Page 35 of Circus From Hell

She responds with another singular nod, and I don’t think she quite understands why either of us find it funny.

“We’re not laughing at you,” I say quickly. Not because I think she’ll eat us if I don’t clarify, but because I feel guilty leaving her out of the loop. “Micha is a security guard. He’s there to make sure no one vandalises the graves or anything.”

She tilts her head, eyes blinking slowly at Micha, and it’s only now I can take in all the features of her clearly. She’s not attacking or hidden beneath the darkness; she’s standing before us, without her teeth bared, and it feels like a huge milestone.

She has a lot of piercings too. All over her ears and across her face. Eyebrows, nose, cheeks, cheekbones, lips—it’s clear she likes jewellery.

“How come you came to see us?” I ask.

“I don’t want to eat you two as much as I do everyone elssse.”

Micha raises his hands. “Okay, I’ve had enough. I’ve got to ask. Why do you have a weird tongue? Is it like surgically implanted? Are you a monster?”

“Sssstop calling me a monsssster,” she hisses, stepping forward like she’s going to attack, but then she quickly forces herself to retreat. So she does have some control over herself and doesn’t mindlessly want to eat everyone all the time. Good to note. “This is just my tongue.”

The more she talks, the more she practices, the less she hisses. Another good note. Although, I’m not exactly opposed to the hissing when I know what she can do with that tongue.

“What are you, Karma?” I pose the question much nicer than Micha, because whilst she’s right—he is very rude—I’m also curious.

“I’m jussst…” She opens her palms and looks down, as though to assess herself. The material of her black skin-tight jumpsuit loosens around her wrists and ankles, and it reveals more light blue flesh and stitching. “Me. I wasss made like this. Kreo likes giving animals different tonguesss.”

“Kreo?” I ask, and she nods.

“My maker.”

“You were actually made?” Micha blurts. “Like in a lab?”

“In a tent. At the circusss,” she replies. “I shouldn’t be telling you thisss. Kreo won’t like it. But I can’t help how I speak. Snake tonguesss are hard to use.”

I don’t like the sound of this ‘Kreo’ guy. And I can’t quite come to terms with how she was made.

Before I can ask another question, a rat scurries across the ground, jumping and hooking onto Karma’s leg. I jerk back, watching as it climbs up her body, but Karma smiles wider and lets it onto her shoulder. It turns to us with great big white eyes that look close to popping out of its skull, and it sits back on its hind legs. But they’re white and long and scrawny like…

“Chicken legs?”

“Ssssh,” Karma whispers. “Sssnake doesn’t like to talk about it.”

Micha looks like he’s either going to hysterically laugh or turn and walk away, still utterly bewildered. “That’s not a snake,” he exclaims. “That’s a chicken-rat or something.”

I swear, the thing’s bulging white eyes narrow on Micha, like he can understand him and doesn’t appreciate what he has to say. Then the little creature looks to Karma. Its snake tongue sticks out to softly hiss at her, and she does the same, the tip of their tongues nearly touching like some secret handshake.

That explains why her pet rat is called Snake.

When I turn to Micha, I burst out laughing. His expression is a mix of shock, disgust, and fear all in one, and he’s stumbled back a few steps. This big, scary security guard can’t handle seeing a couple of stitched-together creatures.

I’m weirdly amused. When I turn back to the pair and smile, Snake impressively jumps from Karma’s shoulder to mine, his chicken claws digging into my shirt. The top of his head nuzzles into my neck, and I think Micha is three seconds away from a heart attack.

“He likesss you.”

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” Micha splutters, and Snake narrows his eyes on the brute, who pointedly narrows his eyes back. “I’m watching you, rat. And you, Stitches. I don’t trust your smile. Can you stop smiling for a second?”

“Micha,” I spit, tired of this attitude. Just because she’s made it clear that she’s not here to hurt us doesn’t mean he needs to be so nasty to her. He might not be scared, but he’s uncomfortable and lacks trust, which he’s taking out on her.

“No, I can’t. It’s sssstiched,” Karma snaps, and Snake promptly jumps back onto her shoulder. “Why are you still being rude? I ssssaid I wouldn’t eat you two right now.”

“Right now,” he repeats, stepping closer to shield me. “You could change your mind at any point.”

“Then why did you let me sssuck your boyfriend’s cock? I could sssmell your arousal too, Micha.”