The Freakshow Massacre

16.

Fighting the clowns off, was scary but somewhat comforting for Claudia.  It was comforting because she knew that if she was able to keep the clowns distracted (even for a bit), then Marty and Marcia would be able to escape.  And she was praying that they'd successfully achieve the goal of escape.

Her chances of being able to battle and kill each and every one of the clowns was impossible.  They were so much stronger and bigger than her.  One small bull-hook wasn't going to aid in killing them all.  But Claudia forced herself to keep trying.  She knew that she had to.

It was practically her mission to keep them distracted...it was the least she could do to help Marty and Marcia at this point.  She could care less about her own safety; she was going to die anyway.  She just wanted her friends to make it out.

Her family had repeatedly told her that she was a screw-up, Claudia saw herself as nothing more than that.  She didn't want to die being remembered as a screw-up.  She thought that if she died fighting for her friends' safety, she'd be remembered as someone important and loyal.  She didn't want to believe that she was a failure.  And she definitely didn't want Marty and Marcia to see her as a miserable loser.

Claudia stood in the dark, cold night...a solitary presence.  The rabid pack of five clowns encircling her...were ready to attack.  She raised the bull hook, tightly and kept it in the ready position.  Pinky and Grubby started to edge closer towards her.

She viewed Pinky whose woeful appearance was scarier than on previous occasions.  Her nauseatingly disgusting nose was now deformed.  Dried blood was splattered about her ugly face.  She resembled a wild beast hunting for prey.  As for Grubby...he looked the worst of all with his eye sockets appearing like they were filled with a mushy substance of 'sickly red' and a 'diseased pale white'.  Layers of dried foul-smelling blood was caked around his eyes and down his face.

Grubby edged closer to Claudia with the infamous prod in hand.  She'd previously fought him, rendering his eyes useless but he was still on his feet.  She was amazed at how he was still able to stand (given his state).  He was trying to kill her.  Blinding him hadn't stopped him.  It made Claudia think that the clowns were immortal terminators.

Once Grubby was within reach, Claudia swung the bull hook and aimed for the clown's heart.  The hook smashed into his chest and blood spouted out from the horrific opening.  Claudia yanked the hook out of him and he was propelled backwards.

Th onlooking clown's fury became very apparent.  They all began to close in on Claudia...trapping her within a ring of vengeance.  She was terrified, her chest tightened as beads of sweat instantaneously formed and then subsequently trickled down her face.  Claudia knew that her time as almost up.  Her end was near.

She could see her life flashing before her eyes...from her earliest childhood memory through to and all the way up until the dreadful situation she had found herself in.  She was glad that her thoughts included happy memories, particularly from her childhood.

Claudia was aware that childhood was supposed to be a period in someone's life when they were at their happiest.  When a father's shoulders were the highest place on earth.  When your mum was your best heroine.  When your worst enemies were simply your siblings playing the roles of robbers or Indians.  When the most pain you felt was carpet burns on your knees and when goodbyes only meant until the next morning.

Unfortunately, Claudia's childhood hadn't always been happy.  The majority of the time it was the contrary but after years of being subjected to it, she'd became accustomed to it.  She'd gotten used to all the fights that had happened.  All the times her brother would hit her.  Throughout her childhood she thought it was normal.  She thought it was normal for a family to act in a dysfunctional manner.  But now that she was older, she knew that it wasn't right.