The Carnival - Henmei shikei

[Jo Harris]

*The cool darkness was a welcome relief, and Jo sighed contently as she sank deeper into unconsciousness. She was aware of nothing but the darkness for so long, the fire and pain of her burnt ankle soon forgotten. Vaguely, as if from far away, she was aware of the sensation of her body moving on its own accord, almost as if she was being carried, but the thought stopped just short of registering on her exhausted mind.

It was only when the sound of clapping hands reached her ears and the sensation of having her hair pulled caused her scalp to tickle, that the cool darkness began to fade away and the pain of her burnt flesh rushed to the forefront of her mind. With a furrowed brow, Jo’s eyes fluttered open and after her blurred vision finally cleared, she realised that she was looking up into Tommy’s worried eyes.

She lay there for a moment, blinking up at him as she waited for her head to stop spinning enough for her to make sense of where she was and what was happening. Finally, it all came back to her; the horror of the ghost train, the continued nightmare and then the fear of dying alone in the burning gypsies’ caravan. Now, somehow, she was lying on a cool, hard surface with a soft breeze blowing all around her. She had the vague sense of being up high, and she could see the storm clouds still hanging directly overhead. The clouds illuminated every few seconds with lightning, but for now the thunder had stopped rolling. Looking up at Tommy, she wondered how she had ended up outside and how they had been reunited, but for now it wasn’t her main concern. All that mattered was that she wasn’t alone anymore, Tommy was safe and back with her where he belonged and more importantly; she wasn’t burnt to a crisp.

Sitting upright, she threw her arms around Tommy’s neck, pulling him closer to her. Tears of relief slipped down her cheeks as she held on to him for a long moment, fearful of letting him go in case she lost him again. When she finally spoke, her voice was a raspy echo of the pain within her smoke ravaged throat.

~Tommy! Thank God! I thought I would never see you again! Where have you been?? How did you find me??~ she reluctantly let go of him then, falling back down to the cool surface beneath her as she waited for the dizziness to pass. When it did, she drew her legs up towards her, before pushing herself up so that she could climb shakily to her feet. Both ankles screamed at her instantly, and she winced and made a face at Tommy. She was sick of being the helpless female in the relationship but she could not deny that was in agony.

Once Tommy had told her what had happened while they had been apart, she nodded and bit her bottom lip to stop herself from crying in pain.

~Okay.. so.. ~ looking around, she realised that they were on top of some roof. ~Where do we go from here?~ she asked. Just then her stomach rumbled so loudly, she thought for a moment that it was the thunder again. Blushing, she giggled self-consciously and gave Tommy a sheepish grin. ~Do you think we could find some food, somewhere along the way and soon?? I’m starving.. and you must be too?~*

[Boston]

Seeing Jo’s eyes finally open, Tommy let out a quiet sigh of relief and leaned back to rest on his elbows. She pulled him close, though, and he responded by wrapping an arm around her waist and patting her back. “Yeah, it’s nice to see you again, too. You sound like you’ve been smoking, ya know those things’ll kill ya…”

He let go of her carefully, realizing she was still very worked up, and laid her back down gently. “I found a fortune teller in a house of mirrors, then I heard you behind one of them.” He stood along with her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and allowing her to put most of her weight on him, “You looked about to be burnt to a crisp, so I took the first exit I could find…But now I’m pretty sure we’re on the roof of a building connected to a burning building…”

Tommy nodded slowly when he asked about food, but wasn’t quite sure where they would find any. “If we can find something to eat, sure…” It obviously wasn’t his top priority, understandably so.

“How are your ankles? Can you walk?” He led her to the edge of the roof, where a rickety old fire escape managed somehow to still cling to the side of the building.

Tommy reached one foot out to test its sturdiness, and managed to give it a pretty good shake – in fact, shaking the fire escape seemed to cause the entire building to rock, it was a very extremely unsafe idea. It seemed to be the only way down, though, so Tommy just looked at Jo over his shoulder, and offered a small smile and a bit of a shrug, “Well ladies first, yeah?”

He got that “You’re a crazy bastard” look from Jo, and shrugged again, “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. We gotta go at the same. Don’t think about it, just let me lead. Pretend we’re dancing.”

He nodded and took the first, rather sudden, step onto the fire escape, tugging Jo along with him. He was careful to make sure she didn’t need to put any unnecessary weight on her sore ankles, his strong arm supporting her as much as she needs, even on the swaying, loose, rusty metal platforms.

“Nice and easy, see?” He took two steps away from the roof and the bolts holding the fire escape in place snapped free from the wall as if on cue. He tried to move back toward the roof, but their weight caused the fire escape to separate and begin to fall too quickly.

“Now this…could be an issue.” Tommy was impossibly calm, like usual, and just tightened his hold on Jo. He looked all over as they fell, and soon noticed a ferris wheel where there was no ferris wheel before – and quite conveniently placed just several feet away from the fire escape. “Looks like this magic carnival is working for us for a change!” He shouted as he wrapped his arm around Jo’s torso tightly, his hand clutching her far side almost painfully, “Like I said, follow my lead!”

As the fire escape fell, Tommy took a step towards the guard rail and stepped onto it. He pushed himself off with a strong jump, and assuming Jo jumped at least a little along with him, they cleared the gap easily, and landed quite perfectly in one of the ferris wheel cars.

Tommy landed with an “Oof!” beside Jo, his arm now draped around her shoulder as if they were simply enjoying a ride at the carnival. The fire escape fell several stories to the ground, and all the two could do now was wait for the ferris wheel to make its round and bring them back to Earth.

“See? No problem. Give your feet a rest, take in the scenery, what a delight.” He kicked his feet up and dropped his head back, staring up at the starry night sky. He wasn’t worried about how this ferris wheel suddenly came to be, the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind.

[Jo Harris]

*Jo thought Tommy had completely lost his mind when he suggested that they jump on the rickety fire escape, but as the entire building they were now standing upon felt just as shaky, she shrugged her shoulders and followed his lead as instructed. Their strange tango dance resulted in her flying through the air and landing, strangely perfectly, in a cart of a Ferris wheel ride that had magically appeared just when they needed it most.

Jo burst out laughing as Tommy began to lounge in the seat, his arm draped casually around her shoulder as if they were on a date at a normal carnival. For a moment she allowed herself to enjoy the illusion. It was just a typical Saturday night, and here she was on a date with a great guy. They had had dinner at a nice restaurant and on the way home, they had stumbled upon a quaint little carnival tucked in behind a farmers filed somewhere. Jo closed her eyes, and tried to replace the horror of the last few hours with the pleasant fantasy she had just conjured up. Tommy wasn’t the type of guy that she typically went out with, but he was cute and sweet and she could see definite potential there. If he happened to glance over at her, he would see her sitting there with her eyes closed and a huge smile on her soot smeared face.

Giggling at the absurdity of it all, she finally opened her eyes and looked over at Tommy. Now that they had the opportunity to stop and collect their thoughts, Jo took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down her racing heart. The cool night hair blew through her blonde hair, ruffling it around her head and causing it to tickle along Tommy’s hand that was draped over her shoulder. She leant back automatically, nestled into Tommy’s shoulder and rested her head against his chest. At first she struggled to find something to say, but then decided that she was enjoying the silence instead. So there she sat, enjoying the silence and the stillness for a few precious moments, the stars twinkling above them as lightning flashed in the distance.

The peace was shortlived however, as thunder crashed loudly overhead and the wind picked up suddenly. The Ferris wheel cart began to rock back and forth, at first slowly, but soon picking up in speed so much that Jo felt instantly nauseous. She reached out to hold onto the edge as she looked down to see how soon it was until the Ferris wheel reached the ground. Jo’s brow furrowed together, and she blinked rapidly to make sure she wasn’t seeing things, but still nothing changed. Sitting upright again, she had to reach out to grab ahold of Tommy as the cart was now jerking violently back and forth. The wind howled around them as the thunder boomed and rain began to fall quickly and in stinging drops of acid. Jo had to yell to be heard over the din.

~Uh, correct me if I’m wrong, but a Ferris wheel is supposed to go back down, right? As in, back down to the ground? Problem is.. there isn’t any ground down there!!~ She pointed out and over the edge, before screaming and launching herself at Tommy as the cable holding up her side of the cart snapped, lurching the cart on a weird 45 degree angle. They could both now clearly see that down where the ground should be, there was nothing but a bottomless black void. Jo clutched ahold of Tommy, looking up into his eyes in terror as the cart rocked back and forth. The cable above his head was screaming in protest at being the only link holding the cart in place and she knew that it would soon join its brother in giving out. ~So much for tranquility..~ she muttered under her breath, as she buried her face in his chest and waited to see what would happen next.*

[Boston]

The ferris wheel was as tall as the building, several stories easily, and they were still making their ascent. Tommy figured they still had a little while before reaching the ground, and so he allowed himself to slip in a state of only partial awareness; he needed to think, he needed to reflect on what Miss Enma had told him. He barely noticed Jo’s laughing, it was just a distant ringing in his ears now. Thoughts of the fortune teller floated through his mind, and in his flashback he could see Morgan’s face in that hazy ball of light…

He gasped and sat up rigid when the cable snapped, though, and when the car shifted, he grabbed Jo’s arm with one hand, and side of the car with the other. He pulled her close, his strong, lean arm cradling Jo’s body against his side, keeping her away from the edge.

Tommy shouted when he felt the acidic raindrops on his hand, they finally hit him as he was gripping the now-top edge of the car, and the initial shock caused him to let go. He and Jo fell the few feet to the bottom-wall of the car, the shock of Tommy’s feet hitting the wall on either side of the small metal door causing Jo to fall from his grip, and soon her feet hit the door. The lock busted easily and she fell straight through; in the same instant Tommy bent at the waist, reaching down and grabbing Jo’s wrist with one hand, then the other.

“Hang on gal, I got’cha!” He spoke through gritted teeth, his voice strained with the awkward position and Jo’s weight. His back ached, and the back of his head was now collecting acidic rain. He grunted and planted his feet firmly on the bottom-wall of the car, and as he began pulling Jo back in, the final cable snapped.

The car was sent hurdling toward the bottomless void beneath, falling straight down, Jo’s hair sent up toward Tommy as the wind rushed by. Tommy continued pulling Jo up, though, as if he didn’t even notice that they were falling now. With one last, strong tug, and with the help of his position in his falling car, he pulled Jo up to eye-level with himself. He wrapped both arms around his waist and hugged her close, he lifted one hand to the back of her head and held her face against his shoulder.

Effectively cradling the girl to his fit, thinly muscular frame, protecting her from their inevitable landing, he spoke directly into her ear to be heard over the rushing sound of wind, “You’re just fine, gal, I got’cha…” He arched his back and grunted quietly, shifting his weight so the car began to turn mid-air. Soon it faced right-side up, and Tommy rolled to the side, so he and Jo were protected under the bench.

It felt like they were falling forever, huddling so close together under that bench. There was hardly any breathing room, just enough for them to lie stretched out straight, Tommy cradling Jo protectively on top of him. There wasn’t much else they could do at this point but place faith in the carnival, faith in the fact that everything just somehow worked out in this place.

“One way or another,” Tommy spoke, frighteningly calm, “everything’s gonna work out…” He lifted one hand to stroke Jo’s hair, a slow, soothing caress, just before they crash-landed. The car bent and twisted as it landed on solid ground, the loud crunch of twisting metal rang out as the impact seemed mostly absorbed by the car, and Tommy’s body.

Blood dribbled from Tommy’s mouth and from a nasty incision over his left eye—the bench must have cut him, from forehead to mid-cheek, as it crumpled with the impact. Jo would find herself mostly alright, just a few bumps and bruises, the wind would have been knocked out of her with the fall; but she would find Tommy out cold beneath her, his breathing shallow and paced, his arms still cradled around her.

[Jo Harris]

*One minute she was clutching onto Tommy just as desperately as he was holding onto her, safe in the knowledge that he had a good grip on the edge of the cart and the next minute he was shouting as raindrops of acid fell and touched his skin. The shock of the pain caused him to let go of the edge of the cart and she fell screaming, still clutching hold of him for all she was worth. His feet hit the bottom of the car, and the impact of the hit caused him to let go of Jo. Again she was falling, this time with no Tommy to cling to, and she screamed in terror as her feet hit the door and busted right through. Just in the nick of time however, Tommy reached down to grab her by the hand, pulling her back up into the cart. She was then wrapped safely again in Tommy’s strong arms and she buried her face against his chest in a lame attempt at blocking everything out. Despite the sense that she was falling rapidly to her death with the wind screaming in her ear and acidic rain falling all around her, Jo felt surprisingly comforted and content, nestled safely in Tommy’s arms.

This feeling of safety and comfort was further established as he murmured in her ear that he had her and that she was safe. At one point, he even stroked her hair and she took a deep breath to calm herself further as they fell. Suddenly the ground that had not been there before, now rushed up to meet them and they landed with a sickening thud. Most of the impact for Jo had been absorbed by Tommy’s body as she landed on him; however the railing of the cart whacked against her back hard enough to leave one hell of a bruise. Gasping for breath, she lay there for a few minutes, getting her bearings and flexing all limbs and appendages to make sure nothing was broken. When she was sure that she was remarkably unharmed, she opened her eyes and looked for Tommy. He was still lying beneath her, his eyes closed as he was unconscious, despite his arms still being wrapped around her. A nasty gash above his eye was oozing blood and blood dripped from his mouth.

~Tommy!~ she gasped, her voice raspy both from the fire and her fear that Tommy was lying dead beneath her. She dropped her head back to his chest and listened to his breathing. His breathing was shallow but it was there, and she blinked back tears of relief as she climbed off his body. Panicking, she wondered what she should do. He was breathing, so he didn’t need CPR, however the blood dripping from his mouth suggested he might choke on his own blood. Turning him over gently on his side, she used two fingers to open his mouth and tilted his head back, clearing his airway. More blood began to gush out of his mouth, and she began to cry as she sat back and hugged her knees rocking back and forth slowly. The rain fell all around them, though it did not appear to be acidic anymore. If it was, she was too numb to feel it. ~Please wake up..~ she whispered over and over again as though it were a chant that would bring him back.

She looked around them and saw that they were in a deserted alleyway surrounded by old clown props and empty animal cages. ~I can’t do this by myself.. please Tommy…~ her voice choked up with tears and she reached out to grab his hand, holding it tightly as she waited for him to wake up. She checked his breathing every few minutes, and although it stayed shallow, it was reassuringly constant. Soon, another sound reached her ears. It was the sound of a low, threatening growl and it was coming from the end of the alleyway. Squeezing Tommy’s hand harder, Jo whispered ~Come on Tommy.. no slacking off on the job now.. we gotta move… please wake up!~ *

[Boston]

When Jo opened Tommy’s airway, he coughed and sputtered up more blood. He gagged a few times and spit more up subconsciously, it dripped down his cheek and chin, and his breathing suddenly became clearer as he was rolled onto his side. Aside from the blood on his face, Tommy appeared to be sleeping, just like any normal person in any normal circumstances. It wouldn’t appear as though he could hear Jo’s words, but his ears twitched, and over the throbbing of his brain he could just make out a voice.

In his head, it was some time ago. The scene was an apartment high above the New York City skyline, a beautiful view overlooking Central Park through the ceiling-to-floor windows. Perhaps more beautiful than the view, however, was the woman enjoying it. Wearing just a buttoned dress shirt meant for men, her long, toned legs quivered a bit as they struggled to support her.

The sleeve, too wide and too long for her arm, fell limp down to her elbow as she lifted a hand to brush her long, dark red hair back and away from her face. Her emerald green eyes looked tired and defeated, but her lips were turned upward in a smile. Her flawless, porcelain skin was almost as white as the shirt she wore.

She pressed one petite hand against the glass and leaned her forward against the window; she coughed once, silently, and then looked up when the reflection of a man in the glass startled her.

Tommy, clad in just a pair of boxers, approached carrying a tray of breakfast—bacon, eggs, and orange juice—and nodded toward the bed, flush against the center of the wall, “C’mon Morgan, you shouldn’t be out of bed.” He placed the tray on a nightstand and approached her, placing his hands on her hips from behind.

Morgan nodded and appeared to pout, but Tommy wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“You gotta keep your strength up. I made you breakfast,” he pulled her away from the window gently and walked her back to the bed. One of her legs gave out halfway there, though, she began to fall, but Tommy crouched and caught her before she hit the floor, “Whoa, you’re okay…”

Visibly worried, Morgan looked up at Tommy, her weak eyes fearful. “You’re fine, gal, I got’cha…” Tommy whispered through a little smile, as he helped her back up to her feet.

Morgan crawled onto the bed and under the blankets, sitting up on one side against the headboard, as Tommy retrieved the tray. He sat beside her and placed it on her lap, then draped his arm around her shoulder while she ate silently.

Though it seemed to be a struggle for her to keep her hands steady as she ate, and as she pouted silently, Tommy stroked her hair and leaned in to push a kiss against her temple, “We’ll be okay, gal…One way or another,” Tommy whispered, his lips brushing her hair, “everything’s gonna work out…”

Morgan put her fork down, and looked up at Tommy. She grabbed his chin lightly and turned his head so he stared down at her hands, and then released his face so she could use sign language.

Tommy smiled, and nudged his forehead against Morgan’s, “I know…I love you too, gal, even though all you’re good for is wrinkling my dress shirts…”

Morgan brought a hand to her mouth and giggled silently, and suddenly Tommy woke up.

His eyes shot open and he saw Jo urging him to wake. He coughed and gagged up more blood, spit thick globs of it onto the floor of the ferris wheel car, and groaned as he sat up with much effort. “What…Are you okay, Jo…?” He winced and rubbed his head with one hand, his other hand shooting to his back. It ached like never before. He arched his back and grunted as he pulled one of his guns out of the holster from the small of his back, “Landed on my damn gun…”

He didn’t seem to notice the growling just yet, or even the bleeding gash on his face. His shirt was decidedly ruined, so he began using the sleeves to wipe the blood away from his mouth, spitting out more every few moments, “Think I’m bleeding from somewhere you need an X-ray to see…” He mentioned, rather offhandedly.

[Jo Harris]

*Jo had never felt so relieved, happy, surprised, frustrated and in desperate need of a toilet in her entire life as when Tommy regained conciousness and sat up. Despite the obvious possibility of internal injuries, she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and laying impulsive kisses all over his bloody face.

~Oh Tommy! Thank God! I was so scared..~ she backed off as one of the kisses came dangerously close to his lips, and she sat there staring at him unblinking as a slight blush rose to her cheeks. She was grateful that she was covered in so much soot that he should hopefully fail to notice the blush, and instead nodded rather too enthusiastically when he suggested that he was injured somewhere that required x-rays to see.

~Well, while this place certainly has the potential for just about anything to pop up here and there, I don’t fancy our chances of finding an x-ray, do you?~

The growling was getting louder now, and Jo looked nervously towards the dark end of the alleyway. The empty animal cages that were littered about here and there, made her nervous as to what might be responsible for the growling itself. The old clown props also terrified her as Jo suffered from a deep and sadistic fear of clowns. Either way, she wanted out of this alleyway, and now that Tommy was conscious, it seemed like a good time to go.

~Can you stand?~ she asked, holding out her hand and carefully helping Tommy to his feet. Her own ankles screamed at her that they did not want to be standing themselves, but she ignored the pain and focused on helping Tommy. Once he was standing upright, she took his hand in a seemingly automatic gesture before she began to lead him out of the alleyway.

Turning around so that they were now facing away from the growling, Jo expected to be facing the main walkway of the carnival. Instead, it was the other end of the alleyway that she thought they had just turned away from. Flicking her long blonde hair over her shoulder, Jo looked behind her only to see an almost mirror image of the alleyway behind them.

~Huh?! !~ she asked, looking back and forth. To either side of them was the debris she had seen earlier, and the sides of old buildings. Jo didn’t know what the buildings where, but for now they appeared to be their only form of exit away from the growling which was now getting louder. She began to scan the buildings, looking for a window or a door that they could use to get inside, just as the sound of something large being knocked over reached their ears. Turning around again, Jo found that she was now facing a large tiger. Its fur was matted and it had a large angry red gash down its strong striped chest. Its eyes were yellow and glazed over and as it bared its teeth at Jo, she saw that quite a few of them were missing.

Despite her terror at becoming its latest meal, Jo felt an overwhelming sense of empathy for the tiger. Her mother had always boycotted the circus, citing cruelty to the animals used in tricks as the main reason and Jo could see that this tiger was the epitome of her mothers’ crusade. Still, the tiger stalked them with his head low and gaze locked on Jo, a deep growl rumbling in its bloody chest. Backing up slowly, Jo gripped Tommy’s hand tightly in her own.

~Uh.. keep your eyes peeled. There has to be a way out of here.. somewhere…see any open windows or doors? Or even.. closed ones??!~ *

[Boston]

Tommy couldn’t help but chuckle as Jo peppered his face with thankful kisses, and he turned away, trying to escape the frantic girl—not that he minded such a babe kissing on him, but his face was practically dripping with blood…She backed off when she nearly kissed his lips, though, and he grinned, reaching out to pinch her cheek playfully, “Yeah, missed you, too, gal.”

He stood with Jo’s help, groaning and grunting in pain as several pops sounded from his body. He turned his head to cough again, spit a thick glob of blood onto the ground, and then pulled one of his guns from its holster when he finally heard the growling, “Yeah, I’m fine…Let’s go…” He started walking with Jo’s help, but when he remembered about her injured ankles, he stepped away and began using the wall for support, “Are you okay from the fall?”

After a few moments he was able to walk without the support of the wall, albeit with a limp. Tommy moved a bit quicker at hearing the growling, and he sighed in frustration when he only saw that the alleyway was beginning to mirror itself, “You’ve gotta be kidding me! What now!” He shouted as he turned to be face-to-face with the apparently rotting tiger, and his eyes went a little wide, “Oh, um…”

He shook his head in response to Jo’s question, and pulled his hand away from hers, “I don’t see anything but more alleyway…” He lifted his gun in both hands, finger on the trigger, weapon pulled close to his chest and heavy in his tired, sore arms. He closed one eye and concentrated his sights right between the tiger’s eyes, “If this thing doesn’t go down in one shot, I’m gonna need you to just go ahead and run…Because if this doesn’t kill it, it’s gonna be mighty pissed…”

His thumb drew the hammer back and he began to squeeze the trigger. The tiger crouched low, slowly, let out a quiet, feral growl, and readied to pounce. Before the hammer could click back and fire the gun, though, the tiger was tackled from what seemed to be a much smaller, yet infinitely braver, animal. The two rolled and slammed into the wall of the building, and then practically leapt apart.

The tiger now growled and stared down a red fox, which lowered its head and growled back in a far less intimidating, though exponentially more determined, growl of its own. Nine tails swayed from its backside threateningly, suddenly they fanned out, and the fox began to bark.

Tommy drew his gun back, not wanting to shoot their savior by mistake, and reset the hammer. He holstered his gun and turned around, he grabbed Jo’s shoulder, and placed a hand on her back, “C’mon, let’s find a way out.”

The fox covered their retreat, lunging at the tiger, and landing on its back—right between its shoulder blades, where it couldn’t reach. The fox chomped down on the back of the tiger’s neck, it roared and growled in pain and fury, and tried in vain to swat the considerably smaller creature off its back.

Tommy, meanwhile, was leading Jo deeper and deeper into the alley, until they happened upon a particularly non-descript, blue wooden door. By this point all they could hear from the fierce battle they left behind were faint whimpers and growls, the back of the alley now lost in shadows. Tommy had already put the scene behind himself, though, focused on one thing at a time—their escape and safety taking priority.

Luckily the door was unlocked, because he wasn’t sure he would be able to summon the strength, or the stability, to kick it down. So he opened it and hurried Jo inside, he followed immediately after, and shut it behind them.

“We need to take a freaking minute to figure out where the heck we’re going…” Tommy was panting, he was tired, sore, and bleeding from more places than he could count, or see. He shut his eyes tight and leaned forward against the door, his forehead hitting it, and he spit more blood onto the floor. He was beginning to doubt that he would make out of this place alive.

[Jo Harris]

Jo could not help but close her eyes tight and wince as she saw Tommy raise his gun and aim it at the tiger. Although it was certainly intent on ripping them limb from limb, she had been a strong advocate for animal rights for as long as she could remember and she couldn’t bare the thought of seeing what was once a beautiful animal reduced to a bloody mess.

After a minute had passed with no gunshot however, Jo opened her eyes to see what appeared to be a small red fox tackling the tiger. Jo stared at it hard, wasting a few precious moments, before she realised her mouth was hanging open and time seemed to have stood still. Snapping her mouth shut, she made a mental note to ask “What the fuck??” later as Tommy grabbed her by the shoulder and told her they had to move.

She turned and followed him obediently, glancing backwards now and then to watch the ferocious battle while her heart was breaking for the brave little fox. So intent was she on watching the battle that she walked smack into Tommy’s back as he had come to stop at a blue door. ~Sorry…~ she mumbled as she was ushered inside. Tommy followed directly behind her and shut the door firmly.

She turned to look at him as he leant against the door, spitting more blood from his mouth and she nodded as he said they needed to take a minute to rest. Judging by the look of him, he also needed some serious first aid. She couldn’t do much about the internal injuries, but she could patch him up at least. So, ignoring her own throbbing ankles and countless injuries, Jo went into nurse mode.

The first thing Tommy needed was a good rest, so Jo began to hobble around what appeared at first glance to be a dressing room of some kind. A hurricane lantern had been left burning low near the door, and she reached down now to turn the flame up higher, illuminating the room enough to make out its contents. A long chaise lounge was propped up against one wall, and Jo pointed to it as she approached Tommy.

~Here, lean on me, we gotta get you horizontal..~ Taking her time, she helped Tommy over to the lounge and sat him down. ~I’m going to have a look for anything in here that we could use.. while I’m doing that, you get that shirt off and I’ll see if I can patch you up.~

Without waiting for an answer, she hobbled off to the other side of the room where she saw a dressing table. Pots of makeup, brushes and sponges were littered all over the table, and without thinking Jo grabbed some clean sponges, tissues and cotton swabs. She registered that there were two pots of white grease paint on the dresser but was too worried about Tommy to note the significance. Hobbling back to Tommy, she dropped her collection on the lounge beside him and reached for a cushion she saw on the floor. Propping that behind his back, she made sure he was comfortable before she hobbled off for more exploring.

A small bar fridge was hidden behind a rack of clothes. The clothes were hidden in shadows, but for now, they were the least of her concerns. She opened the bar fridge and grinned as she saw the bottle of tequila, complete with the worm at the bottom. There was also a loaf of what appeared to be sour dough bread, some peanut butter, half a chocolate cake and a jar of pickles. Jo wrinkled her nose at the pickles but figured that Tommy might like them, so she picked up all items very carefully and made her way back to Tommy very slowly. As she passed the rack of clothes, she saw a box at the bottom of the rack that had a large red cross on it, but was unable to stop to examine it. Pleased that she hadn’t dropped anything, she set the food items and tequila carefully on a small table that was beside the lounge.

~Hang on a second..~ she told Tommy, leaving him to examine her find if he should so choose. Her ankles were both screaming at her now and she knew that she too would have to rest. Luckily the chaise was big enough for both of them, or she could just crash on the floor for a bit if Tommy wanted to spread out. She spied a red throw rug thrown over one end of the rack of the clothes, and spun the rack out closer so that she could reach the box. Sure enough, it was a first aid box and Jo nearly wept with joy as she picked it up. She reached out to grab the throw rug, revealing the clothes underneath the blanket that were hanging on the rack. A bright multicoloured jumpsuit with a flouncey collar and big pompoms had lurked underneath the throw and while there was nothing ominous about its bright colours, the fact that it was clearly a clown costume filled Jo with dread. She was deathly afraid of clowns and as the realisation hit her that they were in some tequila drinking clowns’ dressing room, Jo nearly peed her pants.

Luckily, she spied an open door on her way back to the lounge and a toilet was barely visible through the open doorway.

~Oh look!~ she said too brightly. ~A toilet! And.. look what else I found!~ She dropped the first aid kit beside the lounge and draped the blanket over Tommy’s legs. ~You just lay there and rest and I’ll go answer the call.. I’ll be right back.~ She smiled what she hoped was a reassuring smile and limped off to the restroom. The thought of using the same toilet as some clown caused her butt cheeks to clamp up and not want to let her do what she so desperately needed to do, but her bladder proved the winner in the end, and Jo let out a long sigh as she finally let go of the mother load of all pees she had been holding onto since this nightmare began. Flushing the toilet, she was relieved to find the tap and basin in working order and scrubbed her hands thoroughly. The mirror above the basin caused her to wince as she took in the sight of her reflection, so she spent a few minutes scrubbing her face clean and brushing her hair back as best she could. A small glass was beside the tap, and although it didn’t look like it had been used in years, she scrubbed that thoroughly too before filling it to the top and carrying it back to Tommy.

~Okay..~ she said, letting out a deep breath as she sat beside him on the lounge and began to inspect his wounds. ~I’ve found us some food, booze, a first aid kit, a blanket and a place to pee. All you have to do is lay back and let me patch you up. Now, just tell me which part hurts worse?~*

[Boston]

Tommy grunted and grinned as Jo helped him to lean on her, but he tried to keep most of his weight to himself—he was still mindful of Jo’s injured ankles. He chuckled at her comment about being horizontal, though, and winked at her, “I thought you were a decent gal, Jo.” He undid all his holsters—the two under his arms and the two at the small of his back—and placed them on a low table beside the sofa, making sure the revolvers were within reach.

He groaned, his body practically creaking, as he eased himself onto the sofa and allowed himself to relax. Then he grinned at Jo’s next order, his teeth still sparkly-white despite all the blood he had been spitting up, “Of all the strange places I thought I’d finally have my nurse fantasy fulfilled…” His target audience had already hobbled off in search of medical aid, though, “Ooh, tough crowd…”

Tommy unbuttoned his dress shirt, by this point spotted with blood beyond repair, and arched his back to wiggle out of it. His undershirt wasn’t in much better form, the blood was more prominent against the white. He peeled that one off his torso and carefully over his head, and dropped it to the floor with his other shirt. His fit, muscular torso was beaten and bruised, his ribs in particular. There were no open wounds, however, which made Tommy curious, to say the least…

He sat up when Jo propped him up with the pillows, and watched idly as she moved about, collecting the various medical supplies. He wanted to tell her to save them, to save her strength and the supplies for herself, but he didn’t want to scare the girl by making her think she’ll be alone. So he just watched quietly, until he spotted within arms reach what appeared to be a small ukulele…

He held the instrument over his aching chest and stretched out his fingers—his fingers the only part of his body that didn’t ache and scream in pain—before he began plucking the strings, providing Jo with a custom soundtrack as she continued to search the room.

Who would’ve guessed that Tommy was an accomplished ukulele player? Despite having considerably fewer strings than a normal guitar, he was able to play a rather well-composed tune, albeit a bit slow and somber.

He nodded as Jo headed off to the bathroom, keeping his mouth shut, pretending to focus intently on his playing. Though once she was behind a closed door, Tommy sat up and turned his head, leaning over the tall side of the sofa to spit a mouthful of blood onto the floor. It was getting worse, and he didn’t want Jo to see him constantly spitting up blood.

He placed the ukulele aside and looked over the supplies Jo had been able to scavenge, and grabbed the bottle of tequila. He wasn’t usually much of a drinker, but hey, he figured he was on his way out…He took a swig and swished it around his mouth, then spit it out where he had the blood, effectively rinsing his mouth out—with tequila (not the strangest thing he had ever used to rinse his mouth).

Jo returned as he was placing the bottle back on the table, and Tommy grinned up at her, “Sorry gal, didn’t mean to start the party without you.”

Tommy sighed and leaned back against the sofa as Jo sat beside him, scooting over to make room for her in case she should want to lay down as well, “My own Florence Nightingale, huh?” Usually more than glad to show off his chiseled, muscular physique, he was a bit discouraged at how bruised and battered his torso appeared, “Though I’m afraid most of my wounds are under the skin…Not much we can do about them…” For someone in such a lousy, half-dead state, Tommy didn’t let on that he was as injured as he actually was.

“It looks like anything external’s already healed…” It was then he remembered the gash he had received earlier, the first oddity they had encountered—that demon he shot in the tunnel once everything broke down, it had sliced his cheek wide open, but now all that remained was a faint pink scar, and a trail of blood that he couldn’t wash off.

The blood had since dried, and taken on the twisted shape of a chain. It had been climbing steadily down his body, as if a living tattoo, extending and growing on its own. By now it had snaked down the side of his neck, the end now at the center of his shoulder.

His wrist, where he had once worn one paper bracelet for each night spent at the carnival, was now adorned by several chain tattoos, wrapped around his wrist and matching the one climbing down his body—one for each night spent at the carnival.

Tommy had noticed all of this, but, again, neglected to bring it up to Jo. He didn’t want to worry the girl, and he didn’t know what any of it meant. Miss Enma had given him a hint, though, but until he knew for certain, he didn’t need to panic Jo…

“We should save the supplies for you, I’m sure your ankles could use a proper patching. And you suffered a fall just like I did, you must be pretty beat up, too.” He grinned, “So why don’t you pop your shirt off, so I can see where you’re injured.”

Hey, can’t blame a guy for trying. Cut him some slack, he feels like his insides are mush.

[Jo Harris]

*Despite her worries about homicidal clowns, Jo could not help but smile as she hobbled back to the lounge to find Tommy in relatively high spirits.

~Ha! Some party…~ She picked up the tequila bottle and took a swig, grimacing a little at the after taste before taking another two long swigs. The alcohol hit her instantly and she grinned at him as she stood looking down at the discarded ukulele.

~Nice playing by the way, do you take requests?~

She sat down beside him, becoming increasingly aware that Tommy was now half naked. She could not help her eyeballs roaming all over his incredibly well built (albeit bruised) torso and felt a blush rise to her grimy cheeks as she realised that Tommy had caught her looking. Luckily, he seemed to have mistaken her attentiveness for a desire to play nursemaid and she smiled nervously and nodded a tad too emphatically as he spoke of Florence Nightingale and his wounds seeming to be internal. Hesitantly, she reached out a shaking hand to feel along his rib cage, trying to be as gentle as possible in case she should cause him more pain. At least one rib felt like it was broken and she sat back with a grim look on her face.

~Yeah, I think you have a few broken ribs… its bad if it punctures your lungs.. are you having any difficulty breathing?~

Now that she really was thinking of his injuries instead of his half nakedness, her eyes went to the gash he had received earlier that was now completely healed. There was no way that the wound should have healed already and the sight of the strange chain link that had formed on his skin caused her to shiver. She reached out subconsciously and stroked the pink scar thoughtfully with her index finger, before tracing the chain down his neck to his shoulder. Her blue eyes then went up to his, her mind still lost in thought as she gazed into his eyes for a few moments before she snapped back to attention.

Dropping her hand from his shoulder quickly as though it had been burned, she tore her eyes away from his as she mumbled ~So, what’s the deal with the chain tattoo thing ya think?~ while reaching for the tequila bottle again. Taking another few swigs, the equivalent of roughly three shots in quick succession, Jo was happy to feel the beginning of a pleasant buzz starting to form as she recapped the bottle and offered it to Tommy. Placing it on the lounge between them, she sat back and stretched her arms overhead, wincing at all the cracking and groaning her body began to scream at her in protest.

Tommy must’ve have either read the look of agony on her face or heard the weird sounds her body was making as he suggested they save the first aid supplies for her. She laughed out loud as he suggested she take her shirt off so that they could see where she was injured. It sounded like a line, and in normal circumstances she would have slapped him silly and sent him on his way, but in reality she WAS pretty beaten up. The fall from the Ferris Wheel had caused her back to throb in almost perfect unison with the headache she had been experiencing since the fire, and although she hoped it was just the inhalation of smoke that was causing her to be short of breath, she was worried her own ribs were in danger of being at least cracked. Thinking of her mangled ankles and how they must look by now, she winced as she reached down to roll her jeans up, revealing the disgusting red and purple bruises and welts. As she bent at the waist her back screamed at her again. Sighing, Jo was grateful to the tequila for dimming the pain and giving her the courage to whip off her red sweater in front of Tommy. In fairness, with her aches and pains, it was more like a slow and laboured strip tease than ‘whipping off” her sweater, but in the end she was sitting there in nothing more than her light blue lacy bra and dirty jeans that had seen better days. She kicked off her boots slowly, biting her lip to stop from crying out in pain.

More tequila made her feel slightly better however, and soon she was sitting back, her throbbing back resting on the back of the lounge as she inspected her torso and chest for any wounds. The light blue bra had turned a strange shade of purple near the left cup as a nasty gash above her rib cage was still slowly oozing blood. She didn’t seem to have the strange healing powers that Tommy did, however she was surprised that she barely felt what appeared to be a fairly serious cut. Sipping from the tequila bottle like a baby might suck on a bottle, Jo realised that she was hogging all of the alcohol. Recapping it, she handed it back to Tommy, surprised that she was already feeling light headed. Taking a deep breath (which hurt), she sat back and spread her arms wide in front of Tommy with a stupid grin on her face.

~Patch me up, Doc!~ *

[Boston]

Tommy barely winced as Jo felt his ribs, and he shook his head slowly when she said at least one might be broken. “Nah, I don’t think it feels broken…” He spoke quietly, mostly to himself, as he felt tenderly along his own rib. “I’ve had broken ribs before, this feels different…”

As he felt along his ribs, closer and closer toward his sides, he noticed that an intense cold radiating through his bruised and battered skin. The bone felt as though it was beginning to bulge, easily mistaken for bent and broken at first, but Tommy flashed back to the feel of Ms. Enma’s arm when he grabbed a hold of it.

Suddenly startled, Tommy gasped and felt the chain-shaped mark on his neck when Jo questioned it. “I think…” Tommy started, but bit his tongue—he still didn’t want to tell Jo the truth, or at least, what he hypothesized, and was beginning to believe to be the truth…He was growing surer and surer that he wouldn’t be making it out of this carnival, but he didn’t want to panic the girl… “I don’t know…”

He felt the end of the chain on his shoulder, and then followed the path it would take to his wrist. The seven thin markings which were once paper bracelets coiled around his wrist and climbed up his forearm, becoming one at his elbow. They were nearly touching his bicep, with just several inches separating the two ends. He remembered what Ms. Enma told him about escaping the carnival before the two ends meet, but at the rate they were climbing, he found his hope for escape wavering. He would need to focus more on saving Jo.

“Let’s not worry about it right now.” Tommy grinned up at Jo, and then went a little wide-eyed at the amount she was drinking, “If you don’t slow it down, gal, you’re never gonna clot.” He scooted over as much as he could to give Jo plenty of room as she wiggled out of her sweater, and he took a few moments to look over her body, inspecting her…for wounds…

“You aren’t looking so bad…” Take the comment as you will! “Nothing a few quick patches won’t solve, you’re gonna be just fine.” He grabbed the bottle when Jo passed it to him, and took a swig for himself. Tommy wasn’t much of a drinker to begin with, and Jo certainly seemed to be enjoying it more than he was—she probably needed it more, to cope with the pain.

He passed the bottle back to her, and grabbed the first aid kit Jo had found, “Now hold still while I get you fixed up, and don’t drink that all down at once.” He opened up the kit and removed a clean rag, which he used to wipe the blood away from around the wound. He swapped it out for a clean rag and doused that one in rubbing alcohol, which he used clean around the wound.

“How do your ribs feel, any of them feel damaged from the fall?” Courteous and professional, of course, Tommy kept his eyes mostly on the area of concern as he began to dress Jo’s wound. He pulled a strip of gauze from the roll and placed it flat over the freshly cleaned gash, then used the medical tape to hold it firmly in place.

“That should hold up fine, it doesn’t look like it needs stitches, which is a very good thing…” Tommy said as he rummaged through the kit, “Because I don’t see any suture tools in this thing…” He found a folding scalpel, though, which he tucked into his back pocket, for just in case.

He placed his hands on Jo’s torso, then, and began feeling gently along her ribs. He was careful, not pressing too hard, in case he found a spot that was particularly damaged. “How’s that feel, are you breathing alright?”

“You don’t seem to be too damaged, you’re lucky…” He felt carefully along each of her ribs, following each one toward her stomach, and then down her other side, “Maybe I should keep ya around a bit longer, your luck might rub off on me.” He watched Jo’s reaction, trying to gage the amount of pain she was in from him inspecting her ribs. She may be a bit numb from the alcohol, so he watched her facial expressions closely.

[Jo Harris]

*As Tommy went to work patching her up, Jo rolled her head back so that it was resting on the back of the chaise lounge and looked up at the ceiling above them. The tequila she had consumed so hastily was now meeting with the migraine that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in her exhausted brain and Jo closed her eyes for a few minutes, biting her bottom lip to stifle a scream as Tommy cleaned her wound with alcohol.

Sitting there in nothing but her jeans and bra, Jo thought of the last time she had shown her bra to a man, and began to shift her weight uncomfortably as memories of Michael began to surface. Instantly, Jo took another few swigs of the tequila to block out the painful memories of the only man she had ever loved cheating on her. ~Bastard!~ she muttered under her breath, her speech slightly slurred.

Opening her eyes, Jo stared up at the ceiling as Tommy began to dress her wound. The light from the hurricane lamp caused shadows to dance on the ceiling, and Jo giggled slightly as she watched the shadows leap and dance. ~I used to love dancing..~ she mumbled, almost inaudibly. ~Was the best ballerina at the academy before I got my stupid boobs and Madame Michelle told me I was too curvy to be a prima ballerina.~ She sniffed back the tears of self pity that threatened to fall as she took another swig from the bottle. ~Just because she was as flat as a toothpick… stupid old cow!~ She took another swig, surprised to find that no more tequila came out. ~What the hell?!~ she slurred as she held up the now empty bottle. ~Who drank my beer?~ she yelled and threw the bottle away from her. It was only then that she remembered somebody else was in the room, and she lifted her head to look at Tommy with a goofy grin on her face.

~You gonna put the music on? I can’t dance my solo without music. Stupid old bat can’t tell me what to do!~ Jo sat up quickly, intending on jumping up to dance, but the room started spinning and she fell back on the lounge, grabbing hold of Tommy and pulling him down with her.

~Woah. Can you turn this thing off please? It’s making me feel sick..~ She wrapped her arms around Tommy’s neck and brought her face up so that she was a mere inch away from his. ~I could’ve been the best ballerina in the world. People would’ve come far and wide to see me, hey? But I had to get stupid boobs. I hate my stupid boobs..~ She looked down at her bra and then back up at Tommy who was still in her grasp and extremely close to her face. ~Don’t you hate my boobs?~ She began to wiggle beneath him. ~Hate stupid bras! So uncomfortable! Help me get it off..~ she reached back and began to fumble for her bra clasp, the sudden movement causing the pain in her back to come screaming back to reality. ~Woah!!! Holy shit that hurt...~ she mumbled as she fell back against the lounge, tears streaming down her face. Her bottom lip began to tremble as she looked up with Tommy with wide eyes. ~Owwww..~ she whispered. *

[Boston]

Tommy nodded along with Jo as she began her drunken rambling. He simply nodded and agreed with her, taking advantage of the time she was holding still to dress her wounds—thankful she wasn’t an angry, thrashing drunk, he was able to quickly and accurately patch her up. “I’m sure you’ll dance again, gal, once I get you out of here I’m sure you’ll dance ‘til your legs fall off…”

He looked up when she asked about the alcohol, and he couldn’t help but chuckle quietly, “You drank it all, you old boozer. It’s a good thing I got you patched up so quickly, otherwise you’d be bleeding all over the place.”

Then when Jo tried to jump up, Tommy grabbed her shoulders quickly, and pushed her back down, “No, you gotta stay still. You’re way too drunk and bleedy to go dancing around, just lie still and you’ll be fine.” He was beginning to have second thoughts about allowing her to drink all she wanted, but it was just a little too late to take that one back. He was becoming concerned that she was going to do something silly and agitate or worsen one of her wounds.

Then suddenly Tommy found himself face-to-face with Jo as she began rambling about hating her chest and bra. Under any other circumstances, Tommy would’ve been all over the situation. But given Jo’s current injured state and blatant inebriation, Tommy played the gentleman; he was back to nodding along, and when Jo asked about her chest, Tommy glanced down, between it and Jo’s face. “Totally, your boobs sure are a couple of downers, gal.”

He reached up for her arms when she tried to reach back, then, knowing the reach would put extra strain on her injuries, and he was back to holding her still. He kept a firm grasp of her biceps and kept them planted against the chair, holding himself above her to keep her from wiggling any more, “Now you gotta hold still, got it? We just fell from a four story tall ferris wheel, if you don’t hold still, your skeleton’s just gonna rattle apart.”

Tommy sighed, then, and he sat up. He pushed Jo’s hair back out of her face, tucked it behind her ear, and caressed her cheek in a delicate, afterthought gesture. He sat up so she could have more of the chair to stretch out on, and he reached back behind it to grab the ukulele he had dropped back there earlier.

“Sit still, just lay back and try to get some sleep, okay?” He said as he began plucking at the ukulele’s strings, plucking out a quiet, calming tune. Despite being in the same situation as Jo, and having sustained more or less similar injuries, Tommy seemed to be just fine. He didn’t seem to need very much patching up, and most of the blood left on his body seemed to just be dry blood—it didn’t appear as though he had any fresh, bleeding wounds, and he didn’t look at all tired.

He wasn’t thinking about himself, though, he just wanted Jo to use this time to rest. Maybe he could try to figure it out if she fell asleep, but for now, he just took to playing her a lullaby.

[Jo Harris]

*Jo nodded miserably as Tommy agreed that her boobs were “a couple of downers”. ~Told you!~ she sniffed. ~ Being a girl sucks balls..~

She pouted as Tommy thwarted her attempts to take off her horribly uncomfortable bra, despite being somewhat grateful that he had stopped her from moving further and hurting her back even more. She opened her mouth to say something undoubtedly witty and brilliant when he brushed her hair back behind her ear and began to caress her cheek. Jo instantly melted at his touch and sank back onto the lounge, a sleepy smile on her lips. It had been a while since a man had been so tender with her and Jo was surprised at the different emotions that washed over her. The tequila made the myriad of emotions all the more sweeter and she grinned up at him as Tommy sat back and picked up the ukulele. She nodded obediently as he told her to lay back and relax as he began to pluck the strings. Although he had told her to get some sleep, Jo decided she didn’t want to waste any time sleeping. Despite the fact that her jaw kept opening on its own accord and emitting a yawn every now and then, Jo was absolutely and positively convinced that she did not want to go to sleep.


As the lullaby washed over her in relaxing waves, Jo rubbed her eyes and snuggled down on the lounge. Her whole body felt relaxed, but her eyes did not close. Instead, they focused on Tommy. At first she watched his fingers as he plucked the strings and made simple chords. Then her eyes moved up his strong arms until she found herself staring at his shoulders. After a while, she blinked and then she was staring at his lips. He had nice lips, and Jo blinked again sleepily and yawned as the memory of a few moments ago flickered across her seriously drunk mind. She had been very close to Tommy’s lips before… hell.. she had been practically lying beneath him…clad in a bra… and…. nothing.


Jo frowned. In normal circumstances (which was anything other than the circumstances they currently found themselves in), Jo would have expected Tommy to pounce on her. In fact, the more that she thought about it, the more offended she felt. She bit her bottom lip nervously as she wondered why he had not even tried to kiss her. She wasn’t bad looking, in fact she had been told she was better than average ( on a good day), and although this certainly wasn’t a “good day”, she didn’t think that she was so repulsive that she didn’t deserve a little kiss. Jo sat up further, squirming as the pain shot down her spine again. Of course, he had already explained his disdain for her boobs and Jo nodded vaguely in agreement as she glared down at her chest. ~Stupid boobs!~ she mumbled, slurring her words so badly that Tommy probably wouldn’t hear her. She crossed her arms in front of her chest as she turned her glaring gaze towards Tommy.

~Fine!~ she yelled as she started to try to get up. ~I didn’t want to kiss you anyway you know!~

She jumped up in a surprising burst of speed, knocking the ukulele out of his hands as she proceeded to rise (somewhat slowly) from the lounge.
~You’re…. a…. boy! And…. I…. I …~ she wobbled and reached out to lean on him so that she could stand up.

~I don’t care that you have nice lips… and shoulders! I don’t want to kiss you either!~ she was standing now and was wobbling away from him, glaring at the room which had started to spin again. ~And! I don’t…. ~she closed her eyes and raised a hand to her mouth. ~I don’t… feel…well..~ she sighed fell back down on the lounge, pouting.

She lay back and closed her eyes for a moment until the room stopped spinning. Opening her eyes, she looked over at him.

~Stupid boy..~ she sniffed. ~Your loss!~ *