Author's Note: Sadly, I do not own Dark Woods Circus or the characters in it. All credit goes to the song sung by Vocaloid and to the songwriter Machigerita.

Warning: The following story is suggested for mature audience because some people can't handle this kind of "horror".

It took me a very long time to write this (at least 3 ½ weeks). It's quite obvious that I put a lot of effort into this story so please don't copy it and make it your own. Thanks for all the writing advice and help I got from all of you! You were very supportive! I hope you all like the story! :)

Dark Woods Circus

The young girl followed the crowd. She had no idea where she was or where she was heading. The wind and trees were whispering her name, luring her deeper into the woods. In the back of her mind she could hear her mother's voice saying, "Meiko, go back. It's dangerous in the woods." More than once did Meiko made an attempt to turn back, but the wind grew strong and pushed her forward. She threw in the towel and just continued to follow the crowd deeper into the darkness.

Deeper and deeper she went into the woods. It was getting harder for her to remember her way out. With each step the cuts and bruises on the soles of her feet worsened. Meiko wanted to stop and take a break, but she was afraid she might lose the crowd and be left all alone in the woods. So on and on she walked.

Streaks of grey clouds littered the night sky, and although the moon shone through the small openings in the leaves, it was still very dark. Meiko could've sworn she saw hidden shadows moving in the darkness, but maybe the shadows were just playing tricks on her. The smell of fresh air and rotting leaves filled the air. After some time, the sound of faint chatting came from the direction in front of her. Meiko ran towards it, hoping she was back in the city. Butterflies fluttered around in her stomach, giving her a warm, odd feeling. She couldn't wait to run into her mother's arms and cry tears of joy. She would repeatedly apologize for going into the woods. Her hopes were dashed when she saw what lay ahead. It felt like her heart dropped to her stomach as she was overwhelmed with the feeling of disappointment. She had given her hopes up. Up ahead was not the city she hoped for, but a strange circus tent. It's faded ruby colors looked black in the dim moonlight. Cages with strange animals and unidentifiable things were being hauled over to the back entrance of the circus. Meiko gulped countless times and fiddled with the hem of her shirt nervously. The tent gave off a dark, scary aura. Usually Meiko wouldn't be so scared of circuses, but there was something off about this one and Meiko could feel it. Even the crows flew away from the mysterious tent. She stood there paralyzed in shock as she remembered something about this tent. Her mother had told her about a circus deep in the woods. Meiko couldn't remember exactly what her mother had said, but she remembered the important part. "Don't go into the circus" echoed in her head over and over again.

Meiko directed her attention towards the circus tent once again. Everyone was smiling and lining up to go inside. "Could this be it? Is this the dangerous tent?" she thought. "But all the people look so happy. Why would people be happy to go to a place so dangerous?" She just couldn't understand why her mother had told her it was so dangerous. "Should I go in? Mama, said not to go in, but I don't wanna be all alone out here." she whispered to herself. Her body decided to move towards the tent as she heard a branch snap behind her. She hurriedly scampered towards the tent, but soon backed away from it the moment she heard a loud, eerie shriek escape from the tent's opening. She didn't know what was more dangerous; going in the tent or staying outside in the darkness. Dumbfounded and unsure of what she should do next, she stood there staring.

A tall man on stilts came out of the shadows and overshadowed her. In a hushed voice he asked, "Are you here for the freak show, milady? Do you have your ticket?" Body began to tense at the appearance of the strange, unfamiliar man. She shook her head, indicating she didn't have a ticket nor intended in walking inside the circus. "Aw, c'mon. Don't be like that now. Tonight's pretty packed, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind letting a little girl go in for free. Besides, we welcome all! Ticket or no ticket! C'mon let's go! It'll be fun!" Although a shadow was casted over his face, you could still see his smile, if you squinted hard enough. Brown, ragged teeth stuck out from his mouth as he gave her a glasgow smile. Even if his grin usually came from a maniac, she felt more relaxed and had forgotten all about her mother's warnings. With a quick and short nod, she quietly agreed to go inside. "Hurry now! Hurry! You don't want to miss a thing! C'mon now, follow me!" he said, as he directed her toward the tent.

The stilt walking man waltz his way over to the entertainment tent and made his way through the entrance, with the little redhead trailing behind him. She looked around with big curious eyes. The dimly lighted tent was packed was people. Everything and everyone were kind of squished together because of all the enormous cages. Observing the crowds a little more, she realized there were no children her age. Meiko and the man kept walking deeper into the crowd, and eventually the pair were separated.

Frightened by the fact she was left alone, she pushed her way through the crowd, looking for the exit. Instead, the infant stumbled across a cage. Meiko's eyes widened in shock, for in front of her was something she had never before seen. She thought the sight was absolutely terrifying and disturbing. The small cage contained two twins, a female and a male. Their hair was the color of the bright golden sun and their skin was pale, like snow. At first Meiko thought they were the prettiest twins she had ever seen, but her thought about them changed when she examined their appearance a little longer. It seemed their bodies were sewn together. Their once beautiful skin was now damaged, bruised, and unwashed. Bloody scratches appeared all over their body since they constantly scratch at their rashes. Puffy faces had dried vomitus on the sides of their chapped lips. Their blood splatters painted the floor and ceiling of the cage. Some people say "the eyes are the windows to the soul" and as Meiko looked into their red-rimmed eyes she saw pain and sorrow.

The crowd behind her thought it was funny when someone forced uncooked pork down the twins' throats, choking them in the process. Their eyes began to water as people stuffed the food at such a fast pace that the kids didn't have time to swallow. A muffled plea to stop came from the boy's mouth. Enraged at the disobedience from the child, the man threw acid at his face. Laughter filled the circus as the boy screamed in pain. Unconsciously, Meiko began to cry. She felt so helpless for she couldn't do anything to help them. Thoughts began to pop up into her head. "Why're they doing this? Don't they see the children crying?" Boiling hot blood began to course through her veins as her anger started to build up. Nostrils began to flare and she squeezed her fists tightly as she continued to watch the scene. "Stop it! Stop it!" she fumed, but her voice could not be heard over the loud laughter.

"How can I get their attention?"she thought. An idea came into her head. With the idea of hitting the man, she stretched her arm out. Fist was raised, ready to strike. Blood ran cold, when she realized she couldn't stand up to all these adults. It was an unfair fight, one against many. Not to mention she was just a little girl. She backed down and decided to just leave the area. Before she left, she gave the twins a quick sympathetic glance, then headed over to the neighboring cage.

Meiko shoved her way through the crowd of cheerful bodies. It was really dark on this side of the tent so Meiko had to squint her eyes to see. The cage contained a girl with long, silky blue hair that went down to her waist. Purple, bruised skin had many bloody cuts and gashes everywhere. Even though the girl was blindfolded, her tears seeped through. Shaky breaths escaped from her chapped lips. Her ribs could be seen through the tight dress and her cheeks were very hollow. It was like the girl hadn't eaten for weeks. Her long, flowy dress was ripped and pieces of her skin had fallen onto the floor. Skinny arms wrapped around her chest, as she tried to keep her body warm on this cold winter night. The strange thing about the girl, Meiko thought, was that her legs did not look like one of a human. Meiko had no idea if the girl inside really did have abnormal legs or if it was just the darkness playing tricks on her eyes. As Meiko elbowed her way out of the crowd she heard words like "horse legs" and "sewed on". Shivers went down her spine as the thought of the girl struggling with horse legs sewn to where her human legs once were crossed her mind. She tried not to imagine how her human legs came off in the first place or how the girl even walked with the legs. But her imagination wasn't needed, for she witness the frail girl shakily try to stand up. With dragging steps, she made her way to the front of the cage. You could tell the horse legs were poorly sewn onto her body as she struggled to keep standing. Alas she finally reached the front of the cage. In the light you could see a little more clearer. Maggots wiggled its way in and out of the rotting animal legs. As she shifted her body, you could see the maggots escape from the horse and into her. The foul smell of decay enveloped the area. The girl tried to speak, but all that came out was unheard whispers. "Waa..ter" she pleaded, but no one came to her help.

A clown opened the cage door from behind. "Hey, you. Get over here, you scum. You don't want to keep your next customer waiting" he declared with a smirk plastered on his hideous face. Loud snickers flew out of the mouths of the men surrounding the area, while the women tsked and shook their heads in disappointment. Some of the women would even walk closer to the cage and spit on the girl.

"That child is such a disgrace! I overheard the clowns talking and they said that she lost her purity once on the streets and now she can't stop herself!" gossiped one woman to another. Clearly, that wasn't the case, but people will believe in anything as long as it insulted the disgusting, misfigured children.

The blue haired girl began to weep again, but no complaints or cries came out. Sluggishly, she made her way out of the cage and into a small guarded off area in the back of the tent.

With nothing more to see, Meiko continued to wander around the large freak circus. She swung her head back and forth, hoping to find something fascinating. She had passed by many cages, but they were all the same. Alas she came upon a small crowd of people surrounding something. With the tall men surrounding it, she hardly noticed it's presence. Meiko tried to take a peek at what they were looking at, but the crowd of adults were blocking the way. An idea came to mind. She went on her knees and crawled through their leg spaces until she reached the front of the cage.

It was a man chained to a chair. It looked like he had just finished a big meal for there were plates and chunks of odd food scattered all over the floor. Not to mention the stench of rotting food surrounding his body. "Boy does he stink!" Meiko exclaimed. A few adults around her grunted in agreement. Although Meiko couldn't see his face, she could see a weird substance dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"Wake up and entertain us, you filthy pig!" yelled someone in the crowd. When he still didn't wake, they threw rocks at him. The piece of rubble hit his arm, causing some blood to gush out. At the sight of blood, Meiko scrunched her face up, indicating she was disgusted at the sight. The man jerked his head up. A painful groan slipped through his lips. His face was swollen, as if someone had beaten him.

A clown walked toward the man and whispered something in his ear. He grinned like a maniac and shoved a platter of food onto the poor man's lap. The man whined at the sight of more food. Meiko froze when she saw that what was on the plate was not actually food at all. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw a human hand on the platter. Nose filled with the smell of rotting flesh made the infant gag. "Eat it! Eat it!" were the words that came out of the crowd's mouths. Meiko's eyes were filled with fear and excitement. She wanted to run away, but her body wouldn't move. The man shook his head, trying to tell the crowd he wouldn't eat anymore. The crowd booed and threw more rocks at him. The man flinched at the pain. Drooping his shoulders in defeat. Maggots began to fall from tiny openings as the man picked up the hand. With a loud gulp and a short mental preparation, he began to chew on the thumb. The crowd went wild. Everyone began to push and shove, trying to get a better view.

"Move it, ya lil brat," a man spat in her face, "this place isn't for children." Meiko was shoved aside and she lost her spot up front. She squeezed her way through the crowd. She reached the front, but only for a second. The sound of loud crunching filled the air. The bodies around her hooted and cheered. Meiko tried once again to reach the front. When Meiko finally did reach the front, she saw the man's face.

Meiko gasped. "Th-that face", she stuttered. "I feel like I've seen him somewhere before, but.." Her voice trailed off into thought. Meiko went on her tippy-toes, hoping she could see just for another second. When she got a better view of his face, everything came back to her. Her body went cold when she suddenly remembered everything about this circus. That man chained to the chair had been in the newspaper countless times because the police had been on his missing case for years. Meiko finally remembered everything her mother told her about this circus. All the information coming back at once was making her head spin. Her body felt cold and her palms began to sweat. Meiko felt dizzy. It felt like the room was too crowded. She needed air; she couldn't breathe. "Breathe, Meiko, breathe." she thought to herself, but it didn't help. She needed to get out of here quick.

Her mother's voice kept ringing in her head. "Don't go into the woods, Meiko. That's where the bad people are best at doing their tricks." It was like her surroundings had gotten smaller and everyone just squished together. It was getting harder and harder for Meiko to move through the crowd. Meiko started to hyperventilate. "I need to get out. I need to get out." Everything was getting louder. The laughter of the audience, the soft sobs of the caged children, it was all too loud. Meiko could feel her head pounding. She covered her ears, hoping it could help drown out the noises, but it only made it worse. Her knees felt weak and she fell on the floor. She wanted to scream. "These bad people take away children, like you, from their families." Her mother's voice was getting louder. "They hide you from the good-doers and they won't let you go outside to play." Her mother's voice was just getting louder and louder. She spun around in circles, looking for some moonlight or anything to show some kind of exit. "These people do terrible things to you. They mess with your mind and make you go crazy. They force you to do things that no normal person should do." Tears were rolling down her face. Meiko just wanted everything to just stop. As if all her energy was just sucked away, she stumbled and fell to the floor. She struggled to get back up again. She started to feel light-headed. She could hardly keep her eyes open. Then it was like her mother was there next to her, yelling in her ear. "Don't ever go into that circus. Do you understand me? I forbid you to."

Meiko screamed. "I wanna go home. I wanna go home. I wanna go home." Meiko was feeling too many emotions at once. It was too much for a little girl to handle. Meiko collapsed on her knees and continued to weep. She just covered her eyes and hoped when she opened them she would wake up in her bed. She wished this was all just a dream and that she wasn't surrounded by so much danger. Suddenly, it was like the crowds stopped talking. As if everyone just disappeared. Meiko lifted her face from her hands. Meiko cried even more, but this time it was tears of joy. She thought she could never be so happy about seeing the night sky. Her legs wouldn't stop shaking, but that didn't stop the little redhead from getting back on her feet. Filled with glee Meiko ran towards the opening, with the moonlight there to guide her. "I can finally go home! I can't wait to be surrounded by the city again! I -" Meiko came to a halt. Her smile slowly faded. The big tall man from before blocked her way. Meiko lifted her head higher so she could see his face. Unlike the last time they met, Meiko was able to see his face. He had long tangled hair, pale skin, like the body of a corpse, and his bloodshot eyes showed no empathy. His smile was just as bright and big as before, but this time, it didn't give her a comforting feeling. He took ragged breaths before screeching, "You're not going anywhere." His voice was just like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Meiko slowly took a step back. Slowly.. slowly.. and then she made a run for it; only to be stopped by a demented clown. Meiko tried to escape in other directions, but there was always someone blocking her way. Eventually she was surrounded by these strange mad men. Meiko began to breathe in an uneven pace. She tried her hardest to swallow the lump in her throat, she thought that crying would show weakness. Meiko was just about to holler for help, but she was lifted off her feet and shoved into a bag. In the darkness she could feel a large, cold object pressed against her body. Frightened, she screamed, hoping someone would hear her cries of help. "Please, somebody, help me!" she yelled. Tears streamed down her face and stomach full of knots. Oh how she really wished she hadn't entered the circus.

The end.

Gah, I had to replace the old chapter because I added a lot more to the story.

I hope it's okay.

Please don't send me hate

If you liked it then you should favorite or comment ;)

Uhmm.. okay bye!

Carrie