by Amy Cross
"I know," I say, stepping towards the edge of the water. "But you can help me". And with that, I lean forwards and allow myself to fall into the water. I seem to sink forever, but finally I manage to get the right way up and I swim to the top. As I surface, I take a deep breath, then I turn to find that there's no sign of Mena. I turn both ways, but she's nowhere. What the hell? Then I look down and see a large, ominous shape swimming directly beneath me. I look over at the side of the tank. I could try to get out, but something tells me Mena wouldn't like that particularly.
Suddenly there's a splashing sound. I turn to find that Mena has surfaced behind me. Her wet hair and skin glisten in the low light, and she flashes that gorgeous smile at me again as I tread water in front of her.
"You've a very brave girl," Mena says. "Very surprising in many ways".
"You said you could help me," I say. "You said you can get this thing out of my neck. I need you to do it, so that I can rescue Darla and get us out of here".
"Us?" Mena says.
I stare at her for a moment. "Me and Darla," I say eventually. "Is there any way I can take you with us?"
Mena shakes her head, but she's still smiling. "If you want me to help you," she says, "you'll have to turn your back to me".
"Okay," I say. "But if you try to hurt me, I swear I'll take you down with me, okay?"
Mena laughs. "Whatever you say".
I swim to the side of the tank and turn my back to Mena. I hear her swimming up behind me, and then I feel her putting her hands on my shoulders.
"This will hurt a little," she says. "There's no other way. I have to get this device out of you. Do you understand?"
"Yeah," I say.
"You have a very nice neck".
I smile a little.
"Did you hear me?" she asks.
"Yes," I say. "Sorry. Thank you".
I feel her move closer behind me, and then I feel her putting her mouth around the space where the implant is buried in the back of my neck. She seems to be using her teeth and her tongue to dislodge it. As she works, I feel her breasts pressed against my back, and occasionally the tip of her tail brushes against my legs. Finally I feel a sharp pain in my neck, and Mena pulls away from me.
As I turn, I see her removing a little device from between her teeth. She smiles. "That was easy," she says. "I was able to get the whole device out, so you have no need to worry any more about Vigrous Grinde's little machine".
"Thanks," I say. "But... why did you agree to help me?"
"I like you," she replies. "And perhaps one day, you will be able to help me in return".
"Of course," I say. "I have to go right now, I have to go and help Darla".
"Are you sure you won't stay with me a little longer?" she asks, smiling slightly.
"I'm sorry," I say, hauling myself out of the water and heading over to the steps. "Thank you," I say again, looking back at Mena. "I'll come back to help you. And... I'm glad I trusted you".
"So am I," she says. "But I must admit something. Please don't take this the wrong way, but..." She seems reluctant. "If you had accepted my invitation to stay in the water with me, you'd be dead by now".
I stare at her.
"I'm sorry," she says sadly, "it's just in my nature to kill". She smiles. "But I promise, you would have enjoyed it".
16
He's coming back.
17
When I step out of Mena's tent, it's pitch black outside and there seems to be no-one about. There are lights in some of the tents, and I can hear people talking, but in general it seems like I'm the only person outside. Nevertheless, I move carefully around the clearing. When I reach the side of Vigrous Grinde's office, I hear him snoring, so I move on quietly and eventually I reach the werewolf tent. It sounds like they're arguing in there, and I move on, but as I get close to the audience's tent, a hand grabs me arm.
I turn to find Stephen has caught up with me.
"Whatever you're about to do," he says firmly. "Don't. Leave it alone".
"You don't care about her at all?" I ask.
"It's not about caring," he says. "It's about understanding that there are things that you, and I, can't change".
"You don't know what he's doing to her in there," I say.
"Don't I?" he asks. "Don't get involved".
I look over at the audience's tent. There's a light inside.
"He's killing her, isn't he?" I ask. When Stephen doesn't answer, I turn to him and see the look of fear in his eyes. "Isn't he? What happened to that girl Mags? You know, don't you? What does the audience do to them? What, does he bite or something?"
Stephen pauses. "It almost... You don't want to see. If you interrupt, it'll drive you crazy when you see what he's doing, and it'll make the agony last longer for her. Okay?"
"He eats them?" I ask, shocked.
Stephen shakes his head. "He doesn't have teeth. He sucks the flesh from their bodies, then he sucks the muscle from their bones, and they're alive until the very end". He stares at me, his eyes wide. "Don't get involved. Don't mess with things you don't understand".
I turn so he can see the back of my neck. "See that?" I ask. "The implant is gone. I got it removed". I turn back to him. "Do you really think I don't understand how to do things around here?"
"How?" he asks, clearly shocked.
I smile. "Mena".
Stephen shakes his head. "Impossible. You... You'd be dead".
"Well," I say, shrugging. "I guess she liked me". I push past Stephen and head over to the audience's tent. As I get closer, I start to hear a sound from inside, as if someone is whimpering or crying. It's a terrible, quiet sound; somehow, it wouldn't be as bad if Darla was screaming, but because she's just whimpering, it sounds so awful. But I can't just charge into the tent, I have to come up with a plan. After all, I have no idea what the audience is capable of doing.
I sneak up to the door of the tent and look inside. It's dark in there, and at first I can't make anything out. But finally, in the gloom, I spot Darla and the audience, and my stomach almost turns. Darla is sitting on a sofa, a look of total terror on her face, but she has one arm outstretched and the audience is kneeling, and he's slowly sucking the skin from her hand. It's as if the audience has some kind of power over Darla, forcing her to stay where she is even while she's in pain. There's almost no skin left on her hand, which is red and raw and glistens in the low light.
Looking at the audience, something tells me that if he was easy to kill, someone would have done it by now. But I don't even know what he is. Rushing in would probably just get me killed, and wouldn't help Darla, so I need some kind of plan. Stephen's no use, but I think I know someone here who might agree to help me.
"Wake up!" I shout, kicking the chair from under Vigrous Grinde, sending him crashing to the floor.
"What?" he shouts, scrambling back to his feet, bleary-eyed, looking at me in shock. It takes him a moment to gather himself together, to understand what's happening. "What the hell are you doing?" he roars.
"I need your help," I say firmly. "And you're going to give it to me".
Grinde grabs the little device off his desk, aims it at me and presses the button. Nothing happens. He presses it again. Still, nothing happens. He looks at the device, shocked.
"Yeah," I say, smiling. "About that". I show him the back of my neck. "I took a little swim, and it just fell right out".
Grinde stares at me, his eyes wide, and it's clear that he's totally shocked. He opens his mouth to say something, but he can't speak.
I step forward, grab his collar and pull him towards me. "You saw me tonight," I say. "You saw what I did to Joe. You know I can do it to you too. Right?"
He nods frantically. He seems utterly helpless.
"There's only one way you can get in my good books. I need you to tell me about the audience. And I need you to hurry, because he's hurting a friend of mine. So come on, what is he? And how do I stop him?"
"I don't know," Grinde says. "I swear,
I don't know".
"You don't know what he is?" I ask. "I don't believe that. Come on, spit it out".
"I don't know!" he shouts.
"You're making me angry," I say firmly. "Remember what happened to Joe earlier when I got angry. You really, really wouldn't like it if I got angry with you".
He stares at me in shock. "He's old!" he blusters eventually. "He's something old from before, from before everything. From before the dawn of time".
I pull Grinde closer, right up to my face. "Be. More. Precise". I can tell that he's not telling me everything he knows.
"He's..." Grinde begins. "I can't tell you," he whimpers. "I can't tell anyone, he -"
I don't say anything. I just stare into Grinde's eyes.
"Okay!" he shouts. "Don't hurt me!" He pauses. "Do you know of the End Time? When all of the world will be consumed by fire, and all souls will be burned? Some people call it the apocalypse. Some call it Armageddon. The old Norse gods called it Ragnarok. In Islam, it's called Qiyamah. Whatever you call it, every religion says that eventually there will come an end to everything".
"What's that got to do with the audience?" I ask.
"He is the end of everything," Grinde says, almost whimpering now. "As long as he is amused by the carnival, he will stay here with us. But if he leaves, if he becomes bored or restless, if he goes out into the world..." He fixes me with a determined, horrified stare. "If he grows up, he will become the End Time".
"That's not possible," I say. "Some little kid can't be the apocalypse".
"It's what he will become," Grinde whimpers, "if we allow him to grow up".
I pause. Given what I've seen recently - werewolves, mermaids, Tenderlings and so on - does this story really seem so impossible to believe. "How long has he been here?" I ask.
"Centuries," Grinde says. "But... nothing we do for him is ever enough. He just sits there, wanting more and more and more. I don't know if I can hold him off for much longer. He's insatiable!"
I nod. "Right now, he's slowly killing Darla. Okay? And we have to stop him. So tell me".
"I don't know!" Grinde says.
"You do know," I say, staring into his eyes. "And you're going to tell me".
"I don't know!" he shouts. "Look at me! If I knew how to get rid of him, don't you think I'd have done it by now? He's too powerful!"
After a moment, I let go of Grinde's collar and he drops to the floor. The crazy thing is, I believe him. He really doesn't know how to get rid of the audience. He's part of this whole game, being used by the audience for... Well, that's the part I don't really understand. If the audience really is all powerful, all seeing, and capable of bringing the world to an end, then why is he hanging around night after night watching a carnival show that he doesn't really seem to enjoy? There has to be more to his secret than this. There has to be something else that he wants.
Leaving Grinde's office, I glance over at Mena's tent. She's in there, swimming about in her little tank, with everyone terrified to go near her. But she doesn't have to be so lonely. As I stare at the entrance to her tent, I suddenly realise who the audience is, I suddenly realise his secret. He's not the End Time or any of that garbage that Grinde believes. He's... it's almost too bizarre to believe. But I think I understand, and that means I know exactly how to save Darla and get rid of this audience kid once and for all.
18
"I always knew it would come to this," he says solemnly. "I hoped that I could change you. That I could teach you. But deep down, I always knew that this is how it would end. It gives me no satisfaction to know that I failed with you. You could have become such a wonderful, proud werewolf. Instead, you fell to temptation. If it is any consolation, I promise you that I will weep over your body once you are dead".
19
By the time I get back to the audience's tent, he has sucked the skin off Darla's entire hand. All that's left is muscle and bone, and the audience is slowly making his way up towards the wrist, a horrible slurping sound come from his mouth. I guess he likes to drag his meals out, to enjoy them all night, otherwise Darla would be dead by now. She's just sitting there, looking horrified but apparently unable to move as the little boy continues to consume her.
"Hi," I say.
The audience stops sucking the flesh from Darla, and turns to me, a dark, malevolent look in his eyes.
"How are you doing?" I ask. "Sorry, am I interrupting dinner? Bad timing. My bad". I walk around the tent until I'm standing right next to the audience. I look down into Darla's terrified eyes. "So," I say to the audience, my heart beating so fast it's almost popping out of my chest. "Shall we get this party started?"
I smile.
The audience scowls up at me.
I swallow hard. What if I'm wrong? What if this kid can kill me any moment he wants?
"You know," I say, kneeling down in front of him so that our faces are at the same height. "I've been to a lot of parties. Too many, really. You wouldn't believe some of the stupid things I've done. But I know a good party when I see one, and this..." I look around the bare tent. "This is rubbish. Where's the music? Where's the dance-floor? Where are the party snacks? Jesus, no wonder you've got no friends".
Slowly, the audience's scowl deepens. I think it's working, he's getting really, really angry now. But that's the plan. I can only stop him if, first, I can make him mad as hell.
"You know what you need?" I say. "You need to grow up, my friend. You need to grow up and start acting your age. How old are you again? One, two million years? Or..." I smile at him. "Maybe not quite so old after all". I lean in close, really eyeballing the kid. "You're not who or what you say you are, are you?"
After staring at me for a moment, he starts opening his mouth and making a gurgling, hissing sound. I stand up and move back a little.
"You're not the end of the world," I say firmly. "If you really were, you wouldn't be hanging out at some rubbish little carnival. So what are you really?"
"He's a Criad," says Darla.
I look over to see that she's woken up from the trance she was in. She looks down at her fleshless hand. "Fuck," she says, visibly shaking. "When the venom wears off, this is gonna hurt like a bitch".
"What's a Criad?" I ask, keeping one eye on the little boy as he scowls at me.
"A Criad's a type of creature that consumes the flesh, but not the bones, of others. I should have guessed sooner. They're not really good for much, they just skulk about, feeding where they can, but this one had a good idea and manipulated this whole carnival to suit his needs. That's what Criads are best at, really. Lying".
The boy suddenly steps towards me. I step back, but he keeps coming. There's something particularly nasty about him, about those dark little eyes drilling into me as he advances.
"Right," I say, keeping away from him. "So he's not actually dangerous, then?"
"Well," says Darla, wincing with pain. "You might want to not let him touch you. That's how he puts you in a trance, and then he can..." She squeezes her eyes tight shut for a moment, and holds her skinless hand up. "Fuck, it's starting to hurt. Fuck..." She screams and collapses on the sofa, unable to take the pain.
"Come on, then," I say to the boy, and I rush out of the tent. Stopping to look back, I'm relieved when I see that he's following me. Good. Keep coming, little boy. I've got a plan for you. I've got someone for you to meet.
I run across the clearing. When I get to the other side, I turn to see that the boy is following. He's trying to run, but he's not very good at it and he keeps stumbling. I guess he's never had to chase anyone before, he's always had his food come straight to him.
There's a sudden noise next to me, as Vigrous Grinde steps out of his office. He takes one look at the boy and steps back in horror. "We can resolve this," he says to the audience. "Whatever she has done to upset you, I can put it all right. Please, just relax".
"Too late for that," I say, turning and running straight into Mena's tent. I run to the steps and go up to the side of the
tank.
"Hey," says Mena, swimming over to me. "I didn't expect you back so soon. You changed your mind about coming in the water with me again?"
"Kind of," I say. "Things are complicated. Are you hungry?"
She frowns. "What are you talking about?"
"I might have a meal for you," I say, glancing back. I see the top of the steps start to shake a little. That means the boy is one his way up.
"Jess, you have me all wrong," she says, looking hurt. "I don't eat people. I never have. I never would. I never could. That would be monstrous!" She pauses, then she smiles. "I just like playing with them. Sure, I chew a little. But I never swallow. I always spit".
The boy appears at the top of the steps, with the same dark, burning eyes as before. He stares at me. Good, I've got his attention.
"Your favourite part of the freak show," I say to him. "The mermaid".
"Actually," says Mena, interrupting. "I don't like the name mermaid. I prefer to be called a melusine".
"Whatever," I say, keeping my eyes fixed on the audience. "It's the big fish you like, isn't it?" I step towards him, fixing him with a dark stare of my own. "Well maybe she's the star of the freak show, but there's only one real freak around here". And with that, I grab him and pull him with me. We both tumble into the water.
At first, I lose all sense of which way is up and which is down. I sink until I hit the bottom of the tank, and then I look up and see the shape of Mena swimming above me in all her glory. She's stunningly beautiful, her long, strong tail gently moving around her. She's so beautiful, in fact, that I forget all about the fact that I need to breathe, and about Duncan, and about Darla, and about anything. I just stare at Mena's beauty. And then, suddenly, I remember that I have to get out of the water. Running out of air, I push myself up and eventually break back through the surface.
"Nice swim?" Mena asks, smiling at me.
I look around, but I can't see the audience anywhere. "Where is he?" I ask.