Jessica’s vision was blurry and her head was swimming. Her fear was jarring her body. Blake had taken her and the blonde girl and hidden them in a public restroom somewhere in the theme park . It felt like they ran for miles before getting a place to catch their bearings. The clowns were still out there, and so were the brother and sister, Alaire and Cole. Jessica felt a pang in her chest, thinking it was her fault they all split up.
Blake sat with his back against the bathroom door, ensuring it stayed closed, while Taylor and Jessica cowered under the sinks. Taylor’s arms wrapped around her knees and she buried her face into them. She hadn't moved since.
“Are we really safe here?” Jessica whispered.
Blake shrugged, “I didn't exactly have a whole lot of time to find the perfect sanctuary against killer clowns.”
“I know!” Jessica snapped, “I just…”
“Sorry,” Blake said mildly, “I’m a bit rude when fearing for my life.”
“Life…” Jessica muttered.
“Yeah,” Blake gave her a strange look, “Life. So fleeting.”
Jessica shook her head, “No. I just remembered something…”
Taylor peeked out from behind her personal shelter. Something had clicked in Jessica’s brain finally, something that had been bothering her since they moment they woke up captive.
“Thanato,” Jessica began, “isn’t a word. Not on its own at least.”
“No offense, but what does this have to do with our clown problem?” Blake asked.
“Maybe nothing, maybe everything,” she said. Maybe something awful, Jessica thought to herself.
“Well, go ahead English teacher. Enlighten us.”
Jessica continued, “Thanato is a combining form… usually to form the word thanatophobia. Thanatos,” she accentuated the s, “Is part of Greek mythology. He’s hardly mentioned in most stories, but he’s supposed to be the personification of death.”
Blake blinked, “So… what you’re trying to say is?”
“Thanato means death,” Jessica’s voice trembled, “Thanatophobia is the fear of death. And Thanatos is god of death…”
“The Thanato Project?” Taylor finally raised her head. Her eyes were wide with revelation, and she bit her lip to stop her from crying again. Blake stayed quiet, but the mood in the room certainly darkened.
“The Death Project,” Jessica said.
*****
“We can’t keep running like this,” Cole spoke out of breath.
Alaire was fighting the urge to cough up a lung herself. There had to be a way to fight back, she thought. They’d made a loop around the park it seemed because they were close to the zoo again. Her legs were shaking from fear and exhaustion.
“We’re almost to the front again,” Alaire noted, “Maybe the clowns aren’t guarding it anymore since they’ve been chasing us.”
Cole nodded, and they kept running, passing the zoo again. Thank goodness for the clown’s ridiculous costumes to slow them down. For a second, Alaire wondered if they were being followed anymore.
Someone screamed.
The scream came east of them and not in the direction they were wanting to go. It was definitely a girl screaming. Alaire thought of the other three that were with them before. Blondie didn't stand a chance…
“Cole…”
Cole sighed, silently agreeing. Alaire was all for saving themselves, but to leave someone else to die when they could clearly hear the call for help was impossible. She couldn't stomach it.
They passed some roller coasters and kiddy rides before finally approaching the gruesome scene. Blood was splattered all over the road. Alaire gripped Cole’s arm tightly, accidentally sinking her nails into his skin.
“Help…”
Alaire tore her eyes away from the blood. Someone was hurt, but alive! Somehow.
“It’s Jessica!” Alaire pointed.
The red-haired girl was limp on her back, groaning and bleeding out. She had multiple stab wounds in her chest. Her front was all red.
“Jessica!” Alaire dropped to her knees and pressed down on the bleeding areas with her hands, “What happened?”
Jessica had blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth. Not good, Alaire watched her pitifully.
“We were hiding…they found us…”
Jessica choked.
“Where did they go?” Cole asked.
“They took… the blonde…”
“Thanato…”
Jessica’s voice trailed away. Her eyes glazed over and her body stopped fidgeting. Cole went pale in the face. Alaire’s hands trembled, still forming a tourniquet on her now lifeless body.
“We were too late,” Alaire said.
Cole wrapped an arm around her shoulders and lifted her up. Her hands were stained with this girl’s blood, and she couldn't stop looking at them. That is until Cole suddenly pulled her away sharply.
Alaire looked up and saw the clown with hooks for hands. He had a wide and hungry grin, with harsh black lipstick. His hair was wild and purple to match his purple and green outfit. The clown stomped closer to them, giggling at Jessica’s corpse.
Suddenly, the bell tolled. The sound of cheering children sounded across the park. The clown froze. He looked deeply dissatisfied, glowering at them, and his head slowly turned upwards. Above them was another clock with the smiley face, the same one Jessica spotted earlier.
The circus clock? Why did that stop him?
The clown growled. With an awful swing, he plunged one of his nasty hooks into Jessica’s shoulder. Alaire cried out in surprise, and Cole pulled her even farther back.
“We can’t do anything for her now,” Cole said, “She’s already gone…”
Alaire still couldn't believe what she was seeing. The clown had his thick hook through the body and was dragging Jessica away. He didn't look back or come back for her or Cole. She wanted to think that they’d been lucky, that maybe one kill was enough to satisfy the clowns. But her heart hurt for the poor girl they just witnessed die. She’d never seen death before, especially not one so bloody and terrible.
“What’s happening…” Alaire’s voice cracked, “Why do they want to kill us?”
Cole shook his head, “I don't know."
No comments:
Post a Comment