The Carnies' Chronicles

## The Abduction of Nora

***WARNING: VIOLENT IMAGERY***

Oct 5th - Oct 17th (2015)

### 1.) Nora

Nora’s fingers flew dexterously over the crisp pages of the thick book in her lap, turning until she found the point where she had left off. It had been a night or two since anyone was on her tail, so she figured since she was lying low, now was as good a time as any to catch up on her reading. Aside from the occasional sound of a snapping stick or an animal making it’s usual call, she didn't have to look up for much; she was finally able to relax. A few minutes and a dozen pages later, she was lost in her book.

Suddenly, her eyes went wide. Her heart began to thump loudly in her chest. Were those sounds of pain? In mere seconds her book was closed and she was on her feet in pursuit of the disturbance. It had come from the East, and without hesitation, she was off in that direction. Finally, after a few moments of brisk jogging, she found the source. In the road laid what appeared to be a young girl. She waited a moment to make sure this was the source of the sounds. “Help me! Someone!” the little girl cried, and Nora quickly obliged.
“What happened? Did someone attack you?” Nora searched up and down the little girl’s body for a wound after briefly scanning the roadway for other people.
“A group of bad men. They hit me,” the little girl sniffled.
“They’re gone now. Don’t worry, I’ll fix you up. Where does it hurt?” Still Nora had trouble finding the source of the pain. She also had it in her mind that she had seen this little girl before. “What’s your name? Have I seen you around Greyfell?” Nora inquired.
“My name is Lucy. This is Teddy,” she hugged a worn stuffed bear tight against her chest. “And these are my friends.” The little girl looked up from her spot on the ground. Nora wasted no time doing the same. Her body tensed up at the sight of six menacing figures standing around her. There was a man with a grated face mask and darkened eyes, a woman in a purple skirt with thick mascara running down her face, and a man with some facial tattoos and lightly used gills. Another wore a caged helmet and a dirty sleeveless shirt under patchy, homemade tire armor. One donned a bloody lab coat and old glasses, and yet another, a bird mutant with some kind of shiny piece of shell on its face, stood with the group as well.
Nora stood up, quickly drew her swords, and pointed them fearfully at the group. They returned the favor with their variety of guns and blades.
“Put them down,” the man with gills commanded. She knew these people’s reputation, and she didn't feel like losing her life, but she wouldn't back down that easily.
“I’m just going to heal this girl, and then I’ll be on my--” Her sentence was cut short by a small knife poking into her back. A glance behind her revealed Lucy’s menacing grin.
“Don’t get smart, girl,” the masked man remarked, “Phillip, tie her up.” The one in the helmet approached with a rope, and wrapped them taut around Nora’s wrists.

### **2.) Jester**

“Time to wake up,” Jester said quietly. Nora’s eyes drifted open. Her head was still hanging low and her eyes began slowly blinking. Thunk! Jester swiftly plunged a black butterfly knife into the small table beside her. She perked up and breathed in sharply, realizing where she was. It was a small dimly lit room with one metal door leading out. Two men stood before her. Panic set in. Her eyes darted from wall to wall while her lips trembled. She struggled to loosen the rope which bound her wrists behind her back to the chair she sat in.
“What the hell do you want with me?” Nora yelled at the men. Phillip turned and smiled at Jester.

“Patience, young one,” Jester remarked under his breathe.

“No,” Phillip cut in, “I think she should know. Don’t you?” He pulled off his helmet so she could see his face more clearly. Two thick, black patches of discolored skin stretched from over his eyebrows to just above his jawline. Phillip leaned in unnervingly close to her face, donning a wicked smile.

“Now I don’t know about him,” he glanced back to Jester, “but I’d just love to see you. . . break.” Nora reeled back and spit in his face. He stared blankly into her eyes for a few brief seconds.

Nora flashed a triumphant smile. “What’s the matter? All bark and no-” The rest of her breath left her body with a swift kick to her chest. She went tumbling backward to the ground, arching her back in pain upon landing. Phillip grabbed one leg of the broken chair and snapped it off with a single, quick yank. Nora gritted her teeth in an attempt to brace herself against the inevitable stings of the brutal beating. Her crying out in pain only seemed to encourage Phillip to swing even harder. She struggled to twist and turn out of the way of the makeshift club, to no avail.

“Now, that’s enough Phillip.” Jester cut in, walking beside a now silent Nora. She sniffled, quietly sobbing, and let out a quiet groan of relief. She struggled to catch her breath through her hyperventilating. Phillip took another look at the chair leg in his hands before tossing it to the ground.

“The fastest way to break her spirit is to first break her body,” Jester quipped, “but if we beat her too senselessly, she will never come to her senses.” Phillip nodded in understanding, still breathing out his anger. He spat on the ground beside her as he began to storm out of the room. Before he reached the door, he turned around and locked eyes with the helpless woman. “I’m not through with you, you can count on that!” Phillip grabbed his helmet with an aggravated yank and slammed the door behind him.

Jester leaned over the woman and shook his head. “I’d think a little harder before acting next time,” he lectured. He made a trek to the only exit in the room. “He may not go as easy on you next time.” He slipped out of the metal door, locking it behind him.

Nora did her best to sit up, blood and tears running down her face. Her head was throbbing, and she thought through various painful places on her body, taking note. Temple, jaw, shoulder, stomach, wrists. Wrists! Her hands, while still bound, were free from the broken chair. She used her shoulder to wipe the fluids from her face, and began scanning the room with her eyes. There it was, right where he left it; the black-handled knife set deep into the table beside her.

### **3.) Krank**

Nora’s eyes opened once again to the dusty room. There were no windows. Sunlight never met this place. All she had was the dim light of the small lantern they left hanging above the table. The layers of dust and dirt on the concrete walls reminded her of how unlikely it would be for anyone to find her here. She sat in silence, back propped against the wall, waiting for her captors to show themselves once more. She held her hands behind her back, not because she had to, but so she could conceal the knife she had taken from the table. Nora was convinced this would be her chance. She wasn’t one for violence, but she knew when it came to it, she had no other options.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by the clicking and jarring of the locks on the door. Nora quickly repositioned herself to appear more broken and defeated. The already present pain from numerous beatings made it easy. She gripped the knife, ready to strike. The rusty metal door swung open with a creak. Nora lifted her gaze briefly, just in time to see Jester’s head emerge from the open gap. He sauntered over and positioned himself next to the wall. He was uncharacteristically silent as he stood over her, casting a shadow in the faint light. She waited for him to do anything; to say something, to act, but nothing came. The silence seemed to stretch the seconds into hours, until she couldn’t take it any more. It was time to strike. Before he could react, Nora sprung from the floor and shoved him against the wall, swiftly putting the black butterfly knife tight against his throat.

Jester let out a slight chuckle, but didn’t fight back. ‘Why would he?’ Nora thought. She was in control now.

“Woah, watch where you’re waving that thing. You could poke an eye out.”

Nora scoffed. ‘He’s taunting me... Of course he’s taunting me.’ She pressed the knife harder into his skin, making a thin red line appear. It almost matched the haggard gills already present on his neck.

“Make one wrong move and you’re dead.” She threatened, trying to keep her voice down.

Jester stuck his tongue out at her.
Nora immediately elbowed him in the chest.

Jester coughed and chuckled under his breath. “Well? What are you waiting for? Do it already!”

“This isn’t one of your games,” she snarled. “I’m not playing with you!”

“Then KILL me!… kill… me!” He stared at her with an excited anticipation that made her sick.

“You can’t do it, can you?” He rolled his head back to rest against the wall. “You’re too weak. I knew you were too-”

“SHUT UP! Shut the hell up!” Nora seethed. She clutched her hand over her mouth, afraid someone might have heard. Lowering her voice, she went on.

“I have every reason to kill you right now, and if you-”

There was a loud thunk as the door began to open once again. Nora quickly swung Jester around, placing him between her and the intruder while keeping the knife pressed close to his neck. Emerging from the doorway was a man wearing tattered clothes with his hands bound in front of him. He had this terrible look of dread on his face. Nora quickly realized why. Behind him was the metal masked man she had come to know as Krank. With one hand Krank kept the captive aloft by the scruff of his shirt, and with the other held a pistol pressed to the man’s head. The hostage was breathing heavily, almost crying as he let out stifled moans. Another like her. She could see that he had not withstood the pain as well as she.

“I suggest you put the knife down” Krank said.

Nora’s eyes darted between Krank and the broken man’s bloodied face. His eyes were pleading.

“Listen Nora,” Jester said from under the blade, “you don’t have to do what he says.” He struggled to swallow with the knife’s edge to his throat. “Just kill me and get it over with.”

“I told you to shut up!” She cried.

“You also told me you’d slit my throat,” Jester quipped.

“Let that man go, gods damn it!” Nora yelled.

Krank’s dark eyes focused as he pulled the hammer back on his pistol.

“Please… help me,” the captive cried.

Nora’s grip began to loosen. She couldn’t let this man die. An innocent would not be killed because of her. She released her grip, dropping the knife on the ground. Collapsing to her knees she let out an exasperation of defeat. Jester looked down at her and shook his head, almost disappointed. He then picked up his blade and made his way to the door, brushing his clothes off as he exited.

Krank kicked the back of the captive’s leg causing him to crumble to the ground in front of her. Nora shifted from the floor to her hands and knees and looked up to see the hostage struggling to do the same. She began to shuffle slowly to where he was laying on the ground.

“Are you okay? she asked.
“Why did they-”

Bang.

The gunshot rang in Nora’s ears as she watched the captive slump to the ground. Shocked, she covered her face. She quickly removed her hands when she felt the blood splatter. Nora slowly tilted her gaze to make eye contact with Krank. He stared at her with an expression of twisted pleasure. Behind the metal mesh covering his mouth, she could make out a sickening grin. She wanted to stand up and charge at him. Make him pay for the death of this innocent man… but her whole body just felt… heavy. Defeated. Before she could move, the door closed once again. She was alone. Nora strained to crawl to where the man lay and put her hands on his shoulders. “Get up,” she whimpered weakly as her eyes began to fog. “Please get up.”

There was no response. No sound. Only her muffled sobs echoing against the dank cell walls.

### **4.) End**

"Those deaths must have taken their toll on you, knowing that you caused them."

"I was trying to save them."

"Why do you try to keep these people from escaping their torture. The torture of life. Those children didn't care much for your help. It only brought them pain."

"Life is better than death"

"What is life but the inevitability of death? All that matters is that you have some fun."

"Everyone deserves an equal chance at life"

"Everyone deserves an equal chance at death."

"...I can't remember what fresh air is like"

"Tick tock, tick tock, many weeks have passed you know."

"Trapped in this desolate room."

"No light."

"No sounds."

"Nothing but your sorrows."

"I killed everyone."

"Now don't be difficult on yourself."

"I stole their lives."

"You stole their pain. They're no longer suffering."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"Yeah."

"Chin up now. You have a lot ahead of you."

"I'm feeling better."

Nora continued to stare into the darkness of her empty room, thinking to herself.

## **Individual Stories**

### **Jester's Final Thoughts** (July 2nd, 2016)

"Hello."
"Seems they got sick of me coming back. Decided to keep me this time."
"Welcome, son."
"You owe me 100 pre-war and a floor."
"Guess you do take after your mother, after all."

### **Polly's Walk** (July 2nd, 2016)

Sporting a holey umbrella, a particularly curious parrot mutant half walked half danced his way down a beaten dirt road in the middle of some woods.

He whistled with a smile the tunes to many old songs whose meaning were lost to him, he just liked the way it sounded in the air.

Slowly but surely he kept down the road. Getting more gitty and exited the closer he got to his destination. His friends will be there, his most favorite and precious of friends.

Jester promised when they met up again that he'll play flapjack. It must have been at least a year sense last game, he never did forgive him for winning.

The mutant crutched his face trying to remember how to play flapjack. After awhile of trying to think, he gives up, it hurt too much.

When the hurt stop, it reminded him that Philip was going to show him how to break an arm in seven places. This excited Polly into a full on run, soon he will be home again.

Home with his most dearest of friends. The ones who taught him english. The ones who gave him food when he was exiled. The ones who taught him how to survive. Without his friends, he would be forever asleep.

### **Philip's Peace** (July 3rd, 2016)

As Phillip awoke, he stared up at a cloudless, blue sky. The wind rustled gracefully through the trees, and the birds sang their happy little songs. When he sat up, he noticed that this place was completely new to him, but felt very much familiar and comforting. As soon as he was on his feet, two figures emerged from the trees and walked towards Phillip, and he recognized them instantly.
"Mom? Dad? Is that really you?"
"Yes, Phillip, you're home now," said Phillip's father in a reassuring tone. Tears began to form in Phillip's eyes.
"I- I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything." he collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "I had to. I didn't want to, but I had to." Phillip's father put his hand on his son's shoulder.
"I know, son, and that's why we forgive you." Phillip looked up at his father with a lifetime of regret in his eyes. Just then, a dark haired woman emerged from the woods and smiled at Phillip.
"D- Diane? Is that you, too?"
"Yes, Phillip, I'm here, too."
"You look just as beautiful as when you could move on your own. It's good to see you again."
"You too, love."
"Are you ready to go, son?" Phillip's mother finally chimed in.
"Yeah, mom, I'm ready." It was then that the fire that burned away at Phillip's insides had finally calmed.