Page 14 of Circus From Hell

I shake my head and look away, focusing on the edge of town across the road. It’s one thing to sneak away because of my curiosities; it’s another to break into Kreo’s property. He wouldn’t be happy.

The soles of my feet crunch over the gravel before finding the cold concrete pavement, and in the very early hours of the morning, there’s no one to watch me. Snake rummages around in my hair as I sneak into back alleys, remembering the route to the building I saw Micha and Arlo returning to after the circus. I think they live there.

Micha might still be at the graveyard like he was earlier. Humans have a lot of different jobs; is watching the graves Micha’s job? He must have power over the souls or something to make them stay inside the ground. Why else would they need someone patrolling a field full of dead bodies?

I hope Arlo is in the building at least. I’ve not seen him since, and I really want to look at his jewellery again.

Finally, I reach the street opposite their building. The front door is made out of glass, so I can see that it’s empty inside. There are metal doors and little chairs in the corner; is that supposed to be a living room? I thought Arlo would have more decoration. Maybe Micha controls the house.

Thanks to the empty street, my eyes are pulled away from the entrance door to spot someone walking down the pavement. It’s Micha, wearing the same jacket as earlier with his hands in his pockets. He’s looking around nervously. Is that because of me? Did I scare him?

I hope so.

He must be coming back from guarding the dead. Most humans seem to have their jobs in the daytime; I like that his is at nighttime. It makes it easier for me to follow him.

Micha does one last check of the path, looking left and right before tapping something into a little machine, pulling back the glass door, and slipping inside. Only then do I cross the road. He presses a button beside the metal doors and waits for them to pull open. Once he steps inside, they close behind him, and I attempt to pull open the glass door. It doesn’t budge.

The little machine with numbers and buttons makes no sense to me, and a low growl leaves my throat at the thought of being defeated. That is, until a light flicks on above me. Six windows up, a square in the wall that was dark moments ago now shines bright, and I know deep down that it’s because of Micha. He’s in there.

This isn’t a living room I’m trying to get inside; it’s more like an entryway.

My fingers are strong and easily hold me up as I hop on top of a wide bin and reach up for the first window ledge. Everyone has their curtains shut, so it’s easy to sneak up the side of the building, jumping from windows to pipes as the bells in my hair jingle loudly. I grip onto the ledge beneath Micha’s window.

Careful not to be seen, I peek inside, finding Micha’s back. He’s taken off his jacket, and he’s pulling a steamy pot out of some small rectangular device. My heightened hearing allows me to make out any sound from inside the room—it seems like it’s just him.

His eyes are glued to his phone as he takes a large cup, flicks off the light, and walks through another door, kicking it shut behind him, too entranced to see my glowing eyes peeking inside.

Humans have no survival skills.

The window moves easily when I slip my fingers beneath and push—I guess humans this far up don’t think it’s a risk to leave their homes unlocked—and my flexibility means I can easily flip my legs over and jump into the room. I wait to see if I’ve been heard, but no sign that I have follows.

I’m inside.

This is what I expected a living room to look like. I’ve never been inside someone’s home before.

There’s a long black couch and a television. A table with chairs and a little kitchen space. A coat hook and multiple doors. It’s normal, I guess.

Snake climbs out of my hair and down my body to scurry across the floor, heading to the kitchen space.

I know for a fact Arlo lives here too. I can smell him. Driven by my need, I follow that smell, stalking on my hands and feet until the scent takes me to one of the doors. I press my cheek against the wood, my tongue poking out to lick it. He’s right there. I can hear his heartbeat. It’s slow and steady.

Asleep.

The handle clicks when I twist it, the noise loud in the otherwise silent room, and I keep an eye on the door Micha went through in case he heard the noise. The room is pitch black, a green glow omitting from my eyes as I scan the area. It’s a bedroom. Arlo’s bedroom.

There’s so much stuff in here. Shelves covered with little figurines, a desk with mechanical devices, clothes hanging over a chair. Everywhere I look, there’s something to find. And when I look at the bed, I find Arlo with the quilt around his waist and his mouth parted as he sleeps soundly.

He doesn’t wear a shirt. I can see the ridges in his stomach and the light blonde hairs around his chest. There’s black ink coating nearly every inch of his skin, creeping up his neck. And his nipples…

Silver.

My bones nearly snap with how hard I tense, trying to stop myself from lunging at his body. He has jewellery through his nipples and belly button, like me, and my veins vibrate with the need to eat him alive.

The silence in the room is interrupted by the periodic exhale of his breath, my feet not making any noise as I pad across the wooden floor. Vibrations run down my arms to the tips of my fingers, the electric spark powering my body glistening beneath my long pink and green fingernails.

When I’m standing at his side, I crouch down, moving my face closer to his, so close our noses nearly touch. His curls hang over his forehead, the soft texture begging to be pulled. There’s a peacefulness to him that I never get to see. My victims run and scream, but I like watching his sleeping form, the helplessness, the unawareness. What would he do if he opened his eyes and saw mine peering back?

The sound of his heart pounds in my ears, and I can see the faint movement of his pulse in his neck, beating invitingly. Nails dig into the sheets as I squeeze to stop myself from touching, but his flesh looks so smooth.