Chapter 4
The next evening, I found myself standing in the same parking lot, listening to the same pre-shift briefing, but everything felt different.
The other guys kept shooting envious glances at me, Swinger, and Bulldog, their jealousy from last night's debriefing still simmering under the surface.
Truth be told, after what we encountered last night, I would gladly have given up my spot.
And I'm pretty sure Bulldog and Swinger felt the same.
"If you asses ask me one more time about switching assignments, I'm going to clean your clocks!" Fang barked, his patience clearly at an end. "I'm not changing people around. Deal with it."
Heavy opened his mouth to protest, but Fang's glare shut him down fast.
"Same positions as last night," Fang commanded. "And I don't want to hear another word about it. You got a problem with your assignment, take it up with the President."
I caught the frustrated looks passing between the other members. They wanted what we'd seen, and Fang's refusal was only making them more determined.
As we mounted up and rode to the carnival, I couldn't shake the feeling that tonight was going to be even more intense than the last. I couldn't imagine what events would be in the works tonight.
As we got closer, the carnival looked the same as the night before.
Maybe it was my apprehension, but there was something different about the energy—more of an eager yearning.
"Well," I said to Swinger and Bulldog as we headed to the midway, "let's see what fresh hell this place has in store for us tonight."
The first few hours followed a similar pattern to the previous night.
The clowns were out in force and seemed to be assessing the guests, no doubt looking for who they could target.
I'm not ashamed to admit that when I saw the triplet dolls rounding the corner, I ducked behind the nearest tent and watched them pass.
The less interaction with them, the better.
The carnies continued their systematic exploitation, rigging games and playing with people, trying to harvest personal items and money. Near the ring toss game, I watched the green-haired clown with the puzzle face approach a woman who was clutching her purse tightly.
"Having trouble deciding what to play?" the clown asked, his face pieces shifting into a kindly expression.
"Oh, I don't really gamble," she replied nervously. "This isn't really for me. I'm just here with my friend."
"This isn't gambling," the clown said, his face rearranging into a trustworthy smile. "This is skill. Tell you what, come with me. The first game's free for such a lovely lady."
As she stepped up to the game, the clown nodded to the carnie, who grabbed a set of rings from under the counter, bringing them to the lady.
"Step up, everyone. Watch the lady win," he shouted.
"Oh, I wish you wouldn't," she said, picking up a ring. "What do I do?"
The carny, in a very sweet tone, explained the game, then stepped back. Intrigued by what was happening, I moved closer so I could watch.
The lady looked at the clown, then back to the toss. She flung the hoop, which seemed to fly to the far right but then swung back around and hooked around a hook at the top of the back wall.
"You did it," the clown cheered, his face having slid to a happy expression. The carnie cooed, clapping.
"I did? I made it?" She kept looking from the spot to the clown. "Now what?"
"Throw the other two and try to get them on the same hook," the clown handed her another ring.
"Come on over, folks. Watch the lady hook the ring," the carnie bellowed in a voice that seemed not human.
"Alright, here we go." The lady threw the hoop, which dive-bombed straight for the table ahead of her. The hoop bounced off the table and shot straight up to the hook, where it came to a stop, swinging right next to the other one.
What the hell?
The carnie, clown, lady, and the small crowd that had gathered erupted into cheers.
"Come one, come all. See the marvelous lady win the grand prize."
The clown picked up the last hoop and held it up. The even bigger crowd cheered.
"Just one more. You can do it," the clown kissed her cheek.
She turned seven shades of red while taking the ring from him.
The lady peered at the hook, then tossed the ring.
It flew straight up to the top of the tent, about four feet in front of her.
The lady let out a sad moan of disappointment.
But to her and everyone's surprise, the hoop landed in the middle of the table below it and proceeded to fly straight to the hook. Everyone went wild.
The carny bent and dug through a box under the back counter. He emerged carrying a red box no more than two inches high. He made an elaborate show of the box, spinning several times to show the crowd. Setting the box in front of the lady, he bowed and opened it.
The lady and the people closest to her gasped. "I won that?"
The clown, who now wore a shocked expression, and the carny both confirmed it was hers. The carny picked up the open box and dramatically turned in a circle, showing the shocked crowd. Inside was an elaborate jeweled necklace and matching bracelet.
"Diamonds, rubies, emeralds," the clown told her in a much louder voice than what was needed. "All yours, my dear."
"What's this about?" a man across the booth called out. "There's no damn way those rings should have hit. And now trying to pass that costume fake-ass jewelry off as real. No way. This is rigged."
"I assure you, they're real." His face slid into an angered look. "Would security be here if it wasn't?" The clown pointed at me leaning against a pole on the other side of the tent from those two.
I nodded at the man, and just to appease the clown, I moved my arms so he could see the SECURITY printed across my shirt.
"It's fixed!" the man yelled. "No one can make a toss like that."
I watched as the orange clown slid in from the crowd, so he was next to the naysayer.
The two clowns made eye contact, and the green clown nodded his head slightly.
The orange one turned to face the man. He tugged on his sleeve so the man would look at him.
As the man did, the clown raised his other hand and blew on it directly in the man's face.
Instantly, the man's eyes glossed over. But this time, rather than take the man with him, the clown simply left. The man stood there in a stupor.
The carny put the box in front of the woman, who picked it up and hugged it to her chest.
"Alright," the carny jumped on top of the counter. "You all saw her win. Now, who's next?"
Instantly, everyone pulled out their money, fists full, willing to give it to him for a chance at a prize like that. People pushed and shoved, waving cash to get his attention.
The carnie was in front of the lady and the clown. He put his hand in his pocket and produced something he gave to the clown along with a fist bump.
"Not to worry, everyone will get a shot," the carny announced, taking money with one hand while handing out rings with the other.
I tried to make my way to the lady, but the crowd wasn't moving. The last I saw of her, she was walking away from the booth with the green clown's arm around her.
Good luck to her.
I made a mental note—tonight back at the clubhouse, I'd report on the prize. Maybe this was the sort of thing the President was looking for. While I hated my life in the club, it was the only life I had, so I might as well do as I was told.
I walked around, paying special attention to the carnies.
Do they all have jewels for prizes?
Twice, I dodged the dolls, who tonight were dressed in short dresses with ruffle panties.
I was watching the carny with the scales and no ears when Swinger's voice crackled over the radio. "Runt, Bulldog, I need backup near the Tilt-A-Whirl. Got a situation brewing."
We converged on his location to find a crowd gathering around two men who were shouting at each other.
Between them stood a young woman I recognized from the water race game.
I'd noticed before that she had a subtle way about her Always smiling and chatting with the guests.
Her skin was covered in small blue, green, and purple-looking circles.
I'd also noticed that she seemed to always have her hand in cups of water.
"I sa-aww her fir-ssst!" one of the men slurred, clearly drunk. He was middle-aged, wearing an expensive pair of jeans and a blue polo shirt.
"Bullssshits!" the other one shot back. He was younger, wearing a racing team t-shirt and jeans. He was just as intoxicated, if not more. "Ssshe was tal-king to mee!"
The woman between them looked terrified, her hands raised defensively. "Please, I told you I don't want either of you. I'm not available. I work here."
"Come oooon, sss-weetheart," the older man said, reaching for her arm. "I'll makes it wor-rth your whhh-ile."
"Back off, old man," the younger guy snapped, grabbing the woman's other arm. "I wanna s-see where these circles end." He began tracing a pattern on her arm. She yanked her arm away.
The woman cried out as each of them grabbed an arm and began forcefully playing tug-of-war with her. That was enough for us. It was time to get involved.
"Break it up!" I bellowed, pushing through the crowd with Swinger and Bulldog flanking me. Our combined presence made people quickly part, and it should have been enough to end it. But it didn't. "LET GO OF HER!" Bulldog and I yelled at the same time.
But these guys were too drunk and too focused on their prize to care about consequences. They each squeezed down and pulled harder on her wrists. She sobbed and begged them to let her go.
"Thisss is none of your fuck'in business!" the older man snarled.
"Yeah, get lost!" the younger one added.
At the same time, they each gave a sharp, harsh pull on the woman. I'd had enough. I grabbed the older man's shoulder and wrist, squeezing just hard enough to make him release the woman.