I appear in a Carnival-like setting. It's not the normal carnival setting you would normally imagine. It is definitely something else. It's like your average country carnival, not the kind with pavement under your feet. It's more like the far-out country, almost like a desert. The kind you would see nothing but flat land and dirt for miles. Other than that, it feels pretty normal. Except, something's missing. Maybe it's the rides. Maybe it's the games. Maybe it's all the freaking people. I look around; I am standing in some kind of alley. The ground is like a dirt road. To the left and right are booths that line the alley all the way down. The booths are about ten feet tall and 3 ½ feet wide. They appear to be covered in purple curtains, or sheets. I can see nothing of what's inside them. Why I'm here, I have no idea. So, I start walking. And walking, and walking, and walking. The scary thing is, it just keeps going. To nowhere in particular. Everything looks the same. A wisp of black smoke appears in front of me. I stop and gaze at it cautiously. It looks harmless, so I wave my hand through it. Bad idea. It starts spinning into a circle and turns into what looks like a tornado of black smoke. Then, a man appears in it. The smoke vanishes as he snaps his fingers. I look at him reproachfully; I must be cautious.
The man is tall, very, and dark skinned. He wears a long gray coat and has a gleam in his crystal blue eyes. Do peoples' eyes gleam? Is this even possible? Well, it is, and it's right there. The gleam gives him a mystical kind of look. His eyes shouldn't look like that. African Americans usually have brown eyes, right? Everything about him just doesn't seem right. The eyes make him colder and more calculating. He looks like he's important enough, though. I guess maybe he's one of those people who runs an important company or something. You know, the guy that sits at the big desk in the top floor of the building and is rich beyond belief. The cold, "I am above you, and I don't care because I don't know you, but of course you know me" kind of guy.
My assumptions are all but in my favor because what shocks me most of all is his voice. Mr. Important then pulls a silver handgun, that was nicely concealed, out of his coat and just when I think he is going to shoot me, he hands it to me. I grasp it and the cool silver handle sends chills throughout my body. Then a voice like pure honey, kind, thick, and sweet says, "You may need this."
My look must be pretty bewildered because he lets out a hearty laugh upon seeing it. This dude looked… scary, yet he's here to help me? It is the first time I have spoken since I got here and I say, "Who the h-" and I don't even bother to finish because he grins madly at me and claps his hands and disappears with a BAM in a cloud of smoke. A classic entry and a classic exit.
I pocket the gun in my black leather jacket. I am dressed in torn jeans, a black belt, and my jacket. My hair lies in a shaggy mess around my face. I am sweating from walking in the warm sun for so long and kicked up dirt is instantly glued to my face. The air around me takes on a different feeling, something odd is going on here, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it. I shuffle my feet, and kick up yet, some more dirt- I'm starting to wish for more of a cityish Carnival- wondering what to do now. Should I keep going? Why does none of this make any sense?
Just when I am about to give up, carnival music begins to play. It is the slow type that you hear in the horror movies with the clowns. It even has the occasional maniac clown laughter. It keeps going. I sit down on the dry sandy earth. I stare down the alley, and sit like this for fifteen minutes, just thinking. Thinking about nothing in particular, besides the strange man with the gun. Who was he again? "SHUT UP!" I scream. I've finally lost it, I think to myself, it's finally getting to me. I'm going insane! But I do notice… that the music has stopped, oh so suddenly. What next? Can they not just leave me alone for good?
By now, you must be thinking that I really am crazy! Maybe, maybe not! Oh, and by the way, it gets even better… or would that make it worse? Who knows! Everybody already thinks I'm crazy anyway. You're going to love this!
It starts as the sound of a machine, an old television maybe, being powered on. It's weird because I think it may only have been in my head because it had a different sound. Closer kind of. Then, a voice, like some evil scientist who is giddy with excitement at showing the world his "spectacular" creation that only ever ends in chaos, begins to speak, "Welcome to Carnival Alley!" it bellows. "And welcome… TO MY CREATION!" The curtains fly up. By now, I'm on my feet looking around with a wide-eyed, panicky expression. My eyes just can't focus on one thing, can't take in the horror, like a deer in the headlights. And not to my surprise, you see because I'm getting pretty used to this kind of stuff, do I see floating bodies. Not in mid-air, but in the tanks! It is full of a clear viscous liquid. It looks like water but it's so thick that the bodies neither float to the top of the tank, nor sink. The craziest thing, which I should take more care with using that word, was the expression on the people. They were all grinning these horribly cheesy grins with wide eyes, again like a horror movie. I take an even closer look at the bodies, and I gasp out loud. I realize who these people are. My mind flickers back to the news on channel 7. All these years! I remember each and every one of them. Let me explain, recently (in the past ten years) there has been multiple no, hundreds of uprisings from villains. Ones that have tried to mutate humans, take over the world, and get away with terrorism and mass murder. It's quite odd, they just randomly started to show up and say who they are, and do things you couldn't imagine. The government is still truly puzzled because they are all such random appearances. Maybe they work for some higher power. Maybe they're all crazy, too!
All of these dead villains symbolize something. None of them are the presently alive ones because they have all died a gruesome death. They all look like the way they died. Some were tortured until death, others died in their failed attempts of a plan.
I remember this certain one from when I was a child and watching the news with my family. I referred to him as the-needle-in-the-head guy. He called himself Pinhead, just like the guy in that old movie Hellraiser by Clive Barker. I think it may have been a joke of the government, but they killed him in a way that related to his name. It was a form of torture. They slowly pressed needles into his skull, not far enough to kill him. I could not even imagine this, it gives me the creeps! Surprisingly, he never talked, never told him why he was doing what he was.
The next was a woman. She was some kind of scientist who tried to do an experiment with the eyes, her eyes. It went wrong, and she ended up with blank white eyes. No pupils, just white, so she was blind. I think that's why she died in her own explosion. No one could really be that dumb though, right? Hmm... It was reported that she got trapped in the building she was trying to destroy, along with all the people she was out to kill. That may explain her appearance. Her jaw hung loosely and was mixed with the creepy clown smile which was quite disturbing. She looked as if she were bleeding. It dripped from her mouth and ran down her neck, she was soaked with her own blood.
I continue to search for one in particular, surely I should be able to recognize him!
The next is unrecognizable. You cannot tell whether it is a man or woman. There is one reason why: this person was killed from some kind of soundless light explosion, killed by some kind of radiation. The hair was gone from its body. Its skin sagged like a melting candle, it just hung there. My stomach twisted and I had to hold back the urge to gag. This was absolutely disgusting and without hesitation, I turned to the next.
This one was clearly another woman. Her hair was matted to her head with something that looked like... is that more blood? Her body was covered in gashes, like she accidentally fell into a paper shredder. Oh yeah, that's right. This was another scientist, the one that tried to mutate humans. Obviously, morphing a human with a lion was not such a great experiment, 'cause look what it got her! Eyes were replaced with huge tears in her face.
I shudder and look at the next when my heart jumps to my throat. I turn away from it and take a deep breath. Mama always told me that I wasn't ready to face him. I never listened to her, and here I am. She was right. I know that I did what I did. Nobody believes how okay I am with it, though. Some have seen my contentedness with it. Now, they think I'm just like these bodies, just as crazy. But no one has heard the real story, so I'm slowly explaining it to you because when I'm gone, you can send it on. Only you will know the truth. Don't worry, all will be explained in time. All I can tell you now is that in the eyes of some, I did a horrid deed, but to me? It was the right thing to do. That's it, it was the right thing to do. I see a drop of water hit the ground and realize that I have shed a single tear. I turn around again to face the body. He was a flawless middle aged man. He looked unharmed except for a single arrow protruding from his stomach. His eyes were closed, too. He looked like a sweet angelic person, but the thing is, his appearance has always been deceiving. It even fooled me at one point in time. Reading this book by its cover is definitely your first mistake. You flip through it, and even read some of it. It seems innocent, right? Wrong. In a heartbeat it will change into your worst nightmare and stab you in the back. He will get into your heart and tear his way out piece by piece. I would know, especially since it happened to me in the worst possible way.
I place my hand on the smooth glass, sink to the ground, and begin to sob. Why me?
When my tears subside and I'm left with shaky breathing, I stand up with wobbly knees. And the eyes opened. Just like that. His head slowly tilts to the side and he takes on that evil grin. "Hello dear." He almost whispers in a sing-song voice.
"No...NO... NOOO!" I scream as I stumble backwards.
"What's the matter dear?" That voice which changed from his to something robotic says "Don't you love me?" It was the computer's voice! It was messing with my head!
All my emotions started to boil and then I exploded in sorrow, rage, grief, and most of all, hatred. I charged and threw myself at the tank. I bounced off harmlessly. I start kicking it and punching it until my knuckles crack open and my feet turn numb. I give up with a yell of rage. Then I remember the black man's voice, "You may need this..."
I step back and pull the gun from my pocket. I pull the trigger one, two, three, four, and a fifth time. His body shudders and twitches with each hit. What I do not understand is how he managed to float to the top of the tank and kind of bounce to a stop like a ball would when you drop it.
I sit down with defeat and realize that those eyes are still staring at me. All of this is so unrealistic! His body floating to the top of the tank, the bullet holes in the glass that didn't ooze even a drop of liquid, and that voice. Where did it come from anyway? Good question, and little do I know that I'm about to get an answer.
"Great question, my dear!" There it is. "You have been wondering why I've called you here, have you not?" I don't know how to reply, since there's no one here to answer to, so I just nod. "Well you are going to find out." The voice is a mix between a robot and a snake, deceitful, no kindness, just a self-absorbed, sneaky voice. "As I've said before, this is my creation. That is true. You have no idea how long it has taken me to find and piece together all of these bodies-"
"That's just sick!" I yell outloud. "Who are you to even be doing this? It's madness!"
It chuckles a nasty kind of laugh. "I like you, girl. You've got spunk. You will be on my side soon enough."
"Oh yeah? Well I hate you. And I will never join you. You think this is great? You won't when I tear you limb from limb for this," I snarl.
"Careful, girl," that malicious voice warns, "My patience is wearing thin and I have more power than your puny mind could ever imagine!"
"Psh!" I scoff.
It acts as if it hasn't heard me and continues on, "As I was saying, I have recovered each and every one of these bodies and will have more soon. This time, they will all be alive. And I will recruit ones that are still alive, too."
"What do you mean?" I ask, puzzled.
"Oh, you know those crazy villain uprisings?"
Oh no. This loopy computer voice couldn't have been the reason for all of the uprisings.
"But yes I am, my dear."
He can read my mind! "Stay out of my mind, you creep! And stop calling me dear!"
"Indeed I can read minds, you're not as dumb as I thought you were. You see, as I said, I have more power than you can imagine, I'm virtually unstoppable."
No! I cannot let this happen, who knows what could happen if it carries on for much longer?
"I am far past the point of being stopped, May. I have done far more than just this. You will see it all in time."
I could not believe my ears. It, which I have decided to call it a he, has the power to take over the world, and I may be the only one who knows about it! The voice begins to laugh that maniac laughter and it echoes throughout my head, it's everywhere. I can't escape it. Just then, the laughter gets louder and I see that one certain body in particular looks as if it is laughing with it, in sync. It was the man I shot. The one who was different from the rest. The one that I had been dreading meeting. The one that I was unprepared for. That one body... was my father. I scream a bloodcurdling scream and put my head in my hands.
I wake with a start. I am drenched with sweat. That was the scariest dream I had ever had. What was up with all those bodies? Ha! And the crazy scientist? Give me a break! Maybe I really am crazy! I roll over to the best of my ability, for I am in a straight jacket and this concrete floor is most uncomfortable.
Light floods the cell I am stationed in. I flinch at the outrageous brightness. I haven't seen daylight in weeks! I almost forgot how bright it was! Guards armed with guns come and drag me up to a standing position.
"Maybelle Elizabeth Sanders, you have been summoned," he said in an drill sergeant voice.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, today's the day! The day all things I ever wanted crash to the ground. The day all that I love is thrown out the window. Today, is the day of my public execution.