Mischiefmakers: Dark Macabre (8 page)

“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
observed 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.