Darkwood: Wilford's Freakshow

6

Sam sat on her bed staring at the wooden bat hidden between the trash can and bottom cupboard of her trailer. It was dented with a large amount of blood on one side. She felt disconnected from the world and trapped in that hour she wish she can forget. She never heard screams of terror and a cry for mercy from a man before; it was haunting, and every so often she can hear it faintly. Sam clenched the blanket under her with a heavy, shaky sigh. Though, when talking to Emily, she forgot about it for a few minutes. It helped. It gave her strange hope that she can be forgiven. The morning sun begins to rise above the horizon, splitting the trees and beaming through the windows. Another sleepless night with more to come.

Meanwhile, Emily sat up and stretched her arms and legs before doing her morning routine and dressing in black jeans and red flannel. She headed downstairs with her school bag to grab a drink from the fridge only to freeze on the spot when seeing Lyla sitting with Mrs Clawthorne.
“Morning, Emily,” Lyla spoke softly with a gentle smile. Emily squints her eyes - something was off about that smile. “Your mom let me in. Was hoping we could head in together.”
Emily looked to her mother with an unsure smile. “Yeah, sure,” Emily replied.
“Thanks, Mrs Clawthorne. See you later,” Lyla says as she followed Emily out to the car.
They climb into Emily's car. They said nothing until they were out the driveway, and only then did Lyla speak up. “You didn't show yesterday. Any reason?”
Emily shifts back in her seat with a sigh and shrug. “No,” she answered, unconvincingly.
Emily felt Lyla's heavy gaze of disbelief. They knew eachother for years, so knowing if one was lying was as easy as cutting cake. So, Emily answered honestly.
“I guess I was scared. Maybe I thought it was going to be awkward or that it would hurt just being around you. Jake says you're fine with me being a poof but... Maybe I'm just being weird, y' know?”
Lyla smiled with a slow nod of acknowledgement. “So, what's attractive about me anyways?” she asks suddenly after a brief silence.
“Everything,” Emily answered hesitantly. “Your looks, your personality. You have a sweet laugh, beautiful eyes, kind heart. You're gentle, too. Especially for a punk rocker-girl.”
Lyla's heart fluttered from the thought of Emily thinking about her in such a romantic way.
“That's cute. Though, you may need to see a doctor if you think my laugh is sweet,” she chuckled.
Emily just smiled for a moment. “I'm sorry for basically leaving you yesterday. I went to the circus again and... It's changed. A lot.”
“How, exactly?” Lyla asks.

“The tent is now two times bigger. It looks like it's been rotting for a few years and the performance has gotten more horrifying and thrilling. Hell, they've got giants, demons and nightmare clowns. Even wooden mannequins, faceless but can somehow scream. They've renamed themselves Wilford's Freakshow. You'd need to see it yourself.” Lyla looked to two dice hanging on the rearview mirror, sparkling and swinging around.
“Maybe the manager offed someone or made a deal with the Devil... Or he finally had enough money to revamp it all.”
Emily shrugged. “Who knows. It's just wild how much it changed in such little time.”