Planet Dead (Book 1): Bloodthirsty

by Sylvester Barzey

  Happy’s deep voice stood out over the music as he said “Weakness. They stink of weakness.”

  The Ringmaster jumped up and down clapping his hands as he laughed. “Yes, Yes! Weakness! Thank you Happy.” He stopped jumping and turned his head towards Sue “You smell weak bitch!” Bloodshot blue eyes were locked on Sue. He leaned in and softly whispered into her ear, “You don’t find me cute anymore sweetie?”

  Sue’s eyes opened and she shook her head quickly trying to bat the Ringmaster away. “Catherine!” Sue screamed out.

  Catherine’s eyes were fixed on The Ringmaster and Happy. There was madness in the air and as much as she wanted to blame Sue for getting them in this mess, she was more focused on getting them out of it.

  Catherine’s eyes made their way over to Sue. The girl had her head hung low with her eyes forced shut, trying to block out the world. Catherine could see tears quickly dropping from Sue’s cheek onto the ground below.

  The Ringmaster came back into view as he walked closer to Sue once again and Sue’s head shot up as she screamed out, “What the hell do you want from us?!”

  “Everything,” the Ringmaster said as the red cracked smile once again grew on his face, his head turned towards the two women hanging to the left of Catherine.

  Catherine watched as the two women lowered their heads, as if they knew what was coming and they didn't want to risk even seeing a second of it.

  The Ringmaster put his hand out, he stood there for a moment then he screamed “Frownie!”

  The Ringmaster stomped his boot into the dirt and a skinny clown came scrambling over, he bowed as he placed the handle of a long bullwhip into The Ringmaster’s hand.

  “Sorry Matt” The skinny clown called Frownie said softly.

  Before Frownie’s eyes could come up to meet with The Ringmaster, he was knocked down into the dirt by The Ringmaster’s cane. Frownie rubbed the back of his head and began to creep away from The Ringmaster’s boots.

  Staring at him, The Ringmaster started to roll up the whip. He spoke slowly, “What am I wearing Frownie?”

  Frownie’s looked at the hand that he had been using to rub his head. His eyes went wide as he stared at the blood on his fingertips.

  “I said, what am I wearing Frownie!” The Ringmaster shouted once again.

  Frownie’s head popped up and he started to crawl slowly back again, his thin knees coming up to his chest as he backed away from the madness that seemed to have taken over the night.

  “The Top Hat,” Frownie softly said.

  The Ringmaster nodded .“That’s right, and when I’m in the top hat I am no longer Matthew, but the ever lovable Ringmaster of...” The Ringmaster stopped and put his arms out wide as he yelled out, “The Rhodes Brothers Big Top Family Circus!”

  Catherine softly said, “You’re crazy.”

  The Ringmaster’s head turned towards Catherine, who spit out the blood that was building in her mouth onto the ground at The Ringmaster’s feet. “I’m gonna be nice and I’m gonna give you the chance to let us go,” Catherine said.

  The Ringmaster’s head turned to the side as a smile grew on his cracked face. His eyes were locked on Catherine. The moment sent a chill through Catherine. Looking into his bloodshot eyes surrounded by white makeup felt surreal. Then his eyes quickly rotated towards Sue.

  The Ringmaster smiled as the whip unraveled down to the ground, it was long and it made a small thump as the leather slapped into the ground. Catherine’s eyes followed the black leather as it twisted and turned till it was laying on the dirt and hay that lined the ground.

  “Let you go?” The Ringmaster softly said to himself, he put his hand on his chain and then slowly shook his head as his red lips parted to release another chilling laugh that seemed to just mix in with the haunting music that surrounded them. “But the fun hasn’t even begun yet.” He took a step back from the women, he took his top hat off, gave it a quick dusting before handing it to Frownie who had finally got to his feet to stand next to Happy.

  Happy slowly made his way over to Sue, he leaned in and took a deep sniff, running his nose along Sue’s neck before he grabbed a hold of her and quickly spun her around to look at the dark back corner of the tent.

  Sue kicked her legs wildly and screeched, “Get the hell off of me! Catherine!”

  Sue’s screams pulled Catherine’s eyes off The Ringmaster who was rolling up his sleeves. Catherine turned her gaze towards Sue. There was no hiding it, no way or denying it, fear was written all over Sue’s face as she continued to scream for help.

  Catherine turned her head back to the Ringmaster. “Don’t do this!” She screamed.

  The Ringmaster just smiled as he rolled his shoulders for a moment, his eyes dead bloodshot eyes were burning a hole into Catherine. Catherine turned towards Sue once again. Catherine saw the tears falling down the girl’s face and she could head the deep laughter of Happy as he pulled and Sue’s legs.

  Catherine screamed, “Sue! Look at me!”

  Sue shook her head as she tried kicking her feet to turn, but Happy held her still.

  Catherine’s voice came out one more time and this time it filled the room. “Look at me!”

  Sue’s head turned towards Catherine and their eyes were locked on one another.

  Catherine softly said, “You’re gonna be okay. No matter what happens, you’re gonna be okay.” Catherine’s head slowly turned to look over at the Ringmaster and she screamed, “And I’m gonna fucking kill you!”

  With those last words the whip went thundering through the cool night’s air. A crack was heard, Sue’s head shot backwards, her face turned red and she let out a chilling cry. The blood came as quickly as the whip did. Sue didn’t want to look weak, she picked her head up and slowly started to turn it towards Catherine.

  “Look at me!” Catherine’s words wrestled with Sue’s screams.

  Fighting through the tears, Sue wanted to say she was sorry. She was sorry for all of it, the van, the lies. But that thought was dashed when another lash came clashing down into her back. Her head snapped back and then went limp, hanging towards the ground. A deep red covered Sue’s back, there was skin and red bits of torn fabric, but most of it was blood. The blood ran down her white shirt and left dark red marks on her shorts. When the third lash came the blood started dripping into the dirt.

  Catherine opened her mouth once again screaming, “Look At Me!”

  Just then the whip came flying towards Catherine, it cracked in the air, just short of Catherine’s face. Catherine’s eyes shot towards the The Ringmaster. His smile was larger than it was before, his chest was rising and falling, and the look in his eye was some psychotic form of glee.

  He roared, “No! You look at me!”

  All eyes were on them now, their heated stare down overtook the tent. Every set of eyes were waiting for what would come next, every set but Sue’s. She was trying her best to focus on anything but that moment. Sue was pushing hard to remember a time before this, a time before the whips, before the ropes, before the zombies.

  She recalled dressing up in a nice sundress and heels, twirling in front of the mirror before she was motioned to hurry along. She dug deep for that happy time, but then pain quickly came rushing back with every breath she took. Tightening her jaw, Sue’s teeth started to grind as she fought to hold back the tears. Through it all she could hear The Ringmaster’s words.

  “This is my show, you four might be the evening’s attraction, but make no mistake.” He smiled as he slowly pulled back the whip, before saying “I’m the star!”

  The whip once again released and cut through the air, it was more forceful than the last few times he swung it. Sue’s head sprung up as she let out another scream, then there were no more words, none that Sue could make out. Everything was silent. She knew Catherine was screaming something but all she could hear was a dull buzzing in her ears. It was the shock taking over. Sue tried her best to stay focused on Catherine’s face, but every few seconds things w
ould be blurry and dark as she started fading in and out. Sue’s head and body just hung, motionless over the ground when the whipping finally stopped. Her back was too red to separate the skin from fabric and blood. Blood raced down her legs and formed droplets off her white sneakers.

  Catherine wanted to cry for her, she wanted to break down and hold the girl. To let her know everything would be okay, but that was a lie. Catherine knew that and she also knew, what she wanted the most, the need that overshadowed everything else. It overshadowed her hunger, her fear, her will to live. This need that was blazing inside of her like a wildfire and was even great enough to overshadow finding her boys. That need was to kill The Ringmaster.

  Catherine’s head turned towards the Ringmaster, who was wiping a bit of blood off his cheek. His eyes fell back onto Sue and then he smiled.

  “I think I got a little ahead of myself.” The Ringmaster laughed and dropped the whip to the floor. “I don't want blondie too worn out.” His eyes slowly made their way to Catherine, “I mean the night is still young.”

  Slow footsteps filled the air before Catherine heard a loud thump as Sue’s body was released to the ground. The Ringmaster stood in front of Catherine, staring into her eyes through his bloodshot pools.

  “Now, normally I like to share, that's just how my mother raised me, but I think I’m gonna keep you all to myself.” The Ringmaster’s voice washed over Catherine as his finger lightly traced down her cheek.

  “When I get down from here. I'm gonna kill you,” Catherine spat the words out into the night air.

  The Ringmaster smiled and then broke out laughing as he looked over at Happy and Frownie who were dragging Sue’s body away, a red path of blood seemed to create a new trail of madness behind her.

  “First, we’re gonna have a little party up at the house with blondie and when I'm done with her. I’ll come back down for you.”

  Catherine watched as the clowns started dragged Sue out of the tent and then Catherine started to laugh.

  The Ringmaster turned his head slowly back around to look at Catherine as he asked “What the hell is so funny?”

  Catherine lowered her head and sighed, “You three.” Catherine’s head picked up and her eyes quickly found The Ringmaster’s. Catherine’s blood felt hot, she felt it rushing to her face, she could feel the overall warmth that it was giving her. It was anger, she smiled at him.

  “You’re all dead and you don’t even know, just like those fucking zombies out there. It’s poetic, or symbolic, or some shit like that. I just think it’s funny.”

  The Ringmaster laughed as he turned and started walking out of the tent with the other two clowns and Sue. The tent flap fell back and the women were once again alone, trapped in the madness with only each other and the moans of the zombies to pass the time.

  Catherine stared at the entryway for a moment and when she felt that enough time had passed, she looked up at the ropes that held her and tightened her hands around them. She felt a burning in her forearms as her body started rising, but she fell back down just as quickly as she started. The other women watched on until Faith whispered “What are you doing, darling?”

  Catherine didn’t even waste a moment to acknowledge the woman’s question, there wasn’t a moment worth wasting. Catherine was needed once before, looked to for answers before all this. For weeks now she had been pushing forward on the one thought that her family needed her, her husband, her son, they still needed her. Yet she had no idea what was happening with them, she didn’t know if they were alive or dead, but Sue, she was alive and Catherine was going to make damn sure she stayed that way. In her head she just screamed out ‘Get up! Get your ass up there!’ It pulled her back to her first battle in the military, it was her vs. The Rope. Catherine remembered looking up at the beast, taking in how high it was, trying to push the thought of falling out of her head.

  The drill sergeant was screaming in the background, but the words didn’t seem to push through the moment. All Catherine could remember was the sight of that rope swinging back and forth in the hot summer sun. She wrapped her hands around it and tucked her legs, and she remembered clearly, as if she had just done it yesterday, she remembered saying to herself ‘Get up there! Get your ass up there!’

  Catherine swung her body and kicked her legs past her shoulders this time, her body turning upside down. Summer nights normally provided relief from the wicked Georgia heat but not tonight, not in that moment. Catherine felt as if the sun itself was resting on her shoulders causing beads of sweat to run down her body. She didn’t pay it any attention, her eyes were fixed on her boots that were now laced around the rope. Catherine was completely upside down now as she started rolling her ankle back and forth ever so slowly hoping that would do the trick.

  “Come on mother fucker,” she said softly to herself as the other two women just watched her show.

  They had been there for a week now, going through the same motions. They would hang there for what seemed like forever, questioning and wondering what was going to become of them, if today was the day that the Mad Clowns decided their lives would end. But time after time, some other poor soul grabbed their attention. Someone was always a little prettier, or a little more worthy, or a little more something than they were.

  In any other situation being passed over every night would have played at their insecurities, but fact that none of the women ever came back, kept that from being an issue. This time didn’t feel any different, aside from their new company being more vocal, and determined than the others. Faith and the other woman still knew how it was going to end. Sue would be dragged out the tent, never to be seen again, just like the rest. The women looked on as Catherine continued, she rolled her ankle over and over again.

  Yet nothing was happening, besides blood rushing to her head. Catherine could feel the pressure slowly building up around her eyes, everything was upside down and slowly splitting into two. She was just about to give up, when the universe smiled down on her and tossed her a bone in the form of a nice cool metal object falling from within her boot. She grabbed it with her hands and her legs dropped, quickly straightening her body back to it’s normal state. Catherine held the metal in her hands as she closed her eyes to get herself head back together.

  “What the fuck is that?” the other woman asked.

  Catherine smiled as she slowly opened her hand showing the little double edge knife that she kept hidden in her boot. The women stared at Catherine, they watched her as she started to slowly cut through her ropes. Catherine came falling down to the ground, landing on her knees. She stayed there for a moment, letting the feeling come back to her arms and legs. The world was shit, she knew that, it didn’t take her long to learn it. In fact she partly knew that fact long before the outbreak.

  People didn’t care about you, and the ones that did normally didn’t stay around for long. They would leave or they would die and you would be left in this cold state without a soul wondering how you slept at night, or even caring if you woke up in the morning. The world was a shit, but every so often you found people that would push through all the shit with you. Those are the people you don’t let go of, those are the people you protect. Her husband, her son, they were those people, people worth dying for.

  As Catherine opened her eyes and looked around the large tent she rubbed her wrist slowly one after the other as she started to finally get to her feet.

  The two women started sounding off back and forth with the same cries “Let us down!” “Get us out of here!”

  Catherine put her finger to her lips and hushed the women, she walked over to Faith, she swing the knife over Faith’s bright redhaired head cutting her down quickly. Faith landed on her ass, her dirty pink dress spreading out like a newly blooming flower among the dirt.

  Catherine moved onto the next girl. The same slash above the head and the woman came falling down, except this woman landed on her feet. The woman’s eyes cut over to Catherine, they were the same height and stood eye to
eye. The woman had large black hair and bright hazel eyes. She stood there in tight blue jeans, a black jack and a tee-shirt. Had she been a few shades darker she could have been Catherine’s stunt double. The woman turned her head from Catherine and looked towards Faith who was slowly getting up rubbing her ass.

  “Hey we getting out of here or what?” Faith asked.

  The dark haired woman looked over at Faith and nodded. “Yeah,” she said, then she looked back over at Catherine, her soft pink lips parted. “You coming?”

  Catherine stared at her for a long moment, the woman’s skin was a bit pale, more like Snow White than Count Dracula. It wasn’t something to write home about but it did seem out of place, Catherine wondered if the girl only traveled at night. That kind of movement was risky for sure, but it kept you out of the heat.

  Catherine shook her head. “I got to go get Sue” she said.

  Faith raised and eyebrow and looked over at the dark haired woman, “She’s kidding, right?”

  The dark haired woman folded her arms over her chest. “I don’t think she is Faith.”

  The two started walking past Catherine, towards the opening of the tent. Catherine’s hand shot out grabbing a hold of the woman’s elbow. This is what the world was like now, people didn’t care about your good deeds, they didn’t care about how much help you need, they just cared about their needs. Catherine didn’t even turn her head to look at the women.

  “You’re coming with me!” Catherine said as her hold on the woman’s arm got tighter.

  Faith just laughed and said,“The fuck we are.”

  The dark haired woman pulled her arm free from Catherine’s grasp and turned around, Catherine could see her from the corner of her eye, running her fingers through her dark black waves of hair. “I’m real grateful you saved us, we both are. I don’t want you to think we’re not but your girlfriend...”

  Catherine looked at the woman, who had a small shit eating grin on her face.

  “Well she’s dead, now you can accept that and come with us or you can end up just like her, it’s up to you.” The woman looked over at Faith for a moment, who was nodding, then she looked back at Catherine. “Don’t play all holier than thou with us. I’m sure you’ve left a lot of people high and fucking dry in your life.” As she folded her arms over her chest. “So what’s it gonna be Hero?”