"Mom, I'm leaving now!" I called out the door and didn't wait for a response. I was too excited. I nearly ran to my car, popped open the trunk and flung my stuff inside.

I shuffled around my car, wretched open the door and got in, and pulled out of the drive-way. But not before happily fumbling around with my car keys first. I couldn't believe it. I was going out with friends! Well, they weren't exactly my friends, but I knew them.

I had moved to the small town of Thompson, North Dakota, where the population just barely graced 1,000 people. It was frigged in the November cold. I moved from California, Los Angeles, to be exact. So what was my family doing here? I don't even know myself. Something about a job change and L.A. being too expensive.

After about an hour of driving, I arrived at the camp site. I dragged my stuff out of my car and walked to where the other people I was going to spend the weekend with.

Among the group was a Freshmen girl named Nepeta, she was rather short, and absolutely loved cats. She was accompanied by her best friend, Equius. He was... Strange, but was alright to hang around with. There was Eridan, he was kinda a snob when all is said is done, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. Then there was Vriska, I'm not so sure why she invited me, I have the feeling she doesn't like me... But, the night went by fine.

We did the generic things, set up our camp, start a camp fire, and roast marshmallows. It was the most fun I had ever had in my life. I had never gone camping before, so this was exciting to me. We eventually went to sleep, each of us having our own tent.
+

My peaceful sleep did not last long, for went I woke up, I had the displeasure of waking up to having cold, muddy lake water in my tent. I got out of my wet sleeping back and got out of my tent. It was raining outside, and my tent was about a foot deep in the lake.

I trudged back up to the camp site, thinking that I didn't set it up right and a strong wind had blown it to the lake. I finally reached our camping site. No one was there. What?! They left me?!

I pieced it together and concluded that they must have drug my tent out to the lake while I slept. I groaned and leaned up against a tree. I wiped water from my eyes and began walking.

I couldn't see anything and it raining outside didn't help. I just kinda hoped that I would eventually run into my car. But it never happened. I assumed that Vriska must have found my car keys and drove it away. They each came to the site in their own cars, so it would be impossible to steal mine.

After what felt like an hour of walking in the pouring rain, I heard something. At first I thought I was getting sick. But I heard it again. And again, and again, and again.

I followed the sound, hoping that it would lead me to some form of human intelligence. But no, I kept walking and walking, and the sound slowly grew louder. I came to a path were there was fog between two rows of trees. The trees leaned inward and seemed to be arches leading somewhere.

I was hesitant, but the sound came again, and I followed. Soon, the rain let up to a light sprinkle, which didn't help much since I was already completely soaked.

Then, I saw him. A man about my age, juggling brightly colored balls in one hand and honking a horn in the other, and riding a unicycle at the same time. I approached him slowly.

"E-Excuse m-m-me." I stuttered out, I was so cold I couldn't help it. He stopped. He stopped juggling and he stopped honking the horn and stop pedaling the unicycle around and balanced on it, completely still. "C-Could you h-help me?" I asked.

The man pedaled forward slowly. He dropped the balls and the horn. I saw his eyes before his face, they where a hypnotic violet color. Then I saw his face, it was colored with gray and white paint; his hair was messy. "Welcome, sir, I'm afraid you are a little late, the last act will be beginning shortly." His voice had a dark and rough texture to it. "W-What? C-Can you g-give me p-place t-to sleep ton-night?" I asked, stuttering thoroughly.

He frowned. "I'm sorry, sir, we do not offer over night hospitality." Now it was my turn to frown at him. "W-What? C-Could you at l-least borrow a p-phone? W-Where am I?" I asked, getting irritated. Couldn't he tell I was freezing my butt off?

"Why, sir! You are at the greatest place on Earth! A place where you can witness all of your darkest nightmares and desires, and be one among us!" He began to circle around me on his unicycle. I kept my eyes on him, turning my body with him.

After he had made an entire lap around me, he stopped in front of me. He leaned forward slightly and bowed. "Welcome, sir, to the Dark Circus." He said. I stared at him. "Well, come now, best not be late for the last show of the night." He turned around and pedaled forward, and I decided to follow him. Well, the circus had phones there, right? He continued to lead until he stopped and pulled off to the right. He bowed to me again. "Welcome, sir."

The lights flashed on and I nearly screamed at what I saw. There was a giant violet lent with green stripes towering over me. But it was what was outside the tent that nearly made me up-chuck my dinner.

There, on each side of the entrance, was a girl being held up about four feet off the ground by rope, which was tied around their hands. They were completely naked, with large hooks shoved through their breasts, and was being held in the air by that as well.

They each had bloody toes, and it appeared as if their toe nails were ripped off. The girl on the right, she had short black hair, had blood around her eyes.

I stared in horror. I then screamed. "What, what's happening now?!" The girl on the right asked frantically, her head flailing right to left. "Oh, my God, help us! Help! Someone is here, help!" The girl on the left wailed in agony. The girl on the right soon joined in, the both of them crying out in pain and desperation.

I turned around and hunched over, my last meal leaving my body out my mouth. The man pedaled over. "Sir, are you alright? Does this not please you?" He gestured towards the two girls, who were now crying.

I couldn't speak. What I just saw horrified me, and the smell... Oh, God, the smell... It was awful, like rotting corpses and blood. I looked up at the man, who was staring at me blankly. He then began to circle around me again. "You do seem young to be here alone... Are you with your father, sir?" He asked. Here?! With my father?! I shook my head frantically. "Hmm..." He hummed thoughtfully.

"Did you find your way here?" I shook my head. "Did..." He hesitated. "Did you get here by accident?" He asked. I screamed over the two women. "Oh, God, what the hell is this?!"

The man got off the unicycle. He walked to me, and got on his knees, and looked me in the eyes. "You're from the motherfucking Outside, aren't you?" He asked.

I did not know how to answer. I looked at him, a wide, crazy grin on his face. It startled me, and I fell backwards on my butt. I quickly got up started to run away.

I had barley passed the man when I felt a large, strong hand on my head, stopping me in my tracks. He squeezed my head hard, and I cried out in pain. "You are not leaving here, ever." His voice was deeper and rougher than ever. I felt pain in the back of my neck until the world faded to darkness.