FicWad

Apart from us, there were no people about, no parked cars or any other sign that there was something illegal taking place in the run down old building. I had expected to see flyers, brightly coloured advertisements in the windows, maybe even a few trailers belonging to the cirque, but nope. Nada. Nothing. Beside me I can feel Mikey grin.
“Is this the right place?” I wonder uncertainly, chills running up and down my spine. “It looks pretty deserted to me.”
He shakes his head and checks the venue on the tickets he had snuck out and bought two days previously. “This is the place alright.”
How I wished it wasn’t. I wasn`t even the slightest bit excited like most boys our age would have been. There was no excited adrenaline pumping through my veins, only pure terror.
“Ready?” it was more a dare than a question but I answer anyway.
“Yeah.” I take a deep breath to calm my nerves. And another. The abandoned theatre looked like one of those buildings in a horror film that you entered but never came out of.
I climb slowly up the cracked mossy steps behind Mikey, counting each one as I go. There were thirteen in total. I should have took that unlucky number as a warning of the days to come and turned on my heels and ran. I didn’t obviously; I didn’t want Mikey to laugh at me.
“Shit!” he exclaims, zipping up his striped hoodie. “It`s cold.”
I nod my agreement and look around for a sign telling us which direction to go in but find none. The place was even creepier on the inside. Spider webs as big as dinner plates were draped everywhere, the ceiling was cracked and looked as though it was going to cave in at any moment. There was a dim flickering light, possibly from a candle at the end of the hall, so we follow that.
“Are you young boys here for the Cirque Du Freak?” a shadow jumps out at us from behind a moth eaten red velvet curtain, revealing a hidden, creaky looking staircase. He wore a long black cloak that billowed out behind him even though the air was perfectly still. Out of the corner of my eye I see Mikey stiffen ever so slightly and his angular jaw tightens.
“I said are you little boys here for the Cirque Du Freak?” the shadowy man repeats himself angrily, eyes blazing red.
I nod in a hurry. Mikey stays frozen, but seems to snap out of it when his eyes return to normal.
The man steps out from the shadows so we can see him clearly. He had short blonde, almost white hair and greeny hazel eyes that seemed to glow in the dark of the hallway. I blink once, and then tell myself that the flash of red was only my imagination playing cruel tricks on me.
“I see.” He nods. “Do you have your tickets?”
Mikey holds out our tickets, somehow managing to keep his arm steady. I hadn’t stopped shaking since we left his house and it had little to do with the icy temperature in here.
The white haired man swiftly takes the flimsy tickets from him and they vanish into his pocket.
“And are you both twenty one?” he asks doubtfully looking at our cleanly shaven, youthful faces and casual dress.
“Yes.” Mikey lies expertly, flashing two fake IDs claiming that our names were Sam Rothwell and Aaron Jones. I can tell the man doesn’t believe him.
“I see.” He taps his chin twice before nodding. “Very well, then. Mikey, Frank, enjoy the show!” the strange man says with a flourish before vanishing back into the shadows.
“What the hell just happened?! How did that man know our names and-“
“Relax, Frank. Its` probably just some cheep cirrus trick meant to frighten us.”
It had worked. “Yeah but how did he-“
“Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the Cirque Du Freak!”
“Shit! The shows starting.” We race down the corridor and come to a candlelit circle shaped room with fold up plastic seats facing the stage. We grab two near the front and sit down, grabbing the attention of the man speaking.
With a jolt I realise it is the same man from a minute ago, but this time he wore a red and black suit with tails, and a crooked red top hat adorned with a delicate purple bow sat on his head.
“My name is Gerard Von Arthur. I am the owner of this magnificent cirque.” His voice was low and soft, with an accent I couldn’t quite place, but everyone in the room could hear him. “We are a very old circus, we have toured for over five hindered years, bringing the bizarre and frightening to generation after generation, but one thing has always remained the same. We will astound and terrify you! Make you doubt your own eyes!” as he speaks a metal cage with bloodstained coverings is wheeled onto the stage by five tiny people dressed in hooded cloaks that trailed he floor.
“You must be warned though,” Gerard`s voice turns grave. “This is not a show that comes without its risks. I cannot guarantee anyone’s safety and I strongly advise those who are easily frightened to leave now.”
There is a soft rustling sound but no one leaves.
“Very Well then. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, The Wolfman!”