Angel at the Circus

Content: This story contains mature content. Mature content includes violence, explicit language, abuse, and death.

(Crossposted from Medium)

Chapter 1

Todd and Frank wandered into the fairground, pockets jingling with cash. Small children weaved between the other adults as they ran towards Candy Lane, a line of brightly-coloured stalls advertising everything from candy apples, to s’mores and popcorn. To their left, a ‘haunted house’ rolled nervous guests along a cheap cart track. On their right, a ‘mirror house’ provided some more cheap entertainment. Todd’s tall, lithe frame wobbled comically as he passed a wiggly mirror out front.

“Ugh, why are we even here, man,” Todd grumbled, “this place is for kids.”

“Come on, there’s a half-dragon flamethrower!! I wanna check it out.”

Frank pointed to a small troupe of performers making their way to the red-and-white-striped big-top tent, carrying brass hoops and unlit torches under their arms. Some had scales and horns, others had tails and doglike snouts. All of them smiled and waved at guests who called out to them as they walked. Tod rolled his eyes and pushed his knuckles further into his pockets.

“Yeah, fine. Alright.”

The Half-Moon circus company came to town twice a year; once in the winter for the annual Darkest Night Festival, and once in the Summer to practice some new routines. Frank usually paid the circus just as much attention as all the other adults, commenting on their posters while waiting for their morning coffee, but this year was different. This year, a golden dragon hybrid had joined the troupe, and their skills with fire magic were apparently unparalleled. Frank, being a ‘dragon guy’, talked about it for weeks. So, ear thoroughly twisted, Todd accompanied him that weekend to see the show.

“They’re going to juggle stuff, and he’ll set it on fire like PSCHWOAR, and FSCHEW!”

Frank waved his arms in some martial-arts gestures, mimicking tales he’d heard of the performance.

“What sound was that again?” Todd asked as they found their seats. Frank flicked his wrists.

“You know, FSCHEWWW!”

A blonde teenager turned to look at Frank, blushed, and giggled to her friend. Chastened, Frank sat next to Todd and growled at him for making him look like a fool. Todd snickered.

“What are you talking about? This is a great place to be a clown, bro.”

Soon the lights dimmed and the crowd erupted into cheers, welcoming the troupe into the sandy circle. Acts flowed one after the other, like a carefully curated dance routine. First, the acrobats swung through the air, catching each other just before they fell to their deaths. Then, a pair of tigers balanced deftly on the tops of poles. The tigers exited to make way for the golden half-dragon flamethrower, who sparkled and breathed flames of red, yellow, and purple towards an eager audience. He then warped the flames into various shapes as the Ringleader narrated, describing daring acts as the fire twisted into the shapes of knights and goblins.

Just as the act was reaching its climax, the flamethrower sent a bolt of purple flame hurtling towards Todd and Frank. Frank, squealing with delight, didn’t notice the bolt singe the top of Todd’s hair. Todd swore. Ducking outside, Todd went towards the portable toilets to splash water on it, hoping that it wasn’t still burning.

“You fucking bitch!”

The sound of a heavy metal chain rattled, as if someone had kicked a cage. Todd, patting his damp hair down, frowned and looked around. The fair ground was still relatively busy despite the activity in the Big Tent, but nobody seemed to notice the altercation going on just meters away. Curious (and unwilling to risk another singe), Todd slunk around the tent to see what was going on.

Turning the corner, Todd peered around a stack of wooden crates to see the Ringleader smoking and pulling off his red tuxedo. He shook a finger at a cage the size of a full caravan, thick metal bars containing something powerful.

“Waste of my money you are, you little shit.”

Two security guards, a burly pair of warriors, stood motionless on either side of the cage as the Ringleader spat at the ground, kicking his cigar into the dirt before pulling his coat back on.

“Put the tigers on again, people love that crap. C’mon.”

With another kick at the cage, the Ringleader stormed off, putting a broad smile back on his face before pulling the tent flap aside. Todd shuddered.

The tiger handler and his two big cats sauntered past quickly, dodging errant tutus and poles to re-enter the tent as bidden. The crowd inside cheered as the Ringleader announced something inaudible. Creeping closer to the cage, Todd craned his neck to get a better look at the creature which had incensed the Ringleader so much.

In the darkest corner of the metal-lined cage gathered a faintly-glowing set of white wings. Long, white hair trailed down between the wings, and a humanoid figure curled up with their back to the bars. Todd felt a twinge of pity for the creature. Then the pity turned to annoyance.

Angels? Caged up like this? It was a shame. An outrage, even!

Checking to see if he was being watched, Todd ran about the cage to find its door, and its lock. He found a heavy padlock bolted to a door on the side, also made of metal. Nodding to himself, Todd darted back to his seat beside Frank.

He’d come up with a plan.

Chapter 2

“An innocent creature, locked up and sworn at!?” Frank said somewhat too loudly. Todd waved his hand in front of his friend’s face, eyes wide. They walked briskly back to Frank’s apartment.

“Tonight. I’m gonna break it out.” Todd told Frank, “Surely some kind of god will reward me for doing that, right? It’s just not right, dooming an angel to slavery in such a creepy place.”

Frank frowned and nodded.

“What do you need me to do?” Frank asked, folding his arms across his chest. Todd held up both of his hands.

“Drive. You have the car ready to make a getaway in case I get caught, alright?”

“Got it.”

“I’m glad we went to the circus today. We get to be heroes today.”

“Yeah!”

***

Night fell, and Frank parked the car in a copse of trees just outside of the fair ground. The evening air was cool, and still, devoid of people after the final evening show had wrapped up. The stalls had been packed away, the performers in their caravans. Some caravans were still lit from within, host to a constant stream of chatter and laughter. Without a full moon to illuminate the ground, Todd and Frank slipped behind the big tent with ease.

The massive cage had been covered with a heavy oiled tarp, which Todd lifted to show his friend the angel within.

“Woah…” Frank whispered, a small smile on his face. He jerked his thumb towards the angel.

“Dude, you never told me she was hot!”

“What? Let me see…”

Todd ducked under the lifted tarp to see that the angel had turned around and was facing the bars. Her eyes, a bright golden hue, were round and fixed unblinkingly on Todd. He giggled, nodding at her bare breasts and undercarriage.

“Well, maybe she’ll be extra grateful for our help, eh?”

Lowering the tarp, Todd patted Frank on the back.

“Okay man, go start the car. We’ll be there in a minute.”

“Alright, but don’t have too much fun without me! Eh? Eh?.”

The boys shared a quiet laugh before Frank disappeared into the trees again. Todd smirked and busied himself with picking the padlock. He imagined the angel throwing herself into his arms, showering him with kisses as thanks for his heroic deed. He’d have to teach the innocent creature how to survive in this awful, horrible world. And she’d trust him. That’s what angels were like, after all. Delicate, helpless, and needing protection. Protection provided by a paladin, or a guy like him.

Opening the padlock wasn’t difficult — the large lock also had a large key-hole which seemed to fit a simple design. A handful of pins solved the problem, and it opened with a heavy ‘clunk’.

Tossing the padlock aside, Todd gently swung the door open and waved to the angel. The angel watched him warily.

“Come on, you’re free now!” He whispered, checking over his shoulder,

“Let’s get you out of here.”

Crawling on hands and knees, the angel silently moved towards Todd and out of the door of the cage. She sniffed the air as she moved. Todd stood back to give her wings space to unfold as she hopped out onto the grass, staring up at the moon. He stared at her ass, quickly smiling and regaining eye contact once she turned to look back at him.

“Alright, this way.”

Chapter 3

The two dashed away from the circus and towards Todd’s Honda, which was idling in the shadows nearby. Not seeing anyone behind them, Frank opened the door and half-stepped out. Todd and the angel slowed to stand before the dimmed headlights of the car.

“So, what’s your name, gorgeous?” He called, grinning. The naked angel looked at him, blinking wordlessly. A few seconds passed, and Frank frowned, looking at Todd.

Reaching for the angel’s upper arm, Todd moved to get her attention.

“Hey, babe, what’s your na-“

Todd’s question was interrupted.

Dripping with blood, the angel stepped away, chewing on Todd’s severed hand. Frank screamed.

The angel dove for Todd’s throat, the boy gurgling before dropping to his knees, scrabbling uselessly at the angel’s hair. Swinging back inside the car, Frank slammed the door shut and hurtled the vehicle out of the trees, driving white-knuckled back to his apartment.

“Police! Police!” He tried to scream, but his voice barely made a whisper. Parking badly out the front of the apartment complex, he fumbled the keys. His hands scraped for them against the asphalt. He scratched the door attempting to lock the old car.

Frank bounded up the stairs three-at-a-time, and slammed the apartment door shut behind him. He paced around his living room, memories of the desperate look in his friends eyes flashing unbidden.

“Oh god, Todd! Shit. Shit. What kind of fucking angel was that?!”

Frank recalled her teeth — rows and rows of fangs that pointed outwards as she lunged for Todd’s throat. Her long, red tongue lapping up the blood. She had moved too fast for him to see, at first. Frank retched.

Chapter 4

A hot shower calmed Frank’s nerves. He reported the incident to the police, telling them that ‘some animal’ had killed his friend near the circus.

They’d sort it out.

He warned them that the animal was ‘dangerous’ but that he was safe. After hanging up, Frank assured himself that he’d spoken the truth. The angel didn’t know where he lived. He was safe, locked away in his apartment.

Todd’s hand, being chewed on by rows and rows of sharp, needle-point fangs…

Frank shook his head vigorously and gasped. He hadn’t seen everything in the heat of the moment, but once his mind had time to wander it decided to wander there. He swore, shuffling himself off to bed. When the cops catch the thing, he told himself, I’ll feel a hell of a lot better.

Sleep didn’t come easy for Frank, but curling up under heavy sheets helped. He dreamed, of how the evening should have gone. Of Todd, returning triumphantly with the wide-eyed angel under his arm. Of the car ride, where she would ask questions about the human world. Of the later evening, where they’d explain to her what their genitals were for. She’d watch, surprised, as Todd drew closer…

Frank was woken by a tap at the window.

Squinting, Frank opened his eyes. The glowing moon was big and bright just before dawn. He rolled over, trying to fall back into his dream. It was just getting to the good part.

The window slid open, and Frank’s sleepiness rushed away as if he was just hit with cold water.

That hadn’t been the moon at the window.

He turned, seeing the Angel standing over his bed. She was covered in blood. Todd’s blood. And grinning at him. Bright, golden eyes fixed on his throat.

Frank screamed again.