Serial Saturday: Willie the Clown, Part 3 by Rachael Chang

Willie the Clown: Part Three

CHAPTER 5

“Mommy? Mommy are you awake yet? I wanna talk to you.”

   I shake my mother gently who’s passed out on the living room couch. There are several bottles of alcohol scattered all around her on the floor. When I look down, I notice she’s gripping a bottle of vodka in her hand. She mumbles in her sleep, but I can’t really make out what she’s saying. All I know is that I need to talk to her. Desperately. Because I feel like I’m going crazy. 

“Mommy! Wake up!” 

But my mom is completely unresponsive. She simply rolls over and continues to snore loudly. Anger takes over me and I glare at her with absolute hatred.

“Hey, what are you doing out of the pantry? Get back in there! Right now!”

I jump, startled, as I hear my father approaching me. He storms over towards me, his eyes burning with hate and evil. I back up, but he grabs me by my ear and pulls me towards the pantry. Shit. I really did not wanna go back in there. And I didn’t get a chance to tell Mommy about the voices I’ve been hearing in my head. This was my one and only chance to tell her, and it was ruined. I didn’t know when I’d have a chance to escape the pantry again. 

I probably never would. 

I try to fight my father as best I can, but he’s just too strong. Not that I have much of a chance of getting away from him anyways. I’m too malnourished and weak to fight him, and he knows it. 

My father throws me so hard into the pantry that I fall into a crumpled heap on the floor, my vision going black. The last thing I see is my father slamming the door and locking it, leaving me in complete darkness. 

CHAPTER 6

“Maddie, Maddie wake up. Maddie!”

I’m woken up to Cam gently shaking me awake. My head hurts so badly that it takes me a while to open my eyes. It takes me a while for my eyes to focus and adjust to my surroundings, but when I finally come to, I see Cam looking down at me with worry. Next to him sits Paige. She has a look of sheer terror in her eyes, and her face is as white as a sheet of paper. 

“Where-where are we? What…what  happened?” I ask, sitting up slowly. 

Cameron swallows hard before answering me, “I think someone knocked us out and brought us deeper into the clown tunnels, Maddie. They brought me here first, then you guys.”

I stare at Cam, my eyes full of bewilderment, “You-you’re saying we’re prisoners down here now? Haven’t you tried getting out?” I ask, anger swelling up inside me. 

Cam points to metal bars that have a huge, industrial sized lock and chain wrapped around it. “Does it look like there’s a way out?!” He snaps.

I feel tears well up in my eyes as I realize that this is the first time in our three year relationship that Cam has ever snapped at me, or gotten angry with me. I know that this is a very bad situation that we’re in, so I understand why he’s frustrated and scared. I’m scared too.

“What are we gonna do? How are we gonna get out of here?” Paige asks, her lip quivering as tears stream down her face. 

“Cam, did you see who brought us here? How many people was it?” I ask. 

Cam swallows hard as he tries to snap himself out of his state of fear. “I’ve only seen one guy so far, so I think it was just one. I have a plan. I think I can rush him, maybe if I can take him down when he comes to let us out, we can get out of here. While I’m knocking him out, you guys run and I’ll catch up to you. Got it?”

Paige shakes her head, “Cam we’re not leaving you down here with him!”

“You guys don’t have a choice! I want you guys to get out, don’t worry about me. I’m the one who got us into this, and I’m gonna get you out. Even if it means I don’t make it.”

“Cam, shut up you’re going to make it, alright? All of us are. Now let’s get ready to attack before the guy gets here.”

I nod, my heart pounding out of my chest. As I glance over at Paige, she has a look of terror in her eyes too, but she’s already crouched as if she’s ready to run. I brace myself too, balling my hands into fists as if that’ll do anything. 

My heart rate picks up as I begin to hear heavy footsteps walking towards us. Behind me, Paige hyperventilates, gasping for air as she struggles to breathe. I’m not much better off; beads of cold sweat drip down my face and my breathing comes out shallow, but I’m trying to keep it together. Cam looks the most calm and collected out of all of us, but I’m sure he’s scared shitless. 

“When I jump him, you guys run as fast as you can. Get the hell out of here. Ok?” He says again, going over his plan. 

Finally, the clown comes into view. It’s hard to make out every detail because of the dim lighting, but I see a heavy set man wearing an orange afro and a checkered clown suit with the colors red, green and black on it. He has his eyes painted with white clown makeup, wears a red ball over his nose, and has a frown painted in the same white paint but outlined in red, making it stand out against his other makeup. 

“Look at my little treasures! What fun it’s going to be to destroy all of them!” The clown shrieks, laughing hysterically. 

We all back up as far as we can into our tiny, cramped cell. The clown approaches the metal gate and begins to unlock it. I squeeze Cam’s shoulder hard, trying to give him a boost of confidence. Then, slowly…too slowly…the clown unlocks the gate. 

What happens next seems like it happens in slow motion. 

Cam rushes the clown, tackling it to the ground as hard as he can. He begins to beat the living daylight out of it, punching it repeatedly in the head. 

“Go, go, go!” Cam yells, his voice cracking as he beats up the clown.

“Maddie, go!” Paige yells, pushing me out of the cell, snapping me out of my state of shock. 

Paige and I nearly trip over each other as we try to find our way out of the tunnels, but we don’t even make it out of our cell.

Because when I look back, I see the clown roll over so that Cam is underneath him. The clown punches Cam once in his face, and he goes unconscious. I stare at the clown in complete disbelief. 

“CAM! CAM GET UP, PLEASE GET UP! CAM!” I yell at the top of my lungs. 

But Cam doesn’t get up. He lays there on the cold ground, unmoving. Paige is tugging on my arm, trying to get me to move, but I can’t. It’s like I’m frozen in fear, or shock. Or both. But no matter what I do, I can’t move my feet.

The clown slowly approaches me and Paige, forcing us to back up against the wall. Paige is trembling so hard that she can hardly stand upright. I feel my body shaking too, but I’m trying not to show the clown how terrified I really am. 

“Get back in your cage, little kitties, or I’ll rip your friend’s heart out!” 

The clown yells at us, and we nod- his voice so loud and shrill that it leaves my ears ringing. Reluctantly, Paige and I get back into the cell and he locks the door. I don’t know why, but when the clown calls Paige and I “little kitties” a chill goes down my spine, making me shiver. 

I watch helplessly as the clown begins to tie Cam up in a rickety, old wooden chair. Paige sobs uncontrollably next to me, and I feel tears stream down my own face as well. I don’t remember a time in my life where I’ve felt so helpless.