FicWad

I turn and start to walk away quickly. I probably shouldn’t have said that. I don’t even really know the guy. And he’s a guy! I’m supposed to be straight! Oh well, there’s no time to worry about that now. And besides, it’s the truth. I do love Nikki and I want to get to know him. I hug myself tightly and rub at my arms. They are freezing and covered in goose bumps. I exhale shakily and feel a few tears run down my cheeks. I quickly wipe them away and continue to walk. I have no idea where I’m going, but I need to stay close to the bar so I can keep an eye on the Teller. I stop in a spot that has a perfect view of the bar and look around. I look to my left to see that I’m right in front of ‘The Man From Mars’. He’s looking down at me and when our eyes meet he smiles. I smile back and lean against the bars of his cage. “What’s your name?” I ask in a casual voice. If I have to wait for the Teller to get shitfaced then I might as well keep myself occupied. “Mick.” The man answers in a deep and friendly voice. “and you’re Tom?” He asks with a vague smile on his face. “Tommy.” I say with a smile, extending my arm into his cage to shake his hand. He hesitates before accepting the gesture and shaking my hand. I feel his mangled claws on my hand and I shiver a little. I hope it wasn’t too noticeable or I hope he just chalks it up to me being cold. When I take my hand back I jam it into my front pocket and run my other hand through my hair. “How’d you know my name?” I ask, avoiding eye contact. His eyes might just scare me to fucking death if I look into them too long. “I think it’s great that you came back for him.” Mick says in a calm and quiet voice, completely ignoring my question. I turn to him and furrow my eyebrows. “How did you know about that? And how the fuck did you know my name?” I ask in a harsh whisper, trying to keep my voice even. If he knows what I’m doing here then he can tell anyone at anytime and ruin my chances of saving Nikki. Mick closes shakes his head and chuckles softly. His dark hair sways with his movements and seems untouched by the wind. “I was watching you two last night. I just assumed that you came back for him considering you gave him your jacket and he was the only person you talked to other than that blonde guy. His name is Vince right?” He asks as shifts on the stool that he’s sitting on. I nod and remember Vince yelling at me from across the circus. No wonder this guy already knows my name. I exhale through my nose and move my hands to feel my pockets. No lighter and no cigs. Fucking perfect. “I’m gonna run back to my truck real quick.” I let Mick know before walking off. “I’ll be here when you get back.” He says with a chuckle as I make my way back to the front.

When I reach my car I open up the door to the driver’s side and reach over to the glove compartment. I pull out a box of smokes and my spare lighter. I set them down on the driver’s seat and pull the pens and notebook out of my pockets. I tear out the page that Nikki wrote my instructions on and stuff it in my back pocket before throwing the pens and notebook into the passenger’s seat. I grab my cigs and lighter before slamming the door closed and walking away. I pull out a smoke and light it. I close my eyes and take a long drag on it right before bumping into someone. They feel like a fucking brick wall whoever they are! I open my eyes and see that I walked into the Teller. His emerald green eyes burn wholes in me and I feel more terrified for my life then ever before. Before I can even open my mouth to apologize for bumping into him he turns to walk away and mumbles something under his breath. His copper red hair sways as he walks toward the front of the freak show and the smell of whiskey and leather linger where he just stood. I stand still for a minute or two feeling paralyzed. How could such a scrawny guy have such a strong presence? The raw power emanating from him was practically tangible. I blink a few times and take another long drag on my cigarette, which had been barely hanging on my bottom lip while I regained my senses, and walk back to Mick’s cage.

I will my legs to keep moving as I watch the Teller stumble back into the bar. This guy is no joke. If he’s this terrifying drunk, then I don’t even want to know what he’s like sober. I bring my cigarette back to my lips and take another drag. I let the smoke linger in my mouth before blowing it out through my nostrils. When I finally reach Mick’s cage I peer into the bar to make sure I can still see the Teller. Sure enough he’s sitting there with a shot glass and a bottle of liquor. I turn to Mick and reach into my pocket for a smoke. I offer it to him and he takes it eagerly. “I haven’t had a smoke in ages. Thanks man,” he says, taking the cigarette. I pull out my lighter and light it for him. He takes a drag on it and lets the smoke out slowly, savoring it. “I’m glad you’re getting Nikki out of here. That kid has his whole life to live and he shouldn’t spend it in a cage,” Mick murmurs quietly. He speaks as if he’s an old man. “Do you know him?” I ask quietly, glancing over at Nikki’s cage. I frown when I see that the curtain is drawn again. “I know more about him than anyone else does.” Mick says distantly, as if his mind is somewhere far away. “Our keepers are best friends. When we’re on the road our cages are always close. I’m the only person he’ll talk to.” He shrugs his shoulders and sighs. “He doesn’t deserve to be here. He’s just a regular kid. He ran away when he was about fifteen and then some years after that Axl found him.” He practically spits out the name Axl. I assume that's the Teller's name and I clench my teeth. "I saw him drag the poor kid into the circus by his hair and throw him in the first empty cage he saw. I feel bad that Axl isn't as nice as my keeper. Izzy's an alright guy." Mick takes another drag on his smoke before continuing. "He's lucky to have you. You're the first normal person who's ever tried to talk to him, let alone try to save him."

I look over at Nikki’s cage and see that the curtains are drawn. I sigh and take a drag on my smoke. “I wish I could just get you all out of here. The whole idea of a freak show is just wrong and inhumane.” I say softly as I look up at Mick. He still looks as if his mind is somewhere far off in the distance. It's like it just flew away and left his body to stare after it in awe. "That's a nice thought, but some of us don't belong out in public. A lot of us really are freaks." I look down at the ground and frown. As much as I don't want to agree with him, he's right. I can't imagine some of these people walking around in public and living normal lives. I take another drag on my cigarette before dropping it and crushing it into the dirt with my foot. I lean back against Mick’s cage and close my eyes. They open immediately when I hear footsteps coming from in the direction of the bar and my heart nearly stops. I let my hair fall in front of my face and try to see who it is without being noticed. I let out a small sigh of relief when I see that it's not the Teller. It's a young man, probably about my age. He's pale and skinny, and he's got shoulder-length black hair. We make brief eye contact as he passes by and it gives me an uneasy feeling. He walks to the back of the freak show and makes his way around the stage. When he disappears behind the curtain I glance back at the bar. When I see that the Teller hasn't moved I feel my body become a little less tense. I'm so on edge right now I feel like I might explode if someone even touches me. I press my back against the bars of Mick’s cage and sigh. I look up at the sky and stare at the stars.

My gazing is interrupted when Mick taps me on the shoulder. Without saying anything he points in the direction of the bar. I turn my head and see that the Teller is exiting the bar and headed this way. I panic a little and slowly walk away from Mick’s cage. I move to The Caged Bird’s cage and pretend to observe her while watching the Teller through my peripherals. She smiles at me dreamily and I feel a chill run up my spine as I notice that the birds around her cage are watching me. I shake my head and bring all of my attention back to the Teller. I watch as he stumbles to the back of the freak show with a half empty bottle of vodka in his hand. When he reaches the stage he turns and walks over to Nikki’s cage. I grit my teeth and cringe as he wails the bottle at Nikki’s cage. It shatters against the iron bars as he laughs and walks away. I try to keep my composure as he makes his way to the back of the stage but I can feel my face turning red with anger. Once he’s behind the curtain I walk very slowly and cautiously towards Nikki’s cage. I try and take as long as possible to get to him so that I can be sure that the Teller is gone for the night.

When I reach the cage the curtains are drawn. I don’t want to startle him by opening them so I call his name instead. “Nikki.” I whisper as quietly as I possibly can. If anyone hears me then there’s no way I’ll be able to save him from this freak show. I hear him move in the cage and I open the curtains. He smiles at me and I can’t help but smile back. I reach through the bars and grab his hand. I hold lace our fingers together and sigh. “Everything’s gonna be okay now. I’m gonna get you out of here.” I say firmly as I give his hand a squeeze. He nods and mouths the words ‘thank you’. I swallow thickly as I realize how important this is, not just for Nikki, but for me too. He’ll get his freedom and I’ll be able to feel like I’ve done something completely selfless for someone I care about. Without breaking our eye-contact I reach into my pocket with my free hand. I pull out the paper that has my directions written on it and quickly read them over. I mentally curse myself when I realize that the key is underground and I have nothing to dig it out with. I quickly resolve the issue and decide to use my hands. Once I’ve gone over my plan of action in my head a few times I unlace our fingers and get onto my knees.

I crawl underneath the cage and find the hatch. The note said that the key is buried directly below the lock. I find the lock and immediately begin clawing at the ground below it. I have some difficulty at first but soon the dirt starts to move away easily. After a few minutes I start to panic. The hole is almost a foot deep and I still haven’t found anything. How much deeper could it possibly be? I keep digging and I gasp when I feel my right index finger move against something cold and hard. I move away some dirt and see that it’s a small iron key. I grab it and move so that I can open the hatch. I make sure that I’m behind where the hatch opens so that when the door comes down I can catch it. I place one hand on the door and use the other to put the key in the lock. I turn the key and just barely catch the door as it swings open. This thing is fucking heavy! I struggle to hold it as I watch Nikki climb through the hole. First I see his feet come out and before I know it he’s on his knees next to me. “Let’s get out of here.” I say with a smile before crawling out from under the cage. He follows close behind me and soon we’re out.

The second we’re both standing I take his hand in mine and start walking. Maybe nobody will notice us if we just act like nothing’s wrong. We only get about five feet away from the cage before I hear Nikki whimper. I turn to see what’s wrong and when I’m facing him he points down at his feet. We’re walking on gravel and I completely forgot that he’s barefoot. I quickly rack my brain for a solution and I start to panic when I realize how much time we’re wasting. As a last resort I get down on my knees. “Quick, get on my back. I’ll carry you.” I say quietly as I scan the area for any people. I feel relieved when I don’t see anyone walking around. I look at Nikki over my shoulder as he climbs onto my back and wraps his arms around my neck. As I stand back up I hook my arms underneath his legs. It’s a lot harder to walk this way but I still try to move quickly. I need to get Nikki out of here before someone catches us. I smile when I feel Nikki’s soft breath on my neck and I will my legs to keep moving. I’m going to get him out of here.

After what seems like an eternity we make it to the middle of the freak show. I’ve slowed to a walk in fear that running would be too conspicuous. As if carrying someone on your back isn’t conspicuous enough! I keep my eyes locked on the main entrance and smile when I can see my truck. We’re gonna make it. I just know it. Suddenly I hear something that nearly stops my heart. I hear the caw of a crow. I swallow thickly and turn to see that we’re walking past The Caged Bird. She frowns at us and before I can process what’s happening the crows around her cage are in a frenzy. The cawing coming from the birds is ear-splitting and it gets everyone and everything’s attention. I break into a sprint as I feel a cold sweat start to form around my hairline. I feel Nikki’s arms tighten around me as we near the front gate and I will my legs to keep moving. I’m starting to hear voices and footsteps behind us but I try to focus on getting to my truck. I need to get Nikki out of here.

From maybe thirty or forty feet behind me I can hear someone yelling and suddenly I feel a sharp pain in the back of my left thigh. I fall forward into the gravel and let go of Nikki’s legs to try and block my face before I hit the ground. My knees and elbows take most of the impact as I hit the gravel. Nikki topples over me and lands on his back. I hear the yelling getting closer and when I look behind me I see the Teller walking towards us. I try to get up but I feel the pain in my thigh again and fall right back down. I look at my leg and see a small tranquilizer dart stuck in the back of my thigh. I pull it out and notice that my vision is starting to blur. I quickly reach for Nikki and try to push him away. “Get out of here! You can’t let them put you back in that cage!” I say with as much urgency as I can muster up as I my vision starts to fade. I shake my head violently and get my eyes to focus for a minute. I look back at the Teller who is still walking towards us and then up at Nikki who is kneeling next to me. He grabs my hand and brings his face close to mine. He looks like a scared child and it breaks my heart to see him like this. “Run.” I whisper to him and with my last ounce of strength I give his hand a firm squeeze. I see his eyes start to glisten with tears as he leans in closer to me. He plants a soft kiss on my cheek and when his lips leave my skin I watch as he runs off into the woods behind the parking lot. I smile as I let my head drop onto the gravel. The last thing I see before my vision fades to black is the Teller standing over me with the devil’s smile twisting his lips.