Author's Note: And here is the end result of last week's match. I love how the ending turned out. I have been planning this since last week. And now, here we are. I think I will combine the two matches and post them on Reddit as a standalone story someday. I think next week we'll check in on Ju and the Liao-Wang clan. For now, enjoy this week's match.
Match Eleven: Clown:
This had to be a nightmare. I must have fallen asleep back at work. That's right. I just need to wake up and I will be back at my desk. This will all be over.
The clown threw back its head and laughed.
"Oh, this is not a dream, copper!" it said. "This is all real!" The clown twirled around with the gun in its hand. I still couldn't move. My body hung there on invisible strings. I could see the tears running down Kali's cheeks.
Help me!
My eyes grew big. Kali kept her gaze on me. She tried to reach out to me. Wait… Was she talking… to me?
Please! Help me!
Are you… Kali?
Yes!
What is this place? What happened to you? I saw a tear rolling down Kali's cheek. I got a better look at her body. Her upper body looked so pale with lesions on her skin. Some of them looked infected. A mix of puss and blood stained the water. She was shivering in the tank. I wondered how these monsters were keeping her alive.
I was out with my friends one night. They wanted to stay out all night but I had to get home because I had an exam the next day. So I left the pub and walked back to my flat. When I made it to the crosswalk, I heard carnival music. I turned to see what it was. That clown popped up in my face.
"Come on!" the clown shouted. "Make your decision! Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock." The audience started making unintelligible noises. The clown took a listen.
"Hm? What is that?" the clown asked. I felt myself breaking out in a sheet of sweat. I tried to keep my focus on Kali.
So you came across this clown and what happened?
The clown kept dancing around me. It kept pulling out flowers and cards. I didn't know what he was doing or where he came from. But I couldn't take my eyes off of him. He started dancing closer to me. I really didn't know what to do.
She started to gasp in pain.
Are you okay?
No! It's hurting me! Ow! Ow!
What should I do? Her injuries look like they are infected. If I don't get her out now, she could die. But I can't move.
"Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock," the clown said in a sing-songy voice. Sweat started to stain my clothes. I have to get us out of here. But how do we get out? I didn't see how I got in. One minute, I was walking up to the tent and then I was sitting in the audience. And now I am here. Was this what happened to Kali? The clown grinned up to its eyes.
"Time's up!" it shouted. The clown aimed the gun at me. I tried to shake my head. No! No! No! No! No! Our captor's grin turned menacing. I tightly shut my eyes.
Pop!
When I opened my eyes, I was still fine. I turned to see red confetti floating down to the stage. A flag with the word "bang" in big letters stuck out from the barrel of the gun. The clown stuck up its arms in the air in triumph. The audience clapped and laughed. Our captor bowed with comedic flare. I looked over at Kali. She was fading fast as she couldn't keep her eyes open. If she sank down, she would drown in that nasty water. I couldn't take this anymore. I tried to turn to the clown and look at it.
"Please!" I begged. The clown looked over at me.
"Hm?" it asked. I don't remember a time that I was ever that scared before. I think I was crying.
"Please… Let her go!" I managed to plead. Suddenly, six more pairs of eyes joined the clown. Where did more clowns come from? They all looked similar to the first one. Kali stared at me with big eyes. Each one a muted color of the rainbow. Their grins made me feel so small. Their leader looked at them.
"Did you hear that?" it asked. "He wants us to let the mermaid go." The other clowns stared at me.
"Let the mermaid go."
"Let the mermaid go."
"Let the mermaid go."
"Let the mermaid go."
"Let the mermaid go."
"Let the mermaid go."
They sounded so mockingly as they spoke. The audience started chanting as well. I looked around at the sea of glowing eyes.
No! You can't! You don't know what it's like!
But I already made up my mind. This was the only way out. These monsters weren't going to let us both go. But maybe… Just maybe…
The clown turned to the others.
"What do you think, boys?" it asked. The other clowns pretended to think.
"Hm…" they said. Kali and I kept their eyes on them.
"He wants us to let her good."
"What should we do?"
"Keep them both!"
"Kill them!"
"Kill her!"
"Kill him!"
"Let her go?"
"No!"
"Let them both go?"
"No!"
"Keep them both!"
"Kill them!"
"Kill her!"
"Kill him!"
"Let her go?"
"No!"
"Let them both go?"
"No!"
"Keep them both!"
"Kill them!"
"Kill her!"
"Kill him!"
"Let her go?"
"No!"
"Let them both go?"
"No!"
They kept going around in circles with this argument like it was a comedy skit. I wanted to yell at them to stop but they wouldn't listen. In fact, my mouth had been forced shut. The whole time, the lead clown looked lost in thought. It looked at me and then at Kali before looking at me again. I tried to stare at it but I was forced to look forward. The clown let off a loud whistle.
"Fine," it said in a calm tone. What? The clown clapped its hands before it twirled around to me. That vile clown grabbed me by the cheeks.
"We were getting tired of mermaids anyway," it said in a low growl. "We could use a copper to make things more… interesting." I shuddered as the clown snapped its fingers. The tank and the mermaid tail disappeared around Kali. She dropped to the stage with a silent thud. Despite the wounds on her upper body, her legs looked normal albeit the skin was covered in chemical burns. She stared at me with big eyes. Her brown eyes met mine. I only said one thing to her.
Run!
"But what about you?" she asked over the cheering crowd.
Don't worry about me! Just run! Now go! Go!
Kali turned and ran away as the best that she could. I worried that the clown would chase her down and drag her back. But instead, they advanced on me. The last thing I thought was at least she got away.
Kali was found wandering around the empty streets of London in the early hours of the morning. A man with his dog spotted her and called 999 as she collapsed. The ambulance rushed her to hospital. She had infected lesions on her upper torso and chemical burns on her legs. The doctors were able to save her life. Her parents caught wind of her being found and hurried to hospital.
The police came by sometime later. They had questions for Kali. Her father had to shove them out of the room.
"She's been through enough!" he shouted.
"It's okay, Papa," Kali said in a whisper. "I'm fine." One of the cops bowed his head.
"We'll come back when you feel better," he said. "Get well soon, okay?" Kali nodded once. The cops turned and left.
Aside from Kali's disappearance and reappearance. They now had a new mystery on their hands. Detective Harry Miller became another number among the missing across Europe.
