Mischiefmakers: Dark Macabre Read online

  The sun, bright and almost blinding, blankets the park and all the magnificent carnival rides. The air is clean. Spring pollen drifts within the light breeze.

  “Jackie, let’s go!” Jackie hears before seeing the little boy running toward the large red carnival tent; he gestures Jackie to follow.

  Where am I? Is that little Brian Jones? How could it be? He still looks like a child. Wait, I look like a child! She’s confused as she looks at her reflection in a carnival mirror of illusions. She is eleven years old again. She is a beautiful child with white barrettes and a long black ponytail. She is wearing a sky-blue sundress decorated with golden sunflowers that capture her childhood beauty.

  Jackie finds herself in the old neighborhood where she grew up many years ago. She remembers this carnival as the same one that came to town often when she was a child. The same booths are all standing there, lined up, and with carnival barkers calling to her. The same rainbow-colored balloons are flying everywhere, flapping in the breeze. The same crazy clowns are running around, playing hide-and-go-seek, and scaring the littlest kids. The ticket booth right in the center of the carnival even has the same prices on all the rides that Jackie remembers from when she was a child — but how could this be true?

  As Jackie wonders about all this, suddenly a voice calls to her.

  “Girl, will you come on? We’re going to miss the main attrac- tion!” The young boy grabs her arm and pulls her toward the tent.

  “Brian, what are you doing here?” she asks, still confused. “What am I doing here? What is going on?”

  “You know, the main attraction!”

  “What is the main attraction?”

  “You’ll see!” The two run hand in hand, squeezing through the crowd of adults, who are also very interested in seeing the main attraction. As Jackie follows Brian, parts of her memory begin to surface.

  This ain’t right. What’s goin’ on? I should be in Jersey. I’m not a little girl anymore. I shouldn’t be here! Brian, what about Brian? Why is he here? Didn’t somethin’ happen to him? What was it? I can’t remember!

  “Are you okay?” asks the handsome boy. “Let’s get some cotton candy, it’ll make you feel better.”

  This must be a dream. What else can it be? But things feel so real, everything is so clear. I can smell the fresh cut grass. I ain’t felt this craving for roasted peanuts in years. The carousel’s chimes, the laughter, the chatter, I can hear it so well. This must be the best dream I ever had. Stupid me, that’s all this is, a cool dream. Let me enjoy it before I wake up. Looking at Brian, she releases a huge smile.

  “Heck yeah, I want some cotton candy and some ice cream and one of those big cookies!”

  “Wow, you sure are hungry.”

  “It’s my dream! I can have anything I want!”

  “If you say so.”

  “Hey, Brian, let’s go over there and play some of the games,” Jackie suggests. Brian stares up at the big red tent as if asking its permission.

  “Okay, we have a little bit more time before the main event. Where do you want to go first?”

  “Let’s go over there and throw the darts. I want to see if I can get them all. I’ll race ya!” The two children run their fastest, each trying to out-run the other. In a flash, they meet directly in front of the booth. Panting and almost totally out of breath, Jackie looks up at the stout man working the booth. His overalls are a grubby bluish color as he steps forward, eager to add to the children’s excitement.

  “How much is it to play?” she asks.

  “It’s free,” says the short man with the pleasant smile.

  “Oh, that’s right, it’s my dream. Of course it’s free!”

  With the short man’s grin turning into an expression of confusion, he stares at Jackie.

  “What dream? Everything here is free. It’s always been free. Have you--”

  credit to: www.tomituri.hu “No, she hasn’t seen the main event!” Brian announces sternly. The short man quietly steps away, drifting into the back. Slightly disturbed, Brian turns to Jackie. “This is not a dream, Jackie.”

  “What are you talking about? Of course it is. Look at me, I’m a child again. What else could this be?” Jackie asks with a laugh.

  “It’s time for us to go to the main event.” Brian turns away.

  Jackie ignores Brian’s seriousness and looks around smiling, taking deep breaths, and trying to enjoy these precious moments before she awakens.

  Suddenly, a flood of memories enters her mind in a blend of dozens of pictures quickly pasting together, causing her to stop. Jackie closes her eyes. Behind her closed eyelashes, in the darkness, she sees scenes from all through her childhood — all the old, bad things Jackie’s tried so hard to forget. Scenes she’s tried all her life to run away from. Jackie holds her head as if in blinding pain. The pain grows, until her head feels like it’s ready to explode.

  “Don’t worry about that, it will all be over soon,” Brian says as he grasps her hand, leading her to the big red carnival tent. “You’ll like the main event, just follow me. I’ll take care of you.”

  “What is the main event?” asks Jackie, blinking away the con- fusing pictures still storming through her mind. Jackie notices everyone ceasing their activities and walking toward the big red tent. All the rides stop at exactly the same time. All the laughter stops. All the general chatter ceases. The elegant musical chimes that echo from the carousel suddenly die down, bringing all to a quick halt. Strangely, the children don’t seem to mind leaving all toys and food behind. The children walk mindlessly as they gaze at the big tent as if it is an enchanted asylum awaiting their presence. The adults are no different. Their once happy, smiling faces now express a grim monotonous expression. The mesmerized crowd walks with little haste. They go willingly through the dark entrance.

  At first, Jackie feels herself wanting to resist the journey toward the isolation of the sunless entrance, but she is called by a calm, soothing, familiar voice.

  “Come in, allow me to feel your love once more. Come into my home. Meet my new friends and join me in a world that can grant your most desired dreams. My world can grant you wisdom beyond your wildest vision. You cannot imagine such a place as this. Walk with me, walk with me. Forgive me for what I have done to you in the past, I was not myself. I am sorry for leaving you, I love you. Let Brian guide you into my light, and I will be waiting for you.”

  “Mama!” With her teary eyes, Jackie screams, “Mama, is that you?” Jackie stands, gaping in awe as the ghostly voice quickly sub- sides. She lifts her arms and hands, grasping her mouth and eyes in an attempt to hold back the flow of tears. Her eyes glaze over. Her racing heart pounds like a giant drum, pulsating out of con- trol. The blood radiates through her body. A feeling of warmth overwhelms her hands and feet.

  “See, Jackie, your mom wants you to come with me. She wants you to experience what we have experienced, what we will experience.” Brian grasps her hand and guides the sniffling child Jackie into the big red tent.

  “Where’s my mother?”

  “I will take you to her, please calm down. I am here to help you.”

  “Help me do what? What are you talkin’ about?!”

  “I will take you to your mom. She is a part of the main event.”

  “My mother’s dead, she ain’t part of any main event!”

  “If this is your dream, just let things happen. Relax and fol- low me,” Brian utters, cleverly switching Jackie’s feelings of reality back into feelings of pure fantasy. As they walk toward the huge tent, she dries her eyes quickly, remembering that this can be nothing more than a dream.

  The two children stroll into a large area with wooden makeshift stands that encompass a circular center arena. The arena is illuminated only by a series of flame-filled skulls, adult in height and terrifying in appearance; the empty eyes overflow with flames. Their teeth are jagged and spit fire like a dragon. The skulls allow just enough light so that anything entering the circle can be fully obser
ved by the captivated on-lookers. The two children squeeze through the aisle between two full rows of men, women, and children, whose concentrated gazes are not interrupted by the slightest disturbance.

  The empty arena is suddenly breached. An old man dressed in a deep maroon robe steps over the outer boundary into the sacred circle. Holding a lavishly designed golden staff, the divine old man lifts his hands and quickly quiets all voices. His long black beard accents his lifeless black eyes. His old face is heavily creased. In a resounding voice commanding respect, the old man releases his wisdom upon the crowd.

  “Within the womb of a fallen angel, our new master resides. It is from this woman the black heart shall be born to ignite the gates of heaven. The beast that commands us all, loves us all. With the ecstasy of his embrace, I shall release from these lips nothing less than the truth. Now, ye shall soon know the power of our world cometh three seasons from present. Allow my warriors to become few and secret as they shall rule the many and exposed. The enigma of our existence cannot continue, for we are death in its purest form. Come forth, O children, under this arena and take your fill of love.”

  The old man smiles with elation, bathing in the love shown by his congregation. Their eyes become wet with tears as they chant an unknown dialect. His golden staff turns into an ancient clay seal that he raises with both hands above his head.

  “We have our own...seventh seal...we do not need the Lamb!”

  As he speaks, from the darkness surrounding the arena, six beasts come forward, each holding a golden trumpet. Their leathery bodies are massive and covered with dried blood. Their heads are blanketed with horns protruding from their thick skulls. Each beast stands in silence, awaiting instruction.

  The old man crumbles the seal, and the first beast sounds its trumpet. The note blasts, shaking the sky. As the men, women, and children look out from the arena, they can see the earth around them quake. They can barely stand on their feet. The note grows and grows in power, until its peal is deafening, causing the children to cover their ears and hide their heads. And suddenly the surrounding forest is set aflame. Trees burst into balls of fire. The forest floor smokes, then becomes a raging red carpet of flames. The sky erupts again. Thunder booms from the heavens, and hail and fire descend upon the tent.

  The second beast sounds its trumpet. There is another deafening tone. The children who’ve been covering their ears suddenly scream. Blood rises from the ground underneath them. The blood boils up, mixed with seawater; fish gurgle up from the bottom to the top, gasping for air. The ground becomes a boiling cauldron of black water.

  The third beast sounds its trumpet. A blinding light from the sky bursts through the tent as if a star has exploded. Covering their eyes, the followers shriek in pain. A rumble of thunderous booms tremble the ground.

  The fourth beast sounds its trumpet. Above them, the sun, moon, and stars collapse in a great white explosion.

  The fifth beast sounds its trumpet. At first, there is utter and frightening silence. Then the ground beneath the arena rises up and cracks. It opens, splitting and cracking wide as thick black smoke escapes into the air. The smoke rises for miles, darkening the sky.

  The sixth beast sounds its trumpet. The note is deep and doomladen. The demoniacal sound grows in volume until it shakes everything on earth.

  The old man’s voice resounds over everything. “Soon you will be free, my children!”

  “What is going on?” shrieks Jackie as she ducks to avoid fiery debris.

  “Shhh!” Brian quickly quiets Jackie. Throughout the crowd, men, women, and children begin to stand. Eventually the entire audience stands, clasping their hands and chanting.

  The old man slowly begins to spin, almost making a complete turn before halting and raising his thin, pale arm. Suddenly everything is quiet, the beasts are no longer; the fire, smoke, and other phenomenon are gone. Jackie stares around the arena, looking for the destruction that has suddenly vanished.

  “Behold, Jackie Lyra Black, the new guardian of our sacred soul.” The crowd turns to look at the young child. The old man points directly at Jackie.

  “What is he talking about? Why is everyone staring at me?”

  “They love you. They want you to join us and protect our future savior.”

  “Join who? Protect who?”

  “Melissa, your friend, carries the son of the ultimate power!”

  “What?”

  “She carries the dark one that shall allow us to leave Asylum of Omen and finally be accepted into the kingdom of the under- world. We were not accepted anywhere. Our souls are destined to walk the bowels of infinite space and forgotten time. Now we will have a home, finally!”

  In this moment, Jackie remembers Brian Jones’ dark past.

  “You killed yourself! When we were kids, you shot yourself in the head!”

  “Yeah, and my stepfather raped me repeatedly! Would you like to bring up any other happy memories, Jackie?” Brian’s eyes surge with a menacing green glow and his voice deepens. “Your mother killed herself too. That’s why she’s here, that’s why we are all here. We are those souls who pay the ultimate price for taking our own lives!”

  Jackie’s eyes fill with terror as she feels her heart pounding out of control.

  “Don’t be afraid. Don’t you like being a child, being young again? You can have this and more. Look how we helped you to regain your youth. Here, you can be young. You can be a queen desired by men. It’s all yours! You haven’t had one craving for heroin, have you? Not one!”

  “I don’t understand?”

  “Soon we will have to prove ourselves in battle. There will be times we cannot protect her. Soon we shall serve the Beast.”

  “Enough, young warrior! Your tongue moves in haste without the proper knowledge of when to cease.” The old man speaks in a commanding tone while stepping to the side and allowing a familiar face to take control.

  Floating through a soft mist is a beautiful-looking woman dressed in an elegant white dress. Her eyes gaze straight into Jackie’s eyes, as if the woman is possessed by some dark and allconsuming love for her. The woman floats up through the parting crowd, landing directly in front of her. The woman’s face is pleasant, and kindness accents her faultless beauty.

  “Hi, sweetie.”

  “Mama,” Jackie gasps, “is it you?” Suddenly Jackie is awestruck. She feels her knees grow weak, and her skin is tingling in disbelief. She takes a step forward and gently touches her mother.

  “Mama,” she asks, “what is this place, and why do they want me?”

  “Calm down, my child. This is Asylum of Omen. We are those souls that neither kingdom will accept. But things will be different once we gain the respect of the dark one by bearing his first born through a woman who has fallen from grace. We must help the warriors of the underworld in a great battle. That is why we need your help.”

  “Why me? Sarah knows her better.”

  “We cannot trust Sarah. She would be too hard to convert. Never mind Sarah. If she threatens our alliance, we will destroy her. She has already been warned.”

  “What do you mean destroy? She’s my friend! I don’t like this, I don’t think...”

  “I am your mother; these are your friends! Jackie, you have no life. You are an alcoholic, a heroin addict, a whore, and you follow no faith. Eventually you will be among us anyway! Take this opportunity to be among the worshipped, the feared.” The woman raises her hands, clasping them high above her head. “Here it is, my daughter!” Her eyes light up with a bright emerald flame as she stares down at the frightened child. “True love and joy shall be mine in Asylum of Omen! Protect the black priest of priests, the prince of the Beast! Hallelujah! This is what you want, Jackie: love. You’ve always wanted it, here it is!”

  Reality of this situation weighs heavy upon the child Jackie. It is at this point she is convinced this is no ordinary dream. In fact, she feels this to be more real than anything she has ever experienced.

  “No! I won�
��t be like you I won’t kill myself and condemn myself to hell! I will not help you kill my friends!” The little girl screams at the on-lookers and her mother as she backs through the crowd, toward the entrance. “I won’t do it!” Her sobbing voice gains strength as the adult inside her begins to emerge. “This ain’t right!”

  “You cannot leave!” The old man’s eyes glow with an evil green intensity as he points at Jackie. The crowd begins to respond to the old man’s command. They begin to close in, reaching for her.

  Jackie looks up to see she has backed up close to the entrance. She drops to the ground and begins crawling frantically toward the opening, to the outside. She scratches and bites any hand that comes near her face or body; her knees quickly become numb from the treacherous ground. Her palms, bloody and scraped, help propel her between the maze of legs and reaching arms.

  Jackie reaches the entrance and begins to run before she can stand straight, ignoring the pain in her knees and hands. She never looks back.

  The carnival is barren; the rides and food stands are all deserted. The once elegant carousel with its golden chimes and beautiful statuesque horses squeak in the light breeze. The park shows no sign of ever being occupied. Large cobwebs dangle from all the structures. The ferris wheel looks as if it hasn’t housed children’s laughter in a great many years. The seats hang, barely supported by their hinges.

  The wind changes, and an evil breeze hurls paper and debris at Jackie, attempting to stop her progress. Continuously, rocks and pebbles are flung at her, striking her face and chest. The pretty sundress she is wearing is now ripped and stained with spots of blood. She fights through the increasing winds and hurling stones. Without warning, the ground explodes, showering her with a black rain of dirt and leaves. She comes to a halt, panting heavily while covering her head and face from the downpour. The ground then peels to the side, and a demonic messenger rises from the earth.

  “Where do you think you are going?” The once motherly woman has totally changed as she hovers directly in front of Jackie. Her hair is now a fiery red. Her face cracks with sores and green blisters that pulsate like tiny molten bubbles. Sharp spiral antlers protrude from her forehead. Her once white teeth are now harsh gray with menacing sharp edges. Her elegant gown is soaked deep with blood and reeks of a gut-wrenching odor. Jackie, terrified, peers up at the devilish creature, then changes direction, and runs into the dense forest surrounding the carnival grounds.