Chapter Four-The Ringmaster
"It's getting awfully dark," noticed Ash a couple of hours later. "I didn't think time had any meaning around here."
"Why the hell would that be?" asked Violent J who was finally able to speak
"I dunno."
"Anyway… yer kinda right. See the sun won't touch this place and darkness comes whenever it feels like it."
"Any idea where we are?"
"Yep."
"That's a first."
J glared at Ash as he walked alongside Shaggy. "We're in the part of dark carnival where the wicked go when the dark carnival gets a hold of em."
"Not just the wicked," reminded Ash.
"Guess not."
"Hey," interrupted Shaggy. "One of the tents is right ahead."
"Tents?" Ash stopped and stared soon in horror as he saw a small line of people slowly moving into a tent and at the end of it standing over the rapidly decreasing line with a sneer on his face.
"Come on," Ash grabbed both of the clowns and pulled them behind a nearby tent. He glanced behind the tent then turned back to ICP. "We need to save those people. Got any-"
"No! I'm not going in there!" cried a weak voice. Ash stopped talking and looked from behind the tent to see that there was only one person left a young girl who was struggling against the clown who was standing at the doorway. She kicked him into the tent, turned, and ran with everything she had. The monster of a man who had been at the end of the line watched the girl run for a moment then raised his left arm which had a cannon like device in the place of an arm. In the center of it was a long incredibly thick whip that appeared to be made of the finest leather with small sharp spikes covered around the edge of it. He laughed and several smaller whips shot out of his arm and singled in on the girl. One wrapped around her legs, another around her waist and the third around her throat. He pulled his arm back and the girl was dragged along until she was at the feet of the monster.
The girl continued to struggle even when he pulled her up and held her upside down, staring into her eyes through his which where barely noticeable with the black top hat planted firmly on his head. "My…my what a lucky little girl YOU are. Not too many get to be sent to their death from the ringmaster himself these days. You should consider yourself very lu-" his words where cut off as a bullet whirred through the air and cut through all the whips sending the girl crashing to the ground and what was left of the whips to recoil away back into the arm they came from. "What the hell was that?!" cried Ringmaster.
"Yo whip boy…back here." Ringmaster turned around and saw Ash with his shotgun raised. Ash fired again and this time the bullet went into the chest of the Ringmaster who shot out the massive middle whip in his arm, cracked it and shot it at Ash who jumped away but didn't expect the whip to follow him, smack him in the face and wrap around his throat. Ash shot his chain saw up and sliced the whip off then pulled what was around his throat off. Ringmaster laughed and a moment later the whip regenerated itself. He aimed his cannon arm and shot the whip at Ash again this time Ash smacked it away with his chain saw slicing it in half and in the moment he had a clear shot unloaded eight shotgun blasts causing Ringmaster to fall to the ground with a dull thud.
Ringmaster tried to pull himself up but before he could, Ash had a foot on his chest. "You'll never escape the Dark Carnival!" he cried, as Ash aimed his shotgun at his face, "Never! Never! He'll swallow your soul before you get out!"
Ash grinned, "Watch me," with that he fired six shots into the Ringmasters face, spun his shotgun around and deposited it into the holster on his back.
"Where the hell are those two morons now?" asked Ash aloud. He stopped as he heard some talking and walked over to where a tent which was where he could hear one of the voices. He stepped behind the tent and saw ICP talking to the girl Ash had saved only to Ash it looked more like they where trying to pick her up. Ash shook his head and walked over to them.
"So baby ya into ICP?" asked Violent J.
"A little," replied the girl weakly. "Could you just tell me where I am?"
"All in due time baby," grinned Shaggy. "All in due-"
"Having fun?" interrupted Ash loudly.
Both Violent J and Shaggy yelped and bolted around to see Ash with a small cut on his lip and a couple of bruises on his face. "Y-you killed The Ringmaster!"
"Yes. What's the big deal? It was one of the easiest fights I've ever been in."
"It's just…that bitch is like 700 years old and no ones ever been able to even touch him let alone KILL him!"
"That's pretty sad," he turned to the girl, "So what's your name?"
"Sarah…Sarah Givings. Yours?"
"Names Ash."
"Where are we?" asked Sarah for the second time. One minute I was at a club in Jersey with this guy and the next minute I'm being marched into this tent!"
"You're in a place called the Dark Carnival," replied Ash.
"Like in these guys songs?"
"Pretty much."
"Oh god…how will I get out of here?"
"Don't worry," assured Ash. "I'll get you out of here. I better go see if anyone who went into that tent is still alive."
"Trust me man," said J. "Ain't no one in there that's still alive."
"I'll be the judge of that," snapped Ash. "Watch her I'll be back in a second."
"Ya sure ya wanna check?"
"Positive." Ash leaned his chain saw arm against his shoulder and walked from behind the tent to the entrance. "I'm sure he was exaggerating." With that Ash took a deep breath and walked inside.
Eight seconds later…
"I think I'm going to be sick," mumbled Ash walking out and going back to where ICP and Sarah where.
"Have fun?" asked Shaggy.
"Let's get going," was all Ash would say.