|
#2
JUN 13 |
 |
“The Family Circus of Doom”
“I can't believe you talked me into this,” Andy Maguire said as he followed his best friend, Casey Russo, to the circus being held at the Indianapolis fairgrounds. “I hate the circus.”
“Who hates the circus?” Casey asked as he looked over at his best friend. “Everybody loves going to the circus.”
“Not me. The last time I went to the circus, a lion tried to eat me,” Andy replied they passed a wall full of posters, most of them of clowns. “It doesn't help that my parents made me hold that raw steak while they went to get something out of the car.”
“What did they have to get?”
“Away from me,” Andy replied.
“Come on, let's go see a side show before the performance starts,” Casey said as he walked off, as Andy looked at the monstrous looking clown on the poster and nearly wet himself, remembering back to a horrific experience.
16 Years Earlier
Baby Andy was laying in a crib as his mother was standing over him, smoking a cigarette. It was nighttime outside as a mobile with small clowns was hanging over Andy's crib.
“Come on, the sitter's downstairs, we're going to miss happy hour,” Andy's father said as his wife started the mobile. “You're still using that? I thought that those mobiles were recalled. Don't the pieces come unattached and fall into the crib?”
“It'll be fine,” Andy's mother said as she started the mobile just as the music came out at a slow and creepy pace. “The batteries must be running low. Oh well, can't fix it tonight.”
Andy's parents walked out of the room, shutting off the light as they went. The only source of light was the disturbing red tint of the mobile as it spun. As young Andy looked up at it, with it's hauntingly slow tune, the string of one of the clowns started to come unattached, causing it to slowly fall towards the crib.
As the clown slowly headed towards Andy, the normally high pitched laughter that the mobile made was now a slow, disturbing taunt as it got dangerously close to the baby's face. Needless to say, Andy spent the entire night screaming, which went ignored by the babysitter downstairs as she talked on the phone, ignoring the baby.
Andy just shuddered as he walked off to catch up with Casey. As they started walking, Andy stopped as he noticed Jerrica Johnson, who doing a story for the school paper on the circus. Alongside her was Devon Chase, who was forced to take pictures for the paper in order to receive extra credit since his grades weren't too good. It was either take pictures to keep his credit up or quit the football team.
“What are you dorks doing here?” Devon asked as he took the pictures.
“We're here to enjoy the show,” Casey said. “Look, Andy, one of the gorillas got out of his cage.”
“What did you say?” Devon asked as Andy got in-between them.
“Can't we all just enjoy the view?” Andy asked as he looked at Jerrica. “I mean, the show?”
“We're here to cover the circus since that's the only big news around,” Jerrica told them. “Since that Alpha guy doesn't make too many appearances, anyway. What a story that would make if he showed up here.”
The wind started picking up as a large pole on the fairground started swaying. Casey looked up and pulled on Andy's shirt. “Andy, that pole's going to fall! You have to stop it!” Casey whispered so Jerrica and Devon wouldn't here.
“Can't I just take one day without saving anything?” Andy asked him. Casey just looked at him as Andy rolled his eyes. “Fine, I'll save the day if you'll stop nagging me. Excuse me, Jerrica, I have to use the little boy's room to...make a phone call.”
Andy ran behind a building and soon flew out in his Alpha costume just as the pole started falling over, threatening to crush a woman and a baby in a carriage. Alpha flew under the pole just in time and started pushing it back up.
“It's Alpha!” Jerrica shouted, not recognizing Andy under the hooded costume. “Devon, get some pictures!”
“I don't get what's so great about that guy,” Devon told him as he took the photos. “He's just some dork in a hood.”
“He saved me and my baby...Chihuahua!” the woman said as she picked up a dog from the carriage, who was dressed in baby's clothing.
“That is disturbing on so many so levels,” Casey said as he took a sip of his drink.
Alpha put the pole back into place, pushing it down into the ground so it wouldn't topple over again. As the people cheered, Alpha flew back toward the building to change back into his street clothes, not realizing he was being watched. As Andy re-emerged from the alley, a morbidly obese woman smiled to herself before swallowing a whole cheesecake.
“I have to get an interview with him,” Jerrica said as she started running after, but instead ran into Andy. “Did you see where Alpha went?”
“I think he had something to do on the other side of town, I saw him go off towards Downtown,” Andy told her.
“Well, at least we got one exciting story out of this,” Jerrica said as she looked at Devon. “Let's go get a seat.”
“Corky, are you done with those horse stalls yet?” asked the Human Cannonball as he approached a young man who was holding a fire hose as he cleaned out the stalls of the world's smallest horses.
“It's going to take time; these are small horses but they make really big–” Corky said as the man cut him off.
“If you want to keep working here, you'd better get your act together,” the Human Cannonball told him. “We only agreed to take you in after your father, the Clown, was put behind bars, but we can just as easily kick you out if you're not pulling your weight.”
“But I–”
“No more excuses, boy,” the Human Cannonball told him. “You have fifteen minutes to finish this before the show starts, now get moving.”
As the man walked away, Corky went back to work, dreaming about the day that he could leave this horrible place and start a better life.
The Ringmaster was watching the people gather onto the fairground as he smiled to himself. Another crowd to pick clean once he’d hypnotized them. As he watched the people head toward the circus tent, he was approached by his right hand man.
“Boss, we have news,” Bruto the Strong Man told him. “There's a hero on the fairgrounds. He just saved a woman and her baby...Chihuahua.”
“A hero?” Ringmaster asked. “He could threaten our whole operation. We need to bring him in and make him work for us.”
“Teena saw him change, she can point him out to us,” Bruto told him. “He's strong, boss. Real strong.”
“Excellent, let's start the show,” Ringmaster smiled.
Shortly, the crowd gathered into the large tent and started taking seats in the bleachers. Andy looked around cautiously as Casey pulled him in. “What are you doing?” Casey asked.
“Making sure there are no clowns around,” Andy told him. “I only brought one clean pair of pants and I don't feel like wetting them.”
“Dude, just relax and enjoy the show,” Casey said as the two headed to the bleachers, taking a seat close to Devon and Jerrica. “They say this is the sixty-second greatest show on Earth. I hope it lives up to the name.”
The lights dimmed as the spotlight came up. The Ringmaster stepped out and looked at the audience.
“He's in the fifth row to the left,” Bruto told the Ringmaster through a mic in his ear. “He's the blonde kid who looks like he's afraid of clowns.”
Ringmaster spotted him and smiled. “Ladies & Gentlemen, welcome to the sixty-second greatest show on Earth, the Circ De Nuit!”
The performers came out and started doing their feats in front of the crowd: The Strong Man lifted three times his own weight; The Fat Lady rode around on a car that was obviously too small for her to sit on; the Fire Eater swallowed an entire torch; the Human Cannonball shot himself out of the cannon and landed in a net that had been set up far away. The crowd went wild as they watched the acts, while Andy just yawned.
“I'm bored,” Andy told Casey. “Can we go now?”
“The show's not even over,” Casey told him. “At least wait until the intermission.”
“Fine,” Andy said with a sigh as he took a long sip of his lemonade.
“Take the kid backstage, where I'll hypnotize him,” the Ringmaster told Bruto. “While I have him back here, you'll put the crowd into your power with the mesmerizing wheel. We'll have a new act and we'll have wiped out this crowd of their money in one blow.”
The Ringmaster stepped out in the center of the stage and looked around. “Before we go to intermission, we have one final act, but we'll need a volunteer from the audience.”
Several people in the audience started volunteering as the Ringmaster looked around. He pointed up toward Andy. “That young man right there!”
“What? Me? I didn't even volunteer, I don't think so,” Andy said as Casey poked in the ribs.
“Go for it, it'll be fun,” Casey told him. “You get to be part of the act.”
Andy sighed as he reluctantly got up and headed to the center of the ring as the audience applauded.
“Lucky dork,” Devon said as he followed Andy. “I'll show them who the real star is.”
“While we take this young man into the back to get him ready, enjoy this next act from Bruto the Strong Man!” the Ringmaster said as he led Andy out of the tent. A large wheel was set up with a swirling pattern.
“Now, just watch the wheel and, when it's done spinning, I promise a great feat,” Bruto said as he spun the wheel as fast as he could. As the people looked into it, they started falling under a trance.
Outside, Andy looked at the Ringmaster. “All right, what do I have to do? And can we make it quick? I want to get home in time for Community.”
“Oh, this will take no time at all,” the Ringmaster said as he spun the swirling wheel on his top hat. “Just look into the wheel.”
“Why? What's so–” Andy said as he started falling under the trance, his eyes getting glazed over as he looked into it.
“You are now under my power,” Ringmaster told him. “You are now my willing slave, you will serve me and only me, the Ringmaster.”
“Yes, Ringmaster,” Andy said in a monotone voice.
“What in the–?” Devon said as he was hit in the back of the head, knocking him out. The Human Cannonball stood over him, a metal ball in his hands.
Hours later, Casey came out of his trance, along with everyone else who had attended the circus. He had no memory of what had happened, or why he was even there. Bruto had wiped away the memories of the audience attending the circus so they wouldn't remember anything.
“What happened?” Casey asked as he looked around the empty fairground. Jerrica was sitting next to him. “Andy?”
At the local train yard, the Circus of Crime was getting ready to move on to another city. The stolen goods that had been taken from the last crowd were being loaded up as Ringmaster brought Andy to one of the cars.
“Corky, take care of our newest addition,” Ringmaster told him. “Young Andrew here is going to be our star attraction from now on.”
“Hi,” Corky said as he looked at Andy. “I'm Corky. Are you feeling alright?”
“I don't know,” Andy told him. “I can't remember anything. It's like some kind of mental block.”
“Come on, help me load up the rest of the equipment,” Corky told him. “It'll be nice to have someone my own age to talk to around here.”
As the two loaded up the train, a figure had snuck into the train yard and saw that the Circus of Crime was getting ready to leave. He laughed to himself as he snuck aboard.
“Why can't I remember anything? I know Andy and I made plans to go somewhere together, but what was it?” Casey asked as he looked around the fairground. It had been completely cleaned of any trace of the Circus of Crime in the hours that the audience had been entranced. “And why is my wallet gone?”
“I know I came here with Devon for some reason, too,” Jerrica told him. “My camera's gone, along with my tape recorder.”
It was then that a poster for the Circ Du Nuit blew into Casey's face.
“The Circ Du Nuit?” Casey said as he looked at the poster. “Coming soon to Indiana, Illinois and whatever state is next to Illinois.”
“It might be a clue to what happened to us, and to Devon and Andy,” Jerrica told him. “We should get help.”
“Next stop, Chicago!” the Ringmaster said as the train started taking off.
“So, how did you end up here?” Andy asked as he looked at Corky as they sat in the last boxcar with the rest of the equipment. It was really cramped and there was no room to stretch out.
“My dad was a clown who worked for the circus,” Corky told him. “I was his illegitimate son that my mom dumped on him about two years ago when she decided she didn't want me anymore, so my dad took me in. Then a few months ago, he was caught robbing a party supply store and sent to jail. The guys at the circus said I could stay if I earned my keep, but it seems like they don't want me around either.”
“I don't know why, but...I think I know how you feel,” Andy told him as he sat back. “It's weird, but I feel like I have a whole other life waiting for me somewhere.”
“I'm sure you'll figure it out,” Corky told him as he saw it was getting dark outside. “In the meantime, I'll show you around the Circ Du Nuit.”
As the train traveled, they were unaware that Devon was bound and gagged in a cage right behind them.
“What are your plans for the kid?” Bruto asked the Ringmaster as they sat in the first spacious boxcar.
“We're going to pull off the crime of the century,” Ringmaster told him. “While we have our alibi of being in the show, the boy will be picking the city clean. No one will ever suspect us of pulling off such daring heists while we're performing. And if he gets caught, he won't even remember we put him up to it.”
Casey ran into the police department with Jerrica and headed up to the front desk, slamming the circus poster down. “You have to help me, I think the circus kidnapped my best friend!” Casey said as he looked at the officer.
Minutes later, Casey walked out of the police department, having been laughed out by every officer there. “I guess it's up to us to find Andy and Devon and bring them home. The circus won't get away with kidnapping Andy, not like they did with Grandma. I sill wonder how they got her to do that high-wire act with an oxygen tank and wheelchair.”
“According to the poster, the next stop is in Illinois,” Jerrica told him. “We'll probably find the circus there.”
“Then let's go,” Casey told her.
The train arrived in Chicago as the Ringmaster looked around. “Here we are, Chicago! Another city ripe for the picking!” As Andy and Corky got out of the boxcar, the Ringmaster approached them. “Andrew, I have the first job for you.”
The swirling wheel started spinning as Andy looked into it. Corky saw what was going on as Andy became dazed. He got back into the boxcar as he listened in.
“You're going to be visiting a museum tonight,” Ringmaster told him. “You're going to steal everything that isn't nailed down.”
“Yes, Ringmaster,” Andy said in a monotone voice.
“And if the event that you're caught, you'll have no memory of me or the circus,” Ringmaster told him. “You'll take the fall completely on your own.”
“Yes, Ringmaster,” Andy told him as Corky heard everything. Meanwhile, the figure jumped off the back of the train, laughing to himself.
Meanwhile, Casey and Jerrica were driving toward Chicago as fast as he could, hoping to find Andy before it was too late.
Corky was unloading the train, wondering what to do when he found the cage with Devon in it.
“Who are you?” Corky asked as he opened the cage and untied the young man. “Are you with the sideshow?”
“I'm not with the sideshow, those circus freaks kidnapped me!” Devon shouted as he got up. “They hypnotized this dork I hung out with, and probably kidnapped him too!”
“Andy,” Corky told him. “That's why he has no memory of who he is. The Ringmaster's going to use him to rob the city.”
“The kid's a dork but I can't let him take the fall for something he has no control over,” Devon told him. “We have to find him.”
“I–I can't,” Corky told him. “If the Ringmaster finds out I stopped Andy, he'll kick me out of the circus. I have nowhere to go.”
“Fine, I'll do it myself,” Devon told him. “Where's he going?”
“The museum,” Corky replied as Devon got out of the boxcar. As he ran off, Casey pulled up to the train yard with Jerrica. They started looking around as they found Corky.
“Hey, have you seen two teenagers? One scrawny blonde and one large jock?” asked Casey.
“Yeah, they're–” Corky said as a shadow loomed over them. Jerrica and Casey turned around just in time to see a clown baring fangs and claws standing over them.
Andy walked toward the museum, getting ready to change into his Alpha costume as Devon saw him.
“Hey!” Devon shouted. “I had to do a lot of running to catch up with you. Never had any idea you were so athletic. You can't rob this museum, you'll get busted for sure.”
Andy, still hypnotized, backhanded Devon with little effort as he continued to walk toward the museum. Devon flew back several feet as he hit the ground.
“Dork packs a punch,” Devon said as he fell back into the grass, unconscious.
A menacing clown stood over the three teens at the train yard as Corky smiled.
“DAD!” Corky shouted as he ran to hug the clown.
“Dad?” Casey and Jerrica asked in unison.
“It's me, son,” the Clown said as he looked at his son. “And I'm here to reclaim my place in this circus. This Circus...of Crime!”
“That was oddly unsettling,” Casey said. “Now about our friend–”
“He's at the museum,” Corky told them. “You have to hurry before he gets caught robbing the place.”
“More intruders?” the Ringmaster asked as the rest of the Circus of Crime surrounded them. “And Clown? What are you doing here?”
“Jerrica, run!” Casey shouted as they tried to run for it. Bruto grabbed Jerrica as Casey slid under the Fire Eater's legs and started running as fast as he could.
“Get him!” Ringmaster shouted. “Before he ruins everything! Clown, capture him and you're back in!”
“Dad, don't!” Corky pleaded as he grabbed his father's arm. “Don't leave me again!”
“Sorry, kid, this job is too important,” Clown said as he looked at Bruto. “Put him in the cage with the girl until we get back so he doesn't get into trouble.
The two teens were dragged off as Clown took off after Casey.
Andy, having changed into his Alpha costume was about to rip the doors off of the museum as Casey caught up to him, out of breath. He saw Devon lying in the grass as he shouted out to Andy. “Andy, don't!” Casey shouted. “You're not in control! You have to snap out of it!”
Alpha ripped the door off of the museum and tossed it at Casey, who ducked out of the way. He landed in the grass next to Devon as Alpha flew towards him at super-speed. Casey fell backward as Alpha hit a tree behind them, spitting it into pieces.
“Why did I choose to be best friends with someone with super strength?” Casey asked as Alpha picked up a large tree limb, just as Clown showed up.
“You're coming with me!” Clown shouted as he bared his fangs at Casey. Alpha saw Clown, and the fear was so strong that he snapped out of the hypnotic trance, as well as nearly wetting his pants.
“CLOWN!” Alpha shouted as he started beating the Clown over the head with the tree branch repeatedly until the man was unconscious. “I. HATE. CLOWNS! Oh, hi, Casey. Why am I outside of a museum?”
“You have to get to the train yard, they have Jerrica!” Casey told him. “The Circus is evil, they've been hypnotizing you into doing their dirty work!”
“Take care of Devon!” Alpha shouted as he flew off at super-speed.
At the train yard, Jerrica and Corky were trapped in a cage inside of the boxcar as Ringmaster saw Alpha coming.
“Ah, here he comes now,” Ringmaster smiled. “But where's the loot?”
“He looks angry, he must have broken the trance!” Bruto shouted as he picked up a large two ton weight. “We have to take him out!”
Bruto tossed the weight at Alpha, who grabbed it and tossed it down onto the Human Cannonball's cannon, sending him flying into a brick wall. The Fire Eater swallowed a torch and blew a large fireball at the hero, who ducked it as he flew down, picking up an empty lion cage as he started running after everyone in the Circus, scooping all of them up except for the Fire Eater, who managed to sneak away.
The only person left was the Fat Lady, who licked her lips at the hero. “Come here, little birdy, I'm gonna deep fry you!”
“Ew,” Alpha said as he started flying around her at super-speed, creating a six foot wide moat around her to keep her trapped. Alpha grabbed the Ringmaster's hat, which was lying on the ground. He flew up to the cage and spun the wheel, putting everyone inside into a trance. “You're going to forget that Alpha and Andy are the same person. And Andy's a really cool kid. And Alpha's the greatest hero that you ever faced. He's the greatest hero in the whole world.”
Alpha had just finished hypnotizing the Fat Lady seconds later just as the police arrived. Clown was in the backseat of one of the cars, and Devon and Casey were in another one. Alpha flew behind one of the box cars and returned in his street clothes.
“How'd you get back here so quickly?” Devon asked Andy as he got out of the car.
“I'm just really athletic, I guess,” Andy told him as Jerrica and Corky were let out of the cage in the boxcar. “You guys missed Alpha, he was just here.”
“There goes my big story,” Jerrica told them.
“Well, you still have the circus story,” Devon told her.
“We do? Did we even go to the circus?” Casey asked as Devon and Andy looked at each other.
“Ringmaster must have wiped their memories,” Devon told them. “Just as well, I'd rather forget about this circus.”
Corky was standing near a squad car, looking in at his dad as the rest of the Circus of Crime was being loaded up. A large truck was being called in for the Fat Lady.
“What do I do now?” Corky asked his father. “No Circus...no home.”
“I'm sorry, son,” Clown told him. “I'll get out someday and I'll make this up to you, I promise.”
“In the meantime, it's off to the orphanage for you,” the officer told him.
Andy overheard him and snuck off again to change into costume. “Excuse me, officer,” Alpha told him as he floated down seconds later. “This kid helped saved my skin tonight. Is there anyway you could take him to my hometown to where I could keep an eye on him?”
“We'll see about getting him transferred to a home there,” the officer said as Alpha winked at Corky. “See you soon.”
“Yeah,” Corky told him. “And don't worry, you're secret's safe with me.”
“Thanks,” Alpha said as he flew off, just as Jerrica tried to catch up with him.
“Oh, I'll never get an interview with him,” Jerrica said as she sighed.
“I don't know,” Andy told her as he ran back up to the group. “You might just get lucky someday.”
“But you won't,” Devon said as he wedgied Andy. He laughed as he walked toward the car with Jerrica. “That's for hitting me at the museum!”
“Look at the bright side,” Casey told him as he patted Andy on the back. “At least you didn't wet your pants before you got wedgied.”
|
|
The End...
Previous Issue | Next Issue