Circus of the Dead: Book 1

by Kimberly Loth

  Every surface of the boat is painted black. The couch cushions are black, and so is the blanket on the bed. I turn and find myself face-to-face with a shrunken head hanging from the ceiling.

  Oh, heck no. I cower away and bump my head into another one. I shriek.

  Luke pokes his head in. “You okay?”

  Pentagrams and goat heads are painted on the walls, and the shrunken heads all stare right at me. “I’m not sleeping here.”

  “Sure, you are.” He shrugs. The walls seem to be whispering. Or maybe it’s just the wind. Maybe not.

  “Was Shelley some kind of witch?” I cross my arms and try not to touch anything creepy. My heart is pounding, but I’m trying to pretend like I’m fine.

  “Voodoo priestess,” he says like it’s no big deal.

  “I’m pretty sure this whole boat is possessed.”

  Luke thrusts my bag inside and tromps in after it. He grabs a shrunken head. “Let’s take these down.”

  He goes to work removing the heads, and I inspect the bed. The comforter looks clean, and I find sheets in a cupboard above it—black, of course. I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep.

  I make up the bed anyway. Even with all the scary crap, this is better than Luke’s pigsty. The sheets are smooth and satiny, which is good. I can’t stand scratchy sheets.

  Luke tosses the heads outside, and they land in the water with a splash. I don’t envy the poor soul who finds them floating. “We’ll see what we can do about redecorating tomorrow,” he says.

  “I’m not staying.” I set my duffle bag on the kitchen table. There is no point in unpacking it.

  “Do you want to stare at that the entire time you’re here? Even if it is only a couple of weeks?” He points at a large painting of a man whose bottom half is coiled up like a snake, and I cringe. A bird shrieks outside my window. I won’t be able to sleep no matter what. It’s too noisy.

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Okay, sleep for a few hours, and then I’ll introduce you to people who can help you.”

  “And we’ll call my mom?”

  “Yes.”

  I give him a tired nod. My back isn’t in too much pain, but it’s starting to itch. I’ve been awake all night, and my brain isn’t clear. Maybe after I wake up, I’ll be able to craft a plan to get out of here. For now, I need sleep.

  I dig through my duffle and find my eye mask and ear plugs.

  Then, I collapse onto my stomach, pulling the wretched black cover over my back. I inhale. I smell a faint whisper of gunpowder and whiskey, which reminds me of a certain dark-haired murderous boy.

  Maybe this voodoo priestess got betrayed by Benny as well.

  I have no idea how much time has passed. I need to get my hands on a watch or a phone or something. I stretch. My back burns a little, but it’s not horrible. As long as I don’t lean on anything, I should be fine.

  It’s too dark in the tiny space, so I fling open the blinds—the ones on the opposite side from Elias’s boat. Bright sunlight shines in. At least it’s not cloudy. I dig around my duffle bag. I looked up the weather before I came, so I only packed cut-off shorts, tanks, and no real shoes. I didn’t count on the bugs and critters.

  It is hot here, so the clothes will be fine, but everything outside is dirty and muddy. I crack open the door across from the tiny kitchen. Bathroom. Score.

  It’s clean but still dark and tiny. Another shrunken head hangs above the toilet. I pull the string off the hook and toss it into the trash and then set the trash can outside the bathroom. There is no way I can get naked with that thing in the room.

  I strip off my damp clothes and crane my neck around to see my back. There are no stitches, just angry red lines. I have no idea what Ruth used to close them up, but they look nearly healed. I step into the tight shower. The water is weak but hot. Thank heavens.

  I find a bottle of cheap shampoo and spend too long sudsing up my hair. It smells woody. How I longed to be washing the salt out of my hair. The showers at the beach were weak as well, but there, I was usually still dressed in my bikini and sharing a bar of soap with Maddie.

  My throat clogs up. That is the life I should still be living. What if I really have to spend the whole summer here? I might die before it’s over.

  I put on a light blue tank and denim shorts. My flip-flops will have to do, but I have got to get some real shoes. My stomach growls, so I open the fridge and find two moldy sandwiches. Nope, gotta find food somewhere else.

  Then, I remember.

  Benny might be out there and try to kill me again, and Elias will do who knows what to me. I crack open the door and squint in the sunlight. No one is around. I have to find someone, anyone, to help me out, or I’ll starve to death. I hate being dependent on other people.

  Yeah, I’m being dramatic. Something about this place makes me channel Maddie.

  My flip-flops slap against the rotting wood, and sweat forms on my face almost immediately. There will be no need for makeup here. I keep an eye around me, but the path is empty. It’s too quiet, not even birds singing. Though, at least then, I’ll hear the snakes coming.

  The trees are tall and seem to hover over me, watching my every move. Not a breeze stirs the leaves. My stomach forms in knots as I feel a strange foreboding creeping in. Shelley’s face crosses through my mind. That could’ve been me. Would Luke have been just as casual about my death?

  There is a mystery here, something not quite right. Part of me wants to dig into the circus’s secrets and discover what makes it so unique, but another part of me just wants to get out of here and forget all of this.

  The wood creaks behind me, and I turn around. But it’s just a bird. I let out a breath. Geez, Callie, get a grip. A faint whisper of cigar smoke floats around me. So weird.

  I follow the boardwalk to the muddy path. Water drips down on me from above, and I practically jump out of my skin every time a drop hits me. I stop at the fork, trying to remember which direction to go. It all looks the same. I suppose it doesn’t really matter.

  Benny or any of the other murderous freaks could be right around the corner.

  “Callie, is that you?” a woman’s voice calls, and it sounds exactly like Shelley.

  My heart stops.

  She’s come back to haunt me.

  Chapter Eight

  Lorena stands there in a long skirt and a tank, and I let out a breath of relief. For a second, I thought maybe ghosts were real. I’m an idiot. This island is getting to me. I study her for a moment. She wears galoshes and has a bucket in one hand.

  “Hey,” I say. I’m not sure if I should trust her or not. So far, no one I’ve met has been forthcoming or honest with me. Plus, she’s obviously friendly with Benny. She might try to kill me too.

  “You survived the night,” she says and gives me a small grin.

  “Barely. Did you hear Benny locked me in with the tiger?” Maybe she’ll be able to shed some light on the situation.

  “I did not.” She shifts her feet and sets down a bucket.

  “But then why…”

  “It was a joke, dear. This is the Circus of the Dead, after all. What happened with Benny?” She cranes her neck and examines the trees. I do the same, wondering if she heard something that might fall on us. The trees are filled with birds of all kinds, but not a single snake.

  “He was taking me to feed the tigers and locked me in the cage with Fiona.” I can practically smell the tiger’s hot and putrid breath.

  “Are you sure? That doesn’t seem like something Benny would do.”

  “Luke and Ruth didn’t seem that surprised.”

  Lorena purses her lips. “Hmm. Well, maybe that’s because people get hurt here all the time and oftentimes at the hands of our performers, though rarely on purpose. They just have...less fear of death than we do. But you don’t have to worry about Benny. He won’t be back for a couple of weeks. He leaves the island in between shows.”

  Phew. At least I won’t be looking over my shoulder e
very few seconds. Maybe it was just an accident and the island is getting to me. Ultimately it didn’t matter because I won’t be here in two weeks to find out his true motivation.

  She picks up her bucket. “Want to help me?”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Catching crawfish.”

  I swallow. I don’t have anything better to do until I find Luke again, but I’m not really the fishing type. A dog barks, and I jump. The hairs on the back of my neck rise, and the trees seem to crowd in and reach out for me. I take a breath, and everything snaps back the way it was.

  “Sure, but is it possible for me to find something to eat first? I’m starving.”

  She looks down at my feet. “Of course. You also need new shoes.”

  “You think?” I’m trying to be light, but everything feels like it’s about to implode. My chest and stomach both feel unbelievably heavy.

  She cackles and breaks the tension. “Come. You can make a sandwich on my boat. Plus, I have some galoshes you can borrow. We’ll have to order you some.”

  “That won’t be necessary. I’ll only be here a couple weeks.”

  She purses her lips. “Well, dearie, plans change all the time. Maybe you’ll be around a little longer than that.”

  Why does everyone keep insisting I’m not leaving? It can’t be that hard. If Mom can’t figure out how to get me out of here before the ferry runs for the circus, I’ll get on it and head home. I follow Lorena, keeping my eyes on the branches above me, and soon the path turns to boards again. We’re on our way to where Luke’s houseboat is tied up, but we’re definitely going the long way around.

  Instead of going right toward his house, Lorena heads left to bigger boats.

  These boats look more like small houses than boats. Most of them are shuttered and quiet, but one has an older woman outside, doing laundry in a bucket. She waves to Lorena but doesn’t smile. She glares at me. The boats seem to be solid, but a couple need a good paint job, and others have sagging roofs. All the windows are dark and look as if they’ll swallow you up.

  Lorena stops in front of a big one that is painted a dark brown. Maybe she has some clout in the circus. “Come on in.”

  “I’m still trying to get my bearings with the island, but wouldn’t it have been faster to just stay on the boardwalk instead of going all the way around?”

  She gives me a tight smile. “There are places on this island that I don’t like to walk by.”

  Paranoid much?

  Her boat looks just like her tent. Full of crystals and incense. I follow her into the kitchen.

  “Bread is in the breadbox, and you should be able to find some meat and cheese in the fridge. I’m going to find those galoshes for you.”

  She tromps through the house, and I attack the fridge. I’m not sure when I’ll eat again, so I load up my sandwich with both turkey and ham. She has tomato slices and cheddar cheese as well.

  I take a big bite and nearly moan in satisfaction. It tastes heavenly.

  Lorena comes back with a grin and a bright pink pair of galoshes.

  “Hmm. You got anything more subtle?” I ask.

  She laughs. “Sorry, dear. I thought I was ordering a soft green, and these showed up instead.” She drops them on the floor and bustles about, making her own sandwich.

  I decide to trust Lorena. She seems so utterly normal compared to the rest of the people I’ve met. Sure, she gave me that weird fortune, but she barely seemed to believe it herself. In a lot of ways she reminds me of my mother, and there is a comfort in that.

  I slide the boots on. My father would be horrified. He is a fashion designer and dresses Hollywood starlets.

  We eat in silence, and then I follow her back out to the swamp. We walk along the line of houseboats to the end. Out in the water, I see the unmistakable eyes of alligators. I point to them.

  “Do you worry about them?”

  Lorena shakes her head. “No. Mostly, they keep their distance. I’ve never seen one on our shores.”

  I swallow, still not certain I want to get close to the water. I focus on the trees, the way they climb out of the water and how the branches hang so low that some graze the surface.

  “So, seeing as I might be stuck here for two weeks, what’s there to do on the island when I’m not avoiding murderous creeps?” I have to make light of the situation, or I’ll go mad.

  She hands me a bucket. “Catching crawfish.”

  “What else?”

  She shrugs. “Not much.”

  Great. I’m going to spend the next two weeks fishing. That’s right up there with being stuck in a cage with a tiger.

  A bird flies right in front of my face, its wings brushing my cheek, and I step back.

  “Geesh, it’s like Benny is here.”

  Lorena looks into the water and frowns. “I’ve been thinking about your predicament. You should give Benny another chance. I’m almost positive that was an accident.”

  “Luke told me to stay away from him.” I can almost feel Fiona’s breath on my neck again.

  Lorena gives me a patronizing grin. “Luke will tell you to stay away from all the boys.”

  “There you are,” a voice booms, and we both jump. Luke tromps toward us.

  Speak of the devil.

  I hold up my bucket. “Lorena was going to teach me how to catch crawfish.”

  Luke shakes his head, his lips pursed. “I need you to come with me.”

  I don’t want to go with him, not really. But I do want to get out of here, and listening to my uncle is probably part of the drill.

  I give Lorena a tight smile and set the bucket down. “You’ll have to teach me later.” I slide out of the galoshes and leave them with her.

  “Of course, dear.”

  I follow Luke along the boardwalk and back down the path. The swamp squishes beneath my flip-flops, and I wonder once again why anyone would want to live here. Even if someone hadn’t just tried to murder me, I’d still be itching to get off the island. I have to last thirteen more days, and then a boat will take me back to the mainland, and I will get into an Uber to the airport and fly home. I can almost smell the ocean.

  Once there, I will hug Mom and Dad and hang with Maddie for hours in her room, listening to her stories. Then we will go surfing, and all will be right with the world.

  I stare up at the sky. The sun is hidden behind a cloud. I miss the sun, but I love the shapes of the clouds. They are big and fluffy and all shades of gray. I inhale. Smells like rain.

  We break off onto another side path that I didn’t notice before. It’s short, and after about twenty feet, it turns to boardwalk and then dock. At the end of this dock is the biggest houseboat I’ve seen so far. It’s painted white, purple, and blue and has a second floor. It looks like an old Victorian house.

  Luke pushes open a door, and I’m assaulted by the strong smell of coffee. Samuel sits at a small table, his ear pressed to a phone.

  A phone!!!!

  I glance up at Luke. “Can I call Mom?”

  “Patience.”

  I try to ignore the phone Samuel speaks into. Even his low voice is seductive.

  The boat has old, dark wood furniture that, although is obviously hundreds of years old, looks polished and nearly new. My eyes find their way back to Samuel. He doesn’t look at me, and so I let myself study him, and my whole body tingles. I’ve never been quite so attracted to someone before.

  Samuel holds up a finger and meets my eye. He pauses for a half second and then gives me a knowing grin. “She’s here. I’ll let you tell her.”

  He hands me the phone, and I take it eagerly, not caring who is on the other end. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Cal, how are you?”

  My chest feels like it’s about to explode. “Dad. Oh, my gosh, you have to get me out of here. It’s dirty and scary. I’m trapped in a horror show. Not only that, but Luke has no idea why I’m here.” Now I can get out of this horrible swamp and get back home and to my real life. The one w
ith bikinis and flip-flops instead of galoshes and bug spray.

  Dad chuckles. “Way to be dramatic.”

  “No, I’m being serious. They put me in this creepy shack boat thing that had real shrunken heads in it.” I don’t meet Luke’s eyes. He was only doing what he could for me, but I need Dad to understand exactly what is going on.

  “I know you are in a circus, and there are bound to be unusual things. But, Cal, you’ve got to keep an open mind.”

  Open mind. Yeah, right. You know where an open mind will get me? Dead. That’s where.

  “Why? I just want to get out of here. Have Mom book a flight, and I’ll wait by the phone for you to call back.”

  Mom’s sigh floats into the phone.

  “Mom,” I say. “I miss you so much. Luke doesn’t know why I’m here.”

  “I know. There was a mix-up. I’m not quite sure what happened, but I’ve spoken to Luke, and he’d like you to stay for a bit. I think it’s a good idea. You and Maddie depend on each other so much. I really think you could use the time away to learn how to be a little more independent.”

  “I am independent.”

  “I know. But Maddie is not. It’s just for the summer.”

  “Mom. I almost died.”

  Mom chuckles. “Luke told me about your run-in with the tiger. He said you got scratched.”

  “I did not just get scratched. If I hadn’t been rescued, I’d be dead right now.”

  “Stop exaggerating. This is what I’m talking about. Maddie gets all of these bad habits from you. You need to spend the summer there and learn some responsibility. We’ll call every week.”

  “No. I have to come home. This is a nightmare.”

  I meet Luke’s eyes, and he drops his gaze. He scratches at a spot on the table with a dirty fingernail. I can’t believe he told Mom he wanted me to stay.

  I don’t know what else to say. They’ve crushed any plans I had of going home.

  I hand the phone to Luke and rush off the boat. The clouds have moved in, and the sun is no longer visible. I move blindly down the path, not worrying about snakes or other critters. Just as I clear the trees and head into the circus, the clouds break open, and rain pours down on me. I should go back into the trees where it’s drier, but instead of promising safety, the trees hide dangers. I weave through the dirty tents and spot a large tent with no walls. I dash under it and squeeze out my hair.