by E. J. Krause
Chapter 23
They leapt out of the way, narrowly avoiding being crunched by the roller coaster train. It impacted right where they'd been standing, cracking the cement and bouncing into the empty queue of the spinning space ship ride. Andi checked to make sure everyone was okay, and by the way they all leapt up, they were fine. Of course, she didn't have to look at Ben to know he was unhurt.
"Quickly," Dad said, motioning them back to the path towards the Big Top. The roller coaster car vibrated and inched forward, but without the track, there wasn't much it could do.
Every light on each ride illuminated, and the ride engines themselves fired up and began spinning, bouncing, racing, and whatever else their mechanics allowed. Unlike the roller coaster, with its detachable train, most rides couldn't launch an attack, but Andi knew they'd swing or reach out to assault them if they got too close. Though they didn't discuss it, everyone saw this and stuck to the center of the path between the rides. Even though the Big Top loomed large in the distance, it still looked so far away.
As they passed the Merry-Go-Round, the various circus animals broke free from the poles holding them in place. Once they leaped off the spinning floor, their plaster skin blistered, drooped, and otherwise decayed. No longer were they the gentle, fun-loving animals they'd been molded into, but undead moving statues. Mom and Ben drew their swords, while she and Dad morphed into their half-dragon state. She reminded Dad through her roar to not stray too close to the nearby rides, while she did the same with Ben through their mental link. The nearest was to their left, across from the Merry-Go-Round. It was one of those giant spinning swings that rose high into the air and spun the riders out and around. It had generic cartoon characters painted all over it and played piped-in classical music tunes that had been made famous by the old animated shorts. Though it couldn't reach them where they were, it would love to smack them with its flying chairs if they got close enough.
"Your turn to shine, Ben," Mom said.
"They're not zombies, even if they look like it. They're inanimate objects, statues, that have been given some sort of unnatural life. They're not even evil, not really. They want to kill us, but that's because they're following orders."
"So we have to fight them the old-fashioned way?" Mom said. Andi chuckled at the excitement in her voice.
"I'm sure I can come up with something, but, yeah, we may need to get a little dirty."
"Perfect," she said, flipping her short swords around in her hands.
A zebra launched itself at them and Mom and Ben skewered it. Both Andi and Dad let them get in that first blow because they weren't sure how hard the things' skin and flesh were. Their teeth and claws were as strong or stronger than the swords, but since the Dragon Guard bloodlust took over, why not let them test it out first? When the blades sank into rotting flesh instead of plaster or concrete, she and Dad stepped forward to intercept the next attacker, an undersized, too-thin elephant with a leather saddle on its back. It swung its trunk at Andi, and she caught it in her mouth.
"Ugh," she whined at Ben. "Are you sure these aren't zombies? This feels and tastes like zombie flesh to me."
"Like I said, they kind of are, but mostly not. I don't know how to classify them. It's like those carneys at the midway games."
She yanked on the trunk, tearing it from the elephant-thing's face, while Dad slashed its neck with one of his powerful claws. The thing fell dead and turned back into plaster. She glanced over to the fallen zebra Ben and Mom had killed and saw that it had done the same.
Another one approached, this time a giraffe. Because it, like the other animals, had to fit on the carrousel, it looked like a strange version of a real giraffe. Its neck was nowhere near as long as it should be, and even with an undersized body, it still gave a weird impression. Though its neck was too short, it still came in swinging it like a baseball bat. Ben put up his shield and blocked the head, causing it to stagger a bit. Mom followed up by slicing it through its neck with her two swords.
"Why are they only attacking one at a time?" Andi asked as the giraffe turned back to plaster.
"Look at the lion and lioness," Ben said aloud so everyone could hear.
"Yeah," Mom said. "They're directing traffic. How come they're not sending all of them at once?"
"Andi asked the same thing," Ben said. "But I don't want to know the answer. Cassie, Lee, protect us. Andi, come here."
"What are you going to do?" Andi asked. "Zap them all in one shot?"
"Heck if I know. But I can do something. Or, rather, we can."
He embraced her.
"Am I thinking about wanting them all dead?"
"I don't know. Give me a second."
While she waited, Mom and Dad teamed up on an ostrich. It charged them, its beak ready to strike like an axe, but it didn't stand a chance. Dad met its charge, while Mom leaped over him and carved up the ostrich's back. It fell dead and reverted to plaster. Why were they worried about getting them all at once when they were only coming one at a time? It wasn't like any of them proved to be a challenge.
As soon as that thought popped into her mind, the animals' strategy changed. Instead of a single aggressor, all of them slowly moved. Mom and Dad took a step back and looked to check on her and Ben's progress. Neither said anything, but she imagined they had quite the private conversation going. As the animals kept coming, she felt a whoosh of air behind her. The swing ride seemed to be gaining distance on the chains of the swings. Maybe the animals were going to try to push them back so the ride could pick them off. Or maybe she was over-thinking and the animals were simply trying to overwhelm them.
Before she could remind Ben he needed to hurry, he was ready. "Think about plaster. Think about turning them back into plaster."
She closed her eyes and followed his instructions. A wave of energy blasted off of them, and a loud clatter sounded. When she looked, she found all of the animals lying on the ground, statues once more.
"Nicely done, as always," Mom said. "But watch out behind you. That thing's getting close."
Andi took a large step out of the way, but Ben only turned. He stuck both hands out in front of him, and a redish-gold bolt of lightning flew out of his palms and zapped the center of the ride. Immediately all the lights shut off, and it stopped spinning, now lifeless. He nodded and turned back towards them.
"Don't tell me you could do that the entire time," Dad said, back in his human form. She also shifted back.
Ben shrugged. "If I could, I didn't know how."
Dad grunted. "I'm not sure if we should find someone who can help you get a handle on these powers or keep you like this. You're more than powerful enough when the chips are down."
Mom smacked Dad on the shoulder. "I think we'll find someone who can help him meet his full potential. In the meantime, let's keep moving."
Andi bit down on her emotions in hopes Ben wouldn't notice any change in her. It was something she'd been practicing with moderate success, mostly for when she had surprises for him she didn't want him knowing about. What if, when he did learn how to use his powers, he didn't need her anymore? It wasn't a major concern, since their bind meant he'd always need her in other ways, but truth be told, as much as it scared her, she enjoyed sharing this magic with him. She hoped that part didn't change.
They continued down the main thoroughfare of rides, wary of any attacks, but lucked out in that there was nothing they could do. Most carnival rides, no matter how scary they looked, could only move so far. They flipped, spun, and jostled their riders to kingdom come, but all in the confines of a small space. Even if the monstrosities stretched as far as they could, they still couldn't get close enough. Most couldn't even reach out of their own area, let alone into the middle of the path. They kept alert and made it out of the ride area of this huge carnival without further incident. Almost. Until the last ride in that direction: the bumper cars.
Andi didn't view them as an immediate threat. After all, those metal poles needed to stay co
nnected to the electric ceiling, right? When the first one burst out of the enclosure, though, she chastised herself. The structure of the other rides couldn't bend the way they had, the chains of the swings couldn't stretch as far as they did, and the animals on the carousel couldn't come to life. So why should these bumper cars be any different?
She and Dad transformed, but where were they supposed to attack? Maybe the poles, but since they weren't drawing in electricity, that didn't make sense. Maybe if Ben or Mom stabbed the electric box. Otherwise, there were no vulnerable parts. They might as well be fighting little tanks.
"We should probably run," Mom shouted.
"Running sounds good," Ben said aloud. "I have nothing."
The first car zipped at Andi. She launched herself over it and decided to test her theory. She latched onto the antennae and snapped it off, but that didn't even slow it down.
"I thought the same thing," Dad roared. "But they're powered by some sort of mysticism, not electricity. I doubt it has anything to do with their electric parts."
"Running sounds good to me, too, then," she said.
They raced past the bumper cars before the things could work up any sort of strategy. It seemed the cars' top speed was slower than their running speed, though not by much. Add to that the fact that they wouldn't be able to keep up their pace all the way to the Big Top, and that spelled trouble.
The first thing they came to after the ride area was a freak show tent. They dashed in. It wouldn't keep the bumper cars out, but maybe when the cars tore through the canvas and brought the tent down, it would slow them. It was better than trying to dodge attacks on the run. And luck treated them even better, as the bumper cars stayed outside.
Though once she thought about it, she realized the luck might not be good. They were, after all, moving into a freak show in the Realm of Nightmares. But they had no other choice but to continue.
Even the size of the tent wasn't right. They'd moved through the entrance tunnel for a hundred yards or more with still plenty of distance to cover, while the tent she saw when they zipped in was maybe fifty feet square at the most. Yet another strange piece to this horrifying puzzle.
Finally, after what seemed like a mile of walking, they entered the tent proper. No one said anything during the trek, as all, like her, were worried about giving away their position. Though that was ludicrous. Whatever sort of freaks lived in here likely knew where they were the moment they stepped in. She didn't know what to expect. A bearded lady? A dog-faced boy? What sort of freaks would inhabit a nightmare realm? That's what made the empty room that much more surprising.
"Guess it's the staging area, not the living quarters," Mom said.
Andi and her dad transformed back to their human shapes, though they remained vigilant for any sort of danger. She also sensed Ben scanning the room, and by his feelings of confusion, he either didn't find anything, or he found something that didn't add up.
"Very astute," a growling voice said from behind them, where they'd come in. They whirled around and found a man covered in thick fur, with the face of a beast. He looked to Andi like the wolfman from the early days of cinema, with his protruding fangs in a half-muzzle, sharp claws, and strength in every movement. She and Dad went back to their half-dragon forms, while Ben and Mom pointed their swords at it.
The wolfman put his hands up in surrender and flashed a smile. "I mean you no harm. Ask your resident necromancer."
"I'm no necromancer," Ben said, in a voice almost too low to be heard.
"True, not totally, but that's as close a description of your powers as I can get. Still, I'm not wrong in saying you can read my intentions, am I?"
"I sense no evil in you. I don't trust you, but…"
"When do we ever trust strangers? I find the only time I do, it tends to turn around and bite me in the rump."
"Should Dad and I turn back to human?" Andi asked Ben. If this was to be a conversation rather than a fight, she knew Dad would want to be a part of it.
"Yeah. We're not in any immediate danger."
She roared to Dad that it was safe, and transformed. He did the same. The wolfman looked at them with an amused twinkle in his pitch black eyes.
"What?" Dad asked.
"Nothing, nothing," the wolfman said. "I apologize. I should have kept my emotions in better check. I was thinking how you two mighty creatures are relegated to the half-state of dragon. There's a place open in our pantheon of freaks if you'd like." When Dad growled at that, the wolfman again held up his hands in mock surrender. "I'm teasing. Please take no offense."
Andi rolled her eyes. "It's only here in these nightmare realms that we can't fully transform. If we could, we'd already be out of here."
"True enough, young dragon, true enough. But you mistake where you are. I won't begin to understand where you've been, but this realm is a member of dreams proper, not of the Realm of Nightmares. The syndicate has no pull here normally. It's your presence that has teamed them with the overlords. But that's not why I've come. I'm hoping, while you're here, you can help us with a problem."
"If this is part of the Realm of Dreams like you say, then everything should be peachy keen." Dad spit the words out with venom in his voice.
The wolfman didn't lose his half-smile as he replied. "Those words are spoken out of ignorance, Sir Dragon."
Dad grunted, but also gave a nod. "Fine. Tell us what the problem is. I don't know if we'll help, but if it goes along with furthering our goal, we'll consider it.
"Fair enough. Though I think you will. Your necromancer has things to prove to himself, if no one else."
"Wait, what?" Ben said.
The wolfman's smile grew for a second before his expression turned serious. "This is a happy realm. Everyone here wants nothing more than for our numerous guests to enjoy themselves. That goes for us freaks, as well. We may look strange, but we know why and for whom we're here. Our overlords have other ideas. You saw them earlier. They throw a terror into everyone, and then choose a few innocent souls to capture and torture, both physically and mentally. Those poor individuals wake up with emotional scars that may never heal. That pursuit and capture you witnessed earlier wasn't put on by the Nightmare Syndicate for your benefit. It happens every night. Everyone here, from us freaks, to the ones who work the concession stands, want it to end. This should be nothing but a wonderful escape for everyone."
"How can we help?" Ben asked. Andi felt his determination rise. He'd need to do this to prove he wouldn't turn evil. True or not, the wolfman had known this and goaded him into it.
"Offer yourselves to them; let them take you. You four are more than a match for the overlords. After you defeat them, our beloved carnival can return to a world of simple fun for all who dream."
"We're already on a quest to liberate the Demon of Dreams," Dad said. "Will that have the same effect? Will he rid this place of your overlords?"
The wolfman shook his head. "This has been going on in every form our world has ever taken. The demon cares nothing for our little patch of dreams. Only a miniscule number of souls are negatively affected, while most have nothing but a great time. The demon sees no problem. None of us who work and live here agree, but, fair or not, we get no voice."
Andi, Ben, and her parents all shared a look, but no one said anything. Ben would agree in a heartbeat, and she'd be by his side, but he would only do it if the decision was unanimous. Andi could tell Mom and Dad were close, but they still needed one last push. The wolfman must have sensed that, too.
"They'll drag you to the heart of the Big Top. I don't know much about your quest, but I do know you need to go there to leave our realm. I'm sure you'll also need to tangle with our overlords, as I doubt they'll let you leave without a fight. You might as well go right to it instead of having to struggle through the rest of the grounds to get there."
"The clowns will be ready for me," Ben said. "I already killed one."
"Chaos reigns inside their minds. I doubt they even remembe
r one of them has been struck down. And if they do, they'll have no memory that it was you."
"Okay," Ben said.
"Excellent," The wolfman looked at the rest of them. "Everyone?"
"Are you sure, Ben?" Mom asked.
"I still feel the warning bells, but no immediate danger," he said with a shrug. "We have to go there anyway, right?"
The wolfman had them line up in the middle of the tent. He snapped a finger, a move that impressed Andi considering the length of his claws, and a clown appeared behind Ben. It looked identical to the ones out in the midway, this one with a neutral expression painted on its face. It grabbed him by the shoulders, and they both disappeared. Andi screamed as she felt him reemerge in the middle of the Big Top.
"That'll teach him to kill a master," the wolfman said. "You three are next, as soon as they deal with your necromancer."
Andi transformed and leapt at the wolfman, but she bit down on air as he blinked out of the tent. Mom and Dad came up behind her.
"We need to hurry to the Big Top," she said.
Chapter 24
Ben found himself in the middle of the Big Top. At least he assumed that's where he was. It dwarfed even the unnaturally large interior of the freak show tent, and in the dim light that permeated the air, he saw the canvas matched the red and yellow he'd seen from a distance.
The clown that brought him here giggled in his ear, and before it could do anything, Ben thrust his sword back into its stomach, causing it to gasp out. In one quick motion, he let go of his sword, spun, and grabbed the hilt. He now faced the clown, and with more power than he'd have been able to manage behind his back, yanked his sword upwards. Blood, guts, brains, and sinew splattered all over the place. As its corpse hit the hard-packed dirt floor, evil exploded inside the Big Top. Dozens and dozens of clowns appeared all around, itching to tear him limb from limb, and snack on his intestines and the rest of his internal organs. With the flick of his wrist, he created a force field that would keep the evil at bay. It wouldn't last long, but it would buy him a moment or two.