japanese hand fan. 

“It’s over, you can see the elephants now,” Tina moaned, “But… I’m worn out. See if you can find those friends of yours that hang around the magician. They’ll… most likely be there.”

Natalie whirled around her heart racing. Had that all been a dream? Did she actually fall asleep? When she peered into the bowl, both the water and stone were absent. 

Still shaken, Natalie made her way to the performance arena. It had everything, a stage, a fence for the animals, an acrobat playground, all of it. Even though she lived in this world, the magic hadn’t worn off. The circus and its performers had become her family. 

Tonight, however, she couldn't shake a sinking and dreadful feeling in her bones.

“Natalie!”

Standing on the fence like a flock of pigeons, a few of Natalie’s friends waved and beckoned to her, “Come on!”

The loudest of the bunch had to be Jen, who quite literally perched on the fence. Her legs dangled off the side with the famous sneakers she’d hand drawn obscure characters on, using the brightest of permanent markers, “You didn’t miss anything, the clowns haven’t even shown up yet.”

To her left, standing tall and lanky with long blonde hair, Macy scowled, “I hate clowns.”

Natalie positioned herself next to Matt, another taller kid with large glasses and a baggy StarWars t-shirt, “You’re around clowns literally every day, Macy,” he said.

“We’re around germs every day, doesn’t mean I like them either.”

Matt rolled his eyes, “Did your grandma make you do more witchy stuff?” he turned to Natalie instead.

She snorted, “Yeah.”

“I’m going to be a singer,” Macy said matter-of-factly, “Or maybe a dancer. Oh - what are those pretty ladies who help the magicians?”

“The magician’s assistant,” Matt raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah. They need a better name, though.”

“Like… Ala-ka-tatas,” Jen giggled, “The outfits make their boobs look like disco balls.”

Macy looked down at her chest as if contemplating, and then shrugged, a tiny smile on her face. 

The four of them watched the circus folk bring out the animals. The lion and lion tamer were always exciting, but the whip made Natalie cringe. Every loud crack sent jolts through her body.

Finally, the elephants came. Natalie adored their little costumes and how their trunks made awkward squeaky sounds. The baby elephant always got to take a lap around the arena for people to get a closer look. Natalie called to the baby, Polly, who flung her trunk in an imperfect circle.

“Well, the best part is over,” Macy sighed.

“The magic show is last if you want to be an assistant you should probably study up,” Matt said.

Macy didn’t look pleased, but stubborn in her ambitions she stuck around. Jen clanked the fence, grabbing Natalie’s attention. Her blue eyes greeted her with daring enthusiasm, “Sit up here!” 

Natalie climbed the metal bars, wobbling a bit before sitting at the top. Jen nudged her shoulder, “There, now you’re cool.”

“What do you want to do?” Natalie asked, “Like… be a ta-ta, or…”

“Definitely,” Jen nodded, “Not. I don’t know. I thought about doing caricature art, make people look like goofy cartoons.”

“That’d be neat.”

“Do you want to be a palm reader like Tina?”

Natalie frowned, “Eh…”

Before Natalie could continue, something caught her eye. A figure in all black stood in the center of the arena. Natalie blinked. Did no one else notice him? 

Just as soon as he appeared, he was gone. Vanished. Jen noticed Natalie shivering and chuckled, “You ok?”

Natalie…

Oh no. Natalie gulped, feeling the same paralyzing fear starting to take over her body. Just like during the ritual, she thought. But unlike last time, she didn’t black out, and the constricting force on her lungs released her. Maybe she was having panic attacks…

“Yeah, I think so,” Natalie replied.

“Clowns weird me out too,” Jen reassured.

The obnoxious honking of horns and bicycle chimes flooded the stage as a tiny car whirled onto the scene. Its contents would contain one too many men and women with painted white faces and crazy colored attire. The crowd cheered and laughed, while Natalie kept an eye out for this mystery man. 

“Oh yay,” Jen said dryly, “The barrels. Again.”

Some less intimidating clowns scurried onto the scene dragging large barrels with them, all the while creating an atmosphere with their exaggerated antics. Sometimes the performance included a canon or even a wild bull, but otherwise, Natalie didn’t see the appeal. Anyone could fit in a barrel.

“Boo!” Macy called. Matt looked down at her, “Rude.”

Natalie had seen many of the clown’s routines more times that she could count, but something felt off. Maybe it was from her ritual nap, but the hairs on her neck and arms started to prickle and raise. Or maybe…

Oh. They were missing someone. Usually, a stubby clown decked out in black and red would jolly-trot around to get the crowd more engaged. Buttons might’ve been his name, but this time he was nowhere to be found. 

“They’re so creepy,” Macy protested, “At least magicians and witches are like, sexy, or not terrifying.”

The three of them turned to her, “Witches are supposed to be ugly. Warts and stuff,” Matt said, “No offense.” Natalie shrugged.

“Whatever. Natalie looks pretty normal to me,” Macy said.

“She means that in the nicest way,” Jen snorted. 

“Where’s Buttons?” Natalie asked.

Jen, Macy, and Matt all moved their attention to the arena. Each of them wore an inquisitive expression. “Huh, guess he’s out tonight,” Jen said, “Too bad. Out of all the clowns, he’s the least freaky.”

“Ugh,” Macy’s mouth distorted in disgust, “And those are my least favorite…”

While the car came to a halt, a new set of clowns emerged from behind the scenes. These two were on tricycles and were known to be the crowd pleasers. 

The twins, Kranky and Sunshine. 

Ironically, each wore a mask of makeup with the exact opposite expressions to their names. Kranky had a giant smile and always giggled; also known to be the trickster on the show and not a grouchy clown. While Sunshine had the deep frown and droopy eyes, always sluggish and depressing.

“Their makeup is intense tonight,” Jen noted.

“I can’t even see their eyes,” Matt agreed.

Natalie tried finding the white of their actual eyeballs, but Matt was right. Deep black diamond shapes came across their eyes with equally inky lips. They could be mimes, Natalie thought. To stand out from the herd, they did not follow the dress code like their comrades. Everything about Kranky and Sunshine had black and white, occasionally a pop of color. Usually a lime green in the hair.

“I swear I saw John, er, Buttons earlier,” Jen pouted.

“Still pining for Buttons?” Matt teased. But Jen didn’t pick up on his jokes. Her eyes zeroed in on the barrels until her brow furrowed. Natalie was about to inquire until she noticed something as well. 

“Is that…” Jen started.

One of the barrels had a leak. But a leak would mean the barrel was already full, and full of liquid at that. The clowns never pre-filled the barrels with anything. Especially nothing red…

The clown dragging that barrel set it down, breaking a sweat. Natalie caught him whispering to another coworker and indicating to the barrel. What was inside?

The show continued with the usual, but everyone avoided the loaded barrel. They must’ve grabbed a faulty barrel by mistake, Natalie figured. But something in her gut told her otherwise. She hadn’t been able to shake that fearful feeling away.

Kranky and Sunshine finished some bizarre dance skit, but in turn ended up tripping one of the smaller assisting clowns. The poor guy staggered back into the barrels, knocking over the one Chuckles had been holding up in, and Chuckles fell right onto the mystery barrel.

A terrified silence swept over the crowd. 

As soon as Chuckles crashed into the barrel, it tipped and popped, exploding the deep red contents from within. Natalie’s eyes were glued open, wanting to look away, but mentally trying to figure out what she was looking at.

Red. A large puddle of red gelatin spilled and kept reaching as if crawling its way towards the fence. Chuckles lifted himself up, but his body trembled as he observed his now stained hands. He was the first to scream.

Saturated in the ruby liquid were pieces… pieces of a human body.

Arms, legs, torso, hands, feet, and a head. Not just any head. 

Button’s decapitated and mutilated crown.

EPISODE 2 

10 Years Later

Cover