by Tim Miller
"Wow! Was that fun or what?" she said. "That was some wild shit guys. Hey Ramsey, can some of you boys seal up that door please?"
The clowns nodded as they dragged the officers' dead bodies toward the doorway. Then bent their bloody and broken bodies into all kinds of positions as they used them as sandbags, stuffing them into the doorway until it was closed off. They stacked the rest of the bodies just behind those for reinforcement.
"Great job, guys! Now that's using your head! Phew!" She fanned herself. "Those cops really got their juices flowin'. I think I need me some action. Any boys here want to come and play with Miss Icy Kate?"
Chapter 14
Damien stood next to the Captain as he watched his Special Response Team make entry into the convention center. There were gunshots and screaming for several minutes. When he radioed for the men to check in, there was nothing but silence. He made one more attempt to radio someone when wild, maniacal, laughter erupted over the com. Sutton turned and began kicking the side of his squad car.
"Goddamn! Cocksucker motherfuckers!" he screamed.
Damien knew it was bad. He sent about a dozen cops in there, by his reaction Damien figured they were all dead. Captain Sutton had turned, walked over to Damien and before he could react, grabbed him by the shirt and punched him in the face. Damien's eyes watered as he fell to the ground. He stood slowly with his arm up in defense.
"What the fuck are you doing!?" he asked.
"You let me send my men into a bloodbath! They're all dead! Those were good men!"
"I told you. Fuck. I'm sorry about your men. I really am. Are you ready to listen to me?"
"You see what they did in the doorway? They stuffed their fucking bodies in the doorway like sandbags. Those were my friends. Some of them I've known since they could walk and talk. They're not fucking sandbags!"
He took out his gun and pressed it to Damien's head.
"Holy shit man!" Damien said. "I didn't hurt your guys ok? What the fuck are you doing?"
"Now you hot shot are going to tell me. Who the fuck is in there and what do they want in my town? You start talking, or I put a bullet in your brain. I see that gun in the back of your pants. I'll put it in your hand and say you pulled it on me, and everyone here will believe me. So talk."
Damien didn't have to think long to know that Sutton was dead serious. He took a breath and nodded.
"Ok, ok, just take your gun away from my head, ok?" he said. Sutton looked at him and slowly moved the gun away.
"This girl, her name is Kate, she goes by Icy Kate and she's a clown. Somewhere along the way she got more clowns with her. They're sadistic murderers. All of them and they are scary as hell."
"Clowns? What the hell do you mean clowns?"
"Clowns. Like their faces are white with big silly smiles and shit."
"You mean makeup?" Sutton asked.
Damien wasn't sure how much more to tell him. If he told him, Sutton would most likely not believe him anyway.
"I guess so," Damien said.
"Captain!" a deputy came running up to Sutton. He was a young cop whose face was white as a sheet.
"What the hell you want son?" Sutton asked.
***"Did you hear your radio? Call just came in from dispatch. Some guy dressed as a clown just killed three people at McDonalds on the east side. He bit one woman's face clean off."
"Jesus H. Christ. A clown?" Sutton said as he turned back to Damien. "What the hell did you bring to my town? Some kind of fucking circus from hell?"
Damien's throat went dry at the news. A guy dressed as a clown. Could it be Maxwell? How'd he get out?
"I don't know. Captain, I'd like your permission to check out McDonald's first. He's probably gone by now, but send me in and I'll tell you when its safe to send them. Please? Do you believe me now when I say this is dangerous shit?"
Sutton took a few steps back.
"All right. Go on. Call me when it's clear. What should we do about the convention clowns?"
"Nothing yet. They're having fun in there. Just hold fast."
"What about all the people inside?"
"They're already dead, even if they don't know it yet."
Damien climbed into his car and took off toward the McDonalds. When he arrived, there already some officers there. He got out and showed them his ID.
"It's all clear," one cop said.
"There any witnesses?"
"Right over there," the cop pointed to an ambulance. There was a woman being looked at by a paramedic. Damien wondered why Maxwell didn't just kill everyone. Though if he was in a hurry that would explain it. He was looking for Kate so he wouldn't waste too much time here. The woman was having her arm wrapped by the medic.
"Ma'am. I'm Damien Carter, FBI. Ok if I ask you some questions?"
"Sure,' she said. She was in her thirties with brown hair down to her shoulders. She was wearing a blue tank top and white shorts.
"You got a good look at him?" he asked.
"Fuck yeah, I did. Ugliest ass clown I've ever seen. His mouth was all twisted and crooked. He had blood all over his face and clothes."
"What was he wearing?"
"Some orange jumpsuit. Like he just got out of prison or something."
Fuck. That's Mad Maxwell for sure.
"So what happened?"
"I was standing inside the door and he came bursting in. I guess he stole some kid's food in the parking lot and some woman screamed. So he ran in here and I was in his way. He grabbed me by the arm hard. I thought my arm would break just from his grip. He flung me aside and then began screaming at everyone. I couldn't tell what he said after everyone else started screaming and freaking out."
"Any idea what he wanted?"
"None. Some guy pulled a gun and shot him a bunch of times in the chest. The clown just laughed and then took the guy's gun way, shoved it in the guy's mouth and pulled the trigger. Then some chick hit him, and he bit her face, chewing it off. It was so gross. Just ate her face right off her. I think she's dead too. Then it was just chaos from there. I ran out the door as soon as his back was turned. So did a bunch of others. He finally left in whatever car he came in."
"Ok, thank you. You've been very helpful." He turned and ran back to his car and headed back to the convention center. However, Mad Maxwell got out, he must have killed several people in the process. Damien just hoped he would reach the convention center before he did.
Chapter 15
Mad Maxwell sped through town. He'd gotten enough to eat at McDonald's, and now it was time to see his lady. He drove up and down the streets trying to figure out where she might be. He had no actual place in mind, he just knew she was here. There was a sign pointing straight ahead. It said, "Permian Basin Horror Fest next right." Well, that sounded like Kate's kind of party. He followed the signs until he arrived outside a large convention center.
The problem was, there were police cars surrounding the place, a lot of them. This didn't look good, but it did appear like Kate is here and hard at work. But, how to get in? He was always a fan of the straight approach. Sneaking around was a waste of time and energy. Time to announce his presence.
He pulled around the back side where there were some large overhead doors that were closed. There were two police cars guarding the back. The officers were out with their shotguns facing the building. This looked like just as good a place as any. He turned the car around until he was headed toward the building. There was a good twenty feet between police cars. He stomped on the gas and sped in between them. Neither cop noticed him until he was almost past.
Once he was by, he pressed the gas to the floor as he headed for the double door. He hit the metal door with a crunch as the car felt as if it were going airborne for a second. The back wheels came down as the car ripped through the sheet metal but got stuck halfway through the hole. The windshield had shattered during the crash. Mad Maxwell kicked out the remaining glass and climbed off the hood.
He dusted glass and debris off himself as
he looked up, everyone in the convention center was staring at him. Including the band of clowns toward the center. He looked around and threw his hands up in the air.
"Hey, kids! Daddy's home!" he yelled.
"Maxie!" Kate squealed as she ran toward him, jumping into his arms. "How'd you get out Maxie?"
"Sweetheart, please don't call me that. Sounds so, so…just yuck."
She looked him up and down.
"Aww, you're all bloody? Are you hurt?"
"No, my love, this is the blood of my enemies. And chunks of some woman's face apparently," he said as he picked a dried piece of flesh off his collar. "So looks like you'd been having fun without me."
"Oh yes. This horror show is great! So many cool costumes. We blended right in up until we started killing people."
"Yes, that would draw some attention," Mad Maxwell said. Someone behind Kate got his attention. He walked around to get a better look. It was another clown. Except he was against the wall with some of the convention-goers. He walked up to the clown who only cowered away from Maxwell.
"Just what are you supposed to be?" he asked.
"I'm uh…uh..I'm a clown. Pennywise," the man said.
"Pennywise? Who is Pennywise?"
"He's a scary clown. From a story."
"Oh, I see. Scary. What is your name sir?" Maxwell asked.
"It's…uh…..Larry."
"Tell me, Larry," Maxwell put his hand on Larry's shoulder and leaned in. "Do you think clowns are scary?"
Larry shifted back and forth as he stuttered and stammered.
"I—I guess. Kind of yeah. Sometimes."
"Great! Such a firm answer, Larry. Love a man with backbone!" Maxwell said. "How about me? Do you think I'm scary?"
"Um, a little I guess."
"Yes! Of course I'm scary, Larry! Hahaha! I'm Mad Maxwell! Maybe you can write a story about me! How does that sound! Mad Maxwell the Scary Clown! Hahahaha!"
"Uh, sure."
"Come with me Larry. Let's learn some clown stuff. You want to be a real clown right?" Maxwell asked.
"Well, not really."
"Oh. So...I should just kill you then?"
"Uh, no, no! YES, I was to be a real clown!."
"Well, okay then. Clowning it is! Kate! Who are your new friends here?"
"These are my boys! My proud children!" she said.
"You gave birth to them? All of them!?"
"Yeah! Except these little ones running around. Some of the fine ladies over there are the mamas."
"I don't understand. How did they not kill you? Didn't they tear out of your belly?"
"Nope! I just squirted them right out!"
"Fascinating. No matter. Take Mister Larry here and let's teach him some proper clowning around!" He gave Larry a shove who stumbled toward Doug and Ramsey. They took him toward one of the tables where Corkscrew had grabbed some random guy from the crowd. This guy was dressed as Freddy Kreuger from Nightmare on Elm Street, except it looked like a cheap costume, with just marker on his face for his burns. Corkscrew effortlessly lifted him onto the table as Doug helped hold the man down. Ramsey handed Larry the croquet mallet.
"Ok boss," Ramsey said. "Bash his head in nice, and messy like!"
"Uh, I…uh, I can't!" Larry said.
"I don't think you get it. You bash in his head, or I bash in yours. Which is it?"
"Can we just do neither? Maybe you could just let me go…"
"Shut up!" Ramsey screamed causing Larry to jump, almost dropping the mallet. "You bash in his head now!"
Larry nodded as he raised the mallet over his head. The man on the table was trembling and sobbing.
"Please! Please don't do this! My family is here!" he said.
"I—I'm sorry," Larry said as he brought the mallet down, but it only bounced off the man's head making him cry out in pain but little else.
"You're going to need to do a lot better than that," Ramsey said. "You got one more try. Better make this one count"
Larry raised it again, this time brought it down with much more force, but not enough to be lethal. It did break the man's nose and shatter most of his teeth. The man cried and gagged as his teeth ran down his throat. Without hesitating, Larry raised the mallet again and brought it down several more times. Finally, the man lay lifeless on the table. Blood had splattered onto Larry's costume as he looked at the gory indentation in the victim's head where his face used to be. From behind, Mad Maxwell began clapping and cheering.
"Bravo! Bravo!" he said. "There you go! Now this is clowning good time! Wouldn't you agree Larry?"
Chapter 16
Nolan wanted out. He took several deep breaths as he looked around. He wasn't that far away from that Maxwell clown's car that was partway stuck in the door. If he could make a run for it there, jump in through the windshield, he could climb out the back seat and be out the back door. It could work. Except those clowns could move pretty fast when they wanted. He'd have to wait until the right time.
They were currently laughing while in the process of torturing some poor family. Doug the Clown had a little boy who wouldn't stop screaming. He was carrying the kid around, but the kid kept struggling. Finally, he snapped the kids neck and carried him around as if he were a rag doll. One of the other clowns was leisurely humping the mom. No doubt a new baby clown would come ripping out of her soon. The dad was being held down by Maxwell and another while Kate was snipping his fingers off one at a time with some kind of tin snips. No telling where they found that.
The little clowns were running around randomly attacking whoever they came across. One person did have a real gun and got a shot off, hitting the tiny clown in the chest. It quickly got to its feet and lunged at his crotch, ripping his dick and nuts off in a single chomp. The man dropped his gun as he doubled over, falling to the ground as blood squirted in huge spurts from his crotch. The little clown who had grown in the past hour turned and ran to the other side of the hall.
The clowns were a good hundred or more feet from the car with their backs to it. Nolan felt this would be the only chance he was going to get. If he died, at least it would be from doing something brave for the first time in his life. He closed his eyes and counted to three silently. On the count of three he slid out from under the table and bolted for the car. The convention goers looked on with an odd curiosity, as the clowns didn't even seem to notice him. Just as he reached his car, a woman standing by a nearby table screamed.
"This guy's getting away!"
The clowns immediately turned and started for Nolan, who was in shock at the betrayal. This lady was in just as much shit as he was. Why would she do that? Wouldn't she want someone to get out of there? Not to mention why would she draw any attention to herself at all?
Nolan was shocked how quickly the clowns had closed in on him. Just as he reached the front of the car, he could feel a clown's breath on the back of his neck. Without stopping, he jumped onto the hood and dove head first through the busted windshield. The clown managed to grab his ankle, keeping him from going all the way in. His leg hung out of the opening as he grabbed the seats and struggled. If he couldn't get his foot free, he was dead for sure. He kicked and wiggled as the clown's hand slid down just a bit. Nolan quickly jerked away as his shoe came off in the clown's hand, but his foot came free.
He wiggled into the back seat and out the car's back door. He was now standing outside the convention hall. He took a few steps when someone shouted at him.
"Freeze!" the man yelled. It was a cop. There were several with their guns trained on him. He did as they said with his arms up in the air.
"I'm not one of them!" Nolan said. "I'm an actor. I was at the convention. Please get me out of here!" Nolan wanted to be as far away from the building as possible. All he could think of was a pair of pale, white hands reaching out from the car and pulling him back inside.
"Move away from the building slowly," one of the cops yelled.
"My name is Nolan Collinsworth! I was in a movie! Please do
n't shoot me!"
Another officer walked with his gun out and quickly patted him down. He turned to the others and nodded as they all lowered their guns. The cop pulled Nolan back behind their squad cars and handed him a bottle of water.
"You ok? You hurt?" the cop asked.
"Just fucking scarred for life after being in there, but other than that I'm fine."
"The captain and that FBI agent are going to want to talk to you." He walked him around the building until they got to the front where there were several other cars. The officer walked him up to an older cop and a guy in plain clothes. He explained to them what happened and the plain-clothes guy nodded to him.
"Hey there. Damien Carter, FBI. You ok?" he asked.
"No, not really."
"I can imagine. That took some guts."
"They were distracted," Nolan said.
"With what?"
"Killing people. That's all they're doing. One by one they go through and just tear people to pieces. The clowns raped a bunch of women who like immediately got pregnant and had these fucked up clown babies except they were huge, and they just ripped their way out of their stomachs."
"Son, I think you're delusional," the Captain said. "You've been under a lot of stress. I'm sure it was hard, but this isn't helping us."
"No," Damien said. "Let him continue."
Nolan went on and told them everything he'd seen and heard while inside the horror fest from hell. He made a note to fire Pierce the first chance he got. Granted it wasn't totally Pierce's fault all this happened. But he'd had so little control of anything, that was the one thing he did have control over and he was going to exercise it, god dammit. Once he was done, Damien stood silent and looking at him.
